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Who are the G20’s bad guys now?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:54 GMT

NEW DELHI — When world leaders gather at the G20 summit on Saturday morning, the smiles may be more awkward than usual. While China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin won’t be there, a B-list of strongmen with their own damning human rights records will be ready to embarrass the leaders of Western democracy with some stiff handshakes and fixed grins. Some of these international bad guys also have played an increasingly assertive role in negotiations on the Ukraine war — interventions welcomed by the Ukrainian government. However unsavory their domestic records may be, that means they can’t be ignored.Take Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman. According to U.S. intelligence, he approved the gruesome murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But last month, he hosted a multinational meeting in Jeddah aimed at kick-starting peace talks. He’s also staying on after the G20 for a state visit in India.Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has locked up thousands...

COP28: A chance to course-correct on the global clean energy transition

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:54 GMT

Ursula von der Leyen is president of the European Commission; Sultan Al-Jaber is president-designate for COP28 and UAE special envoy for climate change; William Ruto is president of Kenya; Mia Mottley is prime minister of Barbados; Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency; Francesco La Camera is director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency.The world is not on track to meeting the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal of the Paris Agreement; the global clean energy transition is dangerously off-course. The Global Stocktake report of the Paris Agreement reconfirms what we already know and feel in our everyday lives. This year will be among the hottest on record and wildfires, droughts, floods, and extreme weather attributed to climate change have caused devastating losses and damage around the globe. The United Nations Environment Programme suggests that the effects of climate change would cost countries around the world up to $300 billion a year by 2030....

Coastal Commission approves permit to extend closure of Point La Jolla year-round

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:54 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The California Coastal Commission unanimously voted this week to approve a year-round closure of Point La Jolla to help protect both sea lions and people visiting the area.“A lot of people were getting very close to the animals," said Carol Toye with the Sierra Club Seal Society. "(This is concerning) because this area is a breeding zone.” The City of San Diego requested a permit for the existing seasonal closure in the area to extend all year long. The Coastal Commission’s approved the new permit for seven years, but the final step before it goes into effect will be a vote by San Diego City Council on Sept. 18.Local stakeholders like the Sierra Club Seal Society have pushed to protect 150 yards of Point La Jolla and the bluffs at Boomer Beach for years. Under the approved permit, the highly popular La Jolla Cove and Boomer Beach would remain unaffected. Sea lion in video was likely chasing another, expert says “We do know that this area is very well known for body su...

2 arrested for suspected vehicle theft using El Cajon license plate reading cameras

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:54 GMT

EL CAJON, Calif. -- Two people including a juvenile were arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft in El Cajon this week with the assistance of license plate reading cameras, police said.The first arrest was made Wednesday evening, according to El Cajon police, after officers began receiving alerts about a possible stolen vehicle from automated license plate readers (ALPR) near the intersection of Greenfield Avenue and Main Street.Officers were able to locate the vehicle, a 2018 Dodge Ram stolen earlier that day, in the 1200 block of Broadway shortly after. According to ECPD, the vehicle was stopped and the driver, identified as 31-year-old National City resident Allan Irvin, was arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft and an outstanding federal warrant. San Diego International Airport warns travelers about upcoming I-5 closure The second arrest came the following day, Thursday. Around 1 a.m., officers received an ALPR notice of a stolen 2016 Hyundai Sonata near the intersection of Ch...

Family of teens killed in 2018 DUI crash protesting after driver arrested again

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:54 GMT

ESCONDIDO, Calif. -- The family of two teens killed in an 2018 DUI crash are protesting in Escondido this weekend for stricter punishments after the driver who collided with their car was arrested a second time for driving under the influence.In March 2018, Ana Lira and Brandon Contreras were involved in a broadside collision in an intersection along El Norte Parkway. Both were 19 years old.The other driver -- the then 27-year-old Francisco Alvarez -- ran a red light, crashing into the side of Lira and Contreras' vehicle. Alvarez was under the influence of marijuana and cocaine at the time of the crash. Man, 36, dead after colliding with tree, parked car in Mission Beach Contreras, who was driving their car, was thrown from the car after impact and landed in a nearby yard. Lira was riding as a passenger in the backseat of the vehicle. According to authorities, both were declared dead on scene.A 15-year-old passenger was also in Contreras' car during the crash. They suffered seriou...

The Group of 20 has agreed to make the African Union a permanent member, Indian leader Modi says

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:54 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — The African Union has been granted permanent member status in the Group of 20 top world economies, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Saturday, adding momentum to his drive to give a greater voice to the Global South as host of this year’s annual summit.Modi addressed the delegates from behind a nameplate that listed his country not as India but as “Bharat,” an ancient Sanskrit name championed by his Hindu nationalist supporters.The announcement came as Modi opened the weekend summit of the G20, one that comes as growing global rifts and the absence of key players threatened to make reaching consensus on the thorniest issues elusive.There was widespread support, however, for adding the AU to the G20, making it the second regional bloc to become a permanent member after the European Union.Modi rapped his gavel three times before announcing the move to applause in the room. He shook hands with the current AU chair, Comoros President Azali Assoumani, and embraced...

Ralph Lauren, a son of the Bronx, takes over Brooklyn in lavish return to NY Fashion Week

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:54 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — He may have been born in the Bronx, but designer Ralph Lauren took over a different New York city borough — Brooklyn — with a sumptuous event that marked his return to NY Fashion Week after four years and brought out stars like Jennifer Lopez, Julianne Moore, Diane Keaton, Mindy Kaling, Gabrielle Union, James Marsden and many others.After crossing the country last year to stage a lavish show at the grand Huntington Library in San Marino, California, Lauren returned to his home base of New York with Friday’s show in a cavernous warehouse space at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, transformed into a reimagined artist’s loft. He decorated the space with rustic wood and draped canvases, and added glittering chandeliers above. None other than Christy Turlington closed out the runway show of Lauren’s Spring 2024 women’s collection, the 53-year-old supermodel looking regal in a one-shouldered gown in shiny gold. As is Lauren’s way, he combined luxury and casual throughout...

No winning ticket sold for Friday’s $12 million Lotto Max jackpot

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:54 GMT

There was no winning ticket sold in Friday’s Lotto Max $12 million draw.The jackpot for the next draw on Sept. 12 will be an estimated $17 million.The Canadian Press

Lotto Max winning numbers for Friday, Sept. 8, 2023

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:54 GMT

TORONTO — The winning numbers in Friday’s Lotto Max draw for an estimated $12 million: 15, 22, 25, 29, 30, 31 & 34.Bonus: 18In the event of any discrepancy between this list and the official winning numbers, the latter shall prevail.The Canadian Press

Rockies blow two big leads, lose to Giants in San Francisco

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:54 GMT

It was an unusually wild Friday night at Oracle Park.Home runs were flying. There were six dingers overall in what’s typically a pitchers’ paradise during night games.But there was nothing unusual about what happened to the Rockies, who fell apart late and lost 9-8 to the Giants. The Rockies are on pace to finish the season with a 59-104 record.The silver lining? Rockies rookie outfielder Nolan Jones was once again the best player on the field. But then, that’s becoming a common occurrence.Jones led off the sixth with a solo blast, his 15th homer of the season, to extend his hitting streak to a career-high eight games. His RBI double in the ninth scored Ezequiel Tovar to keep the Rockies on life support. But it wasn’t enough.Jones swiped second base in the seventh, his 13th stolen base of the season. In the third, Jones, who got a rare start in center field, threw out Luis Matos at the plate when Matos tried to score from second on Wilmer Flores’ single...