German president's UK state visit will celebrate strategic ties and recall historic scars

LONDON (AP) — German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will be greeted by brass bands and royalty Wednesday when he arrives for a U.K. state visit that will celebrate the close ties between the countries while also remembering the scars of the past.

King Charles III will welcome Steinmeier and his wife, Elke Büdenbender, to Windsor Castle for the start of a three-day tour featuring all the pomp and ceremony the U.K. traditionally rolls out for its honored guests. But there will also be a somber note as Steinmeier becomes the first German head of state to make a formal state visit to Britain in 27 years.

On Friday, the couple will visit Coventry Cathedral to commemorate the Nazi bombing of the city, which killed at least 568 people and destroyed or damaged more than half of its homes on the night of Nov. 14, 1940. It was the single most concentrated attack on a British city during World War II.

Germany has apologized more than once for the Nazi regime's atrocities. And during hisown state visit to Germany in 2023,Charles acknowledged the devastation caused by the war,laying a wreathat the remains of St. Nikolai Church in Hamburg to commemorate the more than 30,000 people who were killed during the Allied bombing of the city in July 1943.

"It's a particularly poignant time in British and German history, so the fact that this is being factored into the state visit clearly is important to both sides," said Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty Magazine.

While state visitsare hosted by the king,they are scheduled at the request of the elected government to reward friends — and sometimes nudge reluctant partners — with the red carpet treatment only Britain's royal family can provide.

So there will be the glittering tiaras, displays of military precision and a sumptuous banquet served on 200-year-old silver. There's also a huge Christmas tree in St. George's Hall.

But it's a spectacle with a purpose. Britain and Germany are seeking to underscore the bonds between the two countries as they face the challenges of the war in Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump's America First policies, which threaten to upend longstanding trade and security relationships.

The trip will build on the success of Charles' state visit to Germany, when he displayed an ability to properly roll his R's while flipping between German and English in aspeech to the Bundestag, the German parliament.

Making his first state visit since ascending the throne, Charles stressed the long-standing ties between the two countries and the importance of future cooperation.

British officials hope those ties will be cemented by coverage of the glittering events at Windsor Castle.

"It will produce wonderful pictures and these will be seen as symbols for the British public and the German public,'' said Gerhard Dannemann, former head of the Centre for British Studies at Humboldt Universität in Berlin. "And the hope is that ...the German president can emulate,'' what Charles did in 2023.

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December 02, 2025

German president's UK state visit will celebrate strategic ties and recall historic scars

LONDON (AP) — German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will be greeted by brass bands and royalty Wednesday when he arriv...

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Deadly conflict in the Sahel sends herders fleeing to Africa's coastal cities

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Nouhoun Sidibè was a herder, like his father and grandfather, and took pride in his identity as a pastoralist. That's until the day armed men descended on his home in northernBurkina Fasoand seized all his livestock.

Within minutes on that day in 2020, the father of four lost everything.

For the next three years, he wandered from town to town looking for jobs in the landlocked West African nation that faces growing attacks by armed groups, with some of the fighters linked to al-Qaida. He had no luck, and decided to try neighboring Ivory Coast in 2023.

"I feel very, very lost. I was a chief, and now I have come here and I am working for someone else," the 49-year-old Sidibè told The Associated Press at a stockyard in a swampy wasteland on the outskirts of Abidjan, the Ivory Coast capital. He and other migrants live in a cramped space with no bathroom or kitchen.

Thesprawling conflict in the Sahel, a vast semi-arid stretch south of the Sahara desert, has sent thousands of herders to safer areas on the fringes of Abidjan, where they struggle to adapt to city life with rising costs and soaring unemployment. Sidibè now gets by helping cattle sellers vaccinate their herds.

He said the city was his only option: "You can't keep livestock here, but since I didn't have any anymore, there was nothing stopping me from coming."

That could change. This month, Ivory Coast said it was strengthening security along its northern borders after noting "several unusual flows of refugees from Mali."

Stripped of identity, too

Countries in the Sahel have been fighting armed groups for years, starting with unrest in northern Mali in 2012 that has spread to landlocked Burkina Faso and Niger.

The struggle is reshaping West Africa, with a spike in migration into seaside countries like Ivory Coast.

Experts say armed groups target herders and seize livestock for various reasons, including to finance their operations and exert control over communities. Herding is a major occupation in the Sahel, where the changing climate also creates tensions with struggling farmers — another driver of migration.

