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Brisbane mayor quits 2032 Olympic organizing committee, condemns stadium costs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:34 GMT

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has quit the inter-governmental committee charged with organizing the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games, calling it a “pointless talkfest” and “dysfunctional farce.”It’s the first significant split for the organizers of the bid which was selected in 2021 by the International Olympic Committee to host the 2032 Games. The so-called Leaders’ Forum comprises representatives from all three levels of government and other agencies and is designed to deliver the Olympics and create a legacy for Queensland. Its brief is to work with the Queensland state government of Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to “progress the significant venues, villages and transport infrastructure” for the Games.But Schrinner said the group was only being used to “placate key stakeholders while all the real decisions were made by the state government behind closed doors.“The reality is we always wanted to be team players. The state government wanted ...

Pilots flying tourists over national parks face new rules. None are stricter than at Mount Rushmore

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:34 GMT

Fewer planes and helicopters will be flying tourists over Mount Rushmore and other national monuments and parks as new regulations take effect that are intended to protect the serenity of some of the most beloved natural areas in the United States.The air tours have pitted tour operators against visitors frustrated with the noise for decades, but it has come to a head as new management plans are rolled out at nearly two dozen national parks and monuments. One of the strictest yet was recently announced at Mount Rushmore and Badlands National Park, where tour flights will essentially be banned from getting within a half mile of the South Dakota sites starting in April. “I don’t know what we’re going to be able to salvage,” complained Mark Schlaefli, a co-owner of Black Hills Aerial Adventures who is looking for alternative routes. The regulations are the result of a federal appeals court finding three years ago that the National Park Service and the Federal Aviation Administration fa...

Commission launches Chips Joint Undertaking under the European Chips Act

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:34 GMT

The Commission has officially inaugurated the Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU), which will reinforce the European semiconductor ecosystem and Europe's technological leadership. It will bridge the gap between research, innovation and production thereby facilitating the commercialization of innovative ideas. The Chips JU will, among others, deploy pilot lines for which the Commission announced today the first call with €1.67 billion of EU funding. This is expected to be matched by funds from Member States to reach €3.3bn, plus additional private funds.In addition, the European Semiconductor Board held its first meeting today. The Board brings together member states to provide advice to the Commission on the consistent implementation of the European Chips Act and on international collaboration in semiconductors. It will be the key platform for coordination between the Commission, Member States, and stakeholders to address issues relating to the resilience of the supply chain and poss...

Lanes shut down on I-280 in San Jose

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:34 GMT

(KRON) -- Traffic on I-280 in San Jose has been halted Sunday night due to a person in distress, California Highway Patrol announced on X. As of 10:30 p.m., all northbound lanes in the area of I-280 and McLaughlin Avenue are shut down.Only one southbound lane is currently open, according to CHP. Officers are on scene responding to the traffic. No other information was immediately available. This story will be updated.

Mission District business owners not happy about new bike lane installed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:34 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Business owners in the Mission District are not happy about the bike lane recently installed. They’re blaming a drop in sales on the bike lane.KRON4 went to the Mission to hear from business owners and see the problem firsthand.Business owners say that customers ​are avoiding the area because the bike lane has made driving, parking and business harder. They're hoping the city can step in and help out. 3 Bay Area cities named among CA towns with most holiday spirit Bicyclists and some on scooters zoom through the bike lane in the middle of Valencia Street.“(The bike lane) allows you to cycle through Valencia relatively safely," said cyclist Alonso Salas. "If you’re trying to get from one side to the other, does a pretty good job of that”But that’s exactly what business owners are complaining about.“It’s basically become a bicycle freeway, folks are coming through the neighborhood, but not stopping off," said San Francisco Latinx Democratic Club Co-President ...

