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Hundreds rally in downtown after UCSD students, alum arrested

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Hundreds of protesters from the University of California system rallied on the steps of the downtown San Diego Central Courthouse on Monday demanding charges related to the arrests of two UCSD graduate students and an alumnus be dropped.The trio were arrested for allegedly vandalizing the Marine Conservation and Technology Facility on the UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography campus on May 30, reportedly writing pro-student workers union slogans in chalk outside the building.Nearly a month later, on June 29, the three were arrested and booked into jail overnight on two counts of felony vandalism. “My colleagues who are arrested with me, study the ocean to mitigate and adapt to climate change. We care about our scientific work, and our collective future," said one of the postdoctoral scholars arrested, Jessica Ng.Ng, along with her two colleagues, were scheduled to be arraigned on Monday, but the San Diego County District Attorney's office said that the case...

Take a spin! Historic Balboa Park carousel rides again

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Balboa Park visitors will soon see the return of a beloved attraction.The historic Dorothea Laub Balboa Park Carousel is set to reopen later on Tuesday, July 25 after a nearly six-month closure for renovations.Spearheaded by Forever Balboa Park, the renovation of the iconic attraction, which turned 100-years-old last summer, includes both safety improvements and structural enhancements like a new roof.Additional changes will be added to restore some of the carousel's original design, the non-profit said, including a fresh, historically-accurate coat of paint on the menagerie and the removal of some triangle eaves added later in the ride's life. The original menagerie carousel was made by Herschell-Spillman in New York back in 1910, according to Balboa Park, before it was shipped to Los Angeles. ‘Excelsior!’: Stan Lee exhibit coming to Comic-Con Museum In 1915, the carousel first arrived in San Diego, being put on display at the Hotel del Coronado's Tent City, a summe...

One dead, three injured in suspected DUI crash on SR-54

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

EL CAJON, Calif. -- One person was killed and three more injured in a suspected DUI multi-vehicle crash on State Route 54 Friday evening, California Highway Patrol said in a release.Around 4:34 p.m., CHP said a 32-year-old man was driving a Honda Civic eastbound on SR-54, approaching the intersection of Jamacha Road and Cuyamaca College Drive West at an unknown speed on a red light in the right turn lane. At the same time, a 42-year-old man was driving a Nissan Kicks with two additional passengers on the westbound SR-54, according to authorities. The Nissan was turning left at the intersection with Cuyamaca College Drive West on a green arrow to enter a shopping center parking lot south of the intersection.Behind the Nissan, an 18-year-old woman driving a Tesla Model Y was also turning left on the green light to enter the shopping center. Camp Pendleton Marine pleads not guilty in crash that killed 12-year-old boy For reasons still under investigation, CHP said the driver of the H...

Helicopter with 6 on board including foreign tourists is missing near Mount Everest in Nepal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A helicopter carrying foreign tourists went missing Tuesday in the Mount Everest area of Nepal and contact was lost with the aircraft.The helicopter was returning to the capital Kathmandu on Tuesday morning after bringing the five tourists on a sightseeing trip to the world’s highest peak.A search effort was underway involving another helicopter in the skies and police and soldiers on the ground. Much of the mountainous area is only accessible on foot with no roads.Airport official Sagar Kadel said weather conditions had caused changes to be made to the helicopter’s planned flight route. It is common for flights to be delayed and routes changed during the monsoon season amid heavy rains.The tourist and mountaineering season ended in May with the onset of the rainy season and tourist flights to the mountains are less common this time of year as visibility is poor and weather conditions become unpredictable.The Associated Press

As Russia’s war on Ukraine drags on, what is NATO and what is it doing to help?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — With Russia’s war on Ukraine in its 17th month, and Western countries sending increasingly hi-tech and long-range weapons and ammunition to help President Volodymyr Zelenskyy defend his country, it’s easy to lose track of where NATO stands.NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg — the top civilian official at the world’s biggest security alliance — routinely praises allies for helping Ukraine’s troops to fight back. But when he does, Stoltenberg is talking about individual member countries, not NATO as an organization.As a NATO summit in Lithuania’s capital begins Tuesday, here’s a look at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and what it’s doing to help Ukraine.NATO’S SUPPORT NON-LETHAL ONLYThe 31-nation military alliance provides only non-lethal support to Ukraine: Fuel, combat rations, medical supplies, body armor, winter uniforms and equipment to counter mines, chemical and biological threats and drones.NATO makes its decisions by con...

