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Islamic State group claims responsibility for an explosion in Afghanistan, killing 4

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:22:17 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for an explosion in a Shiite Muslim neighborhood in Afghanistan’s capital that killed at least four people.Seven others were critically wounded in the attack Thursday evening, according to Khalid Zadran, a spokesman for the Kabul police chief.Islamic State affiliates claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement late Friday through its news agency Aamaq, saying it “managed to leave a booby-trapped suitcase” inside a Shiite gathering place that exploded, killing and wounding about 35 people and inflicting heavy damage on a sports club.Video taken after the explosion shows part of a building with its windows blown out and a fire inside. Shattered glass and other debris are strewn across the street below.The scale of the damage was clearer Friday morning. There were craters in the ground and most of the interior was gutted. Workers picked their way through boxing gloves and gym equipment on the blood-splattere...

Iranian teen injured on Tehran Metro while not wearing a headscarf has died, state media says

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:22:17 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Iranian teenage girl injured weeks ago in a mysterious incident on Tehran’s Metro while not wearing a headscarf has died, state media reported Saturday.The death of Armita Geravand comes after her being in a coma for weeks in Tehran and after the one-year anniversary of the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini which sparked nationwide protests at the time.Geravand’s Oct. 1 injury and now her death threaten to reignite that popular anger, particularly as women in Tehran and elsewhere still defy Iran’s mandatory headscarf, or hijab, law as a sign of their discontent with Iran’s theocracy. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported Geravand’s death, without noting the wider unrest surrounding the headscarf law. What happened in the few seconds after Armita Geravand entered the train on Oct. 1 remains in question. While a friend told Iranian state television that she hit her head on the station’s platform, the soundless foo...

Israeli military releases video of tank columns moving in Gaza, says warplanes bombed Hamas tunnels

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:22:17 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military released grainy images Saturday of tank columns moving slowly in open areas of Gaza and said warplanes bombed dozens of Hamas tunnels and underground bunkers, signaling a further escalation in its campaign to crush the territory’s ruling militant group after its bloody incursion in southern Israel three weeks ago.The first visual confirmation of the presence of ground troops and the heavy bombardment of underground targets were a new sign that Israel is moving closer to an all-out invasion of Gaza. In recent days, ground troops have staged brief nightly incursions before returning to Israel. It was not immediately clear when the images released Saturday were taken and whether the tanks would eventually move deeper into Gaza.Late Friday, Israeli military spokesman Real Adm. Daniel Hagari said ground forces were “expanding their activity” in Gaza and “acting with great force … to achieve the objectives of the war.” Israel has amassed h...

Dear Abby: An unmade quilt has undercut our friendship. Am I being unreasonable?

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:22:17 GMT

DEAR ABBY: I’m having an issue with my longtime best friend. We no longer live in the same state, but we talk several times a week and try to visit every year. We both love crafting, and two years ago, I started making her a big, beautiful counted cross-stitch and had it custom-framed. The project took several months, and she knew I was making it.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: Am I being selfish to think he needs to get over his grief? Advice | Dear Abby: My boyfriend and I resent each other, but we can’t break up Advice | Dear Abby: My church group leader badmouthed my husband and now I’m caught in their feud Advice | Dear Abby: He says he’s not forcing us to eat it, but basically he is Advice | Dear Abby: My friend sold my teen a Taylor Swift ticket, and I can’t help resenting her She offered — I didn’t ask — to make me a quilt from T-shirts I had co...

