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Iceland’s Blue Lagoon spa closes temporarily as earthquakes put area on alert for volcanic eruption

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:08:22 GMT

HUSAVIK, Iceland (AP) — The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa — one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions — closed temporarily as a swarm of earthquakes put the island nation’s most populated region on alert for a possible volcanic eruption.Guests rushed to leave the spa’s hotels in the early hours of Thursday, after they were rattled awake shortly before 1 a.m. by a magnitude 4.8 quake, the strongest to hit the region since the recent wave of seismic activity began on Oct. 25.Bjarni Stefansson, a local taxi driver, described a scene of confusion when he arrived at the Retreat Hotel, where lava rocks had fallen on the roadway and the parking lot was jammed with 20 to 30 cabs.“There was a panic situation,” Stefansson told The Associated Press. “People thought a volcanic eruption was about to happen.”The area around Mount Thorbjorn on the Reykjanes Peninsula has been shaken by hundreds of small earthquakes every day for more than two weeks due to a buildup of volcanic magma some 5 kilomet...

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says DeSantis, not Trump, is the best Republican to win the 2024 election

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:08:22 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — After seven months of hosting Republican presidential candidates in Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds said it “feels good to get in the game” with her endorsement of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.But the popular Iowa governor declined to say whether other candidates should concede and throw their support behind him as well, even as she acknowledged that a wider field could advantage former President Donald Trump.“At some point, if we don’t narrow the field, it’s going to be hard to … maybe, you know, that helps Trump,” Reynolds said in an interview with The Associated Press. “But I think that is for them to decide.”In making the endorsement earlier this week, Reynolds broke with a longstanding tradition of Iowa governors staying neutral in their party’s presidential contests, the first in the GOP nomination calendar. With the Jan. 15 caucuses fast approaching, the DeSantis campaign hopes the endorsement will fuel momentum for the candidate, once seen as the mos...

Police searching for man who allegedly broke into Toronto home, sexually assaulted woman at knifepoint

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:08:22 GMT

Toronto police are searching for a suspect who allegedly broke into a home and sexually assaulted a woman at knifepoint.Investigators say the incident occurred around 11:30 p.m. Saturday.It is alleged that a man broke into a home and then sexually assaulted a woman while armed with a knife.Police have identified the suspect as 34-year-old Daryl Boyd-Finch of no fixed address. He is wanted for sexual assault with a weapon.The suspect is described as six feet tall and 160 lbs. Police say he rides a black bicycle and often wears a traffic vest.A photo of the suspect has been released. Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

FBI head cites a ‘potential conflict of interest’ in the selection process for a new headquarters

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:08:22 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI director told staff in an internal message Thursday that he was concerned about a “potential conflict of interest” in the process used by the Biden administration to select a Maryland site for the bureau’s new headquarters. Christopher Wray said in an email obtained by The Associated Press that Congress may review the matter, the latest twist in a contentious competition among jurisdictions in the national capital region to land America’s premier law enforcement agency.That General Services Administration confirmed Wednesday that it had selected Greenbelt, Maryland, a Washington suburb, as the home for a new facility to replace the crumbling J. Edgar Hoover Building, which is blocks away from the White House. Wray said his objections were about the process rather than the site itself. The GSA, which manages the government’s real estate portfolio, said that site about 13 miles (20 kilometers) northeast of Washington was the cheapest one with the best a...

Donald Trump’s lawyers ask judge to end civil fraud trial, seeking verdict in ex-president’s favor

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:08:22 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s lawyers urged a judge Thursday to put an immediate end to the New York civil fraud trial that threatens his real estate empire, arguing that state lawyers had failed to prove that the former president intended to dupe banks, insurers and others by inflating his wealth on financial statements.Trump’s lawyers sought a directed verdict, asking Judge Arthur Engoron to clear the 2024 Republican front-runner, his namesake company and other defendants of wrongdoing at the halfway point in the trial of state Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit.“There’s no victim. There’s no complainant. There’s no injury. All of that is established now by the evidence,” Trump lawyer Christopher Kise said. He argued that state lawyers had failed to meet “any legal standard” to prove allegations of conspiracy, insurance fraud and falsifying business records.State lawyer Kevin Wallace responded that the defense’s arguments “sounded more like closing arguments” and that ...

