2 inmates found at local IHOP escaped Virginia prison using toothbrush, metal object to dig hole

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:51:35 GMT

2 inmates found at local IHOP escaped Virginia prison using toothbrush, metal object to dig hole (CNN) — Two inmates who escaped from a Newport News, Virginia, jail by digging out and scaling a wall were found at a nearby IHOP hours later Tuesday, officials said.The Newport News Jail Annex discovered the two inmates, John M. Garza, 37, and Arley V. Nemo, 43, missing during a routine head count around 7 p.m. Monday night, the Newport News Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.The pair had dug a hole through one of the jail walls using “primitive-made tools” that they constructed out of a toothbrush and metal object, the sheriff’s office said a preliminary investigation revealed. Those tools helped them access untied rebars in the wall, which they then used for the rest of their escape, the agency added.After getting out, the two encountered containment walls and had to scale a wall to leave the area, the release says.Garza and Nemo were later found on Tuesday morning at an IHOP in Hampton, Virginia, where they were arrested by police.“I̵...

Researchers 3D printed this cheesecake

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:51:35 GMT

Researchers 3D printed this cheesecake (CNN) — Researchers have been pushing the limits of 3D printing for decades, using the manufacturing technique to churn out consumer goods such as furniture and shoes, human organs and even a rocket. But can industrial technology be applied to make a fully baked dessert that can be fabricated in your home kitchen?Engineers at Columbia University set out to do just that. A team whipped up a seven-ingredient vegan cheesecake that was assembled and cooked entirely by a 3D-printing machine and — in a new innovation — laser technology, according to a study published Tuesday in the journal NPJ Science of Food.The experiment was a step toward developing practical uses for 3D printing in mechanically assembled food, the researchers said. The machines needed to create and bake a 3D-printed dessert already exist — at least in Columbia Engineering’s New York laboratory — butthere are not yet troves of cookbooks out there spelling out how the tech can be applied.“If this (tech...

Gov. DeSantis hints at possible presidential run in Piers Morgan interview

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:51:35 GMT

Gov. DeSantis hints at possible presidential run in Piers Morgan interview In an interview with Piers Morgan, Governor Ron DeSantis hinted at his possible presidential ambitions. When asked if he thinks he could beat President Biden, DeSantis replied, “I think so.”Morgan then asked, “So you’re running?” to which DeSantis responded, “No, I didn’t say that. I just said I think I could.”During the interview, DeSantis made it clear that he has not made a final decision on running for president. However, if he were to run, he would focus his campaign on how to beat the president rather than the other GOP candidates.For now, DeSantis is focused on governing Florida, but he urged viewers to stay tuned. It remains to be seen if he will ultimately decide to throw his hat in the ring for the 2024 presidential election.DeSantis has been a rising star in the Republican party, particularly for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Florida. He has been praised by many conservatives for his refusal to enact strict lockdo...

Ukraine says Russian missile hit apartment building

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:51:35 GMT

Ukraine says Russian missile hit apartment building KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched exploding drones that killed at least four people at a student dormitory near Kyiv before dawn Wednesday, just hours after Japan’s prime minister left the Ukrainian capital following a show of support for the country. The same day, Chinese leader Xi Jinping left Moscow after discussing his proposal for ending the war, which has been rejected by the West as a non-starter.A high school and two dormitories were partially destroyed in an overnight drone attack in the city of Rzhyshchiv, south of the Ukrainian capital, local officials said. It wasn’t clear how many people were in the dormitories at the time.The body of a 40-year-old man was pulled from the rubble on a dormitory’s fifth floor, according to regional police chief Andrii Nebytov.More than 20 people were hospitalized, Nebytov said, and a few others were unaccounted for.Ukrainian air defenses downed 16 of the 21 drones launched by Russia, the Ukraine General...

Cactus League report: Marcus Stroman returns from emotional WBC experience — plus updates on Eloy Jiménez and Leury García

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:51:35 GMT

Cactus League report: Marcus Stroman returns from emotional WBC experience — plus updates on Eloy Jiménez and Leury García The Chicago Cubs aren’t officially announcing their opening-day starter yet, but all signs point to Marcus Stroman getting the ball.Major League Baseball plans to release all of the opening-day starters later this week. Stroman is in line to start March 30 against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field.Stroman said Tuesday it would be huge to receive that honor, though he told manager David Ross that if he wants someone else to get that start, he would understand because Stroman is taking a big-picture approach.“I’m not somebody who needs the opening-day start … I’m trying to make 33, 34 starts and that’s the goal,” Stroman said. “But to feel that energy at Wrigley, that’s why you work so hard for those moments and I feel like I’d be the perfect one to go out there and pitch opening day.”White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito, meanwhile, felt he got better as his start went on against the Brewers on Tuesday in Phoenix. ...

