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Civil case over Cardinal Pell abuse allegations allowed to proceed against church in Australia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:09 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An Australian court on Friday allowed a civil case to proceed against a Catholic archdiocese involving child sex abuse allegations against late Cardinal George Pell.The Victoria state Court of Appeal in Melbourne refused to hear the church’s challenge to a judge’s ruling that a father, identified in court documents as RWQ, was entitled to sue for damages for the nervous shock he suffered when he learned of allegations his son had been abused.Pell was the third highest-ranking cleric in the Vatican when he was convicted in 2018 of sexually abusing two 13-year-old choirboys in a Melbourne cathedral in 1996 when Pell was an archbishop.Pell spent 13 months in prison before the convictions were overturned on appeal. He maintained his innocence until his death in Rome in January.Victoria law prohibits media from identifying alleged victims of sexual offenses or any reporting that could identify such a person. The prohibition prevents the father being named.The f...

GOP support for gun restrictions slips a year after Congress passed firearms law

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:09 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican support for gun restrictions is slipping a year after Congress passed the most comprehensive firearms control legislation in decades with bipartisan support, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That’s led to a gap between Democrats and the GOP on the issue of guns that has widened in the last year. Democrats have consistently outpaced Republicans and independents in their belief that gun laws in the U.S. should be strengthened, but GOP support has dropped even further behind, the poll found. Most Democrats, 92%, want gun laws made stronger, in line with their views in a UChicago Harris/AP-NORC poll conducted in July 2022. But Republican desire for more expansive legislation has dropped to 32% from 49% last summer and independents’ support also declined slightly to 61% from 72%. “We’ve tried to legislate things for years without a lot of success, and I don’t really think law and regulation are the a...

Visitors to Lincoln Memorial say America has its flaws but see gains made since March on Washington

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:09 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fencing and construction workers greet visitors to the Lincoln Memorial, signaling that — for the moment — the monument to the nation’s 16th president is a work in progress. And so is the nation Abraham Lincoln saved and the dream that Martin Luther King Jr. envisioned at its steps nearly 60 years ago at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.The spectrum of visitors to the Lincoln and MLK memorials and the African American Museum of History and Culture ranges from a 10-year-old elementary school student born in Colombia to a 70-something college advisor and retired military veteran. At least one visitor was at the original march as a child. They agree that portions of King’s speech have become a reality while some remain unrealized. Several note as well that the gains took a multiracial coalition to achieve. Washington Resident and 1963 March ParticipantDiane Miller was 12 years old when her mother gathered up Miller and her siblings “and had us march from 3...

South Carolina abortion ban with unclear ‘fetal heartbeat’ definition creates confusion, doctors say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:09 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — When the South Carolina Supreme Court upheld a ban on most abortions this week, the majority wrote that they were leaving “for another day” a decision on when, exactly, the “fetal heartbeat” limit begins during pregnancy. Doctors practicing under the strict law cannot similarly punt on that question.Physicians say the statute’s unclear guidance is already chilling medical practice at the few abortion clinics that operate in the conservative state. With potential criminal charges hanging in the balance, most abortions are being halted as doctors wrestle with the murky legal definitions.“These medical definitions they tried to put forward are legislative and put forward by people who don’t practice medicine,” said Dr. Dawn Bingham, chair of the South Carolina section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, or AGOC. “This language creates uncertainty among medical providers who may be unsure they’re legally allowed to terminate a pregnanc...

Stock market today: Asian shares mostly decline ahead of Federal Reserve’s Powell speech

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:09 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly fell Friday, discouraged by a Wall Street slump that followed a blowout profit report from Nvidia and mixed reports on the U.S. economy.Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 dropped 1.8% to 31,713.24 in morning trading. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dipped nearly 1.0% to 7,111.60. South Korea’s Kospi lost 0.6% to 2,522.09. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped 1.0% to 18,035.97, while the Shanghai Composite shed 0.3% to 3,073.25. Tokyo inflation eased to 2.9% in August from the previous year, largely because of lower energy prices, according to government data. The consumer price index, excluding fresh food prices, rose 2.8% from the previous year, the gains easing for the first time in two months. Although inflationary pressures appear to be gradually fading in Japan, amid stabilizing energy prices, the indicator for prices is still above the Bank of Japan’s target of 2%. High on regional investors’ minds is the speech by U.S. Feder...

