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A large explosion at a fireworks warehouse in Thailand kills at least 9 people and wounds scores

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:10 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — A large explosion at a fireworks warehouse in southern Thailand on Saturday killed at least nine people and wounded scores, officials said.The governor of the province of Narathiwas, Sanan Pongaksorn, told public broadcaster Thai PBS that also at least 115 people were hurt, and that many were in serious condition. He said about 500 to 800 people who live nearby may have to be moved to a temporary shelter. He did not elaborate.Videos posted on social media from the site show a huge plume of smoke over the area and many damaged structures, cars and motorbikes, as well as streets covered with debris. Many of the houses and other buildings have collapsed roofs and walls. About 100 residences in the area were also damaged, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.Sanan, the local governor, said the blast was likely ignited by construction work that was taking place in the warehouse, with flares from metal welding causing the fireworks stored inside...

Man seriously injured in Brampton stabbing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:10 GMT

A man suffered serious injuries after being stabbed in Brampton.Peel police were called to the area of Steeles Avenue and Chinguacousy Road just before 6:30 p.m. Friday night where they found a man suffering from stab wounds. Initially, the victim’s injuries were considered life-threatening as he was taken to a local hospital. He has since been upgraded to stable condition with non-life threatening injuries. There is no immediate word on the number of suspects being sought or any descriptions at this point.

Canadian men’s 4x100m relay team to receive silver medals in reallocation ceremony

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:10 GMT

The Canadian men’s 4×100-metre relay team will receive their Olympic silver medals Saturday at the Canadian national trials in a medal reallocation ceremony.The group of Andre De Grasse, Aaron Brown, Brendon Rodney and Jerome Blake had initially earned bronze in the event at the Tokyo Games two years ago.However, an official upgrade came in May 2022 following the disqualification of the British team due to a doping violation by team member CJ Ujah.De Grasse – a six-time Olympic medallist and the reigning Olympic champion in the 200 – failed to qualify for the 100 final on Friday and Brown won his fifth straight national title.Damian Warner is competing in the men’s 110 hurdles final after failing to qualify for the 400 on Friday.Warner is competing in individual events at the national trials instead of the decathlon, where he is the reigning Olympic champion.

Do you believe in angels? About 7 in 10 U.S. adults do, a new AP-NORC poll shows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:10 GMT

Compared with the devil, angels carry more credence in America.Angels even get more credence than, well, hell. More than astrology, reincarnation, and the belief that physical things can have spiritual energies. In fact, about 7 in 10 U.S. adults say they believe in angels, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.“People are yearning for something greater than themselves — beyond their own understanding,” said Jack Grogger, a chaplain for the Los Angeles Angels and a longtime Southern California fire captain who has aided many people in their gravest moments.That search for something bigger, he said, can take on many forms, from following a religion to crafting a self-driven purpose to believing in, of course, angels.“For a lot of people, angels are a lot safer to worship,” said Grogger, who also pastors a nondenominational church in Orange, California, and is a chaplain for the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. People turn to angels for comf...

With one eye on China, Japan backs Sri Lanka as a partner in the Indo-Pacific

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:10 GMT

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Saturday that Sri Lanka is a key partner in a Tokyo-led initiative aimed at building security and economic cooperation around the Indo-Pacific but also at countering an increasingly assertive China. Sri Lanka, strategically located in the Indian Ocean, is integral to realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific, Hayashi said. He was speaking after a meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart, Ali Sabry, in the capital, Colombo. The initiative, announced by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in March includes Japan’s assistance to emerging economies, support for maritime security, a provision of coast guard patrol boats and equipment and other infrastructure cooperation.Last year Sri Lanka, which owed $51 billion in foreign debt, became the first Asia-Pacific country since the late 1990s to default, sparking an economic crisis. While Japan is Sri Lanka’s largest creditor, about 10% of its debt is held by ...