Shooting at home in Washington state kills 5 including the suspected shooter, report says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:34 GMT

ORCHARDS, Wash. (AP) — Five people were killed in a shooting at a Washington state home where police said the deceased included the suspected shooter, according to a news report.The Clark County Sheriff’s Office said officers found the bodies inside a home in Orchards, Washington, following a call around 1 p.m. Sunday, KGW8-TV reported.The sheriff’s office said a family member received a text message from a person at the home saying they had harmed people there, KGW8 reported.Police used a drone to look inside the home and saw people who appeared to be dead, the station reported.The Southwest Washington Regional SWAT team responded due to the threat of a firearm and entered the home with emergency medical personnel, but all five adults inside were dead, KGW8 reported.The sheriff’s office said the deaths in the community about 18 miles (28.9 kilometers) north of Portland, Oregon, appeared to be a murder-suicide, the station reported.The sheriff’s office did not imme...

Israel orders mass evacuations as it widens offensive; Palestinians are running out of places to go

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:34 GMT

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli military on Monday renewed its calls for mass evacuations from the southern town of Khan Younis, where tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge in recent weeks, as it widened its ground offensive and bombarded targets across the Gaza Strip.The expanded offensive, following the collapse of a weeklong cease-fire, is aimed at eliminating Gaza’s Hamas rulers, whose Oct. 7 attack into Israel triggered the deadliest Israeli-Palestinian violence in decades. The war has already killed thousands of Palestinians and displaced over three-fourths of the territory’s population of 2.3 million Palestinians, who are running out of safe places to go.Already under mounting pressure from its top ally, the United States, Israel appears to be racing to strike a death blow against Hamas — if that’s even possible, given the group’s deep roots in Palestinian society — before another cease-fire. But the mounting toll of the fight...

Heavy rains lash India’s southern and eastern coasts as they brace for a powerful storm

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:34 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Heavy rains and strong winds pelted India’s southern and eastern coastlines on Monday and states were put on high alert after a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a powerful storm, authorities said. Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh states in the south and Odisha in the east braced for flooding as authorities issued warnings for tropical storm Michuang, which is likely to hit the southern coast on Tuesday with maximum sustained winds of 90-100 kilometers (56-62 miles) per hour with gusts up to 110 kph (68 mph), the Indian Meteorological Department said. IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said that based on its current trajectory, the storm could make landfall on Tuesday afternoon close to Bapatla in Andhra Pradesh state.The Andhra Pradesh state government shut schools on Monday while authorities in Tamil Nadu declared a public holiday in four districts that are likely to bear the brunt of the downpours. In the eastern state of Odisha, a number of ...

Commission proposes to extend Interim Regulation allowing providers to continue voluntary detection and reporting of child sexual abuse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:34 GMT

On 30 November, the Commission proposed an extension of the Interim Regulation from certain provisions of the e-Privacy Directive. This will allow providers of certain number-independent interpersonal communication services to continue voluntary detection and reporting of child sexual abuse on their services and removing of child sexual abuse material from them.The Interim Regulation is a temporary solution to enable the continuation of these voluntary activities until new permanent EU rules are in place. This Interim Regulation is due to expire on 3 August 2024. If no new rules are in place by then, when this happens, these providers would lack a legal basis in the EU to detect and report child sexual abuse on their services. This would make it easier for predators to share child sexual abuse material, groom children in the EU and to get away with it unpunished. This at a time when evidence of child sexual abuse is growing in volume and severity and its reports play a key role to i...

Matthew Stafford throws 3 TD passes as Rams win 3rd straight, 36-19 over Browns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:34 GMT

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams have shown since coming off their bye week that this might not be another rebuilding season after all.Stafford threw three touchdown passes as Los Angeles pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 36-19 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.The Rams have won three straight for the first time since the 2021 season, when they won the Super Bowl. They are one of four teams at 6-6 in the NFC and in a race for the last two wild card spots.“We came to life in the most important moments,” coach Sean McVay said. “If we continue to play this way, then you continue to have conversations where you’re relevant to maybe earn an opportunity to play afterwards.”The Browns (7-5) remain playoff contenders in the AFC, but they’re headed in the opposite direction. Cleveland dropped its second straight in the debut of Joe Flacco, the injury-plagued team’s fourth starting quarterback this season.Since returning from a thumb i...