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Christian group and family raise outcry over detention of another ‘house church’ elder in China

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:07:47 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Ding Zhongfu was awakened by loud pounding on his door. Five policemen greeted Ding, an elder in a Chinese church.The officers pinned him to the wall that Thursday morning in November and interrogated him while searching the apartment he shared with his wife, Ge Yunxia, and their 6-year old daughter.Ding’s family now pleads for his release after he was taken from his home in China’s central Anhui province on suspicion of fraud. In their first public comments on the case, the family denies that Ding committed any fraud.Instead, they told The Associated Press in an interview, it is part of a wider crackdown on religious freedoms in China.Four others were detained, all senior members of the Ganquan church, a name that means “Sweet Spring,” according to the family. All were taken on suspicion of fraud, according to a bulletin from the church.“Under the fabricated charge of ‘fraud,’ many Christians faced harsh persecution,” said Bob Fu, the founder ...

A top French TV personality receives a preliminary charge of rape and abusing authority

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:07:47 GMT

PARIS (AP) — France’s most famous TV presenter has been handed a preliminary charge of rape by a person abusing his authority as authorities investigate complaints by about 20 women who have accused him of sexual misconduct over decades.Patrick Poivre d’Arvor denies wrongdoing, and has sued 16 of his accusers. A revered personality who hosted France’s most popular news program for more than two decades, he insists the sexual encounters were consensual.The prosecutor’s office in the Paris suburb of Nanterre said Wednesday that Poivre d’Arvor was given preliminary charges of rape by a person abusing his authority for alleged actions dating from 2009. He was also named as an ‘’assisted witness’’ in another alleged rape from 2004.Both incidents involved author Florence Porcel, who filed legal complaints in 2021. The Associated Press generally does not identify those who say they have been victims of sexual wrongdoing, except when they publicly identify themselves.Under French law, preli...

US defense secretary makes unannounced visit to USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier defending Israel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:07:47 GMT

ABOARD THE USS GERALD R. FORD (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin flew out to the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier Wednesday to meet with the sailors he has ordered to remain at sea to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spilling over into a deadlier regional conflict. Austin was in the region to press Israel to shift its bombardment of Gaza to a more limited campaign and more quickly transition to address Palestinian civilians’ dire humanitarian needs. At the same time, the U.S. has been concerned that Israel will launch a similar military operation along its northern border with Lebanon to expel Hezbollah militants there, potentially opening a second front and widening the war. At a news conference in Tel Aviv on Monday, Austin didn’t say whether U.S. troops might be further extended to defend Israel if its campaign expands into Lebanon, and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant seemed to tone down recent rhetoric that a northern front was imminent, deferring to dipl...

Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka confronted by a fan on the field at Chelsea

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:07:47 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka was confronted by a fan who ran onto the field during the English League Cup quarterfinal match at Chelsea. The supporter appeared to collide with Dubravka after Mykhailo Mudryk scored a stoppage-time equalizer for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday. He then evaded a steward as he ran back into the crowd. Police and Chelsea are reportedly investigating the incident.The match ended 1-1 and Chelsea advanced to the semifinals after winning a penalty shootout 4-2. Afterward both managers voiced their concerns about player safety. “We need to be careful. The fans need to be careful with this type of thing because it’s a thing that can put in danger the players,” Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino said. “I’m disappointed. I don’t agree with this type of thing that happened here in Stamford Bridge and in other stadiums in England or around the world. It’s always disappointing with this type of thing because it’s dangerous.”...

Study shows AI image-generators being trained on explicit photos of children

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:07:47 GMT

Hidden inside the foundation of popular artificial intelligence image-generators are thousands of images of child sexual abuse, according to a new report that urges companies to take action to address a harmful flaw in the technology they built.Those same images have made it easier for AI systems to produce realistic and explicit imagery of fake children as well as transform social media photos of fully clothed real teens into nudes, much to the alarm of schools and law enforcement around the world.Until recently, anti-abuse researchers thought the only way that some unchecked AI tools produced abusive imagery of children was by essentially combining what they’ve learned from two separate buckets of online images — adult pornography and benign photos of kids. But the Stanford Internet Observatory found more than 3,200 images of suspected child sexual abuse in the giant AI database LAION, an index of online images and captions that’s been used to train leading AI image-ma...

