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‘Who’s Mike Johnson?’: Diplomats scratch their heads at new US speaker

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:22:19 GMT

As the votes for Rep. Mike Johnson to become House speaker piled up, diplomats who work closely with Washington were left scratching their heads … and Googling. And Googling some more.“Mike Johnson?” replied one member of the British shadow Cabinet, blankly, before a long pause. “Who’s Mike Johnson?”Johnson’s election as House speaker Wednesday afternoon put him on the track to becoming a household name in Washington. And the new position is guaranteed to bolster the Louisiana Republican’s international profile — though it will likely take time.Another U.K. diplomat, who works on U.S. policy, was slightly more informed or at least, well, diplomatic. The individual said they were “aware” of Johnson, “but let’s say he certainly wasn’t an obvious candidate a week ago.”Since entering Congress in 2016, Johnson has been relatively quiet on foreign policy issues. Still, he’s a member of the House Armed Services Committee and took a strong stance on Ukraine by voting against sending Kyiv a ...

Elections: leaving regions behind puts European project at risk

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:22:19 GMT

In less than eight months the European elections will be held. They will be the first ones after the United Kingdom left the EU, which showed that support for the European project cannot be taken for granted. While the outcomes are still uncertain, scholars already agree on one fact: these European elections will be the most contentious in the history of the Union.Trends show that Euroskepticism is on the rise in the European Union because of disengagement and discontent among citizens.The results could see the highest polls ever for Euroskeptic parties. Trends show that Euroskepticism is on the rise in the European Union because of disengagement and discontent among citizens. Cohesion policy could be the antidote to this worrying trend as it proves how the Union contributes every day to improve the economic and social conditions of its citizens.Recent research has shown that citizens from regions that are in the so-called ‘development trap’ (regions unable to retain their economic ...

Maine hospitals call in staff, close campuses to non-hospital personnel after mass shootings

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:22:19 GMT

Lewiston, MAINE (WHDH) — Maine Medical Center and other MaineHealth hospitals have closed their campuses to non-hospital personnel and non-patients until further notice after dozens of patients were sent to area hospitals following two mass shootings. “Maine Medical Center has alerted on-call staff and created critical care and operating room capacity in anticipation of potential patient transports coming from the Lewiston shooting this evening,” the hospital said in a statement. “At this time, MMC can confirm it will receive one patient transport from Central Maine Medical Center. Other MaineHealth facilities are also standing by and preparing to provide care.”At Central Maine Hospital, heavily armed officers could be seen guarding the entrances as gunshot victims were being treated inside. Around 11 p.m. Wednesday, officers could be seen clearing the hospital’s garage before returning to the building.The hospital is located near the bowling alle...

American man indicted on murder charges over an attack on 2 US tourists near a German castle

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:22:19 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — An American man has been charged with murder and other offenses for attacking two women from the U.S. near Neuschwanstein castle in Germany in June and pushing them into a ravine, fatally injuring one of them, prosecutors said Thursday.The indictment against the 31-year-old suspect, whose name hasn’t been released in line with German privacy rules, was filed at the state court in Kempten, which will have to decide whether and when to send the case to trial. He faces charges of murder, rape with fatal consequences, attempted murder and possession of child pornography. Murder charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison in Germany.The attack took place on June 14 near the Marienbruecke, a bridge over a gorge close to the castle that offers a famous view of Neuschwanstein, one of Germany’s most famous tourist attractions.Prosecutors say the suspect met the two female tourists, ages 21 and 22, by chance on a hiking path and lured them off the trail. They ...

Australian police charge 7 with laundering hundreds of millions for Chinese crime syndicate

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:22:19 GMT

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian authorities have charged seven people with helping launder hundreds of millions of dollars for a Chinese crime syndicate. Police said Thursday the arrests came after a 14-month investigation that involved multiple Australian agencies and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. They said it was the most complex money laundering investigation in the nation’s history.Police said a money remittance chain in Australia with a dozen outlets, the Changjiang Currency Exchange, was being secretly run by the Long River money laundering syndicate. They said the chain legitimately transferred billions of dollars from regular customers, but hidden among those transactions were illegal transfers of 229 million Australian dollars ($144 million) in crime proceeds over the past three years. They said they became suspicious about the company during COVID-19 lockdowns in Sydney. “While most of Sydney was a ghost town, alarm bells went off among our money l...

