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Mobs of masked teens ransacked Philadelphia stores. Police say 15 to 20 have been arrested

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:53:32 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Groups of teenagers swarmed into stores in several areas of Philadelphia in an apparently coordinated effort, stuffing plastic bags with merchandise and fleeing, authorities said. Police arrested 15 to 20 people.The flash mob-style ransacking Tuesday night at stores including Foot Locker, Lululemon and Apple came after a peaceful protest over a judge’s decision to dismiss murder and other charges against a Philadelphia police officer who shot and killed a driver, Eddie Irizarry, through a rolled-up window.Those doing the ransacking were not affiliated with the protest, Interim Police Commissioner John Stanford said at a news conference, calling the group “a bunch of criminal opportunists.”Video on social media showed masked people in hoodies running out of Lululemon with merchandise and police officers grabbing several and tackling them to the sidewalk. Photos of a sporting goods store at a mall showed mannequins and sneakers scattered on the sidewalk.The thefts ...

Rare ‘Dumbo’ octopus captured on camera during live North Pacific expedition

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:53:32 GMT

Researchers on a live-streamed expedition in the North Pacific captured a rare glimpse of the elusive “Dumbo” octopus, a creature known for its distinctive ear-like fins reminiscent of the beloved 1941 Disney character.On Sept. 13, the underwater explorers were astonished when their cameras spotted this seldom-seen creature while exploring the ocean floor at a depth of about one mile on an unnamed seamount northwest of Hawaii in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM). These remarkable cephalopods are a rarity in the world of marine life due to their preference for the safety of the deep ocean floor. The Dumbo octopus’s large, wing-like fins enable the octopus to gracefully navigate the ocean’s depths with an almost ethereal quality. These creatures rarely venture into the open, making them a captivating find for marine researchers.As the live-streamed expedition continues, scientists hope to learn more about this mysterious and enchanting speci...

North Korea says it will expel US soldier Travis King

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:53:32 GMT

North Korea has decided to expel the American soldier who fled across the border into the authoritarian country two months ago, according to state media.Following an investigation by North Korean officials, Pvt. Travis King confessed to illegally entering the country, state-run news outlet KCNA reported on Wednesday, adding that he expressed “ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination” within the U.S. Army and was “disillusioned about the unequal U.S. society.”It was not possible to verify the statements attributed to King, which were reported only through KCNA.Pyongyang has “decided to expel Travis King,” the outlet reported. The report did not say when they would move him or to where.King, who in July was supposed to return to the U.S. after spending time in a South Korean prison for assault, opted instead to cross the heavily armed border into repressive North Korea while he was part of a tour group.Shortly after the Army private’s actions, Army Secretary ...

US soldier Travis King back in American custody after crossing into North Korea

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:53:32 GMT

(CNN) — US Army Private Travis King has been returned to American custody, two US officials said Wednesday, weeks after he crossed into North Korea.The news came after North Korean state media KCNA reported earlier Wednesday that the secretive state had decided “to expel” King, who entered its territory during a tour of the joint security area between North and South Korea in July.The KCNA report said a North Korean investigation into King “has been finished.”King crossed the military demarcation line from South Korea into the North during a tour of the Joint Security Area inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) in July. King, a junior enlisted soldier assigned to US Forces Korea, had faced assault charges in South Korea and was due to return to Fort Bliss, Texas, and be removed from the military just one day before he crossed into North Korea, CNN previously reported.North Korea claimed on Wednesday that King has “confessed that he illegally intruded into the territory of the...

Commuter Rail to offer free rides during 16-day closure of Red Line’s Ashmont Branch and Mattapan Line

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:53:32 GMT

Red Line riders affected by an upcoming, 16-day closure of the Ashmont Branch and Mattapan Line will be able to use the Commuter Rail’s Fairmount Line free of charge, according to officials.The MBTA announced Wednesday that while track work is underway on the Red Line from Oct. 14 to Oct. 29, passengers will be able to ride for free on the Fairmount Line by showing their CharlieCard to a Commuter Rail conductor while onboard.Over the course of the two week shutdown, crews are slated to perform work that includes the replacement of rails, ties, and ballasts, which officials have said will improve reliability and reduce maintenance needs. The MBTA said that the work will allow 28 speed restrictions in the area to be “alleviated,” while also improving travel times.“The upcoming work on the Ashmont Branch and Mattapan Line is critical to addressing and improving safety and reliability along this stretch of the Red Line, and the complete closure of these lines allows us to accompli...