Missiles, drones hit civilian buildings in Ukraine

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:51:35 GMT

Missiles, drones hit civilian buildings in Ukraine KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s president posted a video Wednesday showing what he said was a Russian missile slamming into an apartment building in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, after Russia launched launched exploding drones that killed at least four people at a student dormitory near Kyiv before dawn.Just hours earlier, Japan’s prime minister left the Ukrainian capital following a show of support for the country. The same day, Chinese leader Xi Jinping left Moscow after discussing his proposal for ending the war, which has been rejected by the West as a non-starter.The video posted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Telegram appeared to be CCTV footage that captured the moment a missile hit the nine-story residential block by a busy road.Ukrainian media carried pictures showing charred apartments on several stories of the affected buildings, and flames billowing from some of them. The number of causalities was unknown.However, Vladimir Rogov, an official with the Moscow-...

Police officer shot at in German raids linked to extremists

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:51:35 GMT

Police officer shot at in German raids linked to extremists BERLIN (AP) — German investigators carried out raids related to a far-right movement on Wednesday, authorities said. A police officer was shot at during one of the searches and reportedly sustained light injuries.Justice Minister Marco Buschmann tweeted that federal prosecutors ordered searches of 20 properties and that the move was related to the Reich Citizens movement, a loose grouping whose supporters deny the legitimacy of the present-day German Constitution and government. They claim instead that the German empire, or Reich, of 1871 still exists.The incident in which a police offer was shot at “shows how dangerous the deployments are,” Buschmann said. He added that weapons authorities “are obliged to disarm ‘Reich Citizens.’”He didn’t give further details on the purpose or result of the raids.Federal prosecutors confirmed that a shot was fired during a search in the southwestern town of Reutlingen and that a person was arrested, German news agency dpa reported. The...

LGBTQ activists in Japan launch engagement group ahead of G7

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:51:35 GMT

LGBTQ activists in Japan launch engagement group ahead of G7 TOKYO (AP) — Japanese LGBTQ activists and rights groups have launched a civil “engagement group” to make policy proposals ahead of the Group of Seven summit in Japan and announced plans to hold an inaugural Pride 7 summit in Tokyo later this month, seeking to accelerate their efforts to get the Japanese government to adopt an anti-discrimination law.Japan is the only member of the Group of Seven advanced industrialized nations that lacks a law protecting the rights of LGBTQ people.“Other G-7 members are watching if Japan enacts an anti-discrimination law,” said Natsuo Hayashi, co-director of the Japan Alliance for LGBT Legislation, a local civil group.His group, joined by two other organizations, on Wednesday announced the launch of Pride 7, which plans to make policy proposals for G-7 organizers in the hopes of achieving an LGBTQ anti-discrimination law in Japan while also addressing problems in other countries, especially in Asia. P-7 is joined by rights organizations in 10 other ...

EU Commission proposes rules to better fight greenwashing

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:51:35 GMT

EU Commission proposes rules to better fight greenwashing BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s executive arm proposed rules Wednesday to protect consumers from businesses selling goods labeled as green which actually aren’t.The European Commission said greenwashing was a notable problem, with 53% of green claims on products or services making “vague, misleading or unfounded information.”About 230 sustainability labels are in use across the 27-nation EU, “with vastly different levels of transparency,” according to the commission.With its “green claims” directive, the commission wants to set common criteria that would bring more clarity. The European Parliament and EU member countries need to approve the initiative for it to take effect.Under the proposal, companies that claim the packaging for their products is made of 30% recycled plastic would have to prove it with scientific evidence. EU countries would be in charge of setting up verification processes overseen by independent bodies. Businesses based outside the EU making env...

Police besiege gunman in Thailand who killed at least 2

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:51:35 GMT

Police besiege gunman in Thailand who killed at least 2 BANGKOK (AP) — Police in Thailand said Wednesday they have cordoned off a neighborhood in a city southwest of the capital where they have trapped a gunman inside his house after he shot dead at least two people and wounded several others.Thai television showed images of police taking positions on a quiet street in Phetchaburi, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) southwest of Bangkok, some carrying weapons and others with protective shields.Police Maj. Punyapon Srimaek, speaking from the scene, told The Associated Press two people had been confirmed killed in the incident, which began early Wednesday afternoon. He said one of the three people believed to be wounded might actually be dead because although his body could be seen by a police drone in front of the gunman’s house, it could not be retrieved because it was in the line of fire.The two other injured people, one a local official who rushed to the site when he was notified of the shooting, were taken to a hospital.Local police eva...