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Congo’s presidential vote is extended as delays and smudged ballots lead to fears about credibility

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:05 GMT

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Lengthy delays at the polls led voting in Congo’s presidential election to be extended Wednesday as the West African nation faced steep logistical and security challenges that raised questions about credibility.It was not clear whether balloting would extend into Thursday after the election commission said it would continue “to allow every voter until the last.”Some 44 million people — almost half the population — were expected to vote, but many, including several million displaced by conflict in the vast country’s east, struggled to cast ballots. The fighting prevented 1.5 million people from registering to vote.At stake is the future of one of Africa’s largest nations and one whose mineral resources are increasingly crucial to the global economy. Congo has a history of disputed elections that can turn violent, and there’s little confidence among many Congolese in the country’s institutions.“In time of coup d’état and autocracy in Afri...

Jury convicts boy and girl in England of murdering transgender teenager in frenzied knife attack

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:05 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A boy and a girl were found guilty Wednesday of murdering a transgender teenager in northwest England earlier this year, in a frenzied knife attack that was described as “horrific” by police.Brianna Ghey, 16, was stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back in broad daylight after being lured to a park in the town of Warrington on Feb. 11.The convicted pair, who are identified only as girl X and boy Y, are 16 now but were 15 at the time. They denied killing Ghey, and each blamed the other for the fatal stabbing. It is not known which one or if both wielded the knife. Neither had been in trouble with police before.A jury of seven men and five women convicted the two following a four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court. The jurors deliberated for just four hours and 40 minutes of deliberations.“You probably didn’t anticipate sitting on a case as emotionally difficult as this one,” Justice Amanda Yip told them.The trial heard that the you...

Did you see those red dots in the sky Tuesday night?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:05 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Did you see those red dots in the sky over Denver Tuesday night? They weren't drones and it wasn't Starlink. Those dots were the Denver Broncos Thunderstorm skydivers -- and they're actually orange.On Tuesday night around 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., you may have seen four dots in the sky that had a red-orange tint. Broncos’ chances for the playoffs are declining, but not impossible What you saw was the pregame show. The Broncos' skydiving team was practicing for the upcoming Broncos game, according to Frank Casares, the owner of Mile High Skying.A member of the Denver Broncos Thunderstorm Skydiving team is shown before an NFL football game against the Houston Texans Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)A member of Thunderstorm parachutes into Empower Field at Mile High before a preseason NFL football game between the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Rams Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)A member of Thunderstorm, the Denver ...

National Signing Day: Players signing to Colorado Buffs football

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:05 GMT

BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) -- Wednesday is National Signing Day for college football. This week, high school recruits around the country are choosing colleges and signing letters of intent.After a season that sold out Folsom Field for the first time ever, brought celebrities to games and brought an estimated $113.2 million to the local economy, the University of Colorado Buffaloes football is bringing new recruits for the coming season. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get Broncos, Nuggets, Rockies and more sports news Here is a list of the athletes signing commitment letters with CU this week, with their positions, previous schools and hometowns.High school signees:Kam MikellAthleteStatesboro High SchoolStatesboro, GeorgiaEric Brantley Jr.Defensive lineValdosta High SchoolValdosta, GeorgiaBrandon Davis-SwainDefensive lineWest Bloomfield High SchoolDetroit, MichiganDrelon MillerWide receiverSilsbee High SchoolSilsbee, TexasMicah WelchRunning backBaldwin High SchoolMilledgeville, GeorgiaTr...

Germany aims to seize €720 million of frozen Russian money

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:05 GMT

BERLIN — At a time when Germany’s ruling coalition is scrambling to find money due to its still-simmering budget crisis, it might be getting an unexpected windfall: a large chunk of frozen Russian money.Germany’s top federal prosecutor on Wednesday announced a motion to confiscate about €720 million held by a Russian financial institution in a Frankfurt bank account.“We will not allow Russian funds used to finance the illegal war of aggression against Ukraine to be held unchallenged in German accounts,” Justice Minister Marco Buschmann wrote on X, adding: “Liberal democracy defends itself on the side of the attacked and opposes violence with the law.”The motion represents an escalation of Germany’s efforts to sanction Russia. If prosecutors are successful, the frozen Russian funds would flow into Germany’s federal coffers, according to an official with knowledge of the case, providing the government with a potential financial boon.Until now, Germany has...

