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South Africa says 31 illegal miners believed killed in explosion in May, only now coming to light

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — At least 31 illegal miners are believed to have died in a gas explosion in a shuttered gold mine in South Africa that happened more than a month ago but is only now coming to light after people reported their relatives missing, authorities said Friday.The miners are all believed to come from the neighboring country of Lesotho.A search of the mine was being delayed because methane gas levels were still dangerously high in the ventilation shaft where the miners are thought to have died, the national Department of Mineral and Energy Resources said in a statement.The mine in the city of Welkom in the central Free State province was previously operated by South Africa’s largest gold-mining company but had been shut down in the 1990s, the department said.The department, which is the government ministry responsible for mining, said it was still piecing together the details of the accident. A spokesperson for Lesotho Prime Minister Sam Matekane said relatives of some min...

Russia opens criminal probe into Wagner Group head over alleged threats to oust defense minister

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The owner of the Wagner private military contractor escalated his direct challenge to the Kremlin on Friday, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia’s defense minister. The security services reacted immediately by opening a criminal investigation into Yevgeny Prigozhin.Prigozhin posted a series of angry video and audio recordings in which he accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering a rocket strike Friday on Wagner’s field camps in Ukraine, where his troops are fighting on behalf of Russia. Prigozhin said his troops would now punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion and urged the army not to offer resistance. “This is not a military coup, but a march of justice,” Prigozhin declared.The National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Services, said he would be investigated on charges of calling for an armed rebellion. The state news agency Tass said President Vladimir Putin was kept informed.Wagner’s forces ...

Mexico probes video showing gunmen demanding protection money from bar hostesses at gunpoint

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Authorities in Mexico said Friday they’re investigating a video that appears to show gunmen from a drug cartel forcing female bar hostesses to kneel on the floor in a mock execution and extorting money from them.The video, posted on social media, shows one of the gunmen holding a pistol to the head of one woman as she is forced to lie flat on the floor. His foot is on her shoulder as she pleads with him not to shoot. “Yes, yes, yes. Please don’t shoot. Please,” says the woman in the video.“This is so you know, the owner of the escort business is the CJNG,” the masked gunman says, referring to the initials of the Jalisco New Generation cartel. Those initials also appear on the tactical vests the gunmen are wearing.“You have to report to us every week,” the gunman says, though he did not say how much the women will be forced to pay.The Jalisco cartel is one of the groups that have waged a bloody years-long turf war in the north-central state of Guanajuato, whi...

Jennifer Lawrence on ‘No Hard Feelings,’ the R-rated comedy made with the Oscar winner in mind

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jennifer Lawrence has wanted to do a big comedy for years. She has always been funny and vibrant in her television appearances. And while she has brought humor and physical comedy to many of her roles for David O. Russell and others, she also hasn’t exactly gotten the big, broad “Dumb and Dumber” or “Anchorman” experience, to cite some of her favorites (or at least the ones she’s memorized). That changes Friday with “No Hard Feelings,” a classic, raunchy R-rated comedy that was tailor made for the Oscar winner. “I’ve always wanted to do a comedy. And I’ve read a lot of them,” Lawrence told The Associated Press during an interview about the highly anticipated summer movie season. “I just didn’t read anything that was funny enough.”“No Hard Feelings” was inspired by a real Craigslist ad posted by parents who were seeking a woman to “date” their son to bring him out of his shell the summer before he went to college. There are debates over just how real the ...

ACLU lawsuit says Georgia school district ignored racism targeting Black students

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Four Black students sued a Georgia school district in federal court Friday, saying teachers and administrators violated their civil rights by fostering “a longstanding and ongoing environment of racial discrimination.”The American Civil Liberties Union filed the civil lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the Effingham County School District in southeast Georgia.The unnamed teenage plaintiffs, identified only by their initials, allege that school officials ignored complaints of white students casually using racist slurs, and at times made Black students feel like troublemakers for reporting them.A Black student identified only as N.T. said that after posting his reaction on social media to racist comments by white peers, his high school’s athletic director “blamed Black students for the White students’ language, asserting that White students used racial epithets because Black students used racial language when talking to each other,” according to th...

