Chancellor Olaf Scholz and state governors agree on new measures to curb migration to Germany

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:14:55 GMT

Chancellor Olaf Scholz and state governors agree on new measures to curb migration to Germany BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the 16 state governors agreed on new and stricter measures to curb the high number of migrants flowing into the country, reaching a compromise on an issue that has become a huge political problem for the government and a hot-button topic in society.The new measures include speeding up asylum procedures, benefit restrictions for asylum-seekers and more financial aid from the federal government for the states and local communities dealing with the influx.Speaking early Tuesday after an overnight meeting that lasted several hours, Scholz, a Social Democrat who leads a center-left government, called the agreement “a historical moment” — a remark that showed how much of a burden the topic had become for the government.The number of new asylum applications for the year to date was around 73% higher at the end of September than in the same period last year, official statistics show. Shelters for migrants and refugees have been filling up in G...

Celebrities join Prince William on the Singapore green carpet for his Earthshot Prize awards

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:14:55 GMT

Celebrities join Prince William on the Singapore green carpet for his Earthshot Prize awards SINGAPORE (AP) — Celebrities joined Britain’s Prince William to walk the “green carpet” in Singapore on Tuesday for the third Earthshot Prize awards ceremony, where five winners ranging from solar-powered dryers to combat food waste to making electric car batteries cleaner were unveiled.The Prince of Wales said at the first ceremony held in Asia that the solutions presented by all 15 finalists proved that “hope does remain” as the devastating effects of climate change are felt across the world. Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, actors Donnie Yen, Lana Condor and Nomzano Mbatha, as well as Australian wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin presented the award to winners in five categories: nature protection, clean air, ocean revival, waste elimination and climate change.The winners, who each won 1 million pounds ($1.2 million) to scale up their innovations, are: — Acción Andina, for a community-based initiative in South American bringing tens of thousands of local and indigenous people toge...

One of Virginia’s key election battlegrounds involves a candidate who endured sex scandal

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:14:55 GMT

One of Virginia’s key election battlegrounds involves a candidate who endured sex scandal In this image taken from a video, Virginia legislative candidate Susanna Gibson addresses the Women's Summit in Virginia Beach, Va., in September of 2022. Gibson has denounced the disclosure of live videos on a pornographic website in which she and her husband engaged in sex acts. (Neil Smith via AP)(AP/Neil Smith) In this image taken from a video, Virginia legislative candidate Susanna Gibson addresses the Women's Summit in Virginia Beach, Va., in September of 2022. Gibson has denounced the disclosure of live videos on a pornographic website in which she and her husband engaged in sex acts. (Neil Smith via AP)(AP/Neil Smith) RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — As Democrats seek to gain control of the Virginia House of Delegates...

Granada eliminated from Copa del Rey after using ineligible player against 5th-division club Arosa

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:14:55 GMT

Granada eliminated from Copa del Rey after using ineligible player against 5th-division club Arosa MADRID (AP) — Granada’s win over fifth-division club Arosa in the first round of the Copa del Rey has been declared void because it used an ineligible player, the Spanish soccer federation said Tuesday.Arosa will play in the next round even though Granada won last Thursday’s match 3-0.Granada, which is second-to-last in the first division, has 10 days to appeal the federation’s ruling on the eligibility of goalkeeper Adri López.López is linked to Granada’s “B” team and shouldn’t have been added to the Copa squad.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerSource

Ardmore Shipping: Q3 Earnings Snapshot

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:14:55 GMT

Ardmore Shipping: Q3 Earnings Snapshot HAMILTON, Bermuda (AP) — HAMILTON, Bermuda (AP) — Ardmore Shipping Corp. (ASC) on Tuesday reported third-quarter profit of $21.2 million.The Hamilton, Bermuda-based company said it had profit of 49 cents per share.The shipping company posted revenue of $86.9 million in the period. Its adjusted revenue was $56.3 million.Ardmore Shipping shares have declined 5.5% since the beginning of the year. The stock has declined roughly 3% in the last 12 months._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on ASC at https://www.zacks.com/ap/ASCSource

Historic sign stolen from Molly Brown House Museum

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:14:55 GMT

Historic sign stolen from Molly Brown House Museum DENVER (KDVR) — The historic Molly Brown House Museum said a sign was taken off the front of the property.The museum told FOX31 that the "Votes for Women" sign was stolen off the property over the weekend. The sign reads "Votes for Women. Home of Margaret Brown, 'Titanic' survivor and national advocate for suffrage and labor rights. Proposed as candidate for U.S. Senate 1914."The sign was given to the museum in 2021 after it was declared a historic marker on the National Votes for Women Trail. The trail markers were launched by the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites and the William G. Pomeroy Foundation.The Denver Police Department confirmed that a report has been filed. The Molly Brown House Museum is located in Capitol Hill at 1340 Pennsylvania St. It was the home of the famous Titanic survivor and activist. Brown traveled the country and spoke about women's issues and labor issues, including pushing for a national suffrage amendment. Haunted happenings at the Moll...

