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Thailand dissolves Parliament ahead of May elections

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:29:13 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s Parliament was dissolved Monday by a government decree, setting the stage for a May general election that poses an opportunity to lessen the military’s influence in politics.The dissolution, just a few days before the end of the four-year term of the House of Representatives, was initiated by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who is seeking a fresh mandate in the election expected to be held May 7 or 14. The date will be announced next week. The election will pit the popular opposition Pheu Thai party, backed by billionaire populist Thaksin Shinawatra, against parties representing the conservative establishment and closely linked to the military.Parties led and backed by Thaksin have won the most seats in every election since 2001, but have been blocked by military coups, unfavorable rulings by the conservative judiciary and election laws drafted to favor army-backed parties.The leading Pheu Thai candidate is Thaksin’s daughter, 36-year-old Paetongtar...

World on ‘thin ice’ as UN climate report gives stark warning

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:29:13 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Humanity still has a chance, close to the last one, to prevent the worst of climate change ’s future harms, a top United Nations panel of scientists said Monday.But doing so requires quickly slashing carbon pollution and fossil fuel use by nearly two-thirds by 2035, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said. The United Nations chief said it more bluntly, calling for an end to new fossil fuel exploration and rich countries quitting coal, oil and gas by 2040.“Humanity is on thin ice — and that ice is melting fast,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. “Our world needs climate action on all fronts — everything, everywhere, all at once.”Stepping up his pleas for action on fossil fuels, Guterres not only called for “no new coal” but also for eliminating its use in rich countries by 2030 and poor countries by 2040. He urged carbon-free electricity generation in the developed world by 2035, meaning no gas-fired power plants too.That date is key bec...

China’s Xi visits Moscow to bolster Putin amid Ukraine war

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:29:13 GMT

MOSCOW — Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Monday to show off Beijing’s new diplomatic swagger and give a political lift to Russian President Vladimir Putin against the West just days after an international arrest warrant was issued for the Kremlin leader on war crimes charges related to Ukraine.The two major powers have described Xi’s three-day trip as an opportunity to deepen their “no-limits friendship.” China looks to Russia as a source of oil and gas for its energy-hungry economy, and as a partner in standing up to what both see as U.S. domination of global affairs. The two countries, which are among the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, also have held joint military drills.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that over dinner on Monday, Putin and Xi will likely include a “detailed explanation” of Moscow’s actions in Ukraine.Broader talks involving officials from both countries on a range of subjects are scheduled for Tuesday, Peskov ...

With overdoses up, states look at harsher fentanyl penalties

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:29:13 GMT

RENO, Nev. (AP) — State lawmakers nationwide are responding to the deadliest overdose crisis in U.S. history by pushing harsher penalties for possessing fentanyl and other powerful lab-made opioids that are connected to about 70,000 deaths a year.Imposing longer prison sentences for possessing smaller amounts of drugs represents a shift in states that in recent years have rolled back drug possession penalties. Proponents of tougher penalties say this crisis is different and that, in most places, the stiffer sentences are intended to punish drug dealers, not just users.“There is no other drug — no other illicit drug — that has the same type of effects on our communities,” said Mark Jackson, the district attorney for Douglas County, Nevada, and president of the Nevada District Attorneys Association, which is pushing for stricter penalties for fentanyl-related crimes.But the strategy is alarming recovery advocates who say focusing on the criminal angle of drugs has historically backfir...

Community needed to help solve 2010 murder of Orangeville nurse

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:29:13 GMT

This week on the Tracking a Killer: The Cold Case Files podcast, Fil Martino and Madison Fitzpatrick take a look at the unsolved murder of 42-year-old Sonia Varaschin.Sonia Varaschin was a paediatric nurse from Orangeville, Ont. who was reported missing on August 30, 2010 after she did not show up for work.Police found her blood-stained car parked behind the Orangeville Town Hall. Days later, her body was found in a wooded area in nearby Caledon. Her killer has never been found.Nadine Giguere went to college with Sonia. She said her friend was kind and loving and made friends everywhere she went. She continues to ask, “Who could have done this?”“It’s just really sad to think how her life ended,” said Giguere.Detective Inspector Shawn Glassford with the Ontario Provincial Police is working on Sonia’s case. He said it is not too late for people to come forward with information about this unsolved crime.“Don’t worry you are not going to b...

