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In shock and mourning, Serbia struggles to comprehend two mass shootings in as many days

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 22:11:14 GMT

(CNN) — Serbians are reeling and demanding answers after two mass shootings in less than 48 hours left multiple people dead, with widespread calls for tough action to prevent any further repeat of such tragedies.Gun ownership is high in Serbia, but the sort of mass shootings seen on a daily basis in the United States are extremely rare in the Balkan country and school shootings were — until this week — virtually unheard of.That all changed on Wednesday when a 13-year-old boy opened fire on his classmates at a school in the capital Belgrade, killing at least eight children and a security guard.The nation was still in deep shock when news of another mass killing broke on Thursday night. A 21-year old gunman wielding an automatic weapon killed eight people in the village of Dubona, south of the capital city. The gunman has been arrested following a massive overnight manhunt involving hundreds of special forces.“This n...

Liam Hendriks is perfect in 1st rehab outing for Chicago White Sox and receives ‘emotional’ ovation from fans and both teams

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 22:11:14 GMT

The magnitude of the moment wasn’t lost on anyone as Liam Hendriks went through his warmup pitches Friday in Gwinnett, Ga.The closer, on the road to returning to the Chicago White Sox after battling non-Hodgkin lymphoma, heard a PA announcement as he prepared for his first minor-league rehab appearance with Triple-A Charlotte.“Both teams got out and started clapping,” Hendriks said during a video conference call, “which is — don’t get me wrong, it’s really, really nice. I very much appreciate it. It made me very emotional.“I’m a guy who pitches on anger, and it’s really hard to get angry when you know the other team is full of nice people. So a little tough to get locked in.”Additionally, he had to contend with wet field conditions.“I slipped on the first pitch and then had to finagle my mechanics a little bit just to make sure I was getting down there all right,” Hendriks said.The fact that Hendriks was b...

Yogi Berra documentary ‘It Ain’t Over’

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 22:11:14 GMT

If you’re a Yankee fan, you will love this.If you’re a Met fan, you will also love this.And if you dislike New York sports teams with every fiber in your body, you will still love the documentary, “It Ain’t Over” about Lawrence Peter “Yogi” (It Ain’t Over ‘til It’s Over) Berra.Sony Pictures Classics releases the doc in the tri-state area and Los Angeles on May 12, but at a recent screening in New York, the doc emits what the country needs.Humor.There are lots of “Wait! What?” Yogi-isms, but the iconic Hall of Fame Yankee catcher is well represented by a plethora of baseball greats and their insights.How many documentaries have a casting call that includes Torre, Girardi, Jeter, Mattingly, Guidry, Rivera and Randolph?There’s also interviews with teammates Bobby Richardson, Tony Kubek, Don Larsen, owner Hal Steinbrenner, Hall of Fame journalists Vin Scully, Bob Costas, Claire Smith, comedian Billy Crystal an...

King Charles III coronation in London

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 22:11:14 GMT

LONDON (NewsNation) — Coronation festivities have begun in Great Britain as the royal family turns the page of a new chapter with the crowning of King Charles III, the first event of its kind in 70 years. Though King Charles III ascended the throne when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died last year, the coronation is a religious ceremony that provides a more formal confirmation of his role as head of state and titular head of the Church of England. Along with the king, his wife, Camilla, is being coronated as queen, a first for a spouse of a U.K. monarch. Five things to watch in King Charles III’s coronation A procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey starts at about 5 a.m. ET, 2 a.m. PT.The coronation is the latest event to draw the world's eyes to the British royal family, which has been rocked by tumult and scandal in recent years — from Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's shocking exit from royal duties and their subsequent onslaught of accusations against the...

Early Kentucky Derby favorite Forte scratched from race

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 22:11:14 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The early favorite for the Kentucky Derby has been scratched hours before the race.Forte was declared out of the 149th Derby on Saturday, according to Churchill Downs spokesman Darren Rogers. No immediate reason was announced.It was the fifth scratch this week from the race.The colt had stumbled on the track during a workout Thursday, although trainer Todd Pletcher had downplayed it.Five horses have died at Churchill Downs in recent days, including two trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. He was suspended by the track and had his Derby horse, Lord Miles, scratched.Kentucky Horse Racing Commission veterinarians were at Pletcher’s barn early Saturday to observe and examine Forte, who galloped on the track and then jogged outside the barn. Co-owner Mike Repole was on hand, too.Forte had a five-race winning streak and was the early 3-1 favorite. That leaves 18 horses to run in the 1 1/4-mile Derby.It was another pre-Derby disappointment for Repole.He owned Uncle Mo,...

