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Michael Gambon, veteran actor who played Dumbledore In 'Harry Potter' films, dies at age 82

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:52:17 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Michael Gambon, the Irish-born actor knighted for his storied career on the stage and screen and who gained admiration from a new generation of moviegoers with his portrayal of Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore in six of the eight “Harry Potter” films, has died. He was 82.A statement by his family, issued by his publicist Thursday, said the actor died following “a bout of pneumonia.”“We are devastated to announce the loss of Sir Michael Gambon. Beloved husband and father, Michael died peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside,” his family said.While the Potter role raised Gambon’s international profile and found him a huge audience, he had long been recognized as one of Britain’s leading actors. His work spanned TV, theater and radio, and he starred in dozens of films from “Gosford Park” and “The King’s Speech” to the animated family movie “Paddington.” He recently appeared in the Judy Garland biopic “Judy,” released in 2019. Gambon was...

The American soldier who bolted into North Korea 2 months ago has returned to the US

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:52:17 GMT

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The American soldier who sprinted into North Korea across the heavily fortified border between the Koreas more than two months ago was whisked to a Texas Army base Thursday for medical checks and interviews after his return to the U.S., according to the Pentagon.North Korea abruptly announced a day earlier that it would expel Pvt. Travis King. His return was organized with the help of ally Sweden and rival China, according to the White House. While officials have said King, 23, is in good health and the immediate focus will be on caring for him and reintegrating him into U.S. society, his troubles are likely far from over. King, who had served in South Korea, ran into the North while on a civilian tour of a border village on July 18, becoming the first American confirmed to be detained in the isolated country in nearly five years. At the time, he was supposed to be heading to Fort Bliss, Texas, following his release from prison in South Korea on an assault convict...

Biden is targeting Trump’s ‘extremist movement’ as he makes democracy a touchtone in reelection bid

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:52:17 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — President Joe Biden is ready to argue “there is something dangerous happening in America” during a speech in Arizona on Thursday as he revives his warnings that Donald Trump and his allies represent an existential threat to the country’s democratic institutions.“There is an extremist movement that does not share the basic beliefs of our democracy. The MAGA movement,” Biden says in excerpts of the speech released in advance by the White House, referring Trump’s Make America Great Again slogan.Although voting in the 2024 Republican primary doesn’t begin for months, Biden’s focus reflects Trump’s status as the undisputed frontrunner for his party’s nomination despite facing four indictments, two of them related to his attempts to overturn Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.Biden’s speech is his fourth in a series of presidential addresses on the topic, a cause that is a touchstone for him as he tries to remain in office even in...

Quebec police watchdog investigating shooting of Legault, Trudeau threat suspect

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:52:17 GMT

SCOTSTOWN, Que. — Quebec’s police watchdog is investigating after a member of a provincial police tactical team shot a man suspected of making threats toward Premier François Legault and Prime Minster Justin Trudeau.The agency, known as the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes, says the shooting occurred during an attempted arrest early Wednesday morning at a home in Scotstown, Que., about 180 kilometres east of Montreal.According to the BEI, an officer who was looking through a window shot the suspect when he saw him point a gun toward the door where officers were entering.It says the man was wounded and is in stable condition.Montreal police confirmed late Wednesday that the suspect had allegedly made threats against Legault and Trudeau.Legault’s office said in a statement that it is aware of the situation and that all threats against elected officials are unacceptable and should be denounced. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 28, 2023. The Canad...

House Republicans start making their case for President Biden impeachment inquiry at first hearing

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:52:17 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — After insisting for months that they have the grounds to launch impeachment proceedings against President Joe Biden, House Republicans on Thursday opened their first formal hearing to make the case to the public, their colleagues and skeptics in the Senate.The chairmen of the Oversight, Judiciary, and Ways and Means committees are using the first hearing of their impeachment inquiry to review the constitutional and legal questions surrounding their investigation of Biden. They are trying to show what they say are links to his son Hunter’s overseas businesses, though they have yet to produce hard evidence of any serious wrongdoing. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky, the Oversight chairman, said in opening remarks the lawmakers have “a mountain of evidence” that will show that the elder Biden “abused his public office for his family’s financial gain.It’s a high-stakes opening act for Republicans as they begin a process that can lead to the ultimate penalty for a pre...