Ivory Coast, with its status as a regional hub and steady economic growth, has long been a destination for migrants, according to analysts. But that migration has jumped in recent years after military juntas took power in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger and took up the fight against armed groups.

Between January and March of this year, more than 72,000 people fled violence in Burkina Faso and Mali to Ivory Coast, according to data by UNICEF. That's up from the 54,000 recorded by the International Organization for Migration between April 2021 and March 2024.

Nomadic herders are among the most vulnerable people fleeing. They are often ethnic Fulani, Muslims who have faced accusations of sympathizing with or being recruited by armed groups. Many reject those claims and point out they're targeted by the fighters, too.

"There is no Fulani without his cattle, that is his identity," Amadou Sonde, secretary general of the Federation of Burkinabè Fulani Associations in Ivory Coast, told the AP.

Sonde said he has been receiving thousands of people from Burkina Faso and Mali and helping them find jobs, a responsibility that has grown dramatically in recent years. The jobs include drivers, shop assistants and factory workers, often a world away from the pastoral life. Few have completed schooling.

"With the insecurity surrounding livestock and tensions between farmers and herders, there has been a trend among Fulani herd owners to switch to land acquisition, real estate or shops," said Yao Kouamé, a research professor in sociology at Ivory Coast's University of Bouakè.

'The crisis is far from over'

Tanané Ibrahim fled his village in Burkina Faso after armed militants came for his herd of sheep and cattle three years ago. He doesn't plan to return.

"What is the point? The entire population has left for the city. The village is deserted," the 42-year-old said. "The (militants) did not even leave the chickens."

He was surrounded by fellow migrants by the wasteland outside Abidjan where they tend to other people's herds. They huddled as he brewed tea in small tin cups on a charcoal stove.

Experts say the conflict in the Sahel is worsening and there is no chance of the migrants returning home soon.

"The military juntas in the central Sahel states are becoming increasingly overwhelmed by assaults from multiple armed groups. The crisis is far from over," said Oluwole Ojewale, a Senegal-based conflict expert at the Institute of Security Studies.

Like Sidibè, Ibrahim said he is struggling to adapt to city life and learn new skills to survive. He spoke with nostalgia about his nomadic past.

"It was total freedom. You're with your animals, you can rest," he said. "In the city, everything is crazy expensive. You have to work hard to get paid, and when you pay for what you need to live, you have nothing left, so you have to go back to work."

For more on Africa and development:https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP'sstandardsfor working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas atAP.org.

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December 02, 2025

Deadly conflict in the Sahel sends herders fleeing to Africa's coastal cities

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Nouhoun Sidibè was a herder, like his father and grandfather, and took pride in his identity ...

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ICE to launch operation targeting Somali immigrants in Twin Cities, federal official says, as Trump calls community ‘garbage’

A new Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, will target undocumented Somali immigrants, a federal official told CNN on Tuesday, as the president has ramped up attacks against the community in recent days.

The New York Times,which cited documentsand an official who spoke anonymously, was first to report the operation in Minneapolis.

The latest federal immigration effort comes as President Donald Trump ended his Cabinet meeting on Tuesday by asserting he does not want Somali immigrants in the United States. He referred to the community and Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Somali immigrant, as "garbage" who should "go back to where they came from."

"I don't want them in our country," he said. "Their country is no good for a reason. Their country stinks, and we don't want them in our country."

The president's remarks represent an escalation of his attacks against Somalis, particularly in Minneapolis. He has repeatedly singled out Somalis since last week's shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, DC, even though the alleged shooter is an Afghan who had nothing to do with Somalia.

Somalia is one of 19 countries included in Trump's sweeping travel ban, which imposes full or partial restrictions. Many of the countries on the list are either failed states or under repressive rule, and some are governed by groups that took control after years of US involvement,CNN has reported.Trump has described Somalia as a country that has "no laws, no water, no military, no nothing."

The president's hostile rhetoric toward Somali refugees and Rep. Omar stretches back years. Since his first term, he has zeroed in on the Minnesota's Somali population to tout his agenda to crack down on immigration.

In a statement, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the agency does "not discuss future or potential operations."

Leaders of the Twin Cities called a news conference Tuesday to respond to reports of the new ICE operation in the area, saying they were not given advance notice or information about the plan.

"To our Somali community, we love you and we stand with you," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said. "Minneapolis is proud to be home to the largest Somali community in the entire country." Frey confirmed Minneapolis police would not participate in immigration enforcement operations.