Pickering airport opponents hope the proposal will be abandoned after 50 years

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 22:11:14 GMT

After decades of protests against a long-standing proposal to build an airport in Pickering, opponents of the project are optimistic it will soon be abandoned for good.Those hopes hinge on two recent developments: a Pickering council vote declaring a lack of support for an airport and a suggestion from the federal government that a newly-announced study could ultimately conclude that an airport on the Pickering Lands “is not required in the long term.”Those who support the airport argue, however, that it would provide a “rare opportunity” to boost the region’s economy and attract investments.The federal government’s final decision on the proposal will follow results of a Transport Canada study on airport capacity needs in southern Ontario, announced in April.The Pickering Lands span 18,600 acres of land in Pickering, Markham, Ont., and Uxbridge, Ont., located 56 kilometres east of downtown Toronto, that the federal government acquired in 1972 for ...

Hospitalized Berlusconi makes first public statements

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 22:11:14 GMT

MILAN (AP) — Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has made his first public statements since being hospitalized a month ago, delivering a video address to his Forza Italia political party on Saturday.Berlusconi, who appeared in the video sitting at a desk set up inside the hospital and flanked by Italian and EU flags, received a standing ovation from the floor of the party congress in Milan. The 86-year-old three-time former premier and media mogul noted that it was the first time since he was hospitalized that he has worn a coat and jacket. Berlusconi told party members that Forza Italia is “an essential and loyal pillar” of the governing majority led by Giorgia Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy, and said he was proud of the government’s accomplishments so far, including a reduction in payroll taxes. Berlusconi was hospitalized at Milan’s San Raffaele hospital with a lung infection on April 5, and doctors later revealed he also has chronic leukemia. His party is ...

Attackers kill Pakistani Sikh in drive-by shooting in Lahore

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 22:11:14 GMT

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A Pakistani Sikh was killed by unknown assailants in a drive-by shooting in the eastern city of Lahore on Saturday, police said.The man, identified as Sardar Singh, was shot by gunmen riding on a motorcycle in Lahore’s residential neighborhood of Nawab Town. He was on a morning walk accompanied by his bodyguard when the attack happened, police said. Singh received a fatal gunshot to the head. Officer Asad Abbas said the bodyguard was wounded in the attack. The police declined to explain why Singh had a bodyguard or provide further details. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.Religious minorities often face violence in Muslim-majority Pakistan, even though the country’s Constitution guarantees them equal rights and the freedom to practice their faith.Last month, a Pakistani Sikh businessman and a Christian cleaner were shot and killed by gunmen in separate incidents in the northwestern city of Peshawar. A day earlier, a prominent Hindu d...

176 dead, many more missing after Congo floods

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 22:11:14 GMT

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — The death toll from flash floods and landslides in eastern Congo has risen to 176, with some 100 people still missing, according to a provisional assessment given by the governor and authorities in the country’s South Kivu province.Rivers broke their banks in villages in the territory of Kalehe close to the shores of Lake Kivu. Authorities also reported scores of people injured.South Kivu Gov. Théo Ngwabidje visited the area to see the destruction for himself, and posted on his Twitter account that the provincial government had dispatched medical, shelter and food supplies. Several main roads to the affected area have been been made impassable by the rains, hampering the relief efforts. President Felix Tshisekedi has declared a national day of mourning on Monday to honor the victims, and the central government is sending a crisis management team to South Kivu to support the provincial government.Heavy rains in recent days have brought misery to thousands...

Abortion pill legal challenge threatens miscarriage care

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 22:11:14 GMT

Less than a year after losing her daughter Emilia at five days old, Jillian Phillips suffered a miscarriage.It was Halloween weekend in 2016, and her doctor said she could wait for it to end naturally, have a surgical procedure or take medication. She chose the medicine, passed the remains of her nine-week pregnancy at home and buried them in a memorial garden, near some of Emilia’s ashes.“Once I found out that the baby inside me was no longer viable, I didn’t want to just walk around carrying the emotional trauma of that,” said Phillips, a 41-year-old single mother of three from North Brookfield, Mass. “You just kind of want it finished. And the medication works pretty quickly.”But the future of this common miscarriage treatment is in peril. The pill, mifepristone, is used in abortions, making it a target.Last month, a federal judge in Texas ruled to block mifepristone’s approval by the Food and Drug Administration. The Supreme Court later preserved access to the drug while t...