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Australian police charge 7 with laundering hundreds of millions for Chinese crime syndicate

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 13:21:49 GMT

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian authorities have charged seven people with helping launder hundreds of millions of dollars for a Chinese crime syndicate. Police said Thursday the arrests came after a 14-month investigation that involved multiple Australian agencies and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. They said it was the most complex money laundering investigation in the nation’s history.Police said a money remittance chain in Australia with a dozen outlets, the Changjiang Currency Exchange, was being secretly run by the Long River money laundering syndicate. They said the chain legitimately transferred billions of dollars from regular customers, but hidden among those transactions were illegal transfers of 229 million Australian dollars ($144 million) in crime proceeds over the past three years. They said they became suspicious about the company during COVID-19 lockdowns in Sydney. “While most of Sydney was a ghost town, alarm bells went off among our money l...

Israeli troops carry out hourslong ground raid into Gaza ahead of expected wider incursion

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 13:21:49 GMT

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops and tanks launched an hourslong ground raid into northern Gaza overnight into Thursday, the military said, striking several militant targets in order to “prepare the battlefield” ahead of a widely expected ground invasion after more than two weeks of devastating air raids.The raid came after the U.N. warned it is on the verge of running out of fuel in the Gaza Strip, forcing it to sharply curtail relief efforts in the territory, which has also been under a complete siege since Hamas’ bloody rampage across southern Israel ignited the war earlier this month.The rising death tolls in Gaza are unprecedented in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Even greater loss of life could come if Israel launches an expected ground offensive aimed at crushing Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007 and survived four previous wars with Israel.The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said Wednesday that more than 750 people were killed...

At least 16 dead in Maine mass killing; manhunt on for shooter as residents take shelter

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 13:21:49 GMT

LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — A man shot and killed at least 16 people at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday and then fled into the night, sparking a massive search by hundreds of officers while frightened residents stayed locked in their homes.A police bulletin identified Robert Card, 40, as a person of interest in the attack that sent panicked bowlers scrambling behind pins when shots rang out around 7 p.m. Card was described as a firearms instructor believed to be in the Army Reserve and assigned to a training facility in Saco, Maine.The Lewiston Police Department identified Robert Card as a person of interest in a mass shooting at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston, Maine, on Oct. 25, 2023. (The Lewiston Police Department)The document, circulated to law enforcement officials, said Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023. It did not provide details about his treatment or condition but said Card had reporte...

Deputies: Salem manhunt suspect turns himself in

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 13:21:49 GMT

SALEM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The search for Jeffrey Dickinson has ended after deputies say he turned himself in just before midnight on Wednesday. Multiple agencies were searching for Dickinson Wednesday as he was considered armed and dangerous in the Salem area. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The search began around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. Police said Dickinson was wanted on a felony warrant and fled when confronted by law enforcement. Dickinson was last seen in a wooded area near Blind Buck Road in Salem.Deputies from the Washington County Sheriff's Office say Dickinson was located in the area of Blind Buck Road near Buck Ridge Way.

Mechanicville and Greenville cruise to Class B boys soccer championship game

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 13:21:49 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Mechanicville and Greenville boys soccer teams proved Wednesday night they are the cream of the crop in Class B, and the two state-ranked foes will now square off Saturday with a section title on the line. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Both teams recorded shutouts in the semi-final round of the Class B playoff tournament at La Salle Institute. Greenville, the two-seed, knocked off three-seeded Catskill 4-0 in game one of the evening. Mechanicville, the reigning section champs, No. 1 overall seed and first-ranked team in the state for Class B, followed up with a 6-0 victory over fifth-seeded Hudson.The Spartans struck for their first goal in the 19th minute. Off a corner kick from senior captain Joseph Davis, Catskill's Riley Street managed to clear the ball out of the box, but Greenville's Lucas Russell came roaring in and unleashed a strike from the 10-yard line that snuck just inside the left post...

