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A population of hard-to-eradicate ‘super pigs’ in Canada is threatening to invade the US

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:53:20 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An exploding population of hard-to-eradicate “super pigs” in Canada is threatening to spill south of the border, and northern states like Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana are taking steps to stop the invasion.In Canada, the wild pigs roaming Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba pose a new threat. They are often crossbreeds that combine the survival skills of wild Eurasian boar with the size and high fertility of domestic swine to create a “super pig” that’s spreading out of control.Ryan Brook, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and one of Canada’s leading authorities on the problem, calls feral swine, “the most invasive animal on the planet” and “an ecological train wreck.”Pigs are not native to North America. While they’ve roamed parts of the continent for centuries, Canada’s problem dates back only to the 1980s when it encouraged farmers to raise wild boar, Brook said. The market collapsed after peaking in 2001 and some ...

Car dealership rampage: Man suspected of smashing windows arrested

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:53:20 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A man was taken into custody Wednesday morning following a rampage at a car dealership in Kearny Mesa, authorities said.According to the San Diego Police Department, a call came in around 3:33 a.m. reporting a male suspect was seen breaking windows in a parking lot of at Kearny Mesa Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, located at 8010 Balboa Ave. Substitute teacher arrested after suspected ‘inappropriate activity’ with teen: police A short time after, police said a security company also called and reported seeing a man on surveillance jumping on vehicles and breaking windows in the lot. They also said the suspect had broken one of the building's windows.According to witness statements, the man was seen "waving his arms and acting erratically."A damaged window is seen Kearny Mesa Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (KSWB)Officers arrived to the scene and located the individual. The man was arrested at that time. SDPD said this is considered a felony vandalism case...

Passengers ejected in rollover crash in La Jolla, driver fled on foot

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:53:20 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Three people were injured in an overnight rollover crash in La Jolla, authorities said Wednesday.According to the San Diego Police Department, the incident happened around 12:41 a.m. when a 19-year-old man was driving a 2005 Nissan Frontier westbound on 2200 block of Nautilus Street. Woman arrested after kidnapping attempt in East County The driver reportedly swerved and lost control of the vehicle, in turn, causing it to roll over several times, authorities explained. Two rear passengers were ejected during the crash.SDPD said the driver exited the vehicle and fled on foot. As of 6 a.m. Wednesday, he remains at large. Police believe alcohol was a factor in this incident.Three passengers were transported by ambulance to a local hospital, two with minor injuries and another with life-threatening injuries. SDPD's Traffic Division responded and is investigating the collision. Anyone with information related to the incident is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 888-580...

The ‘Oppenheimer’ creative team take you behind the scenes of the film’s key moments

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:53:20 GMT

Impossible is often just a starting point on a Christopher Nolan film and “Oppenheimer,”about the father of the atomic bomb, was no exception. In fact, it’s often where inspiration was born. During one especially stressful stretch, filmmakers lost their White House set five days before they had one day to shoot with Gary Oldman, who was flying in to play President Harry S. Truman. The wild scramble to find and construct a new Oval Office is detailed in a making-of documentary included in the newly available home entertainment release.Looking back on that moment now, producer Emma Thomas can’t help feeling bad about the timing. But she marveled at what the crew accomplished. She told them at the time that if there were ever a zombie apocalypse, they were the people she’d want to be with.“There’s nothing film crews can’t do. They will move mountains if they have to,” Thomas told The Associated Press. “Every day there’s something that happens and you have to figure out a way out ...

Black Friday is almost here. What to know about the holiday sales event’s history and evolution

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:53:20 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — If you didn’t already guess it from a barrage of sales ads in your inbox, the holiday shopping season is upon us. And Black Friday is right around the corner.While Black Friday may no longer look like the crowd-filled, in-person mayhem that it was just decades ago — in large part due to the rising dependence on online shopping that was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic — the holiday sales event is still slated to attract millions of consumers.The National Retail Federation projects that an estimated 182 million are planning to shop in-stores and online through the five-day Thanksgiving weekend. Black Friday is set to lead the charge, making up for 130.7 million of the potential shoppers.At the same time, economists note that fear of inflation, while down from a year ago, is still a concern looming in consumers’ minds — and could lead to somewhat modest spending this season. The extension of Black Friday sales and growing strength of other shopping even...

