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The world exhales sigh of relief: Taylor Swift splits from Matty Healy

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:14:41 GMT

Two days after Vulture asked whether Taylor Swift was due for another backlash because she had begun dating “dirtbag” British rocker Matty Healy, the singer somehow got the word out that she and Healy have split.TMZ and other outlets broke the big news Monday morning that Swift and Healy, the provocative lead singer of the 1975, “are shaking it off when it comes to their relationship,” with a close friend saying that Swift is “single” again. Of course, it’s unclear when they broke up or why, or whether they were ever really dating — though it had generally become accepted in celebrity world that the two had become an item, just weeks after Swift broke up with longtime boyfriend Joe Alwyn.For anyone who wasn’t isolated from all media for the past month — who hadn’t, say, subjected themselves to an extended stay in Aaron Rodgers’ darkness retreat — they would have been forced to follow the extraordinary news...

France’s spectacular Mont-Saint-Michel turns 1,000

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:14:41 GMT

Associated PressPARIS (AP) — France’s beloved abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel has reached a ripe old age. It’s been 1,000 years since the laying of its first stone.The millennial of the UNESCO World Heritage site and key Normandy tourism magnet is being celebrated until November with exhibits, dance shows and concerts. And now a presidential visit.French President Emmanuel Macron went there Monday and delivered a speech in which he called on the French to “push themselves further” in global and existential challenges like that of climate change. He drew a comparison with the abbey that has stood strong over time and embodies the “French spirit” of “resilience” and “resistance.” It was veiled rhetoric, coming one day before another protest against his contested pension reform law that has been passed.Ever since former President François Mitterrand in 1983, France’s leaders have flocked to this symbolically important site to...

Antioch man charged with murder in recent Oakland shooting

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:14:41 GMT

OAKLAND — An Antioch man has been charged with murder in connection with an April fatal shooting that police say was partially captured on a resident’s security camera, court records show.Sean Bryant, 29, was charged with killing 50-year-old Lannie Ross, as well as an enhancement alleging personal use of a firearm during the crime. Ross, who had addresses in Oakland and Berkeley, was shot and killed around 7:15 p.m. April 9 on the 3200 block of Filbert Street in West Oakland.Investigators found not only video but audio from a nearby resident’s surveillance camera, which depicted the two arguing about money shortly before Ross was shot and killed, according to police. Police say after the shooting Bryan allegedly drove away in a black SUV, possibly with the help of a woman who has not been identified.Oakland police and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Bryant on June 1 in Stockton, according to court records. During a subsequent police interview, he “provided...

More trouble for downtown SF as owner of Hilton, Parc 55 cease payments on hotel properties

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:14:41 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- In another apparent blow to San Francisco's struggling downtown, the investment firm that owns two of the city's major hotels announced it would cease paying the loans and surrender the properties to the bank. Payments toward the $725 million non-recourse loan ceased in June, according to a news release from Park Hotels & Resorts Inc., which operates the Hilton San Francisco Union Square and the Parc 55 San Francisco.The hotelier, which operates 46 properties across the country, cited now familiar reasons for surrendering the properties. Newsom calls DeSantis ‘small, pathetic man,’ implies kidnapping charges over migrant stunt "Now more than ever, we believe San Francisco's path to recovery remains clouded and elongated by major challenges -- both old and new," the press release read. "Record high vacancy; concerns over street conditions; lower return to office than peer cities; and a weaker than expected citywide convention calendar through 2027 that ...

Don't pick up seal pups, Marine Mammal Center warns

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:14:41 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Beach-goers who pose for "seal-fie" photos with harbor seal pups, or even worse, pick pups up, are two problematic trends around the San Francisco Bay Area, wildlife experts said. The Bay Area and Central Coast are hotspots for marine mammal harassment, experts with The Marine Mammal Center said Monday. As the weather warms up and more people head to the coast, TMMC is warning the public to leave wild animals wild. Harbor seal pups attract a lot of attention because of their cuteness. But this species is very sensitive to noise and admirers getting too close. As the world’s largest marine mammal hospital, TMMC analyzed data looking at why pups had to be rescued from beaches in 2022. "Illegal pickups of harbor seal pups in Marin County, and human and dog interactions with young seals and sea lions in San Francisco and San Mateo County, were the standout harassment case examples," TMMC wrote. Harbor seal pup (Image courtesy The Marine Mammal Center) One tragic ...

