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National Zoo’s giant pandas fly home amid uncertainty about future panda exchanges

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:54:40 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The day that panda lovers have been dreading has finally come.The National Zoo’s three giant pandas, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji. on Wednesday began their long trip to China, leaving behind an empty panda exhibit with no certainty that pandas ever would again take up residence there.“It is a moment with some heartbreak in it,” said National Zoo Director Brandie Smith. “But it is also a moment of joy because we are celebrating the success of the world’s longest running conservation program for a single species.”The pandas had been loaded into large white crates away from the public view. Forklifts took them to waiting trucks — along with several bushels of bamboo for road snacks. Their faces were occasionally visible through a small window at the side of the crates. Zoo personnel walked alongside them. They were taken to Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia, where a specially outfitted Boeing 777F dubbed the FedEx Panda Express w...

Wounded North Carolina sheriff’s deputies expected to make full recovery

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:54:40 GMT

LUMBERTON, N.C. (AP) — Two North Carolina sheriff’s deputies who were seriously wounded when they attempted to arrest a wanted man this week are expected to make a full recovery, authorities said Wednesday. Robeson County sheriff’s deputies Jonathan Walters and Kaelin Locklear were injured by gunfire and a police vehicle on Tuesday as officers tried to serve a warrant on Shawn Tobin Locklear Jr., who is not related to the deputy. The sheriff’s office said Shawn Locklear allegedly fired at the deputies and was shot several times before being taken into custody. He was in critical but stable condition at UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill, a sheriff’s office news release said.Sheriff Burnis Wilkins and his top lieutenants visited the two wounded deputies at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville. Deputy Kaelin Locklear was listed in stable condition, while Walters was being treated in the intensive care unit, the statement said. The sheriff’s office has...

Judge sets bail for Indiana woman accused of driving into building she believed was ‘Israeli school’

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:54:40 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indianapolis woman accused of backing her car into a building she believed held an “Israeli school” was ordered Wednesday by a judge to stay away from synagogues and other Jewish religious and cultural centers.Ruba Almaghtheh, 34, was formally charged Tuesday with intimidation, criminal recklessness and institutional criminal mischief, all felonies. A Marion County judge entered a not guilty plea for her and set her bond at $200,000 during her initial court hearing Wednesday.Two adults and three children were inside the Israelite School of Universal and Practical Knowledge on Saturday when Almaghtheh allegedly backed into it and shouted “Free Palestine.” No one was injured. Her attorney, Gary Colasessano, told The Associated Press that his client doesn’t remember driving into the building. He said he believes she experienced an “episode,” possibly due to several medications she takes for physical disabilities and the mental stress of a pending divo...

Judge in Peter Nygard’s sex assault trial gives final instructions to jury

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:54:40 GMT

The judge presiding over Peter Nygard’s sexual assault trial is giving his final instructions to the jury before they begin deliberating their verdict in the case.   Justice Robert Goldstein is telling the jury that their duty is to impartially assess the evidence, using the legal principles he has outlined. “You should consider carefully and with an open mind all the evidence presented at trial,” Goldstein told the jury. “You are the judges of the facts.”The jury heard closing arguments from the defence and the Crown on Tuesday after six weeks of testimony and evidence presented in court.  Related: Defence, Crown make final arguments to the jury in Peter Nygard's sex assault trial Jurors are expected to begin deliberating on Wednesday afternoon. Nygard, an 82-year-old former fashion mogul, has pleaded not guilty to five counts of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement in alleged incidents ranging ...

Blinken urges united future Palestinian government for Gaza and West Bank, widening gulf with Israel

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:54:40 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Wednesday for a united and Palestinian-led government for Gaza and the West Bank after the war ends, as a step toward Palestinian statehood. That vision sharpens U.S. differences with ally Israel on what the future should look like for the Palestinian territories once Israel’s military campaign against Hamas winds down.Blinken’s outline of what Americans think should come next for Gaza also serves as a check on the postwar scenarios floated by officials of Israel’s hard-right government and its supporters. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement Monday that Israel’s military would likely maintain security control of Gaza for an “indefinite period” appears to have heightened U.S. concerns.Any postwar governing plan for Gaza “must include Palestinian-led governance and Gaza unified with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority,” Blinken told reporters in Japan.He and other top ...