MEPs support CO2 emissions reduction targets for trucks and buses 

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 13:21:49 GMT

The Environment Committee adopted its proposals to strengthen EU CO2 emission standards for new heavy-duty vehicles, which include buses, trucks and trailers, ENVI.The report was adopted with 48 votes in favour, 36 against and one abstention. It says that strengthening CO2 emission reduction requirements for heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) and rolling-out the necessary recharging and refuelling infrastructure will play a key role in reducing the emissions of the entire HDVs fleet to achieve the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality goal.Stricter overall target for 2035, zero-emission urban buses by 2030MEPs want strong CO2 emissions reduction targets for medium and heavy trucks, including vocational vehicles (such as garbage trucks, tippers or concrete mixers) and buses. These targets would be set at 45% for the period 2030-2034, 70% for 2035-2039 (compared to 65% proposed by the Commission) and 90% as of 2040.MEPs agreed that all newly registered urban buses should be zero-emission vehicles from...

Horoscopes Oct. 26, 2023: Seth MacFarlane, make relationships a priority

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 13:21:49 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Seth MacFarlane, 50; Cary Elwes, 61; James Pickens Jr., 69; Pat Sajak, 77.Happy Birthday: Establish what you want to achieve, then put a plan in place. Explore what’s available in your community that sparks your imagination and offers the incentive you require to turn your dreams into a reality. Although hard work will pay off, doing something that brings you joy will be meaningful and encourage you to spend more time with those who share life’s little pleasures with you. Make relationships a priority. Your numbers are 6, 13, 20, 24, 32, 35, 48.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Emotions will surface quickly. Be aware of what’s happening around you, but don’t start a feud that can lead to isolation. Choose to be observant, weigh the pros and cons, and put together a long-term plan that pushes you toward keeping the peace. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Connect with forward-thinking people. The more you discuss the possibilities, the ea...

Bridge: Oct. 26, 2023

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 13:21:49 GMT

This week’s deals have treated deceptive play. I came across today’s deal in the archives of my colleague Alfred Sheinwold, the product of his six decades as a columnist. It appeared in “Sheinwold on Bridge” on July 25, 1986, about when our collaboration began.At six spades, South leads a diamond to his hand at Trick Two and returns a low trump to dummy’s queen. If East takes the king, South wins any return and cashes the ace of trumps. When West discards, South picks up the trumps and claims.FIRST TRUMPBut say East follows to the first trump with the eight. If South thinks that card may be a singleton (or from 10-8 doubleton), he may unwisely come back to his hand and lead the jack, and East will have created a second trump trick from thin air.Sheinwold’s index card mentions that I was East! After 37 years, I have not the slightest recollection of this deal, but the falsecarding position is well known. I hope I actually got it right at the table,...

Word Game: Oct. 26, 2023

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 13:21:49 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — FLOWERS (FLOWERS: FLAU-ers: Blossoms.)Average mark 22 wordsTime limit 25 minutesCan you find 26 or more words in FLOWERS? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — KIELBASA kale isle lake lase leak bail bake bale balk balsa basal base basil bask beak bias bike bile bilk blase bleak abase able aisle alas alias alike sable sail sake saki sale seal silk skiable slab slakeTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.Contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe at kzsaxe@gmai...

East Bay woman arrested in connection to Capitola bank holdup

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 13:21:49 GMT

CAPITOLA — Police apprehended a San Pablo woman this week who allegedly held up a 41st Avenue bank and then fled some 50 miles up the coast.Bank officials reported at around 4 p.m. Monday that a thief had demanded money with a note passed to a teller at the business on the 1900 block of 41st Avenue. The thief reportedly wore a medical-grade mask and a light-colored hooded sweatshirt and had fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of money.According to the Capitola Police Department, a Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office inspector in the area reported observing a person matching the thief’s description get into and drive off in an older model Porsche SUV parked near the bank. With the help of the vehicle description and a still photo of the thief captured via security video footage, neighboring law agencies were looped into the search. Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Arrest made in deadly weekend East Bay house party shooting Crime and Public Safety...