Sweden moves one step closer to NATO membership

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:45:48 GMT

Sweden moves one step closer to NATO membership By Suzan Fraser | Associated PressANKARA, Turkey — The Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee gave its consent to Sweden’s bid to join NATO on Tuesday, drawing the previously nonaligned Nordic country closer to membership in the Western military alliance.Sweden’s accession protocol will now need to be approved in the Turkish parliament’s general assembly for the last stage of the legislative process in Turkey. No date has been set.Turkey, a NATO member, has delayed ratification of Sweden’s membership for more than a year, accusing the country of being too lenient toward groups that Ankara regards as threats to its security, including Kurdish militants and members of a network that Ankara blames for a failed coup in 2016.The Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee had begun discussing Sweden’s membership in NATO last month. But the meeting was adjourned after legislators from Erdogan’s ruling party submitted a motion for ...

Kanye posts apology in Hebrew to Jewish community

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:45:48 GMT

Kanye posts apology in Hebrew to Jewish community By Andy Rose and Christina Maxouris | CNNKanye West, who has made repeated antisemitic remarks, posted an apology to the Jewish community for any “unintended outburst caused” by his “words or actions.”The recording artist, who has legally changed his name to Ye, shared the message, written in Hebrew, in a Tuesday Instagram post – just days ahead of his expected release of new music. The post had been liked more than one million times Tuesday morning.“It was never my intention to hurt or disrespect, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused,” his message read. Ye said he is committed to learning and ensuring “greater sensitivity and understanding” in the future, adding he is “dedicated to making amends and working toward promoting unity.”In a statement to CNN responding to the post, the Anti-Defamation League said, “After causing untold damage by using his vast influence and platform to poison countless minds with vicious antisemitism and hate, an apology in Hebrew may be the fi...

Experts warn of AI, deepfake impact on coming elections

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:45:48 GMT

Experts warn of AI, deepfake impact on coming elections By Ali Swenson and Christine Fernando | Associated PressNEW YORK — Nearly three years after rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, the false election conspiracy theories that drove the violent attack remain prevalent on social media and cable news: suitcases filled with ballots, late-night ballot dumps, dead people voting.Experts warn it will likely be worse in the coming presidential election contest. The safeguards that attempted to counter the bogus claims the last time are eroding, while the tools and systems that create and spread them are only getting stronger.Many Americans, egged on by former President Donald Trump, have continued to push the unsupported idea that elections throughout the U.S. can’t be trusted. A majority of Republicans (57%) believe Democrat Joe Biden was not legitimately elected president.Meanwhile, generative artificial intelligence tools have made it far cheaper and easier to spread the kind of misinformation that can mislead voters and potentially infl...

Car fire blocking eastbound traffic at Caldecott Tunnel

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:45:48 GMT

Car fire blocking eastbound traffic at Caldecott Tunnel (KRON) -- People driving eastbound through the Caldecott Tunnel Tuesday afternoon should expect delays, Caltrans said. The left tunnel is blocked due to a car fire. The fire was reported by California Highway Patrol at 4:45 p.m. According to CHP's traffic log, the car is fully engulfed. Freeway cameras showed eastbound traffic on CA-24 backed up in front of the tunnel. There is no estimated time for the roadway to reopen, and drivers are encouraged to find other routes. This is a developing story. Stick with KRON4 for updates.

Major BART delay at Embarcadero due to medical emergency

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:45:48 GMT

Major BART delay at Embarcadero due to medical emergency SAN FRANSCISCO (KRON) -- There is a major BART delay at Embarcadero Station in the East Bay direction on the San Francisco Line due to a medical emergency, the transit agency tweeted Tuesday.No other information was provided, and no timetable was available for when the delay might be resolved. Calm before the storm: Officials urge storm prep as wet, unsettled weather returns In other commuter news, a car fire near the Caldecott Tunnel was snarling eastbound traffic. Drivers were advised to seek alternate routes.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

One person shot and killed in East Oakland, suspect in custody

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:45:48 GMT

One person shot and killed in East Oakland, suspect in custody (BCN) -- A person was shot and killed in Oakland on Tuesday and a suspect is in custody, the police department said. Police were alerted to a possible gunshot from the city's ShotSpotter system and they headed to the 1400 block of Sunshine Court just before 2:45 p.m.Officers located a person who had sustained at least one gunshot wound. Medical personnel attended to the victim but they were pronounced dead at the scene. Food truck stolen on Christmas Eve found at homeless encampment While investigating, police believed they identified a suspect and obtained a location for them. The suspect led police on a lengthy pursuit throughout the city, Oakland Police said, but with the assistance of a helicopter and other tools the person was eventually taken into custody. This is being investigated as a homicide and police have not released the name of the suspect or the victim at this time. Anyone who may have information helpful to this case is encouraged to contact the homicide section ...