Suspect in custody in recent fatal stabbing of Detroit synagogue leader

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:54:40 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Police said a suspect was in custody Wednesday in the fatal stabbing of a Detroit synagogue leader whose recent death had raised questions about whether it was motivated by antisemitism.“It does not represent the conclusion of our work in this case,” police Chief James White said. “The details of the investigation will remain confidential at this time to ensure the integrity of the important steps that remain.”Samantha Woll, 40, was president of Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue. She was found dead outside her Detroit home Oct. 21, hours after returning from a wedding, investigators said.No charges were announced Wednesday. White’s statement said police still were working with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.The chief repeatedly has said that Woll’s death doesn’t appear to be a result of antisemitism in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.About 1,000 people attended Woll’s funeral Oct. 23. She had worked for U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin and on the political cam...

Massachusetts to begin denying shelter beds to homeless families, putting names on a waitlist

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:54:40 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — The number of homeless families seeking emergency shelter in Massachusetts is nearing a 7,500-family threshold, past which Democratic Gov. Maura Healey says the state can no longer accommodate them and will instead place families on a waitlist, prioritizing those with the highest needs.Healey has said she doesn’t want to see families out on the street but that the state has essentially reached its shelter capacity. The spike in demand is being driven in part by a surge of migrant families entering the state.Massachusetts joins other locales struggling under an influx of migrant families seeking shelter. New York City Mayor Eric Adams has announced he is limiting shelter stays for migrant families with children to 60 days. In Chicago, officials have looked to relocate migrants seeking asylum from police stations and the city’s airports to winterized camps with massive tents.On Wednesday, the number of families in emergency shelter in Massachusetts stood at 7,488.Critics...

Nashville DA seeks change after suspect released from jail is accused of shooting college student

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:54:40 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Nashville district attorney on Wednesday called for the Tennessee legislature to make it easier to commit someone to a mental institution after a man who was previously released for incompetence to stand trial was accused of shooting an 18-year-old college student in the head.Belmont University student Jillian Ludwig, of New Jersey, was walking on a track in a local park when she was shot and critically wounded at about 2:30 p.m., according to the Metro Nashville Police. They arrested 29-year-old Shaquille Taylor after surveillance video and witness statements pointed to him as the shooter. The investigation showed Taylor was shooting at a car while Ludwig was walking in a park on the opposite side of the street, according to police.A passerby discovered Ludwig on the ground at approximately 3:30 p.m. She was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she was listed in extremely critical condition, police said.Taylor is charged with aggrava...

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman raises concerns about AI’s effect on future elections

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:54:40 GMT

TORONTO — One of the most prominent figures in the world of artificial intelligence is concerned about the technology’s potential effects during election campaigns.Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, said he’s worried about how good at personalized persuasion the technology may become.“We also don’t know for sure how big of an impact that might have or not, but it’s an example of something new that I’m worried about because it’s very unknown,” Altman said in a virtual appearance Wednesday at a University of Waterloo technology conference hosted in Toronto.Altman’s company is best known for creating ChatGPT, a generative AI chatbot capable of humanlike conversations and tasks launched last November. The company has continued to advance the technology, spurring a race to innovate in the AI space with companies including Google, Anthropic AI and Microsoft.Altman suggested such technology could help spread misinformation or aid in...

Ontario women charged in debit, credit card fraud stole victim’s wallet in Walmart: police

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:54:40 GMT

Two women from Ontario are facing fraud charges after a victim had her wallet stolen as she shopped at a Walmart in Ajax.Durham Regional Police officers responded to a theft at the Walmart located at 270 Kingston Road East on September 26, 2023. Police said a woman had her wallet stolen as she shopped, and her debit and credit cards were later used at various locations in Ajax and Toronto for fraudulent purchases. Related: Think scam calls are bad now? Experts warn growing use of AI will make problem worse Investigators tracked the purchases and identified two female suspects and a suspect vehicle. Both women were arrested at the scene.They were identified as 22-year-old Shayla Rogers and 47-year-old Samantha Stevens, both of Ajax. The women face combined charges including theft under $5,000, fraud under $5,000, and possessing property obtained by crime under $5,000. They were released on an undertaking.