Another unwanted record on the way

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:10 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- 21. Camp Mabry has reached a high of 100° and higher 21 times since June 8. That ties for second place with 2001 and 2002. The record for consecutive days of highs in triple digits is 27 set in 2011. Those of you who were here then well remember that Camp Mabry reached 100°+ an astounding 90 times.Second place ... for now.During this stretch of 21 days the average high temperature is 105.2 degrees. July 2022's average temperature was 90.6°. As of yesterday's high of 102° the average temperature for this July, highs and lows, is 90.7°. Even though there will be fewer highs of 100° and higher in 2023 vs. 2022 (25 by this month's end vs. 29 last year) the daily forecasts will be enough to make this July the hottest ever.Humidity percentages will lower nicely through the afternoon dropping to mostly the lower to middle 20s. That makes the heat index at or a little below the air temperature.Lower dew points equals lower humidity in the afternoonYou will notice a hazy sky...

Texas A&M regents could offer a settlement to the journalism professor at center of hiring controversy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:10 GMT

AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) — The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents will meet Sunday to authorize the university to negotiate a potential settlement with Kathleen McElroy, a Black University of Texas at Austin journalism professor, who turned down a position at A&M after the university changed her job offer under pressure from conservative groups.McElroy’s botched hiring led to the resignation of multiple administrators, including the university president last week. It’s not clear whether McElroy, who said she felt judged because of her race and gender, has filed claims against A&M, but if the board gives its approval the university could enter a settlement discussion with the UT professor, who has since hired legal counsel.The Board of Regents also plans to appoint an interim president for A&M, according to an agenda for the July 30 special meeting, which is open to the public.On July 20, M. Katherine Banks resigned as president of the university following the...

Scuba in the middle of East Texas? Deep dive into family fun at Athens Scuba Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:10 GMT

ATHENS, Texas (KETK) — If you enjoy a little adventure under the sea, including exploring underwater wreckage or taking a relaxing ride on a kayak, you may love taking a dive at Athens Scuba Park.“A lot of people don’t expect this kind of a place to be in the middle of East Texas. There’s not a lot of places like this,” said one of the owners and instructors, Alex Wilcher.History of the parkBuilt in 1986 on the land of a former clay brick factory, the lake holds a lot of history.“Back about 1950, the plant shut down because they hit a spring, and basically it just became just a pit with water in it, but it was crystal clear,” Alex said.Founder Calvin Wilcher knew this would be the best spot to start his unique business.“I was very enthusiastic about diving. Love to dive, I still do, and I’ve been diving for almost 60 years,” Calvin said.Place for learning and funWhat makes the scuba park so special for learning how to dive is its own private classroom, training pool and lake fo...

2,300 unprocessed sexual assault examination kits from 2015 have now been tested, Minnesota BCA says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:10 GMT

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says it has finished testing thousands of unprocessed sexual assault examination kits submitted by local law enforcement agencies.In 2015, amid a national controversy over the issue, the BCA asked local law enforcement agencies for any untested kits. More than 2,300 were submitted for testing. The agencies cited various reasons for the unsubmitted kits, such as insufficient evidence, conflicting statements to investigators and dismissed charges.Of the processed kits, 357 DNA profiles extracted from the kits matched someone who was listed in the state’s convicted sex offender database. About 130 of those were people not previously identified in sexual assault cases.The BCA is working to improve turnaround time for kit testing. As a result, the agency anticipates a 90-day turnaround time on testing sexual assault kits by this fall.“The BCA continues to look for ways to provide improved processes for victim survivors, local law enforc...

Heat, humidity, and thunderstorms: a dynamic weather mix for today

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:10 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- We've had a few clusters of non-severe thunderstorms early this morning. Still a cluster moving across our southern counties. Clouds will decrease this morning, and we'll have enough sunshine, heat, and humidity to warrant that heat warning. Highs in the mid to upper 90s and dewpoints in the low to mid 70s will bring heat index values to 105–110 again today. This afternoon we will see some thunderstorm activity, but the extent of coverage and placement of the storms are still uncertain. Right now, there's a strong complex of storms in Nebraska. This could impact the region later today and be the focus of our severe threat, but it is unclear how well it'll hold together when it arrives this afternoon. Otherwise, there are more uncertainties with storm chances moving forward into Sunday. The cold front looks to stall across our southern counties and even attempt to lift back to the north. There is the possibility that another complex of storms will move through sometime t...