Kenya says it won’t deploy police to fight gangs in Haiti until they receive training and funding

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:08:22 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s government said Thursday that its police officers will not be deployed to Haiti until all conditions on training and funding are met in line with last month’s approval from the U.N Security Council to give the eastern African country command of a multinational mission to combat violent gangs in the troubled Caribbean country.Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki told Parliament’s Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security that “unless all resources are mobilized and availed, our troops will not leave the country.”He said U.N. member states are securing resources and have identified how funds will be mobilized and made available to Kenya for the mission. However, it was not immediately clear when the forces would be fully trained and funded to allow for deployment.Meanwhile, Haiti is reporting a fresh round of gang-related killings and kidnappings as it awaits help.On Wednesday, Haiti’s Superior Court of Auditors and Administrative Disput...

Fights in bread lines, despair in shelters: War threatens to unravel Gaza’s close-knit society

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:08:22 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Fistfights break out in bread lines. Residents wait hours for a gallon of brackish water that makes them sick. Scabies, diarrhea and respiratory infections rip through overcrowded shelters. And some families have to choose who eats.“My kids are crying because they are hungry and tired and can’t use the bathroom,” said Suzan Wahidi, an aid worker and mother of five at a U.N. shelter in the central town of Deir al-Balah, where hundreds of people share a single toilet. “I have nothing for them.”With the Israel-Hamas war in its second month and more than 10,000 people killed in Gaza, trapped civilians are struggling to survive without electricity or running water. Palestinians who managed to flee Israel’s ground invasion in northern Gaza now encounter scarcity of food and medicine in the south, and there is no end in sight to the war sparked by Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack.Over half a million displaced people have crammed into hospitals and U.N. schools-turned-shelters i...

Freeland to table fall economic statement on Nov. 21

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:08:22 GMT

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is expected to table the federal government’s fall economic statement on Nov. 21.The mini-budget is set to offer an update on federal finances, as well as new measures that reflect the government’s priorities.Freeland has promised that the fall economic statement will focus on housing and affordability, two issues dominating federal politics that are top-of-mind for Canadians.The Liberals have already announced some measures pertaining to housing over the last couple of months, but all eyes will be on any additional steps they take to help ease the housing shortage.The federal government is also facing fiscal pressures from a slowing economy and scrutiny for excessive government spending, and Freeland has promised to prioritize fiscal responsibility.The latest fiscal monitor report from the Finance Department said the federal government posted a $4.3-billion deficit between April and August.

Person in custody after shooting outside strip club in South Loop

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:08:22 GMT

CHICAGO — A person is in custody after a shooting outside a strip club in the city's South Loop, according to Chicago police.The shooting happened around 4:12 a.m. Thursday outside Deja Vu Showgirls on the 700 block of South Clinton.According to police, a 30-year-old man was escorting another man out of the business when a black Tesla approached them. A male offender fired shots from inside the vehicle and continued driving southbound.The 30-year-old man was shot in the right knee and transported to Stroger Hospital in good condition. Charges filed against 2 accused of killing woman during attempted robbery in Worth Police have confirmed a person is in custody and charges are pending.

In-N-Out Burger expanding into yet another state

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:08:22 GMT

(KTLA) – In-N-Out Burger is continuing to expand, with new locations planned for a Southwest state.The Southern California-based fast food chain, which recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, announced this week that it plans to open multiple locations in New Mexico by 2027.“We're excited to share that we will be fully in the Four Corners," In-N-Out’s president and owner Lynsi Snyder shared on Instagram and Facebook. “We can’t wait to have smiling associates serving customers quality burgers, fries and shakes in such a unique, beautiful state.” The not-so-secret meaning behind In-N-Out’s palm trees In-N-Out already has locations in Arizona, Utah and Colorado, leaving New Mexico as the only remaining Four Corners state without one.The new restaurants will be in Albuquerque, but there are plans for other New Mexico locations “in the years beyond,” the company said. They will be served by a distribution hub in Colorado Springs.“I’m excited, said Marisa Ricci, an Albuquerque residen...