Suspicious activity reporting drops in Texas for 2nd year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:07:47 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — In the wake of mass shootings in recent years, Texas’ highest leaders have touted iWatchTexas as a critical statewide tool for reporting suspicious activity, alerting law enforcement to potential violence. Despite promotional efforts, total annual reports have dwindled for the past two years, according to records obtained by KXAN.KXAN revisited the usage of iWatch following the Dec. 5 killing spree that left six dead in Austin and San Antonio. The suspected shooter, 34-year-old Shane James, was known to law enforcement in San Antonio. He had mental health crisis interactions with police, cut off an ankle monitor and had active warrants for family violence, court documents said. Yet, it remains unclear if James was on the radar of intelligence analysts that monitor suspicious activity reports.The Texas Suspicious Activity Reporting Network is a statewide hub for receiving, analyzing and responding to reports of terrorism, school safety and other crime issues, accordin...

5 things to know this Wednesday, December 20

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:07:47 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Happy humpday! According to Meteorologist Jill Szwed, we can expect temperatures in the 40s with sunshine before nightfall. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! On December 18 at around 4:39 a.m., a car flipped onto its roof and into several feet of water in a ditch off of I-690 eastbound. The driver, identified as 44-year-old ​Udayabhanu Anjanappilly of Cohoes, crashed between the Midler and Thompson Road exits in Syracuse. Also, Nelson Patino was sentenced Tuesday for killing his wife and son and injuring his other son. It happened two years ago in Duanesburg. In October, Patino was found guilty of six charges. The jury handed down the verdict following a day-long deliberation. These stories, and more, are covered in your five things to know this Wednesday morning. 1. Cohoes driver dies after car flip near SyracuseOn December 18 at around 4:39 a.m., a car flipped onto its roof and into several feet of water in a d...

Man hospitalized after house fire in Maryville, Illinois

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:07:47 GMT

MARYVILLE, Ill. - Another fire broke out Wednesday morning; this one was in Maryville, Illinois.It started at an apartment on Patty Drive around 3:00 a.m. Firefighters said that the flames started in the back of the building. An older man was taken to the hospital. Stolen car seen in Central West End belongs to long-time police officer There was no word on his condition on Wednesday morning. The state fire marshal is looking into the cause.FOX 2 will update this story with more information as it becomes available.

Missing 42-year-old woman returns home safely

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:07:47 GMT

FERGUSON, Mo. - Ferguson police have canceled an endangered person advisory for a missing 42-year-old woman. LGBTQ community rallies around south city bar following crash She left her home on Harrison Avenue in Ferguson on Monday without her cellphone or personal property. Sh has since returned home safely.

German-style Denver brewery opens huge new biergarten and production facility

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:07:47 GMT

As the craft beer industry in Colorado has matured and settled in the two years since the end of the pandemic, there has been a spate of small buyouts, closures and consolidations. For some, this has meant difficult times. For others, it has created opportunities to expand.On Dec. 20. Prost Brewing, which was founded in Denver’s Lower Highland neighborhood in 2012, will open the doors to one of the bigger expansions in recent memory – a Munich-sized taproom and biergarten, at 351 W. 104th Ave in Northglenn, that is connected to a 60,000-square-foot production space, which soon will begin making beer on two large brewing systems.Visitors to the new Prost Brewing in Northglenn will be able to look into the brewhouse through large windows. (Prost Brewing)In addition to its traditional German-style beers – such as pilsner, dunkel, marzen, Vienna lager and kolsch – Prost will offer a menu of regional specialties, like a sausage board with sauerkraut and mustard; giant pretzels served wit...