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Today: January 20, 2025
Today: January 20, 2025
The Los Angeles Post

The Los Angeles Post

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World

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is writing a book on leadership

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Friday she is writing a book, with the focus more on leadership than on politics. In an Instagram post, Ardern said she is often asked whether she will write about her five years as New Zealand’s leader. “At first, my answer was no. I didn’t want to write a book that hauled over the internal politics of the last five years, and then someone convinced me that I didn’t have to,” Ardern wrote. “That maybe it might be worth expanding on some of things I talked about

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is writing a book on leadership
World

Nearly 1.5 million foreign pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia so far for annual Hajj pilgrimage

Muslim pilgrims streamed into the holy city of Mecca on Friday ahead of the start of Hajj next week, as the annual pilgrimage returns to its monumental scale after three years of heavy restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic. Saudi officials say close to 1.5 million foreign pilgrims have arrived in the country so far, the vast majority by air. More are expected, and hundreds of thousands of Saudis and others living in Saudi Arabia will also join them when the pilgrimage officially begins on Monday. Saudi officials have said they expect the number of

Nearly 1.5 million foreign pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia so far for annual Hajj pilgrimage
World

Suspected Russian diplomat is occupying the nation's vetoed embassy site in Australia's capital

A suspected lone Russian diplomat is apparently squatting on the site of Moscow’s proposed embassy after the Australian government vetoed the plan on security grounds. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese dismissed the Russian act of defiance, saying a “bloke standing in the cold on a bit of grass in Canberra is not a threat to our national security.” Parliament passed emergency legislation last week blocking on security grounds Russia’s lease on the largely empty block because the new embassy would have been too close to Parliament House. A man has been living on the site in a

Suspected Russian diplomat is occupying the nation's vetoed embassy site in Australia's capital
World

Chased from their homes by gangs, thousands of Haitians languish in shelters with lives in limbo

A gang rampaged through the Cite Soleil slum, killing and raping and setting fire to hundreds of wood-and-tin homes. Forced out of the neighborhood, one family of four lived on the streets of Port-au-Prince until they were struck by a truck as they slept. Two brothers, 2 and 9, died in the November accident. Jean-Kere Almicar opened his home to their distraught parents, then another family, then another, until there were nearly 200 people camped out in his front yard and nearby. They are among more than 165,000 Haitians who have fled their homes amid a

Chased from their homes by gangs, thousands of Haitians languish in shelters with lives in limbo
Science

With the fate of those on Titanic-bound submersible known, focus turns to cause of fatal implosion

The search for a missing Titanic-bound submersible has become an investigation and salvage mission that will take an indefinite amount of time, officials said, as tributes from around the world poured in for the five people killed when the vessel imploded deep in the North Atlantic. The announcement Thursday that all aboard perished when the submersible imploded near the site of the iconic shipwreck brought a tragic end to a five-day saga that included an urgent around-the-clock search and a worldwide vigil for the vessel known as the Titan. The investigation into what happened was already underway and would continue

With the fate of those on Titanic-bound submersible known, focus turns to cause of fatal implosion
Political

Biden is getting endorsements from 3 abortion rights groups as Democrats bank on the issue in 2024

President Joe Biden is banking on reproductive rights to be a galvanizing issue for voters in the 2024 presidential election as he collects a trio of top-level endorsements and hosts a rally Friday to mark the approaching anniversary of the Supreme Court decision overturning federal abortion protections. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are being endorsed by Planned Parenthood Action Fund, NARAL Pro-Choice America and Emily’s List. The groups are throwing their early support behind the reelection effort in part to highlight the importance of the issue for Democrats heading into the election year, the groups’ leaders

Biden is getting endorsements from 3 abortion rights groups as Democrats bank on the issue in 2024
World

Tourist sub's implosion draws attention to murky regulations of deep-sea expeditions

When the Titan submersible made its fateful dive into the North Atlantic on Sunday, it also plunged into the murkily regulated waters of deep-sea exploration. It’s a space on the high seas where laws and conventions can be sidestepped by risk-taking entrepreneurs and the wealthy tourists who help fund their dreams. At least for now. “We’re at a point in submersible operations in deep water that’s kind of akin to where aviation was in the early 20th century,” said Salvatore Mercogliano, a history professor at Campbell University in North Carolina who focuses on maritime history and

Tourist sub's implosion draws attention to murky regulations of deep-sea expeditions
World

The Paris summit on finance and climate comes to an end. Time for concrete steps?