IAEA head says the barring of several nuclear inspectors by Iran is a ‘serious blow’ to monitoring

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:53:20 GMT

VIENNA (AP) — The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Wednesday that Iran’s decision in September to bar several experienced U.N. inspectors from monitoring the country’s nuclear program constituted “a very serious blow” to the agency’s ability to do its job “to the best possible level.”IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi said that while the U.N. nuclear watchdog continued to perform its monitoring work, Iran had targeted inspectors “who have a lot of experience, particularly in enrichment and other capacities.”“It takes a long time to prepare inspectors who have the necessary amount of experience, skills and ability to perform their work,” Grossi told reporters on the first day of a regular meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna.While refusing to get into specific numbers or names, Grossi said that the ban concerned one-third of the core group of the agency’s most experienced inspectors designated for Iran.“This is completely uncalled for, th...

India in G20 summit welcomes Israel-Hamas cease-fire, urges action on climate, other issues

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:53:20 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday welcomed a cease-fire in Gaza that’s expected to enable the release of dozens of hostages taken by Hamas, and urged leaders of the top rich and developing nations to work together to ensure the Israel-Hamas war doesn’t expand.Hosting a virtual meeting of Group of 20 leaders, Modi said the hostages should be released and humanitarian assistance expedited. India has the G20 presidency for 2023.“Terrorism is not acceptable and civilians’ death is condemnable,” he said.Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day cease-fire in the war in Gaza — a breakthrough that will facilitate the release of dozens of hostages held by militants as well as Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, and bring a large influx of aid to the besieged territory, officials said Wednesday. The truce raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, which was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 rampage into southern Israel.There was no official Indian...

Russia’s parliament approves budget with a record amount devoted to defense spending

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:53:20 GMT

Russia’s parliament approved a federal budget Wednesday that increases spending by around 25% in 2024-2026 and devotes a record amount to defense.The budget was passed unanimously by the Federation Council — the upper chamber of the Russian parliament — and will be sent to President Vladimir Putin to sign it into law.The budget for 2024-2026 was developed specifically to fund the Russian military and to mitigate the impact of “17,500 sanctions” on Russia, State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin said after the lower chamber approved it on Nov. 17. Under the budget, the country’s largest, defense expenditure is expected to overtake social spending next year for the first time in modern Russian history. It comes as the Kremlin is eager to shore up support for President Vladimir Putin before a March presidential election. Record low unemployment, higher wages and targeted social spending should help the Kremlin ride out the domestic impact of pivoting the economy to a war footing b...

Biden declares emergency over lead in water in US Virgin Islands

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:53:20 GMT

President Joe Biden declared an emergency over lead-in-water contamination in the U.S. Virgin Islands earlier this week after tests on St. Croix revealed levels more than 100 times the limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency – among the worst results a U.S. community has seen in decades.“On a personal level, it’s been frightening and frustrating,” said resident Frandelle Gerard, executive director of Crucian Heritage and Nature Tourism, Inc.Officials told residents to stop using their taps and began distributing bottled water. Lead can have devastating effects on childhood development, behavior and IQ scores.But experts consulted by The Associated Press said the frightening results may be false because they came from testing that does not meet EPA standards.“The data should be thrown into the garbage,” said Marc Edwards, a Virginia Tech lead and water expert who helped identify the lead problems in Flint, Michigan.If the information given to St. Croix residents turns out t...

Cineplex selling Player One Amusement Group business for $155 million

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:53:20 GMT

TORONTO — Cineplex Inc. has signed a deal to sell its Player One Amusement Group business to OpenGate Capital for $155 million in cash.Player One Amusement Group sells, distributes, operates and services arcade games and other equipment. Cineplex chief executive Ellis Jacob says the company built the business being sold through several acquisitions and organic growth, to become a North American leader.The company says the sale unlocks value for Cineplex and its stakeholders and provides immediate liquidity for debt repayment.Under the deal, Player One Amusement Group has signed a long-term agreement to continue to supply and service games in Cineplex’s theatres and location-based entertainment venues.The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024 and is subject to regulatory approvals and other closing conditions. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:CGX)The Canadian Press