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All hail the rising sun! Stonehenge welcomes 8,000 visitors for the summer solstice

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:11:18 GMT

STONEHENGE, England (AP) — All hail the rising sun.Around 8,000 revelers gathered around a prehistoric stone circle on a plain in southern England to express their devotion to the sun, or to have some communal fun.Druids, pagans, hippies, local residents and tourists, many clad in an array of colorful costumes and even antlers, stayed and celebrated at Stonehenge for the night and greeted sunrise on Wednesday, which is the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere.At dawn, the sun rose behind what is known as the Heel Stone in the northeast part of the horizon and the first rays shone into the heart of Stonehenge, one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments and a World Heritage Site. A sun-filled dawn followed a slightly misty sunrise, which was greeted with drumming, chanting and cheering.“Stonehenge continues to captivate and to bring people together to celebrate the seasons, just as it has done for thousands of years,” said Nichola Tasker, director of Stonehenge at English ...

Palestinian killed as Israeli settlers torch West Bank homes and cars to avenge deadly shooting

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:11:18 GMT

TURMUS AYYA, West Bank (AP) — Hundreds of Israeli settlers stormed into a Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, setting fire to dozens of cars and homes to avenge the deaths of four Israelis killed by Palestinian gunmen the previous day, residents said. Palestinians said one man was killed in the violence.The settler attack came as the Israeli military deployed additional forces in the occupied West Bank, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to build 1,000 new settler homes in response to the deadly shooting.The moves threatened to further raise tensions after days of deadly fighting in the West Bank that included a daylong Israeli military raid in a Palestinian militant stronghold and Tuesday’s mass shooting.Palestinian residents and human rights groups have long complained about Israel’s inability or refusal to halt settler violence. In Wednesday’s rampage, residents in Turmus Ayya said some 400 settlers marched down the town&#...

World well short of pace needed to meet UN’s 2030 sustainable development goals

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:11:18 GMT

The world is falling well short of the progress needed to meet the United Nations’ sustainable development goals by 2030 in areas ranging from poverty to clean energy to biodiversity, with a growing gap between wealthy and developing nations, according to a report Tuesday from the nonprofit tracking the goals.The coronavirus pandemic stalled the limited progress made in the years after United Nations member states adopted the goals in 2015. Now, halfway through the 15-year time frame, not a single one of the goals is on target to be met.“We’re at the risk of a lost decade for sustainable development,” said Guillaume Lafortune, a lead author of the report and vice president and head of the Paris office of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the nonprofit launched by the UN to foster and track sustainable development. “And there’s actually a risk that the gap between rich and poor countries on sustainable development might be bigger in 2030 than it was in 2015.”...

Woman injured in Manitoba bus crash dies in hospital, bringing death toll to 16

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:11:18 GMT

DAUPHIN, Man. — A woman injured in last week’s crash between a minibus and a transport truck in Manitoba has died in hospital, bringing the death toll to 16.RCMP said the woman, who had been in hospital since the crash, died Tuesday.Health officials said Wednesday that nine patients remained in hospital and four were in critical condition.The bus was taking a group of seniors from Dauphin and the surrounding area on a trip to a casino Thursday, when it crashed with the semi near Carberry.Police have said dashcam footage shows the bus was crossing the Trans-Canada Highway when it went into the path of the truck.They said officers have not yet interviewed the bus driver as he is receiving care in hospital.“Shared Health and Prairie Mountain Health would like to express our condolences to the family and friends of the patient involved in the collision who succumbed to her injuries yesterday,” the provincial health authority said in a statement Wednesday. Quality Care ...

New rule would make all railroads alert first responders within 10 miles of derailed train cargo

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:11:18 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Federal regulators want first responders to a train derailment to know exactly what they are dealing with even before they reach the scene, because the dangerous chemicals trains carry might require a specialized response.So the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration proposed a new rule Wednesday that would require all railroads to immediately send the details of everything aboard their trains to every emergency responder within 10 miles, as soon as the railroad becomes aware of an accident. The new rule comes one day ahead of a National Transportation Safety Board hearing to scrutinize emergency responses to the fiery Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train outside East Palestine, Ohio. The NTSB is still working to determine exactly what caused that wreck, which prompted the evacuation of thousands of people and ignited nationwide concern about railroad safety and calls for reforms. The largest freight railroads already have an app they develop...