Xcel Energy partnering with AI company to minimize wildfire threats

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:14:55 GMT

Xcel Energy partnering with AI company to minimize wildfire threats DENVER (KDVR) — Wildfire season is year-round in Colorado. According to a recent study, Colorado has the second highest number of homes at risk for wildfires in the country, with the only other state being California. New technology is being developed to minimize potential threats and allow authorities to respond quicker to wildfires across the state.On Tuesday, Xcel Energy will announce a major expansion of its collaboration with Pano AI, the leader in early wildfire protection, to fortify its operations and advance the protection of local communities against rising wildfire threats. This will be done through the installation of 21 camera systems across the state by the end of this year. Colorado has more homes at wildfire risk than any state other than California "These strategically placed camera deployments will offer greater visibility for first responders in hard-to-monitor terrain; providing critical early and real-time situational awareness when a wildfire ignites," said X...

Adebayo has triple-double, Butler scores 28, Heat hold off LeBron and the Lakers 108-107

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:14:55 GMT

Adebayo has triple-double, Butler scores 28, Heat hold off LeBron and the Lakers 108-107 MIAMI (AP) — Bam Adebayo took charge. Kyle Lowry took a charge.Both were absolutely required for the Miami Heat to hold off LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.Adebayo had the first 20-rebound triple-double in Miami history, Jimmy Butler scored 28 points and the Heat survived a big offensive drought at the end to beat the Lakers 108-107 — a game in which no points were scored in the final 2:38.Adebayo had 22 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists for Miami in his sixth regular-season triple-double. Tyler Herro also scored 22 for the Heat and Duncan Robinson added 12 for Miami — which won despite having no field goals in the final 4:14.“Kudos to Miami,” James said. “They played some really good ball tonight. We were able to match their intensity. We played some really good ball as well.”James led all scorers with 30 points for the Lakers, who fell to 0-4 on the road. Austin Reaves was an assist shy of a triple-double, finishing with 23 points, 10 rebounds and ni...

Scientists offer evidence to support possible Great Sphinx origin story

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:14:55 GMT

Scientists offer evidence to support possible Great Sphinx origin story (CNN) — More than 40 years ago, Farouk El-Baz — a space scientist and geologist known for his field investigations in deserts around the world — theorized that the wind played a big hand in shaping the Great Sphinx of Giza before the ancient Egyptians added surface details to the landmark sculpture.Now, a new study offers evidence to suggest that theory might be plausible, according to a news release from New York University.A team of scientists in NYU’s Applied Mathematics Laboratory set out to address the theory by replicating the conditions of the landscape about 4,500 years ago — when the limestone statue was likely built — and conduct tests to see how wind manipulated rock formations.“Our findings offer a possible ‘origin story’ for how Sphinx-like formations can come about from erosion,” said senior study author Leif Ristroph, an associate professor at New York University’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, in a news release. “Our laboratory experiments showed that s...

Group of dogs travel to Maine to comfort, support those struggling after shooting

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:14:55 GMT

Group of dogs travel to Maine to comfort, support those struggling after shooting EAST BOSTON, Massachusetts (WCVB) — In the wake of the terrible tragedy in Maine, a group of dogs is answering the call to offer comfort and support to those struggling.Zodiac, 3, is fresh off a plane at Boston’s Logan International Airport from Cleveland. The pup is one of five dogs preparing to head to the mass shootings in Lewiston.The dogs are part of an organization called Crisis Response Canines — a non-profit dedicated to providing emotional support in the aftermath of unimaginable situations.“It just makes it a moment in their life that they, just, it’s that one moment of happiness and joy instead of everything just being so heavy and sad and hard,” Graziano said.Graziano, Zodiac’s handler, has seen the positive impact of the dogs firsthand. She described the time she comforted a woman in Uvalde, Texas, following the Robb Elementary School shooting.“She said, ‘I don’t speak any English,’ and I said, ‘I don’t speak any Spanish.’ And the nex...