American Rose Zhang shoots 7-under 65 to take the third-round lead at the LPGA Malaysia tournament

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:22:17 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Rose Zhang birdied the 18th hole Saturday for a 7-under 65 and a one-stroke lead after three rounds of the Maybank Championship on the LPGA Tour.The American had an 18-under total of 198 on the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club course.Atthaya Thitikul was tied for second place after a 62 with fellow Thai player Jasmine Suwannapura (67), who led after the first two rounds. Kim Sei-young of South Korea was in fourth place after a 65, three strokes behind Zhang.It is the third of four LPGA events on the tour’s Asian swing. Minjee Lee of Australia won last week’s stop in South Korea in a playoff and the final tournament is next week’s Toto Classic in Japan. ___AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golfSource

Quinn Hughes scores 2 and Thatcher Demko has 22 saves as Canucks beat Blues 5-0

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:22:17 GMT

VANCOUVER (AP) — Quinn Hughes scored two goals, Thatcher Demko stopped 22 shots and the Vancouver Canucks won their third consecutive game 5-0 over the St. Louis Blues on Friday night.J.T. Miller scored short-handed and added two assists for Vancouver (5-2-0). Phil Di Giuseppe had a goal and an assist, Ilya Mikheyev scored once and Elias Petterson had two assists.“We were ready to play,” Hughes said. “They were on a back-to-back and came out a little slow. We just jumped on them. … I think we could clean up some stuff in the third. We got a little loose. For the most part it was a good game.”Combined with an 8-1 win against the Edmonton Oilers in the season-opener, the Canucks have outscored their opponents 13-1 in two home games.“You look at the good teams around the league, it sucks sometimes going to play in those buildings,” Demko said after getting his fourth career shutout. “You know they are going to come out strong every game. That’s kind of what we want to establish h...

Teenage Iranian girl who suffered an injury on Tehran’s Metro while not wearing a head scarf has died, state media says

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:22:17 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Teenage Iranian girl who suffered an injury on Tehran’s Metro while not wearing a head scarf has died, state media says.Source

Sweeping new Biden order aims to alter the AI landscape

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:22:17 GMT

U.S. President Joe Biden will deploy numerous federal agencies to monitor the risks of artificial intelligence and develop new uses for the technology while attempting to protect workers, according to a draft executive order obtained by POLITICO.The order, expected to be issued as soon as Monday, would streamline high-skilled immigration, create a raft of new government offices and task forces and pave the way for the use of more AI in nearly every facet of life touched by the federal government, from health care to education, trade to housing, and more.At the same time, the Oct. 23 draft order calls for extensive new checks on the technology, directing agencies to set standards to ensure data privacy and cybersecurity, prevent discrimination, enforce fairness and also closely monitor the competitive landscape of a fast-growing industry. The draft order was verified by multiple people who have seen or been consulted on draft copies of the document.The White House did not reply to a ...

Location, location, location: three former Hells Angels clubhouses heading for sale

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:22:17 GMT

VANCOUVER — The three-bedroom East Vancouver home that’s about to hit the market includes a brick fireplace and finished basement, along with a private back deck. Not to worry — the Hells Angels deaths-head logos have been removed from the gables.The seller is motivated. The home at 3598 East Georgia St. is one of three former clubhouses of the Hells Angels that now belong to the British Columbia government after the Supreme Court of Canada chose not to hear an appeal related to the province’s controversial civil forfeiture process.The East Vancouver house is valued at $1.52 million by BC Assessment. The other two properties are in Kelowna and Nanaimo.They are being added to a $155-million bounty of cash, cars, homes, and even luxury purses and drones seized over the past 17 years by the province after being linked to crime — even if the previous owner was never convicted. The government touts civil forfeiture as a way to put a dent in organized crime, while civil libert...

Hundreds attend vigil for victims of shooting rampage in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:22:17 GMT

SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. — Hundreds of flickering candles lit up the evening as residents of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. gathered for a vigil in memory of the victims of Monday’s shooting rampage, with the father of one of the victims calling for respect for the family of the gunman as well.Four people were killed, including three children, and a woman was injured at two different locations in the northern Ontario city before the shooter took his own life in what police have called a case of intimate partner violence.Friday night saw community members come together, braving the wind and rain to grieve and comfort one another.Police have not released the identities of those involved, but family members have identified one of the victims as 41-year-old Angie Sweeney, the mother of the three children, and the gunman as Bobbie Hallaert, said to be Sweeny’s partner and the children’s father.Angie Sweeny’s father, Brian Sweeny, thanked those attending for their support, c...