Park Ridge warning community of man impersonating police officer, assaulting teen girls

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

PARK RIDGE, Ill. -- The Park Ridge Police Department is investigating two reported incidents of a man who impersonated a police officer while approaching teenage girls.On Wednesday, June 14, two teenage girls were walking near Touhy Ave and Seminary Ave when they were approached by a man who started to question them about why they were out past curfew.During the June 14 incident, Park Ridge PD report that the man grabbed the buttocks of one of the teenage girls and offered to walk them home. Mother instructed 14-year-old son to shoot, kill man at hot dog stand, court docs allege Just after midnight on Friday, June 23, two different teenage girls were walking near Courtland Ave and Albion Ave when they were approached by the same man who identified himself as a police officer.The man reportedly asked the girls if they knew they were out past curfew and again grabbed the buttocks of one of the teenage girls.The man is described as White or Hispanic, 30-years-old, 5-foot-10, weighin...

Schumer encourages bipartisan approach as Democrats, Republicans concerned about potential of AI

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) -- Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are concerned about the potential of artificial intelligence and what it could do if the U.S. doesn't get ahead of it.Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said this is the perfect opportunity to learn more about AI and properly use it."Congress cannot behave like ostriches in the sand," Schumer said.Schumer said even though AI can transform our lives for the better, lawmakers cannot ignore the possible dangers, such as "workforce disruptions in a very serious way, misinformation and new weapons (and) threats against our elections."He says developing AI regulations will help build public trust."If people don't think innovation can be done safely without danger, that will stifle AI's development and even prevent us from moving forward," Schumer said.Schumer is encouraging a bipartisan approach to learn about AI and set the proper guardrails to make it safely work for the country."So I think Congress' role right no...

Happy Gilmore joins Ball State golf team, Adam Sandler 'pulling' for him

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

MUNCIE, Ind. (WXIN) — Happy Gilmore will be golfing for Ball State University in 2024. Yes, you read that correctly. Bloomington South golfer Happy Gilmore — who made the All-State Team two years in a row — has committed to continuing his golfing career as a member of the Ball State Men's Golf Team. Born Landon James Gilmore, the young golfer said he's had a love for the game since he was old enough to swing a club. Gilmore was bestowed the nickname "Happy" — in reference to the famous 1996 comedy starring Adam Sandler — by a heckler after Gilmore won a long drive competition at age 9. Bloomington's own Happy Gilmore has been competing under the name ever since. But don't worry, Gilmore only busts out the "Happy Gilmore Swing" for fun. Never in a competition. Small size, big benefits: These are the best small cities of 2023, study says Gilmore spent his youth playing in golf tours including the U.S. Kids Tour where he played in the championship in 2015, 2018 and 2019. He also com...

Judge blocks Florida 'anti-drag' law in response to Hamburger Mary's lawsuit

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. (WFLA) — A federal judge in Orlando has temporarily blocked the enforcement of a Florida law that opponents say stifles the free expression of drag artists, according to newly released court documents. On Friday, Judge Gregory A. Presnell ordered a preliminary injunction in response to a lawsuit challenging the bill, which was filed by a drag-themed restaurant, Hamburger Mary's, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed SB-1438, titled "Protection of Children Act," into law last month. State leaders say the legislation aims to shield children from obscene "adult live performances." Opponents of the bill say it is "anti-drag." Any business caught violating the statute is subject to fines and could have their operating or liquor licenses revoked by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). ‘Gender identity is real’: Federal judge blocks Florida transgender healthcare ban for some children The l...

ERCOT can’t be sued over power grid failures during 2021 winter storm, Texas Supreme Court rules

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:00 GMT

AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) — The Supreme Court of Texas narrowly decided Friday that sovereign immunity, which largely shields government agencies from civil lawsuits, also protects the operator of the Texas electric grid.The 5-4 opinion will likely free the nonprofit corporation from lawsuits filed by thousands of Texans for deaths, injuries and damages following the deadly 2021 winter storm, unless lawyers find another way forward.The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the power supply for most of Texas, qualifies for immunity because it “provides an essential governmental service,” Chief Justice Nathan Hecht wrote in the majority opinion. State law intended for ERCOT to have the power of an “arm of the State government,” Hecht wrote. If anyone is going to hold ERCOT accountable for its actions, Hecht wrote, it should be state regulators or the Legislature, not the courts.Freezing temperatures gripped the state during the 2021 winter storm, straining the power supply...