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Battery technology in the crashed Venice bus made it less prone to catastrophic fires, experts say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:43:12 GMT

MILAN (AP) — Italy’s transport minister is questioning the spread of electric vehicle technology following the fiery crash of a fully electric shuttle bus that killed 21 people in mainland Venice. But the battery chemistry used by the Chinese bus maker makes it less prone to catastrophic fires, experts said. Transport Minister Matteo Salvini said the accident involving an electric bus that drove through an overpass guardrail during rush-hour Tuesday should be “cause for reflection.”“It is early to comment,’’ Salvini said, “But someone told me that electric batteries catch fire more quickly than other power sources. In a moment in when everything must be electric, there is cause for reflection.”Prosecutors have ordered an expert examination of the guardrail as one of several strands of the investigation, which is looking at such possible causes as a sudden illness to the driver, who was among the dead, or a risky road maneuver. The city-owned, fully electric bus was traveling on a ce...

Who might replace McCarthy as House speaker? What are Republicans already demanding for their vote?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:43:12 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — For Republicans, it’s a question with no clear answer: Who becomes House speaker after Kevin McCarthy?It’s not at all certain that any of the GOP candidates will be able to round up enough votes — 218, if all lawmakers are present and voting — to ascend to one of the most powerful positions in government, second in line to the presidency. Two longtime party stalwarts and hard-liners, Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, have begun making their case though phone calls and texts to colleagues.With the House trying to pick a new leader as soon as next week, others are waiting in the wings, including Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern, who as chair of the Republican Study Committee leads the largest faction of Republicans in the chamber.McCarthy’s chaotic election as speaker in January took 15 punishing rounds and left him in a weakened position that contributed to his unprecedented downfall. Now, top Republicans want ...

Canada planning to send RCMP trainers to Haiti military intervention

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:43:12 GMT

OTTAWA — Global Affairs Canada says Canada is likely to deploy RCMP officers to Haiti to act as trainers in a multinational military invention, with officials promising an added focus on preventing sexual violence.“The RCMP are looking at being focused on technical training,” said Lisa Vandehei, the head of an interdepartmental task force on Haiti at Global Affairs Canada.“Canada’s training mission, the planning for it is still underway,” she testified at the Senate foreign-affairs committee Thursday.The United Nations Security Council approved a multinational force Monday to help combat violent gangs in Haiti, which Kenya has offered to lead by January.Vandehei said Canada is still assessing its contribution to the mission, adding that Kenya is prepared to launch a deployment within 90 days of its parliament ratifying the mission.She said the RCMP will likely train officers of the Haitian National Police on “very surgical, technical areas” ...

Wisconsin hearing considers $614M plan to fund Milwaukee Brewers stadium repairs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:43:12 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The chief architect of a plan to hand the Milwaukee Brewers more than $614 million to cover stadium improvements defended his proposal Thursday in front of a legislative committee, promising the deal will keep the team in Milwaukee for another generation without new taxes.Republican state Rep. Rob Brooks has developed a pair of bills that call for handing public dollars from the state, the city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County to the team. He argued for the bills at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis during a public hearing organized by the state assembly.The team’s fans are reeling after the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Brewers 5-2 on Wednesday night, eliminating them from the playoffs. Brooks began his presentation by joking that he doesn’t blame the committee for the loss. He spent the next hour and a half promoting the proposal but cautioning that it was still a work in progress.He stressed that the package creates no new taxes, instea...

Drone attack kills 80 and wounds 240 at a packed Syrian military graduation ceremony, official says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:43:12 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — A drone attack hit a crowded military graduation ceremony Thursday in the Syrian city of Homs, killing 80 people and wounding 240, the health minister said, in one of the deadliest attacks on the war-torn country’s army in years.The strike killed civilians, including six children, as well as military personnel, and there were concerns the death toll could rise as many of the wounded were in serious condition, Health Minister Hassan al-Ghabash said. Syria’s military said in an earlier statement that drones laden with explosives targeted the ceremony packed with young officers and their families as it was wrapping up. It accused insurgents “backed by known international forces” of the attack, without naming any particular group, and said “it will respond with full force and decisiveness to these terrorist organizations, wherever they exist.”No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack as Syria endures its 13th year of conflict.U.N. Secretary-General A...

