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Denmark’s parliament adopts a law making it illegal to burn the Quran or other religious texts

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:39:39 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A new law was passed in Denmark’s parliament on Thursday that makes it illegal to desecrate any holy text in the country, after a recent string of public desecrations of the Quran by a handful of anti-Islam activists sparked angry demonstrations in Muslim countries.The Scandinavian nation has been viewed abroad as a place that facilitates insults and denigration of the cultures, religions and traditions of other countries. The purpose of the law was to counter “the systematic mockery” which, among other things, has contributed to intensifying the threat of terrorism in Denmark, the justice ministry has said. The Folketing, or parliament, adopted the law in a 94-77 vote, with eight lawmakers absent. The new legislation will make it a crime “to inappropriately treat, publicly or with the intention of dissemination in a wider circle, a writing with significant religious significance for a religious community or an object that appears as such.” Works of ...

Japan pledges $4.5B more in aid for Ukraine, including $1B in humanitarian funds

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:39:39 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged $4.5 billion to Ukraine, including $1 billion in humanitarian aid to help support the war-torn country’s recovery effort in an online summit of leading industrial nations.Kishida made the announcement late Wednesday in Tokyo while hosting his last Group of Seven summit as this year’s chairperson.The $1 billion humanitarian and recovery aid includes funding for generators and other power supplies for the Ukrainian people to survive the winter, as well as measures to clear mines planted by Russia, the Foreign Ministry said. The remaining $3.5 billion includes funding for credit guarantees for World Bank loans to Ukraine. “This is significant support for the recovery of Ukraine and our economy, said Japan stands firmly with Ukraine and our people,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his message posted on X, formerly Twitter, “We will keep working together to bring our common victory closer.”J...

OnlyFans has a new content creator: tennis player Nick Kyrgios

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:39:39 GMT

Tennis pro Nick Kyrgios is setting up a free-to-access OnlyFans page.Kyrgios is a 28-year-old Australian who was the runner-up to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2022 but was sidelined by injuries for nearly all of this past season. He played in just one official singles match in 2023.The plan to interact with the public on OnlyFans was announced Thursday via a news release and confirmed by Evolve, the talent management agency formed by Naomi Osaka that represents Kyrgios. He is one of the most prominent male athletes to join the platform.“They are revolutionizing social media and I wanted to be a part of that. Athletes can no longer just show up on the court or the field. We have to show up online too. I want to create, produce, direct and own content. That’s the future,” Kyrgios was quoted as saying in the announcement. London-based OnlyFans is a subscription site where people can pay creators for photos and videos. It includes sexually explicit content, something Kyrgios will not ...

The White House is threatening the patents of high-priced drugs developed with taxpayer dollars

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:39:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is putting pharmaceutical companies on notice, warning them that if the price of certain drugs is too high, the government might cancel their patent protection and allow rivals to make their own versions.Under a plan announced Thursday, the government would consider overriding the patent for high-priced drugs that have been developed with the help of taxpayer money and letting competitors make them in hopes of driving down the cost. In a 15-second video released to YouTube on Wednesday night, President Joe Biden promised the move would lower prices. “Today, we’re taking a very important step toward ending price gouging so you don’t have to pay more for the medicine you need,” he said.The administration did not immediately release details about how the process will work and how it will deem a drug costly enough to act. White House officials would not name drugs that might potentially be targeted.There will be a 60-day public comm...

Europe’s talks on world-leading AI rules paused after 22 hours and will start again Friday

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:39:39 GMT

LONDON (AP) — European Union talks on world-leading comprehensive artificial intelligence regulations were paused Thursday after 22 straight hours, with officials yet to hammer out a deal on a rulebook for the rapidly advancing technology behind popular services like ChatGPT. European Commissioner Thierry Breton tweeted that talks, which began Wednesday afternoon in Brussels and ran through the night, would resume on Friday morning. “Lots of progress made over past 22 hours” on the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act, he wrote. “Stay tuned!” Representatives of the bloc’s 27 member states, lawmakers and executive commissioners are under the gun to secure a political agreement for the flagship AI Act. They spent hours wrangling over controversial points such as generative AI and AI-powered police facial recognition. There was disagreement over whether and how to regulate foundation models, the advanced systems that underpin general purpose AI services like ChatGPT and Google’...

