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Russian jets harass US drone aircraft over Syria for the 2nd time in 24 hours

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

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and TARA COPP (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Russian fighter jets flew dangerously close to several U.S. drone aircraft over Syria again Thursday, setting off flares and forcing the MQ-9 Reapers to take evasive maneuvers, the Air Force said.It was the second time in 24 hours that Russia has harassed U.S. drones there. “We urge Russian forces in Syria to cease this reckless behavior and adhere to the standards of behavior expected of a professional air force so we can resume our focus on the enduring defeat of ISIS,” Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, head of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, said in a statement. Col. Michael Andrews, Air Forces Central Command spokesman, said “the Russian harassment, including close fly-bys, by one SU-34 and one SU-35 and deploying flares directly into the MQ-9, lasted almost an hour. So it wasn’t a quick fly-by, but much more of a sustained and unprofessional interaction.”U.S. Air Forces Central re...

Ticker: Twitter threatens legal action against Meta over Threads; US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visits China

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

Twitter has threatened legal action against Meta over its new, text-based app called Threads, according to a letter obtained by Semafor.In a Wednesday letter addressed to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Alex Spiro, an attorney representing Twitter, accused Meta of unlawfully using Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property by hiring former Twitter employees to create a “copycat” app.Since launching Threads Wednesday night, Meta’s new app has collected tens of millions of sign ups. The app, which was created by the company’s Instagram team, arrives at a time when many are looking for Twitter alternatives to escape Elon Musk’s raucous oversight of the platform since acquiring it last year for $44 billion.Meta spokesperson Andy Stone responded to the report of Spiro’s letter on Threads Thursday afternoon, writing, “no one on the Threads engineering team is a former Twitter employee — that’s just not a thing.”US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visits China...

Meet the pitmaster balancing fire and smoke at this San Diego-area craft BBQ joint

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

OCEANSIDE, Calif. -- A craft barbecue restaurant is now open in Oceanside with a pitmaster who's finding the right balance between fire and smoke. Heritage Barbecue & Beer Co., a sister brand to critically-lauded and Michelin-recognized Heritage Barbecue in San Juan Capistrano, is serving smoked meat specialties made with love.That's according to their newly appointed pitmaster and barbecue connoisseur Ari Valenzuela. Since joining the team in February, the 32-year old from San Marcos has been working to master the art of fire and smoke. Don’t you dare ask for the manager at Karen’s Diner in San Diego "Believe it or not people can taste the love and passion behind something," said Valenzuela while explaining what kind of impact she hopes to have on the barbecue-loving community in San Diego County. Valenzuela, who's worked in kitchens since 2015, was hired by pitmaster and Heritage Barbecue & Beer Co. owner Daniel Castillo, who says the first thing that struck him about Va...

Iowa teen gets life with possibility of parole after 35 years for Spanish teacher’s beating death

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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The first of two Iowa teenagers who pleaded guilty to beating their high school Spanish teacher to death with a baseball bat was sentenced Thursday to life with a possibility of parole after 35 years in prison.A judge sentenced Willard Miller after a sentencing hearing that lasted more than seven hours.Miller and another teen, Jeremy Goodale, had pleaded guilty in April to the 2021 attack on Nohema Graber. The 66-year-old teacher was fatally beaten while taking her regular afternoon walk in a park in Fairfield.In sentencing Miller, District Court Judge Shawn Showers acknowledged Miller’s young age but also noted he had “cut Nohema Graber’s precious life short,” devastating her family and the community.“I find that your intent and actions were sinister and evil. Those acts resulted in the intentional loss of human life in a brutal fashion,” Showers said. “There is no excuse.”As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors had recommended Miller receive ...

Cameraman injured at Yankee Stadium by wild throw has an orbital fracture

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

NEW YORK (AP) — Baltimore shortstop Gunnar Henderson and New York manager Aaron Boone spoke Thursday with Pete Stendel, the YES Network cameraman who sustained an orbital fracture when he was hit by Henderson’s errant throw Wednesday night.“I got a chance to reach out to his wife and then also made contact with Pete,” Henderson said before the finale of a four-game series between the Orioles and Yankees. “He was in good spirits, just swollen up pretty bad right now. Everything was fine.”Positioned right next to the New York Yankees’ dugout on the first-base side, Stendel was struck by a hurried throw by Henderson, who fired high to first as he tried to complete a double play in the fifth inning.“Every time that a ball goes over the first baseman or even a foul ball from the hitter, you don’t want to see it going towards a fan. It just happened to be in the wrong spot, and I hope he’s doing all right,” Henderson said Wednesday night following his team’s 6-3 victory. “My prayers go o...

