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Man brings gun and knives into a Virginia church service after vague online threats, police say

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:04:58 GMT

HAYMARKET, Va. (AP) — A man posted vague online threats of violence and images of a Virginia church before going inside with a loaded handgun and two knives during Sunday services, police said Monday.The man was arrested and no one was hurt after officers rushed to Park Valley Church, having been tipped off by someone who saw his “suspicious and concerning online postings,” the Prince William County Police Department said in a news release. The investigation involved three police departments across two states, beginning with a Maryland resident’s tip and ending with the man’s arrest in Haymarket, Virginia, which is about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of Washington, the news release said. Authorities did not offer a possible motive. But it comes at a time when faith leaders in the U.S. are ramping up security at some houses of worship. In recent years, there’s been a stark uptick in concerning episodes at churches, synagogues, temples and mosques. Rui Jiang, 35, of ...

Bahrain says attack by Yemen rebels kills a Bahraini officer and a soldier on the Saudi border

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:04:58 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A drone attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels killed a Bahraini officer and soldier who were patrolling Saudi Arabia’s southern border early Monday, Bahrain’s military command said.The statement, carried by the official Bahrain News Agency, says “a number” of Bahraini soldiers were also wounded in the attack, without elaborating.The tiny island nation of Bahrain is a close ally of Saudi Arabia, which has been at war with the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels for several years. A cease-fire had largely stopped the violence, and the two sides have appeared close to a peace agreement in recent months.It was unclear if the attack would derail those efforts or prompt retaliation by Saudi Arabia and its allies. There was no immediate comment from the Houthis or Saudi Arabia.“This terrorist attack was carried out by the Houthis, who sent aircraft targeting the position of the Bahraini guards on the southern border of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia despi...

Bermuda premier says ‘sophisticated and deliberate’ cyberattack hobbles government services

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:04:58 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A major cyberattack has hobbled government operations in Bermuda, with officials struggling to restore service.Premier David Burt said Monday that the government is trying to identify what happened and how, adding that he could not provide details because it was a matter of national security.“It is clear that this was a sophisticated and deliberate attack that has resulted in unprecedented stress on basic government systems,” he said.The attack occurred Wednesday night and was noticed Thursday morning, Burt said.He said critical areas like transport, education and the island’s hospital have been operating as normal. But he added that it could take a couple of weeks for all services to be fully restored.“The size, scope and nature of this is significant,” Burt said of the attack.It wasn’t clear if sensitive information was compromised, and Burt said the investigation is ongoing. It’s also unknown if those responsible for the attack are demanding ransom. B...

First of thousands of Lahaina residents return to homes destroyed by deadly wildfire

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:04:58 GMT

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — The first of thousands of residents who lost their homes in the wildfire that destroyed the Hawaii town of Lahaina returned to their devastated properties Monday, with some stopping for a moment of reflection and others searching for mementos among the ruins.“They’re very appreciative to get in here, something they’ve all been waiting anxiously for,” Darryl Oliveira, interim administrator of the Maui Emergency Management Agency, told reporters gathered outside the burn zone. “People who haven’t been here since the fire are taken aback by the amount of and extent of the destruction.”In the days following the Aug. 8 wildfire, some people were able to return to their properties to evaluate the damage. But since then, the burned area has been off-limits to all but authorized workers. Authorities opened one small part of it on Monday, allowing residents in for supervised visits from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. By midday, about two dozen vehicles carrying residents had entered...

Three fishers die after boat sinks off Quebec coast, three others rescued

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:04:58 GMT

MONTREAL — Three people are dead after a fishing boat sank off Quebec’s Lower North Shore early Monday morning, provincial police say.The Canadian Coast Guard said six people were aboard the Silver Condor, out of Blanc Sablon, Que., about 1,300 kilometres northeast of Montreal.Spokeswoman Emilie Proteau-Beaulieu said in an email that the coast guard received a distress signal from the boat around 2:30 a.m.Two coast guard vessels and an Armed Forces CH-149 Cormorant helicopter were dispatched to the scene, and all six of the fishers were recovered. Lt.-Cmdr. Len Hickey said three of the people recovered were “unresponsive” when transferred to paramedics.“The six occupants were recovered jointly by (the coast guard) and (Armed Forces), and were cared for by pre-hospital emergency services once ashore,” Proteau-Beaulieu said. She said three other nearby vessels assisted in the search.She said the cause of the sinking — which took place around 37 kilometres...

