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Australia PM to give allegiance to king but wants president

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:30:19 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Friday he would declare his allegiance to King Charles III at the monarch’s coronation despite believing that Australia should have its own head of state.Albanese voted in a failed referendum in 1999 for an Australian citizen to replace the British monarch as the country’s head of state. He said he accepted that a majority of Australians chose for the country to remain a constitutional monarchy instead of becoming a republic and would reflect that sentiment when he attended the king’s coronation Saturday in London.“I haven’t changed my position on that and I’ve made that very clear. I want to see an Australian as Australia’s head of state,” Albanese told Australian Broadcasting Corp.“That doesn’t mean that you cannot have respect for the institution, which is the system of government that we have,” he said. “And I believe, as the Australian prime minister, I have a particular responsibility to rep...

Closing arguments near in stepmom’s murder trial in Colorado

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:30:19 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Closing arguments are expected Friday in the trial of a woman accused of killing her 11-year-old stepson in Colorado, putting his body in a suitcase and then dumping it over a bridge in Florida. Authorities allege Letecia Stauch killed Gannon Stauch by stabbing and shooting him a few hours before reporting him missing on Jan. 27, 2020, while his father was on a National Guard deployment. Stauch was charged with first-degree murder, tampering with a deceased human body and tampering with physical evidence.Attorneys for Stauch, who has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, countered that by claiming she suffered a “major psychotic crack” as a result of childhood trauma when she killed Gannon. The state mental hospital concluded that Stauch was sane at the time Gannon was killed, The Gazette reported. Under Colorado law, that means understanding the difference between right and wrong and being able to form the intent to commit a crime.However, the defense’s main...

EU okays $1.61 billion for Dutch government to buy out farmers, reduce nitrogen

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:30:19 GMT

The European Commission on Tuesday (2 May) said it had approved two Dutch plans worth a combined €1.47 billion to buy out livestock farmers to reduce nitrogen pollution, saying they are permissible under state aid rules.The Dutch need to reduce excess nitrogen levels, caused in part by decades of intensive farming, a problem that has led to courts blocking important construction projects until the issue is resolved.Discontent over government plans to address the problem until now date led to a major defeat for Prime Minister Mark Rutte's governing coalition in regional elections in March.Farm buyouts are seen as an important step toward a comprehensive plan to address the issue.In the schemes approved by the European Union's executive body on Tuesday, the Netherlands reserved the money to compensate farmers who voluntarily close farms located near nature reserves.The plans will have "positive effects that outweigh any potential distortion of competition and trade in the EU," the Com...

Proposals for sanctions against corrupt oligarchs welcomed but EU institutions still excluded

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:30:19 GMT

On 3 May, the European Commission presented a series of proposals on tackling corruption in Europe. It is essential the EU takes the fight against corruption seriously, particularly, in the wake of the Qatargate scandal and the scale of Russian money in Europe exposed following the invasion of Ukraine. The Greens/EFA Group are calling for strengthened legal framework and investigative tools, greater cooperation between competent authorities and an increased role for the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO). Daniel Freund MEP, Greens/EFA member of the Civil Liberties Committee and Constitutional Affairs Committee, said: "The EU cannot continue to be the go to getaway spot for criminals, corrupt officials and their dodgy money. That's why it’s welcomed that the Commission is taking action to crack down on corrupt cash in Europe. “However, if the Commission is serious about the fight against corruption, they should also make far greater use of the rule of law mechanism and better...

JaMychal Green stepped up big in Game 2, and the Warriors may need more of it against Lakers

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:30:19 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — About two hours before tip-off, the Warriors coaching staff got some bad news. Kevon Looney was sick and could only play about 20 minutes. Someone else would have to start in his place and eat a few of his minutes, too.So a surprise twist: JaMychal Green got the starting nod, only his second start with the Warriors this year.The spur-of-the-moment decision helped unlock the Warriors’ offense en route to a 127-100 beatdown of the Los Angeles Lakers to even the Western Conference Semifinals at 1-1 — and Green’s performance was a reward for his sacrifice throughout a turbulent season.“It feels good to be able to do this after the year I had,” Green said. “It’s been a rough one. I haven’t been through anything like this before. I feel like this is a year of growth for me. I feel like if I can get through this, I can get through anything.”Green’s postseason thus far has mimicked his regular season — h...

