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Enjoy county parks for free on 'Green Friday'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:12 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego County Parks and Recreation is encouraging the public to get outdoors this holiday weekend by lifting parking fees on "Green Friday." This Friday, Nov. 24, dubbed "Green Friday," County Parks and Recreation will be lifting parking fees so visitors can enjoy 380 miles of trails at dozens of county parks for free. On Green Friday, $3 day-use parking fees are waived. San Diego Zoo welcomes baby De Brazza’s Monkey, a first in 26 years There are several outdoor events you can join at parks throughout the county and many volunteer opportunities over Thanksgiving weekend. Use the County of San Diego Park and Recreation's interactive map to find a park to visit. Spend ‘Christmas on the Sand’ at La Jolla Christmas Parade & Holiday Festival San Diego County parks are open year-round. View the latest park hours, closures and other updates here. Parking lot gates, park offices and restrooms will be closed on Dec. 25., but parks will remain open to foot, horse a...

Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic pleads not guilty to assaulting wife

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:12 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic was released on personal recognizance bail Tuesday after pleading not guilty to assaulting his wife.According to a Boston Police Department report, Lucic appeared intoxicated when officers arrived at his North End apartment early Saturday after his wife reported that he tried to choke her. Brittany Lucic told the responding officers that her husband had pulled her hair, but said he did not try to strangle her. She declined an offer of medical treatment.Milan Lucic, a member of the Bruins 2011 Stanley Cup championship team, was arrested on suspicion of assault and battery on a family member, which carries a maximum penalty of 2 1/2 years in prison.Lucic did not speak at his arraignment Tuesday morning. A plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf, and a pre-trial hearing was set for Jan. 19. As condition of his bail, Lucic was prohibited from abusing the alleged victim and from consuming alcohol.The judge granted a motion from Lucic’s...

More than 100 guns stolen in Michigan after store manager is forced to reveal alarm code

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:12 GMT

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — More than 100 handguns were stolen from a store in southwestern Michigan after the manager was held at gunpoint outside his home and forced to reveal how to turn off the alarm, authorities said.The guns were recovered and two men were arrested last Friday, a day after the brazen heist at Dunham’s Sports near Benton Harbor, a federal agent said in a court filing.U.S. Attorney Mark Totten planned to discuss the case at a news conference Tuesday.A Dunham’s manager told investigators he was confronted Thursday night, blindfolded and placed in the rear seat of a car, said Mallorie Campbell of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.“One of the subjects held a gun to his head and made him reveal the passcode to the alarm at the store,” Campbell wrote.Store video shows a man later disabling the alarm system and filling two coolers with 123 handguns, Campbell said.Investigators got the name of a suspect after he tried to transfer ...

Bahrain government websites briefly inaccessible after purported hack claim over Israel-Hamas war

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:12 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The websites of two government ministries in Bahrain briefly became inaccessible Tuesday night after a statement claimed hackers took them down over the island kingdom’s stance on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.A statement posted online by a self-described group calling itself Al-Toufan, or “The Flood” in Arabic, claimed hacking the Foreign Ministry and the Information Affairs Ministry’s websites. Both later became accessible again Tuesday night. The statement said the purported hacks came in retaliation for “the abnormal statements issued” by the island’s Al Khalifa ruling family, without elaborating. Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa opened a summit last week in the kingdom with a call for a swap between Hamas and Israel for the hostages and a halt in the bloodshed.The Bahraini government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. State media in Bahrain did not acknowledge the incident. In February, the...

Ontario Place advocacy group files court injunction to halt re-development plans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:12 GMT

Vocal critics of the planned makeover of Ontario Place gathered at Queen’s Park on Tuesday, with an advocacy group filing a court injunction against the Doug Ford government over the re-development. The organization Ontario Place for All announced that it is taking legal action to stop the proposed developments at Ontario Place, which include a mega spa.The advocacy group filed an application with the divisional court seeking an injunction to block the Ford government from proceeding with the West Island redevelopment plan and requiring a full environmental assessment to be completed before the spa’s development.“Ontario Place for All is committed to using all possible avenues to hold the provincial government accountable for their actions at Ontario Place and ensuring that they follow the proper process, which would involve public consultation on the West Island redevelopment,” said Norm Di Pasquale, Co-Chair of Ontario Place for All. Related: The...