Similarly, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said "The last thing we need is federal agents coming in town to create chaos and challenge for us." Both mayors reiterated their citizens have rights and touted immigration legal resources available to the community.

Minneapolis City Council member Jamal Osman, a Somali immigrant who represents many migrants in his district, said his community "has lived through fear in the past, and we are not going to let that divide us."

"I know many families are fearful tonight, but I want you to know that city, Minneapolis stands behind you," Osman said at the news conference.

In response to the Times' report, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, called the proposed operation a "PR stunt."

"We welcome support in investigating and prosecuting crime," Walz posted on X. "But pulling a PR stunt and indiscriminately targeting immigrants is not a real solution to a problem."

This story has been updated with new developments.

CNN's Emma Tucker and Michael Williams contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

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December 02, 2025

ICE to launch operation targeting Somali immigrants in Twin Cities, federal official says, as Trump calls community ‘garbage’

A new Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, will target undocumented Somali immigrants, a f...

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Why did Alabama jump Notre Dame in CFP rankings? CFP chair explains

Thepenultimate College Football Playoff rankingsbefore the bracket is set hada big shift among teams on the edgeof making the playoff field.

Alabamajumped ahead ofNotre Dame, putting the Crimson Tide at No. 9 and theFighting Irishat No. 10. Notre Dame had been ahead of the Crimson Tide for the past two weeks, but even though both teams won their last regular season game,Alabamagot a slight jump ahead.

With the move, Alabama can feel more safe about making the playoff regardless of its result in the SEC championship game againstGeorgia. For Notre Dame, it should make the Fighting Irish a bit more nervous about being left out should some chaos happen in the Big 12 and ACC title games.

CFP chair explains Alabama-Notre Dame move

CFP selection committee chair Hunter Yurachek was asked on the ESPN broadcast about the move between the Crimson Tide and Fighting Irish.

He said it has been "one of the strongest debates" in his time on the committee, and this week it was about their final game of the regular season. Notre Dame defeated Stanford 49-20 in its annual rivalry game and Alabama beat Auburn 27-20 in the Iron Bowl.

"Notre Dame went on the road, had a strong win at Stanford, but Alabama went on the road in a rivalry game. Looked really good, especially in the first half, getting up 17-0, ran the ball well," Yuracheck said. "Auburn came back at them, they had a great gutsy call on 4th-and-2 late in the third quarter to get a touchdown, and then got the turnover late in that game.

"I think that was enough to change the minds of a couple of committee members to push Alabama up ahead of Notre Dame in this week's rankings," he added.

Yurachek was asked by Rece Davis if the move was to ensure if Alabama lost in the SEC title and Brigham Young won the Big 12 championship, the Crimson Tide wouldn't get knocked out of the field. He responded it wasn't.

"We will evaluate the results of the championship game after they're all completed over the weekend," Yurachek said.

Alabama can clinch its spot in the playoff in the SEC championship game against Georgia on Saturday, Dec. 6 while Notre Dame will have to wait to see if it makes the field.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Why did Alabama jump Notre Dame in CFP rankings? CFP chair explains

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December 02, 2025

Why did Alabama jump Notre Dame in CFP rankings? CFP chair explains

Thepenultimate College Football Playoff rankingsbefore the bracket is set hada big shift among teams on the edgeof mak...

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Still a free agent, Ben Simmons says he'd play for Sixers again for free

The 2025 offseason came and went without Ben Simmons finding a team. He now appears to have a destination very much in mind.

The former first overall NBA Draft pick saw his career hit a nadir last year with his release by the Brooklyn Nets and an unproductive stay with the Los Angeles Clippers. He remains a free agent, and indicated an interest in returning to the Philadelphia 76ers when he liked an Instagram comment saying he'd be a good fit for the team last week.

He further demonstrated his interest on Tuesday, when he responded to a question about the Sixers by saying he'd play there for free, while alluding to other issues, such as his health.

View this post on Instagram

The exchange:

If @sixers asked you back to play center / pf would you come back on minimum contract would you

Simmons: it aint about the $, id hoop there for free. Its deeper then what they make y'all believe which is why i keep it pushing 🤐 rn the focus is gettin the body to 100% before putting my health on the line again… like i have been the past few years

So that's what Simmons has been up to lately.

