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‘Ring of fire’ solar eclipse will slice across Americas on Saturday with millions along path

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:35:55 GMT

By MARCIA DUNN (AP Aerospace Writer)Tens of millions in the Americas will have front-row seats for Saturday’s rare “ring of fire” eclipse of the sun.What’s called an annular solar eclipse — better known as a ring of fire — will briefly dim the skies over parts of the western U.S. and Central and South America. As the moon lines up precisely between Earth and the sun, it will blot out all but the sun’s outer rim. A bright, blazing border will appear around the moon for as much as five minutes, wowing skygazers along a narrow path stretching from Oregon to Brazil.The celestial showstopper will yield a partial eclipse across the rest of the Western Hemisphere.It’s a prelude to the total solar eclipse that will sweep across Mexico, the eastern half of the U.S. and Canada, in six months. Unlike Saturday, when the moon is too far from Earth to completely cover the sun from our perspective, the moon will be at the perfect distance on Ap...

The Amazon antitrust lawsuit is likely to be a long and arduous journey for the FTC

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:35:55 GMT

By HALELUYA HADERO (AP Business Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon is heading into one of its biggest sales events of the year — Prime Day — with a lawsuit hanging over its head that accuses it of preventing sellers from hawking their merchandise at lower prices on other sites.The Federal Trade Commission’s long-awaited antitrust case is the agency’s most aggressive move yet to tame the market power of Amazon, a company that’s become synonymous with online shopping and fast deliveries.Under chair Lina Khan, the agency hasn’t been shy about taking big swings against some of America’s biggest companies and testing the limits of competition law to reverse what many of her supporters see as decades of weak antitrust enforcement. But that approach has also led to some high-profile setbacks, most notably in the FTC’s bid to block Microsoft’s takeover of Activision Blizzard and Meta’s acquisition of the virtual reality startup Within Unlimited. The FTC is appealing the judge’s ruling in the Mic...

Trial document: Trump acknowledged penthouse size at 11,000 square feet, not 30,000 he later claimed

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:35:55 GMT

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and JENNIFER PELTZ (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump signed a document 30 years ago that gave the true size of the New York penthouse that was later listed as far larger on his financial statements, according to evidence shown Tuesday at the former president’s civil business fraud trial.The evidence appeared in an email attachment shown as Allen Weisselberg, the former finance chief of Trump’s company, testified in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ fraud lawsuit against Trump and his Trump Organization.The attachment was a 1994 document, signed by Trump, that listed his Trump Tower triplex at 10,996 square feet — not the 30,000 square feet later claimed for years on financial statements that were given to banks, insurers and others to make deals and secure loans. Weisselberg said he recalled seeing the email but not the attachment, explaining that the attachments were documents he already had on file in the com...

In ‘Goth: A History,’ The Cure co-founder Lol Tolhurst traces the often-misunderstood subculture

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:35:55 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — What comes to mind when the word “goth” is spoken? Is it Tim Burton films? The popstar Billie Eilish? An adolescent phase marked by black nail polish and nihilism? Or is it a lifestyle? Is it literature such as Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven,” Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein” or the writings of Emily Brontë? Is it a musical genre born out of late-’70s punk and dread?For Lol Tolhurst, co-founder the influential “goth” band The Cure, it’s all of the above. He explores what he calls “the last true alternative outsider subculture” in a new book titled, “Goth: A History,” published late last month by Hachette.It follows his first book, the 2016 memoir “Cured: The Tale of Two Imaginary Boys.”Over the phone from the deserts of Southern California, Tolhurst says inspiration for this second book came from a lack of understanding.“People had (goth) confused. They saw the outward signs, the dark clothing, and they thought that was what it was al...

More states are teaching financial literacy. It could pay off for students struggling with math

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:35:55 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Inside a high school classroom, Bryan Martinez jots down several purchases that would require a short-term savings plan: shoes, phone, headphones, clothes, and food.His medium-term financial goals take a little more thought, but he settles on a car — he doesn’t have one yet — and vacations. Peering way into his future, the 18-year-old also imagines saving money to buy a house, start his own business, retire, and perhaps provide any children with a college fund. Martinez’s friend next to him writes a different long-term goal: Buy a private jet.“You have to be a millionaire to save up for that,” Martinez says with a chuckle.Call it a reality check or an introduction to a critical life skill, this exercise occurred in a course called Advanced Algebra with Financial Applications. The elective math class has been a mainstay in Capital City Public Charter School’s offerings for more than a decade, giving students a foundation in money management while they hone mat...

