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Authorities say Puerto Rico policeman suspected in slaying of elderly couple has killed himself

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:05:56 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A Puerto Rican police officer identified as the suspect in the gruesome slaying of an elderly couple that shocked the U.S. territory killed himself early Monday, authorities said.José Miguel Centeno Sánchez worked at a police station in the northwest town of Aguadilla and had been hired by the couple as a handyman, Police Commissioner Antonio López said in a news conference.López said Centeno died by suicide around dawn on Monday when officers arrived at his home to serve a search warrant.“For us, Centeno Sánchez was never a real police officer, and does not represent any of our more than 11,000 police officers committed to protecting the life and property of our citizens,” López said.The couple slain earlier this month in the northwest coastal town of Isabela was identified as Idelfonso Janeiro Rodríguez, 83, and Angélica Adorno Cruzado, 77. Authorities said they were bound, gagged and shot in the head, adding that they suspected robbery as the motive.A...

Bangladesh’s ruling party holds rally to denounce ‘violent opposition protests’ ahead of elections

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:05:56 GMT

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Thousands of supporters of Bangladesh’s ruling Awami League party held a rally in the capital, Dhaka, Monday to denounce what they called violence by the main opposition party as tensions soar ahead of the elections expected in January. Since Saturday, at least four people — including a policeman — were killed and hundreds injured after clashes erupted during anti-government protests. At least 1,000 people were arrested — among them, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, a key opposition figure from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia which called for Saturday’s rally. Protesters called for the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the transfer of power to a non-partisan caretaker government to oversee the general elections. Zia’s party called for a nationwide strike Sunday and later called for three days of road and transportation blockades starting Tuesday across the country to protest police action and ar...

Outraised and embattled, Lauren Boebert heads back to Colorado with a revamped campaign strategy

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:05:56 GMT

PAGOSA SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Retreating from the turmoil in Washington, D.C., Rep. Lauren Boebert arrived in bucolic southwest Colorado to turmoil of a different sort — the lingering impact of an embarrassing moment when she was caught on tape vaping and groping with a date during a musical production of “Beetlejuice.”The scandal threw a wrench into an already tough reelection bid. After Beobert won her last race by just 546 votes, she began revamping her campaign strategy. It now includes apologies to voters at campaign events for an episode that has rattled even loyal Republicans.“Most of us were like ‘holy cow,’” said Beverly Cuyler, a long-time Boebert supporter. “And one of the big reasons for that is a gap between how she presented herself as a Christian and what ended up happening.”Expected to face a rematch with Democrat Adam Frisch, in a race that could determine which party controls Congress, Boebert tackled the embarrassment head-on at the Lincoln Day Dinner in Arch...

A ferry that ran aground repeatedly off the Swedish coast is leaking oil and is extensively damaged

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:05:56 GMT

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A ferry that ran aground off southeastern Sweden was leaking oil into the Baltic Sea and suffered “extensive damage,” a spokesman for the Swedish Coast Guard said Monday.On Oct. 22, the Marco Polo, operated by TT-Line of Germany, was running between two Swedish ports, Trelleborg and Karlshamn when it touched ground, sustained damage and started leaking. It continued under its own power before grounding a second time. The 75 people on board, both passengers and crew, were quickly evacuated. The ferry took on water but was not at risk of sinking.The accident released a slick of fuel which reached eventually the shores near Solvesborg, some 110 kilometers (68 miles) northeast of Malmo, Sweden’s third-largest city. Swedish media carried photos of birds being partly covered in oil.Initially, the plan was to pump out the remaining oil from the ferry. However, that plan was thwarted Sunday when the ferry slipped off the ground ​because of severe weather, the Swedish coast ...

Pedestrian in life-threatening condition after 2 people struck by truck in Toronto’s west end

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:05:56 GMT

One person is fighting for their life in hospital after being struck by a truck in Toronto’s west end on Monday morning.Emergency crews were called to the area of Dufferin Street and Castlefield Avenue around 10:15 a.m. for reports that two people were hit by a vehicle.Toronto police say two pedestrians were struck by the same truck. One was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries and the other suffered minor injuries.The driver remained at the scene.Dufferin is closed in both directions at Castlefield for the investigation.This is a developing story. More to come.