Dismembered body of a missing German businessman found in the freezer of a home in Thailand

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — The dismembered body of a 62-year-old German businessman who has been missing for a week has been found in the freezer of a house in southern Thailand, police said Tuesday.Tawee Kudthalaeng, chief of police in the town of Nong Prue, said the body of Hans-Peter Mack was found at about 11 p.m. on Monday. Investigators were able to locate the body by using security camera footage from the area to track it, Tawee said. He did not elaborate, but photos and video from the camera published by Thai media showed the white freezer in the bed of a black truck on the road with a man squatting next to it. Mack had last been seen driving in his Mercedes sedan in Pattaya, a coastal city in southern Thailand, according to a missing person announcement distributed by his family that offered a 3 million baht ($86,000) reward for information leading to his return. The telephone number listed on the poster for tips went unanswered on Tuesday. Mack lived in Pattaya with his Thai wife, and...

Sweden’s rocky road from neutrality toward NATO membership

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — When long-neutral Sweden applied for NATO membership together with Finland, both expected a quick accession process.More than a year later, Finland is in, but Sweden is still in the alliance’s waiting room.New entries must be approved by all existing members and as NATO leaders meet for a summit in Vilnius, Sweden is missing the green light from two: Turkey and Hungary.A major obstacle was overcome Monday when Turkey’s president agreed to send NATO’s accession documents to the Turkish Parliament for approval, something he had refused to do for more than a year.That means Sweden is now close to becoming NATO’s 32nd member, though not quite yet over the finish line. Here’s what to know about Sweden’s tumultuous road toward joining the alliance.FAREWELL TO NEUTRALITYFor a country that hasn’t fought a war in two centuries, the decision to join NATO was huge. Sweden declined to take sides during both world wars and throughout the Cold War...

Israelis block highways in nationwide protests over government’s plan to overhaul judiciary

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli protesters blocked highways leading to Jerusalem, Haifa and Tel Aviv on Tuesday, at the start of a day of countrywide demonstrations against the government’s planned judicial overhaul that has divided the nation.The demonstrations came the morning after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s parliamentary coalition gave initial approval for a bill to limit the Supreme Court’s oversight powers, pressing forward with the contentious proposed changes to the judiciary despite widespread opposition.The legislation is one of several bills proposed by Netanyahu’s ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox allies. The plan has provoked months of sustained protests by opponents who say it is pushing the country toward authoritarian rule.Anti-overhaul activists have called for nationwide mass demonstrations throughout the day, including protests at Israel’s main international airport that could disrupt travel. Police cleared protesters who blocked a main artery leading to...

Russia calls on NATO to discuss Ukraine nuclear plant at summit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sunday (9 July) that the leaders of the US-led transatlantic NATO defence alliance should discuss Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant at their summit this week.NATO leaders will meet in Vilnius on 11-12 July to tackle a wide range of topics, from divisions over Ukraine's membership bid and Sweden's accession to boosting ammunitions stockpiles and reviewing the first defence plans in decades.Accusing Ukraine of "systematic infliction of damage" to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Zakharova said that "the NATO summit's key attention should be devoted to it.""After all, the vast majority of the alliance members will be in the direct impact zone" (if something were to happen at the plant), Zakharova said on the Telegram messaging app.Vilnius is some 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from the nuclear plant, Europe's largest.Both Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of planning to attack the plant, which is located on Russian-...

Saint Louis City SC takes shutout streak into matchup with Los Angeles FC

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

Saint Louis City SC (12-7-2, first in the Western Conference) vs. Los Angeles FC (9-6-6, fourth in the Western Conference)Los Angeles; Wednesday, 10:30 p.m. EDTFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLS LINE: LAFC -188, Saint Louis +454, Draw +343; over/under is 3.5 goalsBOTTOM LINE: Saint Louis City SC comes into a matchup with Los Angeles FC after recording two straight shutout wins.LAFC is 8-6-5 in Western Conference games. Denis Bouanga paces the third-ranked scoring team in the Western Conference with 12. LAFC has scored 30 goals.Saint Louis is 9-6-2 against Western Conference opponents. Saint Louis ranks fourth in the league with 107 shots on goal, averaging 5.1 per game. Saint Louis is also second in MLS play with 40 goals.The teams meet Wednesday for the first time this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Bouanga has 12 goals and one assist for LAFC. Carlos Vela has scored three goals over the past 10 games.Nicholas Gioacchini has eight goals and one assist for Saint Louis. Eduard Lowen has three goals over...