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A suspected Russian diplomat is occupying his country’s vetoed embassy site in Australia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:30:31 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A suspected lone Russian diplomat is apparently squatting on the site of Moscow’s proposed embassy after the Australian government vetoed the plan on security grounds. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese dismissed the Russian act of defiance, saying a “bloke standing in the cold on a bit of grass in Canberra is not a threat to our national security.”Parliament passed emergency legislation last week blocking on security grounds Russia’s lease on the largely empty block because the new embassy would have been too close to Parliament House.A man has been living on the site in a portable building since Sunday when passersby first saw Australian Federal Police outside the fenced block in Canberra’s Yarralumla diplomatic precinct.The Russian Embassy refused to comment on a report in The Australian newspaper that the man seen smoking cigarettes outside his accommodation was a Russian diplomat.The embassy also declined to explain why the man was on the sit...

Maine bill proposing one of country’s least restrictive abortion laws narrowly clears House vote

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:30:31 GMT

AUGUSTA, Maine — A proposal to expand access to abortions narrowly passed Thursday night in the Maine House, clearing the first hurdle after lawmakers kicked off an emotional floor debate.The 74-72 vote was closer than expected after at least one Democratic co-sponsor had a change of heart, joining lawmakers opposed to the proposal that would give the state one of the least restrictive abortion laws in the country. The bill moves next to the Maine Senate for consideration.The bill introduced by Democratic Gov. Janet Mills with the backing of legislative leaders would allow abortions any time before birth if deemed necessary by a medical provider. Current state law bans abortions after a fetus becomes viable outside the womb, at roughly 24 weeks, unless a mother’s life is at risk.House Republican Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham expressed frustration after the vote.“The stench in this building is overwhelming,” the Republican from Winter Harbor said.Passage is considered a foregone concl...

The Paris summit on finance and climate comes to an end. Time for concrete steps?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:30:31 GMT

PARIS (AP) — After all the talking, time for tangible solutions?The aim of the two-day climate and finance summit ending Friday in Paris was to set up concrete measures to help poor and developing countries whose predicaments have been worsened by the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine better tackle poverty and climate change.Even though the gathering of world and financial leaders has no mandate to make formal decisions, French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to deliver a to-do list that should be accompanied by a progress-tracking tool.“We have to come up with mobilizations, commitments, new instruments and very concrete solutions that will change life on the ground in countries facing these challenges,” Macron said.U.S. climate envoy John Kerry was on the same wavelength, telling The Associated Press the conference would aim to “come out with some results that are specific to how you can mobilize finance” in a bid to reduce emissions faster....

Tourist sub’s implosion draws attention to murky regulations of deep-sea expeditions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:30:31 GMT

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — When the Titan submersible made its fateful dive into the North Atlantic on Sunday, it also plunged into the murkily regulated waters of deep-sea exploration. It’s a space on the high seas where laws and conventions can be sidestepped by risk-taking entrepreneurs and the wealthy tourists who help fund their dreams. At least for now. “We’re at a point in submersible operations in deep water that’s kind of akin to where aviation was in the early 20th century,” said Salvatore Mercogliano, a history professor at Campbell University in North Carolina who focuses on maritime history and policy. “Aviation was in its infancy — and it took accidents for decisions to be made to be put into laws,” Mercogliano said. “There’ll be a time when you won’t think twice about getting on a submersible and going down 13,000 feet. But we’re not there yet.” Thursday’s announcement by the U.S. Coast Guard that the Titan had imploded near the Titanic shipwreck, kil...

Biden is getting endorsements from 3 abortion rights groups as Democrats bank on the issue in 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:30:31 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is banking on reproductive rights to be a galvanizing issue for voters in the 2024 presidential election as he collects a trio of top-level endorsements and hosts a rally Friday to mark the approaching anniversary of the Supreme Court decision overturning federal abortion protections.Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are being endorsed by Planned Parenthood Action Fund, NARAL Pro-Choice America and Emily’s List. The groups are throwing their early support behind the reelection effort in part to highlight the importance of the issue for Democrats heading into the election year, the groups’ leaders told The Associated Press. “I think that President Biden has been an incredibly valuable partner, along with Vice President Harris, in fighting back against the onslaught of attacks that we have seen,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and chief executive of Planned Parenthood Action Fund. “We are heading into an election where opposition...