Ohio State student found dead while on spring break in Mexico

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:29:13 GMT

(NewsNation) — An American college student was found dead while on spring break in Mexico, amid the State Departments' warnings to avoid the country due to violence. Henry Meacock was a student at Ohio State University, visiting Mexico earlier this week for spring break, according to reports. The university confirmed his death but exact details of when, where and how Meacock died have not been released. “The Ohio State community has suffered a tragic loss, and we extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Henry Meacock,” OSU said in a statement. The university is also directing students to the counseling center for support. Miami Beach declares curfew over spring break violence Thousands of students are still going to Mexico to for spring break.Another student is on life support at a Florida hospital after being airlifted out of Mexico. Liza Burke, a senior at the University of Georgia, traveled to Cabo San Lucas earlier this month to celebrate spring break with h...

North Korea describes latest missile launch as simulated nuclear attack on South

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:29:13 GMT

North Korea on Monday said it used a ballistic missile launch to simulate a nuclear attack on neighbor South Korea over the weekend. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the drill, according to Korean state media, as the country perceives “aggression” from enemies. It’s the latest demonstration in protest of joint military exercises from the U.S. and South Korea in the Korean Peninsula.North Korea’s drill was “carried out under the tense situation in which a large-scale war drill is being frantically scaled up by the U.S.-South Korean allied forces to invade the DPRK and U.S. nuclear strategic assets are massively brought to South Korea,” according to state outlet Rodong Sinmun. The U.S. has moved to work with South Korea amid tensions in the Asian region, as China builds its relationship with Russia during its war on Ukraine and underscores its upset over Taiwan. North Korea said the ballistic missile launched as the nuclear simulator, tipped with a mock nuclear w...

Boy paralyzed in Highland Park shooting receives Socrates award

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:29:13 GMT

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — Eight-year-old boy Cooper Roberts who was shot in the Highland Park parade shooting received the Socrates award for his perseverance, along with CPD officer Danny Golden. Both Cooper and Golden are paralyzed from the waist down. Golden was shot in the back outside of a bar while he was off duty in July. Cooper and Golden will receive lifetime grants that cover prescription drugs, in-home care and therapy costs. Local nonprofit gifts boy paralyzed in Highland Park shooting new adaptive bike "The award stands for Socrates Creed which means 'sound mind, sound body' and these young guys have a whole world ahead of them," Chris Brennan from Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation said. Brennan himself suffered a spinal cord injury and has been years since he regained the ability to walk. He created the award to support others going through recovery.

'We don’t want spring break': Miami Beach imposes curfew after shootings

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:29:13 GMT

(The Hill) -- Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber announced a curfew on Sunday after two fatal shootings over the weekend on Ocean Drive amid an influx of spring-breakers and out-of-city visitors. "As I've said many times, we don't ask for spring break in our city. We don't want spring break in our city. It's too rowdy, brings too much disorder and it's simply too difficult to police," Gelber said in a video message to residents on Sunday. "While most may come here to enjoy the amenities of Miami Beach, the overwhelming volume of visitors, a few that come with bad intentions in the presence of guns creates a wholly intolerable situation."The latest shooting occurred on Sunday morning at about 3:30 a.m., where one man was shot and later died at a hospital, and another was wounded, Miami Beach police said. The police confirmed on Twitter that it was a "targeted and isolated" incident. Miami Beach police said they responded to another scene where two people were suffering from gunshot wounds ...

TxDOT: Nightly I-35 closures at US 183 begin Sunday, delays expected

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:29:13 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Texas Department of Transportation said multiple parts of Interstate 35 would be closed at U.S. Highway 183 nightly, beginning Sunday evening.TxDOT said the closures would impact both northbound and southbound I-35 main lanes, frontage roads, entrance and exit ramps and flyovers.According to the department, the closures would last from Sunday through Thursday from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.Delays should be expected, according to TxDOT.