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Insurgent attack in Niger kills at least 17 soldiers

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:38:28 GMT

By Sam Mednick | Associated PressNIAMEY, Niger — Insurgents killed 17 soldiers and wounded nearly 24 in the first major attack in half a year against the army in Niger, where Western powers fear a coup by the elite presidential guard last month is weakening a rare ally against jihadi violence in West Africa’s Sahel region.Niger was one of the last democratic countries in the region south of the Sahara and France and the U.S. have about 2,500 military personnel there who were training Niger’s forces. France also conducted joint operations with its former colony, but since the coup Paris and Washington have suspended military operations, giving the jihadis more breathing room.A military detachment was attacked Tuesday afternoon as it moved between the villages of Boni and Torodi in the Tillaberi region, the Ministry of Defense said on state television Tuesday. The wounded were evacuated to the capital, Niamey.It was the first major attack against Niger’s army in six ...

Report of Quran desecration in Pakistan leads mobs to attack churches

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:38:28 GMT

By Asim Tanveer and Munir Ahmed | Associated PressMULTAN, Pakistan — Muslims in eastern Pakistan went on a rampage Wednesday over allegations that a Christian man had desecrated the Quran, demolishing the man’s house, burning churches and damaging several other homes, police and local Christians said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.The scale of the violence prompted the government to deploy additional police forces and send in the army to help restore order.The attacks in Jaranwala, in the district of Faisalabad in Punjab province, erupted after some Muslims living in the area claimed they had seen a local Christian, Raja Amir, and his friend tearing out pages from a Quran, throwing them on the ground and writing insulting remarks on other pages.Police chief Rizwan Khan said this had angered the local Muslims. A mob gathered and began attacking multiple churches and several Christian homes, burning furniture and other household items. Some members of the Christi...

Stanford and Cal still in limbo: Five thoughts as they desperately seek ACC or Big Ten invites

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:38:28 GMT

Two weeks after the Pac-12’s collapse, its storied academic institutions, Stanford and Cal, remain adrift in the merciless realignment game.Lifeboats have appeared in the distance, but the current is beating against the schools. Their longtime home, while abandoned by its most influential tenants, remains an option for shelter. But time is growing precious.Here are five thoughts on the present predicament and fraught futures for the Bay Area schools:— Pac-12 salvation depends on Stanford and Cal.If their desperate attempt to secure invitations from the ACC or Big Ten is unsuccessful and life as an Independent (alongside Notre Dame) is deemed too risky, the Cardinal and Bears could link arms with Washington State and Oregon State and rebuild the 108-year-old conference.It’s a poor option but might be the best available.The building blocks of a Pac-12 renovation project — securing a media rights contract and adding members through expansion — are complex maneuvers. Both must be resolv...

One person rescued from SF Bay near Pier 26

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:38:28 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- An adult was rescued from the San Francisco Bay near Pier 26 Wednesday, according to the San Francisco Fire Department. The person is being evaluated by the San Francisco Department of Emergency Services.Earlier, SFFD had reported a person in the water holding onto a buoy and asking for help. Teen girls nabbed after San Francisco business ransacked San Francisco FD coastal rescue units are responding.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Oklahoma’s high court will consider a reparations case from 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre survivors

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:38:28 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Supreme Court will consider a reparations case from survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre after a lower court judge dismissed it last month, giving hope to advocates for racial justice that government may make amends in one of the worst single acts of violence against Black people in U.S. history.Tulsa County District Judge Caroline Wall dismissed the case on July 9. Survivors appealed and the state’s high court agreed last week to consider whether that decision was proper and if the case should be returned to her court for further consideration.In response to the appeal, the state told the court Monday that it won’t consider a settlement with the survivors. The survivors want the state’s high court to return the case to district court to determine exactly what occurred and what it would take to fix or abate what they allege is a continuing nuisance created by the massacre.Just three survivors of the attack are known to still b...

Target Q2 sales fall on muted spending, Pride month backlash, and it cuts profit outlook for 2023

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:38:28 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Target reported its first quarterly sales drop in six years, dragged down by shoppers’ inflation worries and a negative reaction by some customers, widely publicized on social media, to its Pride merchandise.The Minneapolis retailer expects high interest rates, which makes credit cards more expensive to use, and higher prices on food to continue to put a strain on customers and on Wednesday, the chain cut its profit outlook for the year. It also expects sales will decline for the remainder of the year. In lowering its forecast, Target also cited the end of the student loan moratorium, which had provided one-time college students a little more financial breathing room. Profit for the fiscal second quarter came in above expectations, however, as Target brought inventories closer in line with cautionary spending on discretionary items by customers. Shares rose nearly 4% in afternoon trading Wednesday despite trimming profit expectations for the year. Target is amo...

Former fundraiser for Rep. George Santos faces charges of impersonating an aide to top House Republican

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:38:28 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Former fundraiser for Rep. George Santos faces charges of impersonating an aide to top House Republican.Source

Gruesome video circulating on social media recalls darkest days of Mexico’s drug cartel brutality

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:38:28 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A gruesome video circulated Wednesday on social media may have recorded the last moments of five kidnapped young men, and has transported Mexico back to the darkest days of drug cartel brutality in the 2000s.Prosecutors in the western state of Jalisco say they are investigating the video, and relatives of the missing group of young friends told local media that their clothing resembled that worn by the men in the video.The most horrifying thing is not just the pair of bound, inert bodies seen lying in the foreground. It is the fact that the youth seen bludgeoning and apparently decapitating another victim appears to be himself the fourth member of the kidnapped group of friends.The fifth member of the kidnapped group — young friends who had traveled to attend a festival in the city of Lagos de Moreno in Jalisco state — may be the body police found inside a burned-out car in the area. The young men went missing Friday in an area known for cartel violence, and autho...

Theresa Caputo of TLC’s ‘Long Island Medium’ brings her ‘psychic’ gift to MGM National Harbor

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:38:28 GMT

Hear our full chat on my podcast “Beyond the Fame with Jason Fraley.” toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's Jason Fraley previews Theresa Caputo at MGM National Harbor (Part 1) $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); ga('send', 'event', 'Audio', 'play', audio_filename); }); }); You know her as the self-proclaimed psychic medium from the TLC reality series “Long Island Medium.”This Friday night, Theresa Caputo performs live at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland.“I’ll come ou...

Boston College hopes healthy offensive line can restore running game that fizzled last season

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:38:28 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Winning just three games qualifies as a disappointment at Boston College.Doing it while unable to run the ball is an affront for a program that likes to think of itself as “O-Line U.”The school that has sent a steady stream of guards and tackles to the NFL — along with several of the backs they blocked for — ran for its fewest yards since at least 1955 last season. The Eagles failed to produce a single 100-yard rushing game for the first time since 1990.“At BC you have to run the ball, and we’re going to run the ball. The key to our team, the strength of our team needs to be the O-line, and it will be the O-line,” coach Jeff Hafley said.“That’s how it has to be here, and that’s what excites me the most about this team is the offensive line,” he said. “Now, we have to go prove it.”BC (3-9, 2-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) took a step back in 2022 after winning six games in each of Hafley’s first two seasons. And the troubles on the offensive line were a big part of the pr...