Fed Chair Powell could signal the likelihood of high rates for longer in closely watched speech

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:09 GMT

JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming (AP) — When Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell delivers a high-profile speech Friday in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, many analysts think he could make one thing clear: That the Fed plans to keep its benchmark interest rate at a peak level for longer than had been expected.Powell isn’t likely to say whether the Fed will continue raising rates. But he may signal that any rate cuts are unlikely until well into next year. The central bank has already helped drive inflation down from painfully high levels. But Fed officials have said they need to keep rates high to further slow borrowing and spending and reduce inflation to their 2% target.The Fed chair’s speech — at an annual conference of central bankers — comes at a time of heightened uncertainty about the economy and interest-rate policies. Businesses are still hiring, and consumer spending has remained resilient even while inflation has eased from a peak of 9.1% in June 2022 to 3.2%. At the same time, “c...

Broomfield begins Class 4A title defense with blowout of Longmont

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:09 GMT

LONGMONT — The moment that Robert O’Brien took the reins of Broomfield’s football program, months after the Eagles were minted Class 4A’s state champion, he shifted their focus immediately toward the future.“Nothing about the state championship. Absolutely nothing,” O’Brien said. “Our goal is to go 1-0 every week. That’s really the only thing that we’re focused on is Longmont today and nothing else. That’s the last thing on our minds. We don’t talk about it. We’re not concerned with it. We’re in a new year and we’re pushing forward.”On Thursday night at Everly-Montgomery Field, after hiccups plagued both teams in a rainy debut rife with penalty-laden rust, the Eagles won their first week in a 42-14 showing over Longmont.Junior quarterback CT Worley, who stepped up to replace top gun Cole LaCrue — now at Wisconsin — finished his night with 148 passing yards in addition to three scores on the ground, as he seemed to gain more confidence with each passing throw. The Eagles ...

Americana mall in Glendale evacuated for possible toilet bomb threat

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:09 GMT

Shoppers were evacuated for a possible bomb threat after a toilet was mysteriously left at the Americana at Brand shopping center in Glendale on Thursday night.The incident was first reported around 8 p.m., according to Glendale police. Officers found the painted toilet around 50-100 feet from the AMC Theater at the shopping center.A note accompanied the toilet stating that the item may be a bomb, police said. A dolly typically used for hotel luggage was also seen nearby, but it's unclear whether that was used to transport the toilet.Authorities evacuated shoppers from the scene. Sky5 video shows the toilet appears to have many images and letters scrawled all across it. The messages on the toilet remain unclear.Shoppers were evacuated for a possible bomb threat after a toilet was mysteriously left at the Americana at Brand shopping center in Glendale on August 24, 2023. (KTLA)Shoppers were evacuated for a possible bomb threat after a toilet was mysteriously left at the Americana at ...

El Segundo Little League team punches ticket to Little League World Series U.S. championship 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:09 GMT

A group of boys from El Segundo are now headed on to the next round of the Little League World Series. The El Segundo Little League 12U All Stars represent the West region at the 2023 edition of the Little League World Series, and a 2-1 victory on Thursday over the Northwest region (out of Seattle, Washington) booked their spot in the U.S. Championship game on Saturday. The LLWS consists of an international bracket and a United States bracket, the latter of which consists of teams from all regions of the U.S. The West region team is one of two American teams left, and they are set to face off against the Southwest region team out of Needville, Texas – who they lost to 3-1 on Monday. El Segundo, Calif.'s Quinn Boehle (8) is greeted by Colby Lee (10) on his way back to the dugout after scoring against Seattle during the second inning of a baseball game at the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pa., Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)Sea...

Man found dead in parked vehicle near Los Altos High

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:09:09 GMT

LOS ALTOS – A man was found dead in a parked car Thursday afternoon near Los Altos High School, police said.Officers made the discovery around 12:55 p.m. while responding to a report of a suspicious vehicle in the 200 block of Valencia Drive, according to the Los Altos Police Department.The police department and the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office are investigating the death, the cause of which was not immediately known.The coroner’s office will release the man’s identity once it is confirmed and his next of kin is notified.Anyone with information related to the case can contact Detective Sgt. Steven Spillman at 650-947-2689 or [email protected], or the anonymous tip line at 650-947-2774.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Laurie Houts killing: Judge dismisses bid for third murder trial on double-jeopardy grounds Crime and Public Safety | Coroner confirms human remains belong to missing Saratoga teen Crime and Public ...