Serbian state television says suspect in killing of 8 people has been arrested

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:30:19 GMT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian state television says suspect in killing of 8 people has been arrested.Source

LPGA Hanwha LIFEPLUS Internationl Crown Team Match Play Scores

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:30:19 GMT

ThursdayAt TPC Harding ParkSan Francisco, Calif.Purse: $2 millionYardage: 6,845; Par: 72Round Robin Day OnePool ATeamPtsWLT(4)Sweden 02200(1)USA 01110(8)China 01110(5)England 00020Pool B(6)Thailand 02200(7)Austria 02200(2)Korea 00020(3)Japan 00020First RoundPatty Tavatanakit/Atthaya Thitikul (THA) def. Yuka Saso/Ayaka Furue (JPN), 1 upMoriya Jutanugarn/Ariya Jutanugarn (THA) def. Nasa Hataoka/Hinako Shibuno (JPN), 2 upAnna Nordqvist/Caroline Hedwall (SWE) def. Bronte Law/Jodi Ewart Shadoff (ENG), 4 and 3Madelene Sagstrom/Maja Stark (SWE) def. Liz Young/Alice Hewson (ENG), 5 and 4Minjee Lee/Steph Kyriacou (AUS) def. Hye-Jin Choi/In Gee Chun (KOR), 2 and 1Hannah Green/Sarah Kemp (AUS) def. Hyo Joo Kim/Jin Young Ko (KOR), 2 upLilia Vu/Nelly Korda (USA) def. Ruoning Yin/Xiyu Lin (CHN), 2 and 1Ruixin Liu/Yu Liu (CHN) def. Danielle Kang/Lexi Thompson (USA), 1 upSource

Inside the monarchy

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:30:19 GMT

In modern Britain, the monarchy still shapes how the country is run.By Tim RossIllustration by Tim O’BrienLONDON — Queen Elizabeth II saw it all coming.  After seven decades as the United Kingdom’s head of state, her majesty knew better than perhaps anyone else the qualities that make for a good prime minister. Boris Johnson, she seemed to have decided, didn’t have them. “It was such a remarkable event, to witness the eye roll of Queen Elizabeth II,” recalled Andrew Gwynne, a British member of parliament.  In June 2019, as Brexit battles paralyzed parliament, the ruling Conservative Party was in the frenzied process of choosing a new leader to succeed Theresa May as prime minister. Gwynne, an opposition Labour MP, was among the guests at a reception for faith leaders among the gilt-framed portraits and chandeliers in Buckingham Palace. During a private chat between the queen and a handful of MPs, the question came up of who would take charge of the country. ...

Strong earthquake hits Japan; no tsunami threat

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:30:19 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — A strong earthquake hit near central Japan on Friday, but officials said there was no preliminary damage and no tsunami threat.The 6.2 quake happened in Ishikawa prefecture near the central west coast of the main Japanese island of Honshu, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s earthquake information center.Japan’s Kyodo News agency reported that there was nothing concerning at a nearby nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture. Japanese officials said there could be small waves but no tsunami danger. Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone nations. A massive 2011 quake in the country’s northeast caused a devastating tsunami and nuclear plant meltdown that still reverberates today. The Associated Press

Belgium arrests Iraqi suspected of terror attack involvement

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:30:19 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgian authorities said Friday they have arrested an Iraqi on charges of murder, war crimes and crimes against humanity over bombings that took place in Baghdad more than a decade ago.The federal prosecutor’s office identified the suspect as a person in their 40s who has been living in Belgium since 2015. It said the suspect was believed to belong to a cell of the al-Qaida terrorist network that was “partly responsible for several bombings in the Green Zone of Baghdad in 2009 and 2010, which killed at least 376 people and injured more than 2,300.” The suspect was charged with “several murders with terrorist intent, participation in the activities of a terrorist group, war crimes and crimes against humanity.” The Associated Press