Gretchen’s table: Lamb tagine with dates and shallots

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:05 GMT

Gretchen McKay | (TNS) Pittsburgh Post-GazetteMost would agree one of the best parts of being on vacation is getting to try unfamiliar foods and cuisines and realizing, with the right recipes, you can re-create those tastes at home.While my husband and I weren’t too crazy about the skewered sardines and fried cuttlefish found in seafood restaurants and in the beach bars on a recent trip to southern Spain, we couldn’t get enough of tagine, the traditional Moroccan dish we ate several times after taking the ferry from Tarifa in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia, to Tangier, Morocco, to celebrate a pretty big anniversary this fall.Tagine refers to two things in this city famous for its mosques and medinas: a slow-cooked North African stew of spiced meat and vegetables that’s communally eaten with bread to soak up the fragrant sauce, and the namesake earthenware vessel with a conical lid it’s cooked in.The perfect balance of sweet and savory, tagine is typically m...

‘The Color Purple’ review: Musical adaptation soars thanks to its drama

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:05 GMT

As toe-tapping and soul-stirring as it often is, the music of the musical film version of “The Color Purple” hitting theaters on Christmas Day isn’t the reason to see it.See it because it’s “The Color Purple.”Based on the stage musical that made its Broadway debut in 2005, the new movie is — like the acclaimed 1985 film directed by Steven Spielberg — an adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award for Fiction-winning novel.Walker’s narrative about the often heartbreaking struggles of a group of Black women living in the American South early in the 20th century remains so powerful, so engrossing, that you sometimes find yourself waiting for a number to end so you can get back to the drama.That is meant not as a slight to work of the writers of the stage show’s music and lyrics — Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray, who along with book writer Marsha Norman are counted among the film’s producers — but as praise of the direction of Blitz Bazawule, the s...

Quick Fix: Pesto Lamb with Wild Mushroom Rice

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:05 GMT

Linda Gassenheimer | Tribune News ServiceHere’s an easy and quick dinner that’s perfect for the holiday season or any time you need a quick meal. Loin lamb chops are topped with a prepared pesto sauce, making this a special meal that takes only minutes to make. I used shiitake mushrooms to make wild mushroom rice. They’re quickly sauteed in a skillet with some garlic and then the same skillet is used to cook the lamb.Only one skillet to wash. Using microwaveable brown rice means the side dish takes only 3 minutes to make.HELPFUL HINTS:Any type of mushroom can be used.An easy way to chop chives is to snip them with scissors.COUNTDOWN:Prepare all ingredients.Make rice and use the same skillet to make the lamb.Make lamb.SHOPPING LIST:To buy: 4 3-to-4-ounce loin lamb chops (about 1-inch thick), 1 can olive oil spray, 1 container prepared reduced fat pesto sauce, 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, 1 bunch chives and 1 package microwaveable brown rice.Staples: olive oil, garlic, salt and black ...

Panera ‘charged lemonade’ deaths put renewed focus on energy drink safety

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:05 GMT

Chris Dolmetsch | Bloomberg News (TNS)Panera Bread Co. must face a lawsuit over a death allegedly linked to its new line of “charged” lemonades, which have thrust the company into the spotlight and brought a renewed focus on the safety of caffeinated energy drinks.The company on Monday lost a bid to dismiss a complaint that was filed by the family of Sarah Katz, a 21-year-old University of Pennsylvania student, who sued the company after she died of cardiac arrest in September 2022. Another suit was filed last month in relation to the death of a 46-year-old Florida man who had a heart attack after consuming the beverage in October.Panera introduced Charged Lemonade in April 2022 to capture a slice of the $21 billion energy drink market, which grew by about 8.6% last year, according to Beverage Digest. The amount of caffeine in the drinks has been the subject of numerous social media posts since they were introduced last year.While a multitude of energy drinks are available, a lawyer...

US baby boomers over 70 hold more than 30% of country’s wealth

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:05 GMT

Alex Tanzi | (TNS) Bloomberg NewsMost don’t work anymore, but Americans age 70 and older have seen their share of collective wealth surge during the pandemic.As a group, these older baby boomers have accumulated more than $14 trillion in additional net worth since the end 2019, based on Federal Reserve data. Their share of the country’s wealth has jumped to a record 30% last quarter, even though they account for 11% of the population.The aging population helps explain some the gains: There are about 2.3 million more people over 70 in the country than in 2019. But one major driver was the surge in home values and stocks during the pandemic, which benefited older generations most likely to own a house — or two — and hold equities or mutual funds.Although people who are over 70 are typically retired, a rising portion of that age group is still working. The share of adults age 65 and more in the labor force reached a historic low of 10% in the mid-1980s but has since almost doubled, acc...