The 29-year-old's career simply hasn't been the same since a messy divorce from the Sixers that saw him hold out of training camp and preseason and accrue nearly $20 million in fines,which resulted in a grievance and settlement. Philadelphia eventually traded him and his nine-figure contract to Brooklyn, but he was then sidelined by surgery for a herniated disc in his back.

Before the surgery, Simmons was offensively limited to his complete lack of shooting outside the paint, but still held value thanks to his passing, rebounding and first-team NBA All-Defense performance. Since the surgery, he has struggled to remain on the court and has seen his numbers crater across the board.

The idea of a healthy Simmons on a league-minimum contract — pretty much all he could get at this point — might hold some appeal for teams but, as the man himself said, he still actually has to reach 100 percent. And it seems doubtful the Sixers would be one of those teams, even with their own depth issues, considering the history there.

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December 02, 2025

Still a free agent, Ben Simmons says he'd play for Sixers again for free

The 2025 offseason came and went without Ben Simmons finding a team. He now appears to have a destination very much in mind. The former fi...

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Sasha DiGiulian becomes first woman to free-climb El Capitan's longest route

American climber Sasha DiGiulian has become the first woman to free-climb El Capitan's longest route — ajourneyshe said ended up being the "most formative and challenging climb" of her career.

"When we got to the top, after 23 days of this climb, I took a step and I just started laughing cause I was like, I haven't walked in so long," DiGuilian told CBS News in a phone interview Monday.

DiGiulian free-climbed the roughly 3,000-foot sheer granite wall in Yosemite National Park over the course of more than three weeks, nine days of which were spentwaiting out bad weatheron a wall ledge. Having eyed El Cap for years, DiGiulian is one of the few to summit via the long and difficult Platinum route.

"For the last few years I've been so committed to this specific line ... This climb kind of consumed me," she said.

"I was drawn to this particular route because it just seemed so audacious and hard and intimidating, and that's what excited me about it," she said in a separate interview with CBS News' Carter Evans.

DiGiulian, 33, and her climbing partner Elliot Faber were periodically accompanied by support personnel and a videographer.

Made famous by the Oscar-winning documentary "Free Solo," which capturedclimber Alex Honnold's famed ascent in June 2017, El Capitan is more than twice the height of the Empire State Building in the northern valley of Yosemite National Park in California.

The rock formation has 17 different free-climbing routes, according to DiGulian. Free-climbing is when climbers ascend with their hands and feet, using equipment and ropes only to protect against falling, which they set up in between pitches, or anchor points. In longer climbs like on El Capitan, climbers divide up the terrain into pieces.

DiGiulian holds a World Champion title in rock climbing and is based in Boulder, Colorado. She confirmed to CBS News that theclimbing emojiis based on her image.

DiGiulian said she and Faber arrived in Yosemite on Oct. 8 and began preparations to spend 14-16 days climbing the Platinum route, also known as the Direct Line, which has 39 pitches. They established rope points and hiked with more than 30 gallons of water to the top of the rock wall to be accessed later on.

Faberhelped establish the routeyears ago, mapping out credit card-sized protrusions on rock, but he had not actually climbed it. That changed on Nov. 3, when DiGiulian and Faber began their ascent.

Although they incorporated weather windows into their planning, an unforeseen storm brought everything to an abrupt halt on day nine. The duo set up camp on the 32nd pitch known as the mountain's Golden Edge to wait out wind, rain, cold and snow.

"This is my portaledge," DiGiuliansaysin an Instagram video on Nov. 14.

The pair used a Jetboil to cook, ate freeze-dried food for dinner, consumed Send bars (a line of green protein bars DiGiulian invented herself), rationed Kindle battery to read, and went back and forth on airplane mode to communicate with the world below. DiGiulian also said the tent door flapping in the wind made it difficult to sleep. Despite battling fatigue, boredom and the elements, she said they enjoyed incredible mountain views, glorious sunrises and days on end to contemplate their mission.

"The storm was kind of this mental but also physical challenge because you're just stripped of any sense of normal," DiGiulian said.

"The winds were what scared me a lot, and then there was really intense thunder and lightning, she told Evans.

Finally, after several days of being unable to climb, the weather started to let up. Despite the wet and slippery rock — very difficult climbing conditions — the pair resumed their ascent after 18 days on the wall, nine of which were spent waiting out the storm.

The remaining terrain was some of the most difficult, and not made easier by the slick surfaces, DiGiulian said. She put on a helmet due to the ice chunks falling from the 400 feet above.