Joe Flacco’s revival in Cleveland has the Browns on the verge of clinching a playoff spot

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:45:48 GMT

Joe Flacco’s revival in Cleveland has the Browns on the verge of clinching a playoff spot BEREA, Ohio (AP) — When they signed Joe Flacco in near desperation last month, the Browns hoped the veteran quarterback could keep them in the playoff mix. They needed someone to settle things down amid mounting injuries and uncertainty.Expectations were tempered when Flacco arrived.Four games later, they’re untethered.Flacco not only has Cleveland on the verge of its second postseason berth in 21 years, but the 38-year-old has many in this football-crazed city believing anything is possible with these Browns — and their top-ranked defense.In four games, he’s passed for 1,307 yards — more than any quarterback in that span — and 10 touchdowns, tying Flacco with Matthew Stafford of the Rams and Brock Purdy of the 49ers for the most during that period.Not bad for a guy who spent months watching games on TV at home in New Jersey while wondering if he had thrown his last pass.Clearly, Flacco’s got something left.“He’s played really well,” All-Pro left guard Joel B...

A cyberattack targets Albanian Parliament’s data system, halting its work

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:45:48 GMT

A cyberattack targets Albanian Parliament’s data system, halting its work TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s Parliament said on Tuesday that it had suffered a cyberattack with hackers trying to get into its data system, resulting in a temporary halt in its services.A statement said Monday’s cyberattack had not “touched the data of the system,” adding that experts were working to discover what consequences the attack could have. It said the system’s services would resume at a later time.Local media reported that a cellphone provider and an air flight company were also targeted by Monday’s cyberattacks, allegedly from Iranian-based hackers called Homeland Justice, which could not be verified independently.Albania suffered a cyberattack in July 2022 that the government and multinational technology companies blamed on the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Believed to be in retaliation for Albania sheltering members of the Iranian opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, or MEK, the attack led the government to cut diplomatic relations with Iran two months...

December run has surging Buccaneers going for another NFC South title

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:45:48 GMT

December run has surging Buccaneers going for another NFC South title TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are building confidence by the victory.“We don’t want to just be a Cinderella team,” linebacker Devin White said. “We want to be a team that can make some noise.”The Bucs (8-7) have won four straight games, rebounding from a stretch in which they dropped six of seven, to work their way back into contention for what would be a franchise-record third consecutive NFC South title.The division is one of the weakest in the NFL. Still, the way Tampa Bay has been playing in December, the Bucs could be a tough out in the playoffs.Especially if they continue to get strong play from Baker Mayfield at quarterback.“By any means necessary, we are trying to find a way to win,” Mayfield said, agreeing that the Bucs potentially could be an “extremely difficult” team to play if they continue trending the way they have in home victories over Tennessee and Jacksonville, as well as road wins at Atlanta and Green Bay.Tampa Bay has averaged 31 points per game ov...

¿Qué es la “biología de la resurrección” y por qué gana terreno en todo el mundo? 4 investigaciones que lo revelan

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:45:48 GMT

¿Qué es la “biología de la resurrección” y por qué gana terreno en todo el mundo? 4 investigaciones que lo revelan (CNN) — La biología de la resurrección, que intenta revivir cadenas de moléculas y organismos más complejos, está ganando adeptos en laboratorios de todo el mundo.El trabajo dista mucho de los dinosaurios modificados genéticamente que se escapan en la famosa película ” Jurassic Park”, aunque para algunos científicos el objetivo último es revertir la extinción y resucitar animales y plantas que se extinguieron.Otros investigadores buscan en el pasado nuevas fuentes de fármacos o hacen sonar la alarma ante la posibilidad de patógenos latentes desde hace mucho tiempo. Este campo de estudio también trata de recrear elementos de la historia humana en un intento de comprender mejor cómo pudieron vivir y morir nuestros antepasados.Estos son cuatro fascinantes proyectos de investigación en este campo emergente que comenzaron o avanzaron significativamente en 2023.Revivir virus “zombi”El aumento de las temperaturas en el Ártico está descongelando el permafrost d...