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American woman says she thought she would die when New Zealand volcano erupted

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:13:44 GMT

An American woman said she told her new husband she loved him and was certain they would die when a New Zealand volcano erupted in 2019 killing 22 people.Lauren, 35, and Matt Urey, 39, returned to New Zealand from their home in Richmond, Virginia, to testify in the Auckland District Court on Wednesday in the trial of three tourism companies and three directors charged with safety breaches over the White Island disaster on Dec. 9.The honeymoon couple were among 47 people on White Island, the tip of an undersea volcano also known by its Indigenous Maori name, Whakaari, when superheated gases erupted. Most of the 25 people who survived were severely burned, including the Ureys.The court was shown video statements the couple provided police as they were convalescing as well as their testimony in court.In 2019, the couple had traveled to New Zealand from Australia aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Ovation of the Seas and Matt Urey had booked the volcano tour through the Florida-base...

Iraq moves toward easing its energy crisis with $27B TotalEnergies deal, but challenges remain

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:13:44 GMT

BAGHDAD (AP) — A multibillion-dollar agreement signed with France’s TotalEnergies could help resolve Iraq’s longstanding electricity crisis, attract international investors and reduce its reliance on gas imports from neighboring Iran, a point of tension with Washington.The $27 billion agreement signed in Baghdad on Monday after years of negotiation marks the largest foreign investment in Iraq’s history. It could even help combat climate change by reducing oil flares, and relieve some of the stress on Iraq’s dwindling waterways through a new desalination plant.But that’s only if the parties implementing the agreement can overcome the endemic corruption and political instability that has undermined Iraq’s oil sector for more than two decades.The Gas Growth Integrated Project focuses on bolstering the country’s oil-rich but underdeveloped Basra province. TotalEnergies would take on a 45% stake in the Basra Oil Company, with Iraq holding 30% and Qatar...

NATO prepared to back Ukraine in its fight against Russia – but not to extend membership

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:13:44 GMT

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — NATO leaders prepared to provide Ukraine with more military assistance for fighting Russia but only vague assurances of future membership as the alliance’s summit draws to a close on Wednesday.A draft agreement states that Ukraine can join NATO “when allies agree and conditions are met.” The ambiguous outcome reflects the challenges of reaching consensus among the alliance’s current members while the war continues, and it is likely to leave Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unsatisfied.Although Zelenskyy planned to attend the summit’s final day, he has been sharply critical of what he described as NATO’s “absurd” reluctance to set a timeline for his country’s acceptance into the alliance. In essence, Western countries are willing to keep sending weapons to help Ukraine do the job that NATO was designed to do — hold the line against a Russian invasion — but not allow Ukraine to join its ranks and benefit from its sec...

16-year-old girl dead after being shot in the eye in Austin

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:13:44 GMT

CHICAGO — A 16-year-old girl is dead after being shot in the eye in the Austin neighborhood Tuesday evening, according to the Chicago Police Department.Police said the 16-year-old girl was involved in a dispute with a male offender in the 5000 block of West Washington Boulevard when he pulled out a gun and shot her in the eye.She was taken to Loretto Hospital in critical condition where she was later pronounced dead. Police: Evidence ties sex offender to location of dead woman before allegedly strangling 10-year-old Police have no one in custody as Area Four detectives continue to investigate the incident.If you or someone you know has information that can help police make a breakthrough in this case, anonymous tips can be filed online at cpdtip.com.***In the initial police report, officers said the victim was 14 years old, but after further investigation, they said her age is 16.***

How Rodney Terry built his first roster as Texas Longhorns head men's basketball coach

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:13:44 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Entering his first full season as the Texas Longhorns men's head basketball coach, Rodney Terry not only recruited through the transfer portal but also in his own locker room.In an interview with KXAN Sports Director Roger Wallace, Terry discussed how he approaches the transfer portal and how he and his staff were able to put together a roster with new and old faces heading into the 2023-24 season.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersStarting with players from the Longhorns' Elite Eight run last season, Terry was able to get Tyrese Hunter and Dillon Mitchell to come back to the 40 Acres after they tested the NBA draft waters. Dylan Disu and Brock Cunningham are also returning for another season, giving the Longhorns solid continuity and experience from last year's squad. "The portal has definitely changed the dynamic of recruiting," Terry said. "I tell our g...