Writers union plans to demonstrate at Apple developers conference

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:14:41 GMT

CUPERTINO, Calif. (KRON) -- Apple kicked off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, and some surprising guests are planning to be just outside the company's doors. Alexis Gabe's family plans funeral services for June 17 Members from the Writers Guild of America plan to hand out pamphlets just outside of the technology company's visitor's center on Tantau Avenue as part of the union's strike efforts which began last month. The WGA is a union that represents writers of films, television, radio and internet programming. "Right now is a huge turning point for the television and film industry as we know it," WGA member and strike captain Taylor Vaughn-Lasley told KRON4. Vaughn-Lasley has been a working writer in film and television for years, and she's seen how the rise of streaming has impacted writer's paychecks in particular. With the traditional television model, any content that aired on TV could only be used again later if it was in syndication. Syndication guaran...

Imran Khan: U.S. Was Manipulated by Pakistan Military Into Backing Overthrow

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:14:41 GMT

Imran Khan became Pakistan’s prime minister through a most unusual route. As he explained in an interview on Sunday night, Khan was for decades the nation’s most famous cricketer, before transitioning into the world of philanthropy, building hospitals and supporting universities. From there, he moved into politics, founding a party — the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI — and sweeping into power in 2018. But he had a slim majority, and was ousted in a no-confidence vote by 2022. Since then, he and his party have been the target of a relentless crackdown by the nation’s military, which has ruled the country directly or indirectly for decades. Khan was arrested on May 9, 2023, by the military, and held for four days before the Supreme Court ruled his detention illegal. Protests erupted nationwide, some turning violent, and the military establishment responded by arresting most of Khan’s senior leadership and forcing them to resign from the party under pressure. Tho...

IDT: Fiscal Q3 Earnings Snapshot

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:14:41 GMT

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — IDT Corp. (IDT) on Monday reported earnings of $6.9 million in its fiscal third quarter.The Newark, New Jersey-based company said it had profit of 27 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, were 46 cents per share.The telecommunications company posted revenue of $299.3 million in the period._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on IDT at https://www.zacks.com/ap/IDTSource

‘Stop Cop City’ activists pack Atlanta City Hall ahead of crucial vote

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:14:41 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Hundreds of activists gathered to speak Monday at Atlanta’s City Hall ahead of a council vote over whether to approve tens of millions in public funding for the construction of a proposed police and firefighter training center that activists decry as “Cop City.”The meeting is a culmination of nearly two years of activism against the project – a movement that has galvanized protesters from across the country, especially in the wake of the January fatal police shooting of Manuel Paez Terán, a 26-year-old environmental activist known as “Tortuguita” who had been camping in the woods near the site of the proposed project in DeKalb County. More than 350 people signed up to speak during the meeting by early Monday afternoon, with hundreds more unable to sign up in time, including a large crowd kept outside City Hall due to capacity concerns. The rowdy crowd just outside the council chamber repeatedly chanted, “Let them in!”“We’re here pleading our case to a government that ...

New survey hopes to improve policing in Fairfax County

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:14:41 GMT

Fairfax County residents will see the survey pop up where ads tend to display on their internet browsers. (Courtesy Fairfax County Police)The Fairfax County Police Department is hoping residents will weigh in on public safety via a new online survey, popping up on browsers in the county over the next year.The department has announced the launch of its yearlong partnership with Zencity, who will create the questions, to survey Fairfax County residents about their perceptions of safety.The answers collected can be used to inform policy and how the department uses its resources.Residents who stumble upon the poll, or ads for the poll while browsing, won’t know they are looking at an “official” police survey.“(The ad) won’t say police, or picture or police on it, because that can create some biases,” said Maj. James Krause. “So what they do is use a general picture from someplace in Fairfax County, like a landmark.”The survey aims to captu...