A man seeking Wisconsin’s governor illegally brought guns into the state Capitol – twice in one day

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:43:12 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A man illegally brought a loaded handgun into the Wisconsin Capitol, demanding to see Gov. Tony Evers, and returned at night with an assault rifle after posting bail, police said Thursday.The man, who was shirtless and had a holstered handgun, approached the governor’s office on the first floor of the Capitol around 2 p.m. Wednesday, state Department of Administration spokesperson Tatyana Warrick said. The 43-year-old man said “he would not leave until he saw Governor Evers” so he could talk about “domestic abuse towards men,” Capitol police said in a bulletin sent to lawmakers and their staffs.Evers was not in the building at the time, Warrick said.A Capitol police officer sits at a desk outside of a suite of rooms that includes the governor’s office, conference room and offices for the attorney general. The man was taken into custody for openly carrying a firearm in the Capitol, which is against the law, Warrick said. Weapons can be brought into th...

3 doctors fatally shot and 1 wounded at a Rio beach, and the motive remains unclear

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:43:12 GMT

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Gunmen killed three doctors and wounded a fourth in a gangland-style hit while the men were at a beachside eatery early Thursday in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. The fact that one victim was the brother of a federal lawmaker led to immediate speculation — including from Brazil’s justice minister — that it may have been a politically motivated assassination. However, a report from television network Globo later Thursday said authorities’ main line of investigation is that the hit was a case of mistaken identity, with one of the targets confused for the son of a local militia group.Security camera footage obtained by local newspaper O Globo showed a group of black-clad gunmen emerging from a car and running up to the victims’ beachside table in the Barra da Tijuca neighborhood and opening fire before making their escape. The entire incident lasted less than 30 seconds.The men were in town from Sao Paulo for an international orthopedics conference and lawm...

The US government seems ready to order a recall of millions of air bag inflators for safety concerns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:43:12 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government appears poised to order a recall of millions of air bag inflators due to a manufacturing flaw that could send metal shrapnel rocketing through a car’s interior. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration held a public hearing Thursday to field commentary and testimony on inflators made by ARC Automotive Inc. of Knoxville, Tennessee, which supplies the devices to air bag makers and several major auto companies. At least 25 million vehicles containing ARC-made air bags could be affected.At the heart of the issue is a metal inflator canister inside the airbag device. The government contends that a crucial flaw could cause this canister to “rupture” upon impact. Instead of releasing pressurized gas to inflate the air bag, the canister essentially explodes, sending metal shrapnel into the vehicle at head height. “These injuries can be gruesome and can happen in crashes where otherwise the individual would have walked away from the crash...

Officers’ lawyers challenge analysis of video that shows Black man’s death in Tacoma, Washington

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:43:12 GMT

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Lawyers for three police officers charged in the death of Manny Ellis on Thursday challenged a forensic video analyst’s interpretation of videos shot by witnesses that show the Black man’s fatal arrest in Tacoma, Washington.Prosecutors also planned to call Ellis’ sister, Monét Carter-Mixon, to testify later Thursday.Tacoma Officers Matthew Collins and Christopher Burbank, both white, are charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of Ellis on March 3, 2020. Officer Timothy Rankine, who is Asian American, is charged with manslaughter. All three have pleaded not guilty.Video evidence is key in the case against the officers. The officers say Ellis was violent toward them during the encounter, but the videos and witness statements indicate he didn’t fight back.On Wednesday, forensic video analyst Grant Fredericks walked the jury through one of the videos, frame by frame. It shows Collins on the ground behind Ellis with his hands...

Several casing markers visible as Aurora police probe deadly shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:43:12 GMT

AURORA, Ill. — A 47-year-old man was shot and killed in the backyard of a home in Aurora on Thursday, police said.SkyCam9 flew above the 100 block of N. Calhoun St. on Thursday as police canvassed the area. Evidence markers and a discarded bicycle were visible in the grass and nearby roadway as law enforcement officials focused their attention near a home on N. Calhoun Street.Around noon, arriving officers located the shooting victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The victim was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. SEE ALSO: FBI releases video of armored car robbery attempt near south suburban WalmartNo other injuries were reported.Despite a significant police presence, authorities say there is no threat to the public. The shooting victim's name will be identified once next of kin is notified, police added. No one is in custody. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines Anyone with information is asked to call police at (630) 256-5500, Aurora Area Crime Stoppers at ...