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A fire in the Jewish section of a cemetery in Austria’s capital causes damage but no injuries

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:14:17 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Austria’s main Jewish leader said Wednesday that a fire was set during the night in the Jewish section of Vienna’s central cemetery and swastikas were sprayed on external walls.Jewish Community of Vienna President Oskar Deutsch wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the fire burned the entrance lobby to a ceremonial hall but did not cause any injuries. The fire service and police were investigating, he said. Fire service spokesperson Gerald Schimpf told the Austria Press Agency that the fire appeared to have broken out during the night and had largely extinguished itself by the time firefighters were alerted shortly after 8 a.m. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said he condemned “the attack on the Jewish cemetery in the strongest terms.” He wrote on X that “ antisemitism has no place in our society” and added that he hoped the perpetrators would be found quickly.The Associated Press

OPP responding to active weapons incident in Six Nations near Brantford

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:14:17 GMT

Provincial police have been called in to assist Six Nations police with what they are calling an “active weapons incident” in the community of Ohsweken, southeast of Brantford, Ont.Multiple police forces, including Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and York Regional Police aviation services, responded to the call around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday on Chiefswood Road between Fifth and Sixth lines.OPP say they are not dealing with an active shooter and are calling it an “isolated and contained incident.”Residents in the immediate area have been told to shelter in place, while motorists are being asked to avoid the area.Chiefswood Road is closed between Fifth Line and Highway 54 for the investigation.

Edmunds hot hatch comparison: Acura Integra Type S vs. VW Golf R

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:14:17 GMT

To the intrigue of many compact-car enthusiasts, Acura brought back its Integra nameplate for 2023 after a long hiatus. Based on parent company Honda’s Civic, the Integra hatchback debuted with practicality and value in spades but performance that was a bit underwhelming. Thankfully, that changes with the new 2024 Integra Type S. Essentially Acura’s more luxurious take on the Civic Type R, the Integra Type S counts a more powerful engine, stronger brakes, and sharper handling and sportier styling among its upgrades.While Acura was away from the performance hatch segment, Volkswagen has been honing its Golf R to a fine point. The latest 2024 Golf R boasts a specialized all-wheel-drive system, a strong turbocharged engine, and all of the hatchback practicality and German-engineered comfort this car is known for. Which of these hatchbacks is the better buy? Edmunds’ car experts compare them to find out. POWER AND ACCELERATIONThe Volkswagen Golf R comes with a turbocharged 2.0-liter fou...

Eruption of Eurasia’s tallest active volcano sends ash columns above a Russian peninsula

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:14:17 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Huge ash columns erupted from Eurasia’s tallest active volcano Wednesday, forcing authorities to close schools in two towns on Russia’s sparsely populated Kamchatka Peninsula. The eruptions from the Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano sent ash as high as 13 kilometers (8 miles) above sea level, officials said. There were no reports of injuries, but officials ordered schools in Ust-Kamchatsk and Klyuchy closed as a precaution. Each town has a population of about 5,000. Klyuchy is located about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the volcano and Ust-Kamchatsk 50 kilometers (30 miles) away. The 4,650-meter (15,255-foot) stratovolcano has been active in recent years and released lava in June.The Kamchatka Peninsula, which extends into the Pacific Ocean about 6,700 kilometers (4,100 miles) east of Moscow, is noted for its array of active and dormant volcanoes, geysers and geothermal springs. The Associated Press

South Korea’s spy agency says North Korea shipped more than a million artillery shells to Russia

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:14:17 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s top spy agency believes North Korea sent more than a million artillery shells to Russia since August to help fuel Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, according to a lawmaker who attended a closed-door briefing Wednesday with intelligence officials.North Korea and Russia have been actively boosting the visibility of their partnership in the face of separate, deepening confrontations with the United States. Their diplomacy — highlighted by a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Putin in September — has triggered concerns about an arms arrangement in which North Korea supplies Russia with badly needed munitions in exchange for advanced Russian technologies that would strengthen Kim’s nuclear-armed military.Both Pyongyang and Moscow have denied U.S. and South Korean claims that the North has been transferring arms supplies to Russia.According to lawmaker Yoo Sang-bum, the South Korean National Intelligence Servic...