Powerful earthquake shakes South Pacific nation of Vanuatu; no tsunami threat

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:39:39 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A powerful earthquake shook the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Thursday evening, but countries in the region said there was no threat of a tsunami.The magnitude 7.1 earthquake was located 123 kilometers (76 miles) south of the town of Isangel on the island of Tanna, the U.S. Geological Agency said. It said the quake was centered at a depth of 48 kilometers (30 miles).The chance of fatalities and large economic losses in the sparsely populated area was low, it said.Vanuatu has a population of about 337,000, with about 1,200 living in Isangel.The area is part of the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes occur.A 7.7 magnitude earthquake in May created small tsunami waves in Vanuatu.The Associated Press

Cold turkey: Drivers spot something ‘fowl’ on Hwy. 401 during snowy morning rush

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:39:39 GMT

It wasn’t just the snow and slush disrupting the drive in the GTA on Thursday morning with some commuters in Toronto noticing something ‘fowl’ on a busy highway.Motorists reported a turkey blocking live lanes of the westbound Highway 401 off-ramp to Warden Avenue before 8 a.m. The bird was reportedly wandering on and off the roadway for around 40 minutes.Several callers to the CityNews 680 traffic centre were taken aback by the boldness of the large bird, saying the turkey was trotting right up to vehicles stopped on the Warden ramp.Watch out for a Turkey on the Warden ramp to the WB 401. The bird is pacing back and forth and some callers have reported it walking up to the cars. MTO have been notified. pic.twitter.com/idw8SVC6FV— CityNews Toronto Traffic & Weather (@citynews680) December 7, 2023Traffic cameras along the highway captured the bird pacing back and forth in the snow. CityNews 680 traffic reporter Jordan Kerr was tracking the turkey and says i...

4 in custody after armed robbery, police chase ends in crash in Brighton Park

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:39:39 GMT

CHICAGO -- Four people are in custody after an armed robbery that led to a police chase and ended in a crash in Brighton Park overnight. Police said the incident occurred near the 2000 block of West 38th Street around 12:30 a.m. near Damen Avenue where a black sedan jumped the curb and struck a gate before stopping. According to police, a chase ensued and within 20 minutes, all four individuals involved were taken into custody. Pedestrian struck and killed on sidewalk in River North One person was taken to the hospital after being bitten by a police dog. There were no other injuries reported.

Delphi murder suspect Richard Allen moved to new facility

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:39:39 GMT

DELPHI, Ind. – Delphi murder suspect Richard Allen has been moved from Westville Correctional Facility to another prison in the state.According to court documents, Allen has been transferred to Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in Carlisle, Indiana. That’s in Sullivan County.The order to move Allen was signed by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita and is dated Dec. 6, 2023. Trial for Delphi murder suspect Richard Allen pushed back to October 2024 "The Indiana Department of Correction anticipates continuity of services and care provided to Mr. Allen at Wabash Valley Correctional Facility," the order said.Allen is charged with two counts of murder in the February 2017 deaths of Abby Williams and Libby German near the Monon High Bridge in Delphi.His case has been working its way through the court system for more than a year following his arrest in October 2022. His trial is currently scheduled for October 2024.Allen's previous defense attorneys, who are fighting to stay on the cas...

CosMc's: McDonald's reveals menu, first test locations for new restaurant concept

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:39:39 GMT

CHICAGO, Ill. (KTVI/NEXSTAR) – CosMc’s, the new restaurant concept from McDonald’s, is seemingly aiming to attract coffee-drinkers and beverage enthusiasts who might otherwise spend their money at Starbucks or Dunkin’.On Wednesday, McDonald’s formally announced the menu at its CosMc’s test locations, with offerings ranging from coffee and tea drinks to frappes and slushies. There’s also a line of “Signature Galactic Boosts,” or fruity drinks that appear to feature either a caffeinated element, kombucha powder, or a vitamin “shot,” among other ingredients.The menu also includes breakfast sandwiches, savory and sweet snacks, and ice cream. McDonald’s making several big changes to Big Macs, other burgers McDonald’s, however, is pushing its more fanciful CosMc’s beverages — which, like other national beverage shops, will be customizable.“You’ll see a range of specialty lemonades and teas, indulgent blended beverages and cold coffee – think Sour Cherry Energy Slush, Tropical Spiceade a...