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Death toll from wildfires in Russia's Urals hits 21, authorities suspect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:57 GMT

The death toll rose to 21 in a series of fires raging in Russia’s Urals region on Tuesday (9 May), some resulting from suspected arson, and medical officials warned the tally was likely to increase, state news agency TASS said.The emergencies ministry in Kurgan region near the border with Kazakhstan said 46 suspects had been identified and seven criminal cases had been initiated against alleged arsonists.Some of the suspects were minors, it said. The motives of the suspected arsonists were not clear.Wildfires have long plagued Russia’s forests and steppes during hotter months, but have grown in intensity in recent years. The 2021 fire season was Russia's largest ever, with 18.8 million hectares of forest destroyed, according to Greenpeace Russia. Last year, wildfire smoke blew hundreds of miles to Moscow, choking city residents.Fires began in late April in the Kurgan and neighbouring Tyumen regions. Russian Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov flew to Kurgan on Monday as the blaz...

Niantic’s ‘Peridot’ brings believable augmented reality to gaming

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:57 GMT

“Peridot” is Niantic’s most experimental game, and also, it’s most intriguing. The original title from the “Pokemon Go” developer is touted as a modern-day spin on Tamagotchi, those virtual pets that became popular in the 1990s.As a member of the Peridot Keeper Society, players hatch the titular creature, which has unique characteristics, and they raise the virtual pet. They feed them. They teach them tricks. They play with them. They can take them on walks to explore the world, said Ziah Fogel, “Peridot” director of production. With each interaction, they gain experience and grow. That sounds like normal fare for a Niantic game. It hits the touchstones of exploration and simple gameplay, but what sets “Peridot” apart is that the game is completely in augmented reality. The creature melds with the world seen through the smartphone, so that the screen is almost like a lens.FROM PROTOTYPE TO GAME“Peridot” was orig...

Barabak: California kingmaker Michael Berman preferred anonymity

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:57 GMT

A visit with Michael Berman, the political savant and California kingmaker who died last week, was a throwback to another time.He worked from a shabby office, blinds drawn to thwart any ray of sunlight. A blue pall of smoke hung from the ceiling, like a nicotine curtain.Lunch might have involved a distilled drink, or two.But it’s not Berman’s defiantly unhealthy lifestyle that stood out among the tanned and beautiful who surrounded him in the glossy climes of Beverly Hills and the Westside.Rather, it was his extraordinary political acumen, coupled with a passion for anonymity.It was a striking trait decades ago, when Berman was at the height of his powers as the operational brains behind Los Angeles’ powerful Berman-Waxman political machine.It is all the more notable in today’s era of relentless self-promotion, when even the most middling political strategist turns up at postelection seminars, in podcasts and on the gaseous cable talk-show circuit.Berman spoke sparingly to reporters...

Goldberg: The fury of #MeToo finally comes for the man who inspired it

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:57 GMT

With the $5 million verdict against Donald Trump for sexual abuse and defamation in the E. Jean Carroll trial, the #MeToo movement comes full circle.Trump’s election in 2016, after he’d been heard boasting of sexual assault on the “Access Hollywood” tape and accused of sexual assault by more than a dozen women, set off a tsunami of female fury. That fury powered the Women’s March. It inspired countless women — some of them previously apolitical suburbanites — to put their lives on hold and throw themselves into activism or to run for office themselves. And that fury, that intolerable sense of incredulous disgust and civic violation, was the spark that set off the #MeToo movement, as women, unable to do anything about the abuser running the country, turned their energy toward those in their own institutions, including the entertainment industry. I’ve long been convinced that Trump was the reason revelations about Harvey Weinstein led to a nationwide paroxysm.The #MeToo movement is wh...