Ex-prisoner transporter sentenced to 9 years for raping detainee on the way to St. Paul

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:13:44 GMT

JOPLIN, Mo. — A man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for raping a Washington detainee at a Missouri rest stop while transporting her to a Minnesota jail, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.The department said Rogeric Hankins, 37, transported inmates who were arrested on out-of-state warrants as part of his job as a private prisoner transporter at Inmate Services Corporation.Prosecutors said Hankins picked up a pretrial detainee from an Olympia, Washington, jail in March 2020 to take her to St. Paul. On the way, he stopped at a Joplin, Missouri, rest stop where prosecutors said he forced the detainee into a bathroom stall and raped her.Hankins’ public defenders did not immediately respond to email and phone requests for comment Tuesday.“The defendant sexually abused and violently assaulted a woman in his custody, exploiting his authority and depriving this survivor of her constitutional right to bodily integrity,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of t...

Long Lake issues State of Emergency

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:13:44 GMT

LONG LAKE, N.Y. (NEWS10) – The Town of Long Lake, along with all of Hamilton County, is under a State of Emergency after heavy rains caused massive flooding, destroying homes, bridges, and roads. The spillway dam on Jennings Park Pond to Long Lake broke overnight and forced emergency evacuations around the area.Homes and power lines are still submerged in water. Route 28N from Long Lake to Newcomb is still closed in both directions after roads were destroyed. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Aubriana Brown is a student at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry; she was in Newcomb with her class to visit their campus at Huntington Forest.“We’ve been up here for like two days now, and last night the flooding happened. So, it kind of messed us up a little bit,” Brown said.Now the class can no longer get back home using their normal route.“We wanna go home tomorrow; that’s our plan. But unfortunately, we have to go t...

St. Peter's Health Partners to conduct impact study on Burdett Birth Center closure

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:13:44 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- St. Peter's Health Partners (SPHP) has agreed to complete an impact study on the proposed closure of the Burdett Birth Center. A spokesperson said they will work with the New York State Department of Health to hire a firm to conduct the study and will work closely with the community to ensure transparency. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! SPHP filed a notice to close just days before a state law took effect that requires healthcare companies to complete an impact study before moving forward with a closure plan. Advocates have criticized the proposal saying it will hurt patients and put further strain on emergency departments.St. Peter's said it has been operating the center at a financial loss and doesn't have enough staff to keep it running.

Video: Driver falls asleep, crashes into small business in St. Louis

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:13:44 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A car was caught on camera slamming into a glass art studio near Lafayette Square. The terrifying ordeal has left the owners of the small, family-owned business truly picking up the pieces.The façade of the building was built in the 1880s displaying artistry on the outside and the inside."The beauty of the glass brings something that I feel like no other medium can bring,” said Elias Preston, co-owner of Preston Glass Art Studio. “Glass has a magic to it.”The Preston Glass Art Studio has been creating and restoring custom glass pieces off Chouteau for almost 20 years.However, on Thursday morning just after 6 a.m., in a matter of seconds, everything came to a crashing stop. A driver allegedly fell asleep behind the wheel and crashed into the building, missing oncoming traffic by only a few moments. St. Louis County man sentenced on child porn charges The driver suffered minor injuries, and no one inside the glass studio was hurt, but the damage is significant."It was a ...

Years after being victimized, a child reports being exploited 22,000 times

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:13:44 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The aftershock of a child porn case is sending traumatic ripples into the lives of young victims.A 33-year-old suspect Christopher D. Cotton revealed continued trauma for child victims. One child said she was exploited online at least 22,000 times.A federal judge gave Cotton a 10-year prison sentence for possessing thousands of images and videos of child porn. The court record indicates the crimes will stay with the victims forever.“It’s not teenagers; it’s very young children, and in the course of their abuse, they’re very often subjected to very violent treatment," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson.The Cotton case includes allegations that one child porn victim was an infant who sometimes appeared unconscious. Another victim said that he was abused from ages 6 to 12 and that it was documented and shared across the country.He’s now 18 and says the “images continue to be shared.”“There is not one day that goes by that I don’t think, with hatred, about the sic...