Canada names new ambassador to Armenia amid Nagorno-Karabakh tensions

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:04:58 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s government has announced the ambassador who is to helm a new embassy in Armenia at a time of escalating military conflict in neighbouring Azerbaijan.Career diplomat Andrew Turner will be posted to Yerevan, where Canada is set to open an embassyas soon as next month, as the Liberals try to form closer ties with countries moving away from Russia’s orbit.Turner’s background primarily involves postings in the Middle East, though he has also helped shape Ottawa’s response to tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan.Canada has a large Armenian diaspora, and the Liberals have made a point of raising issues related to Armenia in the House of Commons.In April 2022, ambassador to the European Union Stéphane Dion, who is also a former foreign affairs minister, issued a report on how Canada can better support Armenia’s “fragile” democracy.The report, weeks after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, argued the country’...

Jury selection opens in terrorism trial of extended family members dating to 2018 New Mexico raid

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:04:58 GMT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Jury selection began Monday in federal court as members of an extended family confronted kidnapping and terrorism charges stemming from the search for a missing 3-year-old boy by agents who raided a squalid New Mexico encampment in 2018.The boy’s badly decomposed remains were eventually found in an underground tunnel at the compound on the outskirts of Amalia near the Colorado line. Authorities allege the family engaged in firearms and tactical training in preparation for attacks against the government, tied to an apparent belief that the boy would be resurrected as Jesus Christ and provide instructions.An exact cause of death was never determined amid accusations that the boy, who was sickly, had been deprived of crucial medication linked to disabilities. Federal prosecutors opted for kidnapping charges.The two men and two women on trial have pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiring to support planned attacks on U.S. law enforcement officers, milit...

At least 6 people are dead and 12 missing after a landslide in Guatemala sweeps homes into river

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:04:58 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Heavy rains set off a landslide in Guatemala’s capital early Monday sweeping several humble homes into a river and leaving at least six people dead and 12 missing, including 10 minors.Guatemala’s National Disaster Reduction Coordinator said in a statement Monday that the death toll had risen to six, including a young girl, along with 12 people missing. The 5-year-old girl was recovered by firefighters partially buried in debris and mud some 3 miles (5 kilometers) down the Naranjo river.The landslide swept away six homes and the families who lived in them around 2 a.m. Around 5 a.m. the firefighters announced they would start a search.Landslides are a constant threat during Guatemala’s rainy season, which extends to November. There are few controls on where people build their homes, especially in poor settlements, putting them at greater risk.Images provided by rescuers showed a long path of the landslide and evidence of domestic life strewn along the rive...

Potential government shutdown could impact vulnerable Americans

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:04:58 GMT

WASHINGTON (Nexstar) -- Officials warn that if the government shuts down, the implications will extend far beyond furloughed government employees and could impact some of the most vulnerable Americans.President Joe Biden slammed Republicans for backing out of a previous deal to cut spending and fund the government."We made a deal we shook hands and (said) this is what we're going to do, and now they're reneging on the deal," Biden said.Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito agrees that House Republicans are to blame if the government shuts down."It's chaos over there quite frankly," she said. "The House just turned down the DOD appropriations bill that was written by Republicans and the Republican conference took it down."A government shutdown means some government employees, like border patrol agents, military members, and other essential employees, would have to work without pay.Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack says a shutdown would impact some of the most vulnerable American...

Girl goes viral after seeing herself in Times Square

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:04:58 GMT

MOORE, Okla. (KFOR) - A 1-year-old from Moore, Oklahoma, has gone viral on social media after seeing herself in the bright lights of the Big Apple. Olivia Chandler was featured in a Down Syndrome awareness campaign in New York City last month. “It was just amazing,” said Lori Orr, Chandler's mother. Orr told Nexstar's KFOR she was scrolling through Facebook back in April when she stumbled upon an application for the National Down Syndrome Society’s Times Square Video Presentation and decided to enter Olivia. Orr thought her daughter would be a shoo-in because of her irresistible smile. Test of FEMA emergency alert system planned for early October "Everywhere we go, people say, you know, her smile makes me smile,” said Orr. The annual presentation drew in about 2,400 entries from around the world. Those selected get their picture featured in an hour-long big screen presentation in the Big Apple. "I entered her picture and then, you know, we waited and waited and waited,” said ...