Serbia’s president sets Dec. 17 for snap parliamentary election as he rallies for his populist party

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:14:17 GMT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Wednesday set Dec. 17 as the date for early parliamentary election, which will be the third vote in the Balkan country in nearly four years.Local elections will also be held on the same day in several municipalities, including Belgrade, the capital.The election date came as no surprise as the populist Serbian leader had been campaigning in favor of his ruling Serbian Progressive Party for weeks, although he has formally stepped down from its helm.“We are living in times that are difficult for the whole world, in a time of global challenges, wars and conflicts, in a time in which it is necessary for us all to be united in the fight to preserve the vital national and state interests of the Republic of Serbia,” Vucic said after calling the election.Vucic’s presidency is not being contested in the vote after he won re-election by a landslide in general elections in April 2022, and his nationalist party secured the largest num...

Driver shot from another vehicle on Gardiner Expressway in ‘road rage incident’: police

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:14:17 GMT

Toronto police are searching for a shooter who opened fire on a Toronto highway overnight in an apparent case of road rage.Police say a driver was travelling eastbound on the Gardiner Expressway near Spadina Avenue around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday when they were shot by the occupant of another vehicle.The man in his 20s walked into St. Michael’s hospital a short time later with a gunshot wound. The victim sustained non-life threatening injuries. Investigators said the victim’s car was found with bullet holes.Police believe the highway shooting stemmed from some type of road rage incident.No suspect information has been made available.The eastbound Gardiner was closed from Jameson to Spadina for the investigation. The highway reopened shortly after 3:30 a.m.With files from CityNews reporter Carl Hanstke

Mother of peacekeeper killed in Bosnia is this year’s Silver Cross Mother

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:14:17 GMT

OTTAWA — Chris Holopina called his mom in Manitoba every single week while he was deployed in Bosnia in 1996. At 23, he was doing exactly what he’d always wanted to do: serving in the Canadian Armed Forces as a combat engineer. Gloria Hooper remembers how grateful she was that he was able to find time for those weekly calls. “I couldn’t believe it,” she said in an interview on Tuesday from her home in St. Claude, Man. “It wasn’t a long talk, but it was just what we’re doing that week or that day. … He phoned me, and if my daughter (Ashley) wasn’t home at that time, he phoned to talk to her the day after.”Holopina was deployed as part of Operation Alliance, a United Nations peacekeeping mission that began in December 1995. It was his third deployment, after he spent time in Cyprus and Croatia. On July 4, 1996, he was killed when a Canadian armoured vehicle crashed into a ravine while trying to help rescue a group of British ...

What was Heidi Klum's Halloween costume this year?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:14:17 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Heidi Klum shook her tail feathers Tuesday for her latest elaborate Halloween costume, dressing up as a peacock with several acrobats forming her tail feathers.Klum capped her resplendent costume off by having her husband, Tom Kaulitz, accompany her dressed as her egg.Heidi Klum, center, in blue, arrives at her 22nd annual Halloween party at Marquee on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)Heidi Klum, center, arrives at her 22nd annual Halloween party at Marquee on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)Heidi Klum, center, in blue, arrives at her 22nd annual Halloween party at Marquee on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)Heidi Klum, left, and husband Tom Kaulitz arrive at her 22nd annual Halloween party at Marquee on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)Tom Kaulitz attends Heidi Klum's 22nd annual Halloween party at...

New UT Hill Country lab will soon pop up near 'best-kept secret' in Texas

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:14:17 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Construction is expected to begin this spring on the University of Texas' newest field lab. The lab is being funded with a $50 million grant, the largest donation in UT's Center for Biodiversity's history. The lab will be constructed within Mirasol Springs, a conservation-scale development that has faced criticism from nearby landowners.The Hill Country Field Station will help support the study of biodiversity and aquifers within the Hill Country. Texas’ ‘best kept secret’ endangered by ‘environmentally sensitive’ development, land owner says "It's a biodiverse region. There are a lot of species that occur there that don't occur anywhere else in the world," University of Texas Center for Biodiversity Director David Hillis said.Renderings of the University of Texas' new Hill Country Field Station. (Courtesy: University of Texas)The grant, gifted by the Winn Foundation, will be used to support the new field lab as well as support the Texas Field Station Network, the...