Vermont police search for killer of a retired college dean shot on trail near university

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:35:55 GMT

CASTLETON, Vt. (AP) — Students at a Vermont university returned to classes Tuesday, some on edge, as police continued to search for the killer of a retired dean who was shot last week while walking on a recreational trail near campus in the small town.Honoree Fleming, a retired dean and professor, was found shot to death on Thursday afternoon on the Delaware & Hudson Rail Trail about a mile (1.61 kilometers) south of the Castleton campus of Vermont State University. The shooting happened during the school’s week-long fall break. The university reopened Monday but students were excused from classes. “I recommend to the public to be vigilant, have some awareness,” Maj. Dan Trudeau, commander of the Vermont State Police’s criminal division, said Monday. “If you’re out be with a friend because we don’t really know yet if the community is in any further danger. We don’t know if this is isolated or not isolated and we’re still trying to develop lead...

Russian teams won’t play in U17 Euros qualifying after UEFA fails to make new policy work

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:35:55 GMT

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — Russia will not be allowed to take part in qualifying for the Under-17 European Championship this month after all, European soccer body UEFA said Tuesday after being unable to make its preferred new policy work.Widespread opposition from member federations to playing Russia at any level of international games led to UEFA going back to its blanket ban on Russian teams, which it had controversially tried to change two weeks ago.UEFA had surprisingly eased its policy that all Russian national and club teams be excluded from international competitions, which has been in place since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. UEFA had cited the importance of not punishing children for the decisions of a national government in suggesting that Russian U17 teams could play in international competitions but without their national colors, flag or anthem.The move provoked a split in UEFA’s executive committee — its vice presidents from England, Poland and Wales refused to back t...

B.C. first province to sign individual health deal with feds, worth $1.2 billion

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:35:55 GMT

VANCOUVER — British Columbia is the first province to sign a tailored funding agreement with the federal government as part of the $196-billion health accord the prime minister offered provinces earlier this year.The deal will see Ottawa shift $1.2 billion to B.C. over three years.Health Minister Mark Holland told a news conference at Vancouver General Hospital on Tuesday that the funding also comes with a commitment for federal support for B.C.’s health-care system for the next 10 years.Holland said the support aims to take the Canadian health-care system “from one of the best” in the world to “the best.”In exchange, the province has developed a plan to increase patient access to team-based family health care and mental health and addictions services.The B.C. government has also agreed to work with the First Nations Health Authority to improve access to culturally appropriate and trauma-informed treatment and care. The province will increase access to mental...

Burnout, despair facing workers on front lines of poverty and homelessness in Canada

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:35:55 GMT

Those who work with people facing homelessness and food shortages say employees are carrying a massive emotional burden as demand for services soars beyond what their organizations can provide.Warren Maddox, executive director at Fredericton Homeless Shelters, in New Brunswick, says staff are witnessing more desperation, more violence and more people in extreme states of crisis.He says demand from staff on the organization’s in-house mental health counsellor has increased and that it’s harder to help employees see past what he described as “an unending chain of misery.”Tasha Lackman, executive director at the Depot Community Food Centre, in Montreal, says her group is being forced to make gut-wrenching decisions, including to reduce the amount of food clients get in their baskets. She says demand at the food bank is on track to nearly double this year compared to last year, and that staff are working harder but seeing their efforts have less of an impact.Lack...

The US declares the ousting of Niger’s president a coup and suspends military aid and training

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:35:55 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States on Tuesday formally declared the ousting of Niger’s democratically-elected president a coup d’etat, more than two months after mutinous soldiers seized power.Senior administration officials told reporters that the U.S. was taking action after exhausting all avenues to preserve constitutional order in the West African nation, including urging the military leaders to restore civilian rule within four months in compliance with the constitution. The coup designation comes with the suspension of counterterrorism assistance and military training as well as the pausing of certain foreign assistance programs worth hundreds of millions of dollars.“As time has passed it’s become clear that the (junta) officials that we’ve been dealing with did not want to abide by these constitutional guidelines and in fact they’ve told us that they’ve chosen to repeal that constitution and are in the process of creating a new draft with an uncertain timel...