Pakistan court rules the prison trial of former Prime Minister Imran Khan is illegal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:12 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani court ruled Tuesday that the ongoing prison trial of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on charges of revealing state secrets is illegal, his lawyer said.The ruling by the Islamabad High Court came on a petition filed by Khan, lawyer Naeem Haider Panjutha said. It was unclear whether the government would appeal. Authorities have insisted Khan was being tried at a prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi because of threats to his life.The court’s decision came about a month after Khan was indicated for allegedly revealing state secrets, a charge that legal experts say carries a possible death sentence. Khan’s close aide, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who was deputy in his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, is a co-defendant in the case. Both menhave denied the charges them during the trial at Adiyala Prison.The case against Khan is related to his speech and waving of a confidential diplomatic letter at a rally after his ouster in a no-confidence vote in parliam...

Poland set to get more than 5 billion euros in EU money after commission approves recovery plan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:12 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — Poland is set to receive more than 5 billion euros ($5.5 billion) in EU funds after the European Commission gave a positive assessment Tuesday of the country’s revised recovery plan that includes green reforms and investments. The 5.1 billion euros pre-financing is part of the bloc’s REPowerEU program aimed at helping the 27 EU nations recover from the energy crisis that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, and reduce their dependance to Russian fossil fuels.The announcement came a month after an election in Poland secured a parliamentary majority to pro-EU parties aligned with Donald Tusk.A former EU Council president, Tusk is expected to become Poland’s next prime minister. He traveled to Brussels last month to meet with top officials and repair Warsaw’s ties with the bloc, aiming to unlock billions of euros in funds that have been frozen due to democratic backsliding under the outgoing nationalist government. The EU previously blocked to €3...

Ontario elementary teachers reach tentative deal with province

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:12 GMT

Ontario’s education minister says public elementary teachers in the province have reached a tentative contract deal with the government.“This agreement brings us one step closer to ensuring there will be no province-wide job actions or strikes in all English-language public schools for the next three years,” Stephen Lecce said in a post on X.Members of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) had previously voted 95 per cent in favour of a strike, with union leadership saying it would help to put pressure on the government to reach a deal at the bargaining table.ETFO represents around 80,000 public elementary teachers and occasional teachers and 3,500 early childhood educators and support staff.“After 14 months of central bargaining, we’re pleased to be able to bring forward a tentative agreement to our teacher and occasional teacher members that protects their collective agreement entitlements and also addresses key bar...

EU will continue to fund the Palestinians as probe shows no money is reaching Hamas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:12 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union will continue to provide substantial amounts of financial aid to the Palestinians after an investigation found that no money has been diverted to the militant group Hamas, the EU’s executive branch said Tuesday.The review of the use of hundreds of millions of euros’ worth of development assistance meant to help the Palestinians fight poverty was announced on Oct. 9, two days after Hamas rampaged into southern Israel.EU nations have long been split in their approach to Israel and the Palestinians but the war in Gaza has entrenched those divisions. Some countries unilaterally suspended aid over the brutal nature of the attack, in which Hamas killed up to 1,200 people in Israel and took around 240 captive.The joint EU funds provided an opportunity for political grandstanding, even though the money was never destined for Hamas, and pressure quickly built for a probe. Hamas was put on the EU’s list of terrorist groups almost two decades ago and fu...

Transgender women have been barred from playing in international women’s cricket

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:12 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Transgender women will not be allowed to compete in international women’s cricket, the sport’s governing body said Tuesday.The International Cricket Council said the “new gender eligibility regulation,” which was approved by board members, had been imposed to protect the integrity of women’s cricket and was also made on safety grounds.“Male-to-female participants who have undergone male puberty will not be eligible to compete in the international women’s game,” the ICC said.It added that the regulations would apply “irrespective of any surgical or gender reassignment treatment” players may have undertaken.“The changes to the gender eligibility regulations resulted from an extensive consultation process and are founded in science, aligning with the core principles developed during the review,” ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice said. “Inclusivity is incredibly important to us as a sport, but our priority was to protect...