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‘Mario’ tops charts again; ‘Beau is Afraid’ wins in limited

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:20:25 GMT

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” scored the best second weekend ever for an animated movie in North American theaters with $87 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. The family-friendly Universal release dropped a slim 41% from its record-making opening weekend. With $94 million from international showings, “Mario’s” global total now stands at a staggering $678 million, surpassing “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” to become biggest film of 2023 in just two weekends.“Mario” faced little major competition this weekend even with a slew of new national releases including “ Renfield,” “The Pope’s Exorcist,” “ Mafia Mamma ” and the animated “ Suzume.” It still has two weekends before “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” flies into theaters to jumpstart the summer moviegoing season.Sony and Screen Gem’s R-rated “The Pope’s Exorcist” starring Russell Crowe as the late Father Gabriele Amorth — the chief exorcist of the Diocese of Rome from 1986 to his dea...

Deepfake porn could be a growing problem amid AI race

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:20:25 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Artificial intelligence imaging can be used to create art, try on clothes in virtual fitting rooms or help design advertising campaigns.But experts fear the darker side of the easily accessible tools could worsen something that primarily harms women: nonconsensual deepfake pornography. Deepfakes are videos and images that have been digitally created or altered with artificial intelligence or machine learning. Porn created using the technology first began spreading across the internet several years ago when a Reddit user shared clips that placed the faces of female celebrities on the shoulders of porn actors.Since then, deepfake creators have disseminated similar videos and images targeting online influencers, journalists and others with a public profile. Thousands of videos exist across a plethora of websites. And some have been offering users the opportunity to create their own images — essentially allowing anyone to turn whoever they wish into sexual fantasies with...

Sheriff’s deputy and suspect killed in Minnesota shootout

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:20:25 GMT

CYRUS, Minn. (AP) — One sheriff’s deputy died and two other law enforcement officers were injured after a shootout in west-central Minnesota that also killed the suspect in a domestic disturbance call Saturday night.The Pope County Sheriff’s office said one deputy died at the hospital after the shooting that happened around 7:30 p.m. at an apartment in Cyrus. Another deputy was treated for his injuries at the hospital and released. An officer from Starbuck, Minnesota, was also injured but did not need treatment at the hospital.The sheriff’s office said the man officers exchanged gunfire with also died. Authorities said there is no threat to the public.The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is assisting with the investigation. Authorities planned to release more details Sunday afternoon.Cyrus is a town of about 300 people located 140 miles (225 kilometers) northwest of Minneapolis.The Associated Press

‘Ramadan Camp’ reaches Muslim children across the globe

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:20:25 GMT

Amin Aaser remembers as a child growing up in Minnesota that his Muslim faith often made him feel like an outsider, and being required to follow its practices and tenets “sometimes felt like going to the dentist.”Those memories are part of what spurred Aaser, now a married man with a 5-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son, to spend Ramadan producing an online, interactive “Ramadan Camp” for Muslim children ages 5-12 throughout the world.The Noor Kids Ramadan Camp started two years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, about 90,000 families have signed up, and about 3,000 families join live every night, he said.The camp is streamed from a warehouse in Brooklyn Park that is designed to resemble a treehouse. Children spend between 30 minutes and an hour hearing stories, playing games, making projects, listening to guest speakers and sharing prayers.It’s all intended to find fun ways to help the children learn and discuss the tenets of their faith while meeting other Muslim...

Red Cross: Yemen’s warring sides wrap up major prisoner swap

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:20:25 GMT

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemen’s warring sides on Sunday wrapped up a major exchange of prisoners linked to the country’s long-running conflict, according to the International Committee for the Red Cross.The three-day operation, which started Friday, was the most significant prisoner exchange in Yemen since the Saudi-led coalition and their rivals, the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, released more than 1,000 detainees in October 2020.The U.N.-brokered deal involved the release of over 700 detained Houthis, and more than 180 other prisoners, including Saudi and Sudanese troops fighting with the Saudi-led coalition.The Red Cross said it “worked tirelessly to reunite about 900 former detainees with their families,” describing the prisoner exchange as a “positive step toward peace and reconciliation in Yemen.”Yemen was plunged into devastating conflict when the Iranian-backed Houthis descended from their northern stronghold in 2014, seizing the capital of Sanaa and much of northern Yemen and f...