Grand Canyon gets $27.5 million federal grant for greener shuttle buses

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

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — Grand Canyon National Park is getting $27.5 million in federal highway money to upgrade its aging fleet of shuttle buses, which help the more than 4 million annual visitors get around the huge park.The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration announced the grant at an event Thursday on the canyon’s south rim.The replacement project includes 30 new buses — 20 that run on compressed natural gas and 10 electric buses. Charging stations will be installed for the electric buses. The new buses are expected to reduce pollution and ease the overcrowding of vehicles at the park.The park has over 270 miles of paved and unpaved roads.The Grand Canyon project is one of seven to receive grants totaling $130.5 million under a Federal Highway Administration program that recognizes transportation projects of national significance that serve federal and tribal lands.Officials from the Department of Transportation, Interior Department...

Mi’kmaq lawyers from Nova Scotia, Newfoundland appointed to Senate seats

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

OTTAWA — Two Mi’kmaq lawyers from Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador have been appointed to the Senate.Paul Prosper, the former chief of Paqtnkek Mi’kmaw Nation and a former Assembly of First Nations regional chief, will represent Nova Scotia.Judy White, who was the assistant deputy minister of Indigenous affairs and reconciliation in Newfoundland and Labrador, will represent that province.Their appointments were formally made by Gov. Gen. Mary Simon today on the advice of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Senate appointment recommendations are made to the prime minister by an independent advisory board that reviews submissions.Dan Christmas, who retired earlier this year, became Canada’s first Mi’kmaw senator when he was appointed to the upper chamber in 2016.This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 6, 2023.The Canadian Press

Airbnb wins Vancouver privacy ruling, as court quashes order to release host data

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

VANCOUVER — Airbnb has won a court ruling that quashes an order from British Columbia’s privacy commissioner that would have identified hosts and their home addresses in Vancouver. The B.C. Supreme Court ruling released Wednesday says the Information and Privacy Commissioner got it wrong when it ordered the City of Vancouver to release the information about hosts who hold short-term rental licences without notifying them.Justice Jasvinder Basran’s ruling says the privacy commissioner must reconsider its findings after notifying Airbnb hosts about the potential release of the information.The ruling says both the City of Vancouver and the company had opposed releasing the records to an unnamed “John Doe” party, claiming the information could be used to harm the property owners.The judge’s decision says the privacy commissioner incorrectly classified home addresses as business information rather than personal information since Airbnb hosts run home-based b...

Movie Review: ‘Joy Ride’ is a cheerfully gross-out comedy that soars, thanks to a terrific cast

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

If you’re like me, there comes a moment of truth in raunchy film comedies when you decide whether to fully join in the fun — or ride it out on the fence.It often comes in a key early comic scene. Can they pull it off? If so you’ll be putty in their hands for two hours, ready to chuckle along no matter how gross it gets (think of that bridal dress fitting in “Bridesmaids.”) If not, you’ll shuffle uncomfortably on the sidelines, feeling rather like a prude.In first-time director Adele Lim’s ebullient, chaotic, nothing’s-too-gross-if-it’s funny road comedy “Joy Ride,” that moment came for me when watching Ashley Park swallow a disgusting concoction in a drinking contest, pretending all’s fine as her insides erupt. Expert comic chops cannot be faked. Park had me from that guzzle (and cemented it later with her Gollum impression.)Yet the impressive thing about “Joy Ride,” a comedy that more than earns its R rating — folks, it features a vaginal tattoo in full-frontal glory — is tha...

Sentencing for former Indiana congressman postponed as prosecutors seek $1.4 million in restitution

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

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a former Indiana congressman should pay nearly $1.4 million to cover the legal bills of companies forced to incur expenses when he was prosecuted on insider trading charges. But his lawyer said Thursday it’s an exorbitant amount to demand from a man already suffering financially.U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman postponed Steve Buyer’s sentencing until July 31. He asked the Probation Department to analyze the $349,846 that prosecutors say Buyer should forfeit as crime proceeds and another $1.39 million he would owe for the legal costs of two companies. Sentencing had been set for next week.Buyer, 64, a Republican from Noblesville, Indiana, was convicted in March of making illegal stock trades while working as a consultant and lobbyist after a congressional career that stretched from 1993 to 2011.The lawyer and Persian Gulf War veteran once chaired the House Veterans’ Affairs committee and was a House prosecutor at ex-President Bill C...