After all the talking, time for tangible solutions? The aim of the two-day climate and finance summit ending Friday in Paris was to set up concrete measures to help poor and developing countries whose predicaments have been worsened by the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine better tackle poverty and climate change. Even though the gathering of world and financial leaders has no mandate to make formal decisions, French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to deliver a to-do list that should be accompanied by a progress-tracking tool. “We have to come up

The Paris summit on finance and climate comes to an end. Time for concrete steps?
Science

NASA opposes lithium mining at tabletop flat Nevada desert site used to calibrate satellites

Environmentalists, ranchers and others have fought for years against lithium mining ventures in Nevada. Yet opposition to mining one particular desert tract for the silvery white metal used in electric car batteries is coming from unusual quarters: space. An ancient Nevada lakebed beckons as a vast source of the coveted metal needed to produce cleaner electric energy and fight global warming. But NASA says the same site — flat as a tabletop and undisturbed like none other in the Western Hemisphere — is indispensable for calibrating the razor-sharp measurements of hundreds of satellites orbiting overhead. At

NASA opposes lithium mining at tabletop flat Nevada desert site used to calibrate satellites
World

They fled the war in Nigeria's northeast. Then bulldozers levelled their homes at a camp in Abuja

On a breezy morning at the height of the dry season six months ago, Rifkatu Andruwus and her children were chatting in front of their house in a displacement camp in the heart of Nigeria’s capital. Suddenly, security forces stormed into the camp, followed closely by bulldozers. The family of seven had just about half an hour to pack their belongings and leave before their shanty house and about 200 others were reduced to rubble. “They sent people to come and tell us to pack,” said 66-year-old Andruwus. “Then they started demolishing.” The Durumi camp for

They fled the war in Nigeria's northeast. Then bulldozers levelled their homes at a camp in Abuja
Political

Evangelical leader hopes conference is 'testosterone booster shot' for anti-abortion 2024 candidates

A year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, some of the Republican Party’s most powerful evangelical Christian voices are gathering to celebrate a ruling that sent shockwaves through American politics and stripped away a constitutional protection that stood for almost a half century. At the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s annual conference in Washington, GOP presidential candidates will be urged to keep pushing for stronger abortion restrictions, even as Democrats insist the issue will buoy them ahead of the 2024 election. Former President Donald Trump, whose three nominees to the high court allowed for the reversal

Evangelical leader hopes conference is 'testosterone booster shot' for anti-abortion 2024 candidates
World

Chinese human rights lawyer chased out of 13 homes in 2 months as pressure rises on legal advocates

A disbarred Chinese human rights lawyer has been forced to move 13 times in two months as part of a pattern of harassment against him and three other prominent rights advocates in Beijing that is further squeezing the country’s battered civil rights community. Wang Quanzhang said he is now living in a borrowed apartment in the suburbs where the power is frequently cut off, while another lawyer left Beijing entirely in hopes of ending the harassment. His colleague Bao Longjun said he is still in the apartment he owns, but has been barred from leaving it

Chinese human rights lawyer chased out of 13 homes in 2 months as pressure rises on legal advocates
World

Twitter faces 'stress test' of Europe's tough new Big Tech rules

A top European Union official is in Silicon Valley to check whether Twitter is ready to comply with the bloc’s tough new digital rulebook, a set of sweeping new standards that the world’s biggest online platforms all must obey in just two months. European Commissioner Thierry Breton, who oversees digital policy, is the EU’s point person working to get tech companies in line for the Digital Services Act, which will force companies to crack down on hate speech, disinformation and other harmful material on their sites. It takes effect Aug. 25 for the biggest platforms. The law, along with new