While sub disappearance transfixes some, many say their focus is on other calamities

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:11:18 GMT

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — The search for a submersible that disappeared while taking wealthy tourists to see the wreck of the Titanic has gripped many with its grim cinematic elements — a ticking clock, passengers running out of oxygen, and of course, the iconic ocean liner itself, which still captivates the public imagination more than a century after it sank.In Pakistan, where two of the passengers were from, people flocked to social media with prayers and newspapers covered it heavily. But the outpouring fell far short of the shock and grief over a boat carrying hundreds of migrants that sank recently off the coast of Greece — many of them also from the South Asian country.That story also struck a chord in other countries that the migrants left, many in the Middle East.In other parts of the world, the disappearance of the sub has led newscasts and prompted extensive discussion on social media. In the U.S., it’s at the top of online news sites and discussed on morning shows...

CP NewsAlert: Two dead, two injured in Vancouver Island plane crash

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:11:18 GMT

TOFINO, B.C. — Mounties on Vancouver Island say two people have been killed in the crash of a small plane northwest of Tofino on Vancouver Island. The B.C. Ambulance Service says two other people were injured. More coming. The Canadian Press

Idaho man accused of killing neighbors with teen who reportedly exposed himself to man’s kids

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:11:18 GMT

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho father killed a neighboring family because he was upset that the neighbor’s 18-year-old son had reportedly exposed himself to the man’s children, a police document alleges. Majorjon Kaylor, 31, of Kellogg, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the Father’s Day shooting. A probable cause affidavit from Idaho State Police Detective Justin Klitch says Kaylor shot Kenneth Guardipee, 65; his daughter Kenna Guardipee, 41; and her youngest son, 16-year-old Aiken Smith, in the temple at close range. Smith’s older brother, 18-year-old Devin Smith, was shot multiple times in the head, according to the document. Kaylor and his wife, Kaylie Kaylor, told investigators that they were upset because several days earlier, Devin Smith had masturbated in front of his bedroom window in full view of the Kaylor’s young daughters. The families shared a duplex, and the girls were playing outside in the yard when the exposure allegedly occurred....

Misinformation can distort national debates on important issues, chief justice warns

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:11:18 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s chief justice is warning that the global rise in misinformation threatens national institutions and processes that underpin democracy.The Supreme Court’s Richard Wagner said in a speech today that people around the world have increasingly polarized ideas about what can be considered true.Wagner told a conference organized by the Canadian Bar Association that exposure to misinformation can increase political cynicism, change voting patterns and distort national debates on important issues.He noted that in Canada, researchers say misinformation may threaten the health and safety of the public, as well as the legitimacy of democratic processes.Wagner said a strong democracy relies on Canadians having access to diverse and reliable sources of information so they can form opinions and participate in public debates in a productive way.He pointed out, however, that fewer journalists are covering the courts across Canada as media resources dwindle.This report b...

Jill Biden is taking Indian Prime Minister Modi on side trip before Thursday’s White House visit

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:11:18 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jill Biden is taking Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a side trip to Virginia on Wednesday, a day before his formal state visit and fancy dinner at the White House.India’s leader was arriving from New York, where earlier Wednesday he performed backbends and corpse poses during a yoga session with a multinational crowd on the lawn of the United Nations. President Joe Biden, who invited Modi for the state visit, has spent the past two days in California raising money for his reelection campaign and was due back in Washington later Wednesday.Despite deep differences with India over its record on human rights and its approach to Russia’s war in Ukraine, Biden nevertheless extended to Modi the administration’s third invitation for a state visit. With all the pomp and attention being paid to Modi, Biden hopes to firm up his relationship with the leader of a country the U.S. believes will be a pivotal force in Asia for decades to come. In a warmup ...