COVID-19 pandemic stalled progress on eliminating tuberculosis among Inuit: officials

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:20:25 GMT

Nunavut’s health minister says the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted efforts to eliminate tuberculosis in Inuit communities, and questions remain over whether targets to stamp out the disease can be met.“COVID has had a huge impact on every area of health care, and that includes TB,” said John Main. “While we were putting so much effort toward dealing with COVID, we did have to slow the pace of work on other areas.”Five years ago, Ottawa and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, a national advocacy group, announced plans to reduce active tuberculosis across Inuit Nunangat by at least half to no more than 100 cases per 100,000 people by 2025, and eliminate it entirely by 2030. Inuit Nunangat, or Inuit homeland in Canada, is made up of more than 50 communities in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, Quebec and Labrador.Public Health Agency of Canada data indicates reported rates of active tuberculosis dropped significantly among Inuit between 2019 and 2020 from 188.7 cases p...

The latest data on tuberculosis among Inuit in Canada

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:20:25 GMT

Ottawa and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, a national advocacy group, announced plans in March 2018 to reduce active tuberculosis across Inuit Nunangat by at least half to no more than 100 cases per 100,000 people by 2025, and eliminate it entirely by 2030. Inuit Nunangat, or Inuit homeland in Canada, is made up of more than 50 communities in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, Quebec and Labrador.Here is a breakdown of rates and cases of tuberculosis across Canada and among Inuit from 2010 to 2021, as reported by the federal government. CanadaFor most people in Canada the risk of developing active tuberculosis is very low. Rates are much higher, however, among the foreign-born population, Inuit and First Nations people living on reserve. Rates and case numbers of tuberculosis, as well as deaths related to the disease, have fluctuated little across the country over the past decade.2010: 4.7  per 100,000 population (1,586 cases)2011: 4.7 (1,621 cases)2012: 4.9 (1,700 cases)2013: 4.7 (1,651 ...

'Multitude of injuries,' 4 killed in Alabama birthday party shooting

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:20:25 GMT

DADEVILLE, Ala. (WRBL) - At least four people were killed Saturday night in a shooting at a celebration in Alabama, according to law enforcement.Witnesses said the shooting occurred at a 16th birthday party at Mahogany Masterpiece Dance Studio in downtown Dadeville. Sgt. Jeremy Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said shots were fired at 10:34 p.m.Witnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots and seeing people running and screaming from the building.The total number of people shot was initially reported as more than 20. The State Bureau of Investigations, which confirmed the deaths Sunday morning, did not give an updated number of people injured. A spokesperson only said there were a "multitude of injuries" during a Sunday morning press conference, and described the investigation as a "long, complicated process." Does your state allow teachers to carry a gun? Pastor Ben Hayes, who serves as the chaplain for the Dadeville Police Department and for the local high school foo...

Why do mass shooters kill? It's about more than having a grievance

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:20:25 GMT

(THE CONVERSATION) – An acutely troubling aspect of life in contemporary America is the growing proliferation of mass shootings that claim thousands of innocent lives year after painful year and make everyone feel unsafe.The year 2023 is still young, and already there have been at least 146 mass shooting events in the U.S. on record, including the killing of five people in a Louisville, Kentucky, bank that the shooter livestreamed. There were 647 mass shootings in 2022 and 693 in 2021, resulting in 859 and 920 deaths, respectively, with no respite in sight from this ghastly epidemic. Since 2015, over 19,000 people have been shot and wounded or killed in mass shootings.In the wake of most shootings, the news media and the public reflexively ask: What was the killer’s motive?As a psychologist who studies violence and extremism, I understand that the question immediately pops to mind because of the bizarre nature of the attacks, the “out-of-the-b...

New city earns title of nation's top city for weed: report

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:20:25 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Denver lost its place as the nation's marijuana mecca, according to an analysis from Clever Real Estate. The new king of kush is Portland, Oregon. Oregon was two years behind Colorado in legalizing recreational cannabis. Washington and Colorado legalized it in 2012, while Alaska and Oregon legalized it in 2014. To be the nation's top hash hub, cities had to score highly in a handful of categories including legality, number of dispensaries and cannabis doctors, dispensaries' customer ratings, pot prices, Google search trends for marijuana-related terms, public perception and the number of hiking trails, concert venues, and – most importantly – Taco Bells. Where is marijuana legal in 2023? Portland took the top spot mainly because Portland's pot is cheaper than other cities'. High-quality cannabis costs $210 per ounce in Portland as opposed to $242 in Denver. Portland also has more dispensaries per 100,000 residents - 13.7 to Denver's 11.5. While no California cities...