Twitter faces 'stress test' of Europe's tough new Big Tech rules
World

Interstate 95 set to reopen less than two weeks after deadly collapse in Philadelphia

Interstate 95 was set to reopen to traffic Friday less than two weeks after a deadly collapse in Philadelphia shut down a heavily traveled stretch of the East Coast’s main north-south highway. Workers were putting the finishing touches on an interim six-lane roadway that will serve motorists during construction of a permanent bridge. Crews worked around the clock and were poised to finish ahead of schedule. The interstate was scheduled to reopen at noon, according to the governor’s office. The elevated section of I-95 collapsed early on June 11 after a tractor-trailer hauling gasoline flipped on an

Interstate 95 set to reopen less than two weeks after deadly collapse in Philadelphia
World

Malaysia says it will take legal action against Meta over harmful content on Facebook

Malaysia’s government said Friday it will take legal action against Facebook’s parent company, Meta Platforms, for failing to remove undesirable and harmful content from its social media platform. The Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission said Facebook has recently been plagued by a “a significant volume of undesirable content” relating to sensitive issues on race, religion and royalty as well as defamation, impersonation, online gambling and scam advertisements. The commission said repeated efforts to reach out to Meta to remove harmful content were of no avail. “Meta’s response, which has been sluggish and unsatisfactory, has not

Malaysia says it will take legal action against Meta over harmful content on Facebook
World

In its push for more Black players, MLB hopes results are on the horizon from grassroots efforts

Zion Rose is well aware that the percentage of Black players in Major League Baseball has been on the decline for decades. But the 18-year-old catcher from Chicago, still sweaty from a workout during MLB’s Draft Combine this week at Chase Field in Phoenix, said he’s got some news: That’s not going to be the case for long. “You’ll see,” he said. “We’re starting to come through.” Rose was one of more than 300 players of all backgrounds in Phoenix this week to take part in the combine, which featured workouts, interviews and games in an effort

In its push for more Black players, MLB hopes results are on the horizon from grassroots efforts
World

Why are the Texas Rangers the only MLB team without a Pride Night?

All but one of the 30 of the Major League Baseball teams are hosting Pride Nights this season, most during Pride Month, which celebrates and supports LGBTQ+ culture and rights. The Texas Rangers are the only team without a Pride Night. They say they are committed to making everyone feel welcome at all games. HAVE THE RANGERS EVER HOSTED A PRIDE NIGHT? No. In September 2003, two years after the Chicago Cubs hosted what is considered the first Pride game, the Rangers invited local LGBTQ+ groups to a game as part of a fundraising event, similar to what they do

Why are the Texas Rangers the only MLB team without a Pride Night?
World

Olympic skaters still missing medals 500 days later

U.S. ice dancers Evan Bates and Madison Chock remember the empty feeling as they trod back to their rooms in Beijing, not long after being told that the ceremony to present their Olympic medals had been called off. Before going to sleep, one final blow: On their beds sat empty black-and-gold boxes, with notes inside signed from IOC President Thomas Bach. “An Olympic medal is forever,” the note began. The boxes were supposed to be the perfect spot for the skaters to place the medals they never received. Five-hundred days later, the medals remain somewhere

Olympic skaters still missing medals 500 days later
World

The US has tons of leftover food. Upcycling seeks to turn would-be trash into ice cream and pizza

At Tyler Malek’s ice cream parlors, one cook’s trash is another chef’s frosty treat. The head ice cream maker at the Portland, Oregon-based Salt & Straw uses the whey leftover from yogurt makers in upstate New York to make his lemon curd flavor. For chocolate barley milk, he mixes in the remnants of rice and grains from beer brewing to give it a light and creamy taste. “Instead of calling this food waste, we need to call it wasted food and start decreasing how much wasting we’re doing,” Malek said. Malek’s ice cream chain is