Storms batter Greek island as government prioritizes adapting to the effects of climate change

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:53:32 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Torrential rain swept across central Greece on Wednesday damaging roads, flooding homes and causing power outages on the island of Evia, as the government declared that adapting to climate change has become a national priority.Army and municipal crews cleared debris from the roads near the flood-hit towns of Limni and Mantoudi in the north of the island, where the Fire Service reported receiving dozens of calls from flooded households for assistance.Authorities remain on alert in central Greece and nearby islands where a massive storm caused extensive damage earlier this month and left 16 people dead. The government said the initial estimate of the damage exceeded 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion), with infrastructure repair alone expected to cost nearly 700 million euros ($735 million). Greece has been promised emergency funding from the European Union and is renegotiating details of existing aid packages to target more funds to cope with the damage caused by wil...

US soldier who crossed into North Korea 2 months ago is in American custody, US officials say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:53:32 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The U.S. soldier who sprinted into North Korea across the heavily fortified border between the Koreas two months ago was released into American custody Wednesday, according to two officials.Earlier, North Korea said it would expel Pvt. Travis King — an announcement that surprised some observers who had expected the North to drag out his detention in the hopes of squeezing concessions from Washington at a time of high tensions between the rivals.King’s expulsion almost certainly does not end his troubles or ensure the sort of celebratory homecoming that has accompanied the releases of other detained Americans. And there remain unanswered questions about the episode, including why King went to North Korea in the first place. His fate also remains uncertain, having been declared AWOL by the U.S. government. That can mean punishment by time in military jail, forfeiture of pay or a dishonorable discharge.King was transferred to American custody in China, accordi...

Deion Sanders’ impact at Colorado raises hopes that other Black coaches will get opportunities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:53:32 GMT

Floyd Keith has waited half a century for a Black coach with Deion Sanders’ swagger and success to shake up college football.The fanfare and hoopla surrounding the Colorado program since Sanders’ arrival has been well documented, but Keith, who for more than a decade was executive director of the Black Coaches Association, hopes the spotlight leads to opportunities for more Black coaches.Even with a loss at Oregon on Saturday that knocked the Buffaloes out of the AP Top 25, Sanders has the football world’s attention. The 75-year-old Keith believes that includes decision-makers who typically have shied away from hiring Black coaches.“There was maybe this model that everybody (thought they) had to follow,” Keith said. “There was this blueprint of the way it’s done. Well, I think Deion shattered that.”While there is optimism, there’s also a healthy dose of skepticism. Sanders is a unicorn in many ways, so it’s unclear if the whirlwind he has created will have coattail...

4 in 5 Black adults see racist depictions in the news either often or sometimes, says new study

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:53:32 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — In a new study, Black Americans expressed broad concerns about how they are depicted in the news media, with majorities saying they see racist or negative depictions and a lack of effort to cover broad segments of their community.Four in five Black adults say they see racist or racially insensitive depictions of their race in the news either often or sometimes, according to the Pew Research Center.Three years after George Floyd’s killing triggered a racial reckoning in the news media, Pew took its first broad-based look at Black attitudes toward the media with a survey of nearly 5,000 Black adults this past winter and follow-up focus groups.The survey found 63% of respondents saying news about Black people is often more negative than it is toward other racial or ethnic groups, with 28% saying it is about equal.“It’s not surprising at all,” said Charles Whitaker, dean of the Medill journalism school at Northwestern University. “We’ve known both...

Bahrain rights group says 13 convicted over prison sit-in that authorities say was violent

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:53:32 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Bahrain has sentenced 13 prisoners to an additional three years over a sit-in held in a detention facility in 2021 that prison authorities say was violent.The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy said Wednesday that the convictions issued the day before stemmed from a mass trial of 65 defendants, the rest of whom were acquitted. It alleged “severe due process violations, including the right to attend the trial, or meeting with the lawyer.”It also publicized what it said were firsthand accounts given to the public prosecution in which the prisoners said they were beaten with metal objects and tear-gas cannisters.Bahrain’s prison authority denied the allegations, saying prisoners’ legal rights are guaranteed and that any allegations of mistreatment are thoroughly investigated. It said inmates taking part in the sit-in had attacked and injured guards, and damaged public property.Bahrain launched a heavy crackdown on dissent in ...