Possible miracle at Connecticut church being investigated by the Vatican

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:57 GMT

The results of an investigation into the reports of a possible miracle at Thomaston’s St. Thomas Church have been sent to the Vatican.On March 5, the Rev. Joseph Crowley, pastor of St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, which includes St. Thomas, reported that during Holy Communion a lay person distributing hosts had found that the wafers had multiplied in the ciborium. “God duplicated himself in the ciborium,” Crowley said after Communion. “God provides and it’s strange how God does that. And that happened.”The Archdiocese of Hartford began an investigation into the report to determine whether a possible miracle had taken place.Now, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has been notified and is conducting its own investigation.David Elliott, spokesman for the archdiocese, issued a statement that “reports such as the alleged miracle in Thomaston require referral to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome. The Archdiocese has proceeded accordingly, and will await a response i...

Disneyland closing 3 classic Fantasyland rides this summer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:57 GMT

Disneyland is shuttering one of its most popular Fantasyland attractions along with two of the oldest rides at the Anaheim theme park just after the unofficial start of summer for several weeks of seasonal refurbishment.Disneyland will temporarily close Peter Pan’s Flight, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride and Alice in Wonderland on June 5 for standard refurbishments, according to Disneyland officials.Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride and Alice in Wonderland will reopen about two weeks later on June 16. A reopening date has not yet been set for Peter Pan’s Flight, but the popular Fantasyland dark ride aboard an enchanted pirate ship soaring over London will be closed at least through June 21, according to the Disneyland website.The refurbishments of the three Fantasyland rides that share a common building next to Sleeping Beauty Castle are part of Disneyland’s standard operations for general maintenance and upkeep. Walt Disney Imagineering is not expected to make any notable show changes to the attractions.D...

Based on a true story, ‘Treasure Hunt: The Ride’ close to opening in Cannery Row

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:57 GMT

MONTEREY – Artifacts that bring you back to a time when pirates and treasures could be found in the waters off the Monterey Peninsula, have been recreated with a themed immersive adventure ride on historic Cannery Row.Based on a true story that dates back to 1818, Treasure Hunt: The Ride takes participants on a tour through the caverns of Cannery Row. The themed ride, developed by the Daniels Wood Land and Sally Dark Rides companies, hopes to open soon.“There was a pirate that sacked Monterey in the 1800s,” general manager Jeff Mosier said. “That is the theme of the ride, with some added twists that make it entertaining for all ages.”The ride – a first of its kind in Monterey – is getting its final touchups. It’s located under Sly Mcflys, 700 Cannery Row.The plan that evolved two years ago is themed with treasures, pirates, ghosts, even a 180-year-old piano throughout the 8,400-square-foot tracked adventure, providing its own unique appeal.“We have gone a little over budget,” Mosier...

Northern California man found guilty of killing man and teen son, roosters at marijuana grow

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:57 GMT

A Willits man was convicted this week of murdering a man and his 17-year-old son at a marijuana cultivation site on Sherwood Road, the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office reported.According to the office of DA David Eyster, Christopher W. Gamble, 48, of Willits, was found guilty in Mendocino County Superior Court Monday of two counts of murder in the deaths of Ulises Andrade Ayala, age not provided, and of his 17-year-old son, Anwar Ayala Rodriguez.According to press releases from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, the bodies of two people were found in the 20000 block of Timber Road in late April of 2021. Investigators soon arrested Gamble in connection with their deaths, which were later determined to have occurred at a cultivation site on Sherwood Road on April 26.In addition to the homicides, Gamble was also charged with animal abuse of roosters. According to court documents, Gamble “willfully, unlawfully, maliciously and intentionally (did) maim, mutilate, torture, ...

Aeglea: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:57 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Aeglea Biotherapeutics Inc. (AGLE) on Thursday reported a loss of $18.4 million in its first quarter.The Austin, Texas-based company said it had a loss of 20 cents per share.The biopharmaceutical company posted revenue of $198,000 in the period.The company’s shares closed at 16 cents. A year ago, they were trading at $1.47._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on AGLE at https://www.zacks.com/ap/AGLESource

Carrols Restaurant: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:57 GMT

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Carrols Restaurant Group Inc. (TAST) on Thursday reported net income of $864,000 in its first quarter.On a per-share basis, the Syracuse, New York-based company said it had profit of 1 cent. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring gains, were less than 1 cent on a per-share basis.The restaurant operator posted revenue of $445.2 million in the period._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on TAST at https://www.zacks.com/ap/TASTSource