With the fate of those on Titanic-bound submersible known, focus turns to cause of fatal implosion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:30:31 GMT

The search for a missing Titanic-bound submersible has become an investigation and salvage mission that will take an indefinite amount of time, officials said, as tributes from around the world poured in for the five people killed when the vessel imploded deep in the North Atlantic.The announcement Thursday that all aboard perished when the submersible imploded near the site of the iconic shipwreck brought a tragic end to a five-day saga that included an urgent around-the-clock search and a worldwide vigil for the vessel known as the Titan.The investigation into what happened was already underway and would continue in the area around Titanic where debris from the submersible was found, said Rear Adm. John Mauger, of the First Coast Guard District. “I know there are also a lot of questions about how, why and when did this happen. Those are questions we will collect as much information as we can about now,” Mauger said, adding that it was a “complex case” that happened in a remote par...

Chased from their homes by gangs, thousands of Haitians languish in shelters with lives in limbo

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:30:31 GMT

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A gang rampaged through the Cite Soleil slum, killing and raping and setting fire to hundreds of wood-and-tin homes. Forced out of the neighborhood, one family of four lived on the streets of Port-au-Prince until they were struck by a truck as they slept.Two brothers, 2 and 9, died in the November accident. Jean-Kere Almicar opened his home to their distraught parents, then another family, then another, until there were nearly 200 people camped out in his front yard and nearby.They are among more than 165,000 Haitians who have fled their homes amid a surge in gang violence, with nowhere to turn in this capital of nearly 3 million people.Almicar, who once lived in Scranton, Pennsylvania but moved back to Haiti in 2007, uses his own money.“There was nothing I could do except tell them to come in,” Almicar said. “Their home doesn’t exist anymore. If they go back, they’re going to be killed.”Some 79,000 people are temporarily staying with friends or family, ...

Keeler: Nuggets don’t need Jalen Pickett to be Bruce Brown. But Penn State product sounds almost as good as the real thing.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:30:31 GMT

It’s not fair to expect Jalen Pickett to sashay in and fill Bruce Brown’s shoes from the jump. But if the slipper fits, Cinderella …“(He) makes everybody around him better,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said of the Penn State guard the Nuggets picked up through a trade with the Pacers early in the 2023 NBA Draft’s second round on Thursday night.The book on Pickett? Body like granite. Two chess moves ahead. Nerves of steel. Six-foot-2 with a 6-9 mindset. Ball-handler in the Marcus Smart mode who can step back or bang, depending on the situation.Sure sounds like somebody we know. And grew to love.While grabbing Pickett showed Nuggs exec Calvin Booth wisely protecting a roster’s backside, just in case, it doesn’t mean Booth was necessarily tipping his hand, either. Backup point guard was on the shopping list regardless.So was range and reach. Which explains how former Gonzaga star sharpshooter Julian Strawther, who’s got more than a little Christian Braun in him, joined the champs’ picture l...

Orange County condo residents forced to live without gas for weeks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:30:31 GMT

For nearly a month, hundreds of residents living in a condominium complex in Orange have been forced to live without natural gas.SoCalGas said it shut off gas access for the La Veta Monterey Condos on June 2 citing safety concerns after a gas leak was discovered on the premises. The complex houses 212 units with both owners and renters.Because the leak was discovered on private property, utility officials said responsibility for repairs falls on the complex owners and the homeowners association.Residents, meanwhile, are fed up with living without hot water or the ability to cook at home.“We need this gas turned back on,” said resident Betty Talbert. “We are tired of the problems.”A ton of caution tape can be seen throughout the complex grounds with ongoing underground construction work.For three weeks, residents living in a condominium complex in Orange have been forced to live without natural gas on June 22, 2023. (KTLA)In a letter sent to residents from the homeowners association ...

Theft suspects escape after high-speed chase in Los Angeles County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:30:31 GMT

A group of suspects evaded arrest after leading authorities on a high-speed chase through Los Angeles County on Thursday night.The suspects were originally wanted for theft, according to the California Highway Patrol.The vehicle was seen weaving dangerously through bumper-to-bumper freeway traffic before exiting in Culver City and continuing to drive erratically through Slauson Avenue.On surface streets, the suspect hit speeds of up to 70 miles per hour, at times driving into oncoming traffic lanes and running red lights. The suspect nearly missed sideswiping several cars throughout the pursuit.Authorities pursued a high-speed vehicle with three suspects wanted for theft in Los Angeles County on June 22, 2023. (KTLA)Authorities pursued a high-speed vehicle with three suspects wanted for theft in Los Angeles County on June 22, 2023. (KTLA)Authorities pursued a high-speed vehicle with three suspects wanted for theft in Los Angeles County on June 22, 2023. (KTLA)Authorities pursued a h...