The US has tons of leftover food. Upcycling seeks to turn would-be trash into ice cream and pizza
World

Oklahoma death row inmate plans to reject chance for clemency despite maintaining his innocence

A man scheduled to be executed in September for the 1996 killing of a University of Oklahoma dance student plans to reject his chance for a clemency hearing, saying there is little hope the state’s Republican governor would spare his life. Anthony Sanchez, 44, said in a telephone interview Thursday from Oklahoma’s death row that even in the rare case when the five-member Pardon and Parole Board recommends clemency, Gov. Kevin Stitt is unlikely to grant it. “I’ve sat in my cell and I’ve watched inmate after inmate after inmate get clemency and get denied clemency,”

Oklahoma death row inmate plans to reject chance for clemency despite maintaining his innocence
World

Greek elections a one-horse race after conservatives topple left-wing strongholds

Greeks return to the polls Sunday for a second general election in five weeks, with the conservative front-runners eyeing a landslide win after toppling strongholds dominated by their opponents for decades. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the 55-year-old conservative leader, is seeking a second four-year term as prime minister. His center-right New Democracy party won by a huge margin in May elections but is heading to a second ballot to take advantage of election law changes that favor the winning party. Sunday’s vote comes days after hundreds of migrants died and went missing in southern Greece when an over-crowded

Greek elections a one-horse race after conservatives topple left-wing strongholds
World

Germany's biggest Jewish educational and cultural complex since the Holocaust to open in Berlin

When Berlin Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal first talked about his dream of building Germany’s biggest Jewish educational and cultural complex since the Holocaust, most people who heard about the plan were skeptical. But five years after the groundbreaking, Teichtal, a Berlin rabbi and head of the local Chabad community, beams as he steps onto the seventh-floor balcony of the new curved, blue-tiled building overlooking the campus amphitheater, garden, playground and a plot still covered with containers and construction material that will eventually become a sports field. “We’re changing the narrative about Jews in Germany,” Teichtal told The Associated

Germany's biggest Jewish educational and cultural complex since the Holocaust to open in Berlin
World

Time for Ja Morant to change his behavior, there's been enough talking, Grizzlies GM says

Memphis Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman said the 25-game suspension the NBA slapped guard Ja Morant with “was appropriate,” and it is up to Morant to change the behavior that led to two bans in four months. The Grizzlies’ vice president of basketball operations made the comments after Thursday night’s NBA draft. Kleiman is the first team official to publicly discuss Morant’s situation and the NBA’s punishment of the two-time All-Star for flashing a gun on social media after the season. Kleiman said the latest incident is part of a pattern of “problematic behavior” for Morant,

Time for Ja Morant to change his behavior, there's been enough talking, Grizzlies GM says
World

Storms and heavy rain flood roads, block railway lines in Germany

Storms and heavy rain across a large swath of Germany flooded roads and forced the closure of some major railway routes on Friday, but there was no immediate word of any injuries. Germany’s national weather service had warned earlier this week of severe storms with significant amounts of rainfall, which hit on Thursday. In the western city of Duisburg, the fire service said it rescued several people from cars that got stuck on flooded streets. Shops were flooded and streets inundated in the northern city of Braunschweig, and there were similar reports from Kassel. In Hattersheim, near

Storms and heavy rain flood roads, block railway lines in Germany
World

Stock market today: Asian shares sink as central banks crank interest rates still higher

Asian shares sank sharply Friday after several central banks around the world cranked interest rates higher in their fight against inflation. Hong Kong and Tokyo shed nearly 2% and most other regional markets declined. U.S. futures and oil prices also were lower. Japan reported its inflation rate was higher than expected, adding to expectations the central bank might adjust its policies to reflect upward price pressures, which have pushed the dollar’s value against the yen sharply higher. The Bank of Japan has kept its benchmark interest rate at minus 0.1% for a decade as policymakers keep credit

Stock market today: Asian shares sink as central banks crank interest rates still higher

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