Israeli troops carry out hourslong ground raid into Gaza ahead of expected wider incursion

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:22:19 GMT

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops and tanks launched an hourslong ground raid into northern Gaza overnight into Thursday, the military said, striking several militant targets in order to “prepare the battlefield” ahead of a widely expected ground invasion after more than two weeks of devastating air raids.The raid came after the U.N. warned it is on the verge of running out of fuel in the Gaza Strip, forcing it to sharply curtail relief efforts in the territory, which has also been under a complete siege since Hamas’ bloody rampage across southern Israel ignited the war earlier this month.The rising death tolls in Gaza are unprecedented in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Even greater loss of life could come if Israel launches an expected ground offensive aimed at crushing Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007 and survived four previous wars with Israel.The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said Wednesday that more than 750 people were killed...

At least 16 dead in Maine mass killing; manhunt on for shooter as residents take shelter

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:22:19 GMT

LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — A man shot and killed at least 16 people at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday and then fled into the night, sparking a massive search by hundreds of officers while frightened residents stayed locked in their homes.A police bulletin identified Robert Card, 40, as a person of interest in the attack that sent panicked bowlers scrambling behind pins when shots rang out around 7 p.m. Card was described as a firearms instructor believed to be in the Army Reserve and assigned to a training facility in Saco, Maine.The Lewiston Police Department identified Robert Card as a person of interest in a mass shooting at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston, Maine, on Oct. 25, 2023. (The Lewiston Police Department)The document, circulated to law enforcement officials, said Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023. It did not provide details about his treatment or condition but said Card had reporte...

Deputies: Salem manhunt suspect turns himself in

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:22:19 GMT

SALEM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The search for Jeffrey Dickinson has ended after deputies say he turned himself in just before midnight on Wednesday. Multiple agencies were searching for Dickinson Wednesday as he was considered armed and dangerous in the Salem area. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The search began around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. Police said Dickinson was wanted on a felony warrant and fled when confronted by law enforcement. Dickinson was last seen in a wooded area near Blind Buck Road in Salem.Deputies from the Washington County Sheriff's Office say Dickinson was located in the area of Blind Buck Road near Buck Ridge Way.

Mechanicville and Greenville cruise to Class B boys soccer championship game

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:22:19 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Mechanicville and Greenville boys soccer teams proved Wednesday night they are the cream of the crop in Class B, and the two state-ranked foes will now square off Saturday with a section title on the line. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Both teams recorded shutouts in the semi-final round of the Class B playoff tournament at La Salle Institute. Greenville, the two-seed, knocked off three-seeded Catskill 4-0 in game one of the evening. Mechanicville, the reigning section champs, No. 1 overall seed and first-ranked team in the state for Class B, followed up with a 6-0 victory over fifth-seeded Hudson.The Spartans struck for their first goal in the 19th minute. Off a corner kick from senior captain Joseph Davis, Catskill's Riley Street managed to clear the ball out of the box, but Greenville's Lucas Russell came roaring in and unleashed a strike from the 10-yard line that snuck just inside the left post...

MEPs support CO2 emissions reduction targets for trucks and buses 

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:22:19 GMT

The Environment Committee adopted its proposals to strengthen EU CO2 emission standards for new heavy-duty vehicles, which include buses, trucks and trailers, ENVI.The report was adopted with 48 votes in favour, 36 against and one abstention. It says that strengthening CO2 emission reduction requirements for heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) and rolling-out the necessary recharging and refuelling infrastructure will play a key role in reducing the emissions of the entire HDVs fleet to achieve the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality goal.Stricter overall target for 2035, zero-emission urban buses by 2030MEPs want strong CO2 emissions reduction targets for medium and heavy trucks, including vocational vehicles (such as garbage trucks, tippers or concrete mixers) and buses. These targets would be set at 45% for the period 2030-2034, 70% for 2035-2039 (compared to 65% proposed by the Commission) and 90% as of 2040.MEPs agreed that all newly registered urban buses should be zero-emission vehicles from...