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German tourist accused of damaging 16th-century statue in Florence

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:00 GMT

(CNN) — A 22-year-old German man has been detained in Florence accused of damaging a statue in the 16th-century Fountain of Neptune in the Piazza della Signoria, city authorities said in a statement.The city estimates the damage to the statue is around €5,000 ($5,400).The fountain features a statue of the Roman sea god Neptune atop a shell-shaped carriage pulled by horses.The tourist, who has not been named, scaled a protective barrier around the monument in the early hours of Monday and posed on the statue while two friends, who remained on the other side of the barrier, took photos of him, the city statement said, citing police officers who witnessed the event on surveillance footage.“According to the investigators’ reconstruction, after 1 o’clock this morning the tourist, in Piazza della Signoria with two other friends, climbed over the fence of the Neptune Fountain and climbed onto the edge of the pool,” the statement said.“With a jump he then ...

Inside the NFL Premieres September 5th!

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:00 GMT

Saudi Arabia, Russia plan to extend 1.3 million barrel a day oil cut through the end of the year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:00 GMT

By JON GAMBRELL (Associated Press)DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed Tuesday to extend their voluntary oil production cuts through the end of this year, trimming 1.3 million barrels of crude out of the global market and boosting energy prices. The dual announcements from Riyadh and Moscow pushed benchmark Brent crude above $90 a barrel in trading Tuesday afternoon, a price unseen in the market since November. The countries’ moves likely will increase the cost for motorists at gasoline pumps and put new pressure on Saudi Arabia’s relationship with the United States. President Joe Biden last year warned the kingdom there would be unspecified “consequences” for partnering with Russia on cuts as Moscow wages war on Ukraine. Saudi Arabia’s announcement, carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, said the country still would monitor the market and could take further action if necessary. “This additional voluntary c...

Authorities expand search area for killer who escaped Pennsylvania prison after latest sighting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:00 GMT

WEST CHESTER, Pa. — Authorities have moved and expanded the search area for a convicted murderer who escaped from a suburban Philadelphia prison last week, after he was spotted on a trail camera at one of the nation’s premier botanical gardens.Danelo Cavalcante, 34, has been spotted five time since he escaped Thursday from the Chester State Prison. The most recent siting came Monday night at Longwood Gardens, where surveillance video captured him walking through the area with a duffel bag, backpack and hooded sweatshirt.That sighting led officials to move the search area farther south after they determined that Cavalcante had likely slipped through the original perimeter, but they said his movements show he’s feeling the pressure of the massive search and that his options are dwindling.The expanded search spurred two nearby school districts to cancel classes Tuesday as a precaution, and authorities urged residents to keep their homes and vehicles locked. They also asked ...

Texas AG Ken Paxton faces charges of corruption and bribery as his impeachment trial gets underway

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:00 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas — The gravest threat to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ‘s troubled career got underway Tuesday as the embattled Republican sat for an impeachment trial on charges of corruption and bribery that have shadowed one of state’s most powerful figures for years.The fate of Paxton, 60, is in the hands of GOP senators with whom he served before winning a statewide race to take charge of the attorney general’s office in 2015. The chamber includes his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, who can attend the trial but is barred from voting on whether her husband should be convicted or acquitted.Shortly before the historic proceedings began, Ken and Angela Paxton spoke for a few minutes on the Senate floor and shared a briefed kiss.Other senators were sworn-in one by one as Paxton supporters, many wearing red shirts, watched from the upper floor gallery that was about half full. Other onlookers cheered when impeachment managers who will present the case against Paxton entered the cham...

Why this presidential campaign may feel familiar to many Americans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The end of Labor Day weekend would typically mark the start of a furious sprint to the Iowa caucuses as candidates battle for their party’s presidential nomination. But as the 2024 campaign comes into greater focus, the usual frenzy is yielding to a sense of inevitability. Among Republicans, Donald Trump is dominating the primary field, outpacing rivals with resumes as governors, diplomats and entrepreneurs that would normally prove compelling. The former president’s strength comes despite — or perhaps because of — multiple criminal indictments that threaten to overshadow any serious debate about the future of the country. And for now, the tens of millions of dollars that Republican rivals are pouring into the race are doing little to diminish Trump’s stature, fueling concerns among his GOP critics who fear the primary is essentially over before it begins. As one troubled front-runner tightens his grip on the Republican nomination, President Joe Bid...

Biden nominates former Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew to serve as ambassador to Israel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has nominated former Treasury secretary Jacob Lew to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to Israel, the White House announced Tuesday.Lew, who served as White House chief of staff and director of the Office of Management and Budget during the Obama administration, would succeed Ambassador Tom Nides.,who left the post in July. Lew also served as OMB director during the Clinton administration.If Lew is confirmed by the Senate, he will come to one of the highest-profile U.S. ambassadorships, with the Biden administration pushing for Israel and Saudi Arabia—two of the biggest Middle East powers but longtime rivals— to normalize their relationship.The effort to strengthen that historically fraught relationship comes after the Trump administration helped facilitate the “Abraham Accords,” normalizing relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.A normalization deal with Saudi Arabia, the most powerful and wealthy Arab state,...

Spanish soccer federation fires women’s national team coach Jorge Vilda amid Rubiales controversy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:00 GMT

MADRID (AP) — The Spanish soccer federation fired women’s national team coach Jorge Vilda on Tuesday, less than three weeks after his team won the Women’s World Cup title and amid the controversy involving suspended federation president Luis Rubiales.The coach was among those who applauded Rubiales when he refused to resign despite facing widespread criticism for kissing player Jenni Hermoso on the lips without her consent during the title celebrations in Sydney last month.Rubiales, who also grabbed his crotch in a lewd victory gesture after the final, has been provisionally suspended by FIFA and is facing a Spanish government case against him for the conduct that prompted a storm of criticism and led to widespread calls for his resignation.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerTales Azzoni, The Associated Press

Book Review: Stephen King finds terror in the ordinary in new pandemic-set novel ‘Holly’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:00 GMT

“Holly” by Stephen King (Scribner)In half a century of writing horror novels, Stephen King has created some remarkable villains. Who can forget the sing-song voice of Pennywise the clown, the devil incarnate Randall Flagg, or the drooling jaws of Cujo? The big bads in King’s latest novel, “Holly,” aren’t quite so memorable, but that’s part of what makes them terrifying.Emily and Rodney Harris are retired professors of Bell College Arts and Sciences. Em, as her husband calls her, taught English and Em’s beloved “Roddy” taught life sciences and earned the nickname “Rowdy Roddy the Mad Nutritionist.” Bell is a generic “college on a hill” near a lake somewhere in Ohio. King doesn’t need to be more specific than that with his sense of place, because this is a story set during the COVID pandemic that uses common acts and things to create fear — abandoned bicycles, lost earrings, a twilight run through the park.The novel begins with quick flashbacks to a series of abductions starting in 20...

Judges reject Alabama’s congressional lines, will draw new districts to increase Black voting power

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:00 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Federal judges said Tuesday that they will draft new congressional lines for Alabama after lawmakers refused to create a second district where Black voters at least came close to comprising a majority, as suggested by the court.The three-judge panel blocked use of the state’s newly drawn congressional map in next year’s elections. A special master will be tapped to draw new districts for the state, the judges said. Alabama is expected to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.“This is a significant step toward equal representation for Black Alabamians,” said former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, which backed one of the court challenges that led to the decision.The Republican-controlled Alabama Legislature hastily drew new lines this summer after the U.S. Supreme Court in June upheld the panel’s finding that the map — that had one majority-Black district out of seven in a...