Israel reopens the main Gaza crossing for Palestinian laborers and tensions ease

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:52:17 GMT

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel reopened a main crossing with the Gaza Strip on Thursday, easing tensions and allowing thousands of Palestinian laborers to enter the country for the first time since it was sealed earlier this month. The opening of the crossing was a sign of de-escalation after two weeks of violent protests along Gaza’s frontier with Israel, where Palestinian demonstrators have thrown explosives and rocks and launched incendiary balloons that have sparked fires in Israeli farmland. The outbreak of protests came as the Hamas militant group that rules Gaza, cash-strapped as its financial crisis worsens, slashed the salaries of its civil servants by nearly half this month. Political analysts have described the protests at the separation fence as an attempt by Hamas to wring concessions from Israel and the militant group’s financial patron, Qatar. Hamas insists that it never called for the protests, though it gave the rallies tacit consent. In response to...

A fire breaks out for the second time at a car battery factory run by Iran’s Defense Ministry

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:52:17 GMT

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A fire broke out Thursday at a car battery factory owned by Iran’s Defense Ministry for the second time in less than a week, state media reported.No one was injured in the blaze, which erupted in an area where plastic waste is stored, state TV said. Iranian news outlets circulated photos and video footage of a column of black smoke rising into the sky north of the capital, Tehran.Iran’s regular military and its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard operate several factories across the country, many of which produce civilian goods.Iran has seen a series of fires and other mishaps in its military facilities over the years, and often accuses its archenemy Israel of sabotage. Last month, Iran said Israel tried to sabotage its ballistic missile program through faulty foreign parts that could explode.Iran has been under heavy Western sanctions for several years that prevent it from importing a range of machinery and replacement parts, forcing it to build its own...

Kari Lake, prominent Trump supporter and election denier, will launch US Senate campaign in Arizona

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:52:17 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Republican Kari Lake, a Donald Trump ally who has refused to acknowledge her loss in last year’s race for Arizona governor, will soon launch her campaign for the U.S. Senate seat held by independent Kyrsten Sinema, a senior adviser said Thursday.Lake’s entrance in one of next year’s top Senate contests likely complicates Republican efforts to nominate candidates with a broader appeal after a disappointing showing for the party in last year’s midterms. She will enter the race as the front-runner for the GOP nomination. Caroline Wren, a senior adviser to Lake, confirmed that she will open her campaign with an Oct. 10 rally. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news.A charismatic former television anchor who is well known in the Phoenix market, Lake built an enthusiastic following among Republicans with her unflinching support for Trump and her steadfast promotion of false claims of election fraud. Lake’s star power stretches far beyon...

Police search for next of kin after woman found dead in Toronto

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:52:17 GMT

Toronto police are hoping to speak with the next of kin of a woman who died earlier this month at a residence in the Oakdale-Beverly Heights neighbourhood.Investigators say on Sept. 1., Danielle Wagner, 40, was found dead at her residence in the Jane Street and Wilson Avenue area.A spokesperson said police have been unable to locate next of kin to inform them of her passing, and authorities are seeking information regarding her family.Toronto police did not disclose how the woman died.Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators.

Storm Elias slams into a city in central Greece, filling homes with mud and knocking out power

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:52:17 GMT

VOLOS, Greece (AP) — A second powerful storm in less than a month hammered parts of central Greece on Thursday, sweeping away roads, smashing bridges and flooding thousands of homes.The storm — called Elias — caused extensive flooding in the central city of Volos and left hundreds stranded in nearby mountain villages. The fire service carried out multiple rescues and evacuations, authorities said. Rescuers were also searching a mountainous area for the pilot of a private helicopter that went missing in the bad weather . “All of Volos has turned into a lake,” Volos Mayor Achilleas Beos told state television. “People’s lives are in danger. Even I remained trapped, and 80% of the city is without power. … I don’t know where God found so much water. It’s like the story of Noah’s Ark.”Bad weather earlier this month struck the same area, killing 16 people, and causing more than 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion) in damage to farms and infrastructure.Military and municipal crews scrambled to fl...