"I don't know what it is that enabled me to like to climb this route and get through it beyond just sheer drive to push myself," she told CBS News.

Just short of the summit, Faber had to leave El Cap due to a family emergency. DiGiulian waited on the wall for two days, hoping they could finish together. When Faber was ultimately not able to return, he gave his partner his blessing to summit alone.

"He was just kind, I guess, between a rock and a hard place," DiGiulian said.

Accompanied by some friends and a camera crew, DiGiulian summited El Capitan on Wednesday, Nov. 26, after a grueling 23 days — the first woman to free-climb the ascent on the Platinum route.

"I came over the edge and tears started to kind of consume me," she told CBS News, adding, "I'm going to remember this climb for the rest of my life."

It usually takes climbers multiple days to reach the summit, depending on the route's difficulty. El Capitan draws tens of thousands of climbers each year, according to Yosemite National Park, most taking 5-7 days to summit (on the easier routes, weather conditions permitting) and 60% of climbers typically succeed.Emily Harrington became the first woman to summit the rock formation in under 24 hoursvia the Golden Gate route in 2021.

DiGiulian has been adventuring since childhood. "Climbing is this space for me where I get to be really locked in and focused on what my physical and mental self is capable of," she said. "I love puzzle solving."

Florida charter school company run by GOP figure leaves parents frustrated: "They dropped the ball"

Trump reacts to report alleging Hegseth gave verbal order on no survivors in Venezuela boat strike

Key Tennessee special election underway between Republican Matt Van Epps and Democrat Aftyn Behn

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December 02, 2025

Sasha DiGiulian becomes first woman to free-climb El Capitan's longest route

American climber Sasha DiGiulian has become the first woman to free-climb El Capitan's longest route — ajourneyshe sa...

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San Francisco sues nation's top food manufacturers over ultraprocessed foods

The city of San Francisco filed a lawsuit against some of the nation's top food manufacturers on Tuesday, arguing that ultraprocessed food from the likes of Coca-Cola and Nestle are responsible for a public health crisis.

City Attorney David Chiu named 10 companies in the lawsuit, including the makers of such popular foods as Oreo cookies, Sour Patch Kids, Kit Kat, Cheerios and Lunchables. The lawsuit argues that ultraprocessed foods are linked to diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and cancer.

"They took food and made it unrecognizable and harmful to the human body," Chiu said in a news release. "These companies engineered a public health crisis, they profited handsomely, and now they need to take responsibility for the harm they have caused."

Ultraprocessed foods include candy, chips, processed meats, sodas, energy drinks, breakfast cereals and other foods that are designed to "stimulate cravings and encourage overconsumption," Chiu's office said in the release. Such foods are "formulations of often chemically manipulated cheap ingredients with little if any whole food added," Chiu wrote in the lawsuit.

The other companies named in the lawsuit are PepsiCo; Kraft Heinz Company; Post Holdings; Mondelez International; General Mills; Kellogg; Mars Incorporated; and ConAgra Brands.

None of the companies named in the suit immediately responded to emailed requests for comment.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been vocal about the negative impact of ultraprocessed foods and their links to chronic disease and has targeted them in hisMake America Healthy Againcampaign. Kennedy has pushed to ban such foods from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for low-income families.

AnAugust reportby the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that most Americans get more than half their calories from ultraprocessed foods.

In October, California Gov. Gavin Newsomsigned a first-in-the-nation lawto phase out certain ultraprocessed foods from school meals over the next decade.

San Francisco's lawsuit cites several scientific studies on the negative impact of ultraprocessed foods on human health.

"Mounting research now links these products to serious diseases—including Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, heart disease, colorectal cancer, and even depression at younger ages," University of California, San Francisco, professor Kim Newell-Green said in the news release.

The lawsuit argues that by producing and promoting ultraprocessed foods, the companies violate California's Unfair Competition Law and public nuisance statute. It seeks a court order preventing the companies from "deceptive marketing" and requiring them to take actions such as consumer education on the health risks of ultraprocessed foods and limiting advertising and marketing of ultraprocessed foods to children.

It also asks for financial penalties to help local governments with health care costs caused by the consumption of ultraprocessed foods.

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December 02, 2025

San Francisco sues nation's top food manufacturers over ultraprocessed foods

The city of San Francisco filed a lawsuit against some of the nation's top food manufacturers on Tuesday, arguing tha...

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