Willie Nelson looks back on 7 decades of songwriting in new book ‘Energy Follows Thought’

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:05:56 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Willie starts with the words. It’s one of the surprising revelations in Willie Nelson ‘s new book, “Energy Follows Thought: The Stories Behind My Songs,” an examination of the 90-year-old country legend and soon-to-be Rock & Roll Hall of Famer ‘s seven decades of songwriting.While his guitar is practically an extension of his body at this point, he has always started the writing process by thinking up words rather than strumming chords. To him, it’s doing the hard part first.“The melodies are easier to write than the words,” Nelson told The Associated Press in an interview ahead of Tuesday’s release of his book.He does not, however, write those words down, not even on a napkin.“I have a theory,” he said, “that if you can’t remember ’em, it probably wasn’t that good.”Nelson actually started out as a poet of sorts. At age 6 in Depression-era Texas, he composed a verse in response to the looks he got when he picked his nose and...

White House lays out early framework for regulating AI development, growth

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:05:56 GMT

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order on Monday laying out the ground rules and guardrails for the explosive development and growth of artificial intelligence. The order requires the industry to establish standards for safety and security, as well as safeguards to ensure the protection of consumer and privacy rights. The White House is billing the order as the most sweeping actions any government has taken to date to confront both the promise and the perils of AI. Canada was among several U.S. allies that Biden administration officials say were consulted on the proposal in the months leading up to its release. “Canada welcomes the strong action from the White House to ensure safety, security, and trust in the use of AI,” Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne said in a statement. Champagne and Vice-President Kamala Harris were among the government officials making their way to London for a summit Tuesday on AI with U.K. Pri...

Ohio woman accused of killing 4 men with fatal fentanyl doses to rob them pleads not guilty

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:05:56 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio woman who authorities say killed four men with lethal doses of fentanyl in order to rob them pleaded not guilty to murder charges on Monday. Rebecca Auborn entered her plea in court accompanied by her attorney, Mark Hunt. Authorities said there are likely more victims, and the investigation is ongoing. Auborn 33, of Columbus, is accused of killing the men and nearly killing a fifth man after meeting them for sex in Columbus between December 2022 and June 2023. Authorities did not identify the men. Auburn had already pleaded not guilty last month to murder and drug-related charges in connection with one of the men’s deaths.She will continue to be held without bond.__Samantha Hendrickson is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.Samantha Hendrickson, The Associated Press

Illinois man pleads not guilty to hate crime and murder charges in attack on Muslim mother and son

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:05:56 GMT

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — A man accused of murder, attempted murder and a hate crime in an attack on a Palestinian American woman and her young son pleaded not guilty Monday following his indictment by an Illinois grand jury.Joseph Czuba, 71, is charged in the fatal stabbing of six-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume and the wounding of Hanaan Shahin on Oct. 14. Authorities said the victims were targeted because of their Muslim faith.Shahin told police that Czuba, her landlord in Plainfield in Will County, was upset over the Israel-Hamas war and attacked them after she had urged him to “pray for peace.”Shahin, 32, is recovering from multiple stab wounds. Hundreds of people attended her son’s funeral on Oct. 16.The murder charge in the indictment against Czuba describes the boy’s death as the result of “exceptionally brutal or heinous behavior.”Czuba appeared in court Monday wearing a red jail uniform, socks and slippers. His attorney George Lenard entered the not guilty plea. Czuba did not speak, l...

Tarantula causes crash in Death Valley; motorcyclist hospitalized

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:05:56 GMT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) - A tarantula crossing the highway in Death Valley National Park caused a crash that sent a motorcyclist to the hospital, according to the National Park Service. On Saturday afternoon, a couple was driving on California State Route 190 when they suddenly hit the brakes to avoid hitting a tarantula crossing the road. A 24-year-old motorcyclist then crashed into the back of the couple's camper van, according to NPS. The motorcyclist was taken to a hospital in Pahrump, Nevada. His condition is unknown at this time. “Please drive slowly, especially going down steep hills in the park,” Superintendent Mike Reynolds, who was the first NPS employee on the scene said. “Our roads still have gravel patches due to flood damage, and wildlife of all sizes are out.”  These cars and trucks are stolen most often in Nevada, crime data shows Tarantulas spend most of their long lives in underground burrows. However, they are seen most often in the fall, when 8- to 10-year-old male ta...