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A 7-year-old discovers a 2.95-carat diamond while visiting a state park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:58 GMT

(CNN) — A lucky youngster got the birthday gift of a lifetime when she discovered a 2.95-carat golden brown diamond in Arkansas.The budding gemologist discovered the diamond while celebrating her seventh birthday at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, according to a news release from the park.Aspen Brown’s September 1 discovery “is the second-largest registered by a park guest this year, topped only by a 3.29-carat brown diamond discovered in March,” says the release.“Brown was visiting the park with her dad and grandmother to celebrate her birthday,” the release reads. “Brown picked up a gem about the size of a green pea from a pathway along the northeast side of the search area.”Park officials later confirmed that Brown had indeed discovered a diamond, the release said.“Aspen’s diamond has a golden-brown color and a sparkling luster. It is a complete crystal, with no broken facets and a small crevice on one side, created when the diamond was formed,” Waymo...

The 4 key reasons why the UAW could strike GM, Ford and Stellantis this week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:58 GMT

New York (CNN) — Time is running short to avoid a strike at America’s three unionized automakers, and the distance between the United Auto Workers union and the companies remains large.The contracts with the three automakers all run out at 11:59 pm Thursday, and UAW President Shawn Fain insists the union stands ready to go strike on Friday at any company that has not reached a tentative deal by then.He admits the union’s demands are “ambitious” but he insists they’re justified given the automakers’ strong profits in recent years. The automakers have balked at most of the union’s demands, according to the UAW.Here is what the union is demanding … and what happens next.RaisesThe union demands an immediate 20% raise, and then four additional raises of 5% each. Taken together they would would increase hourly pay by 46% over the four-year life of the contract.The UAW said Friday that GM and Ford are each proposing 10% increases in the hourly wage rate over the next four years in their mo...

Ex-Pakistani cricketer gets 12-year prison sentence for putting bounty on Geert Wilders’ head

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:58 GMT

Former Pakistani international cricketer Khalid Latif was sentenced to 12 years in prison by a Dutch court for putting a €21,000 bounty on far-right politician Geert Wilders’ head.“The court rules that the suspect’s statements … should be seen as an attempt to provoke murder, incitement and threats. The words used by the suspect are unambiguous: He promises a significant amount of money to perform a specific act, namely killing Wilders,” the District Court of The Hague ruled on Monday.Latif offered the money to anyone who would carry out a hit on Wilders, prosecutors said, after the populist Party for Freedom chief devised a cartoon contest in 2018 calling on people to send in caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.The competition angered Muslims, as any depictions of Muhammad are considered blasphemous. In a social media clip, Latif promised 3 million Pakistani rupees to anyone who would kill “the person who planned this game,” adding, “If I had more...

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un to visit Russia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:58 GMT

Kim Jong Un will visit Russia “in the coming days,” the Kremlin announced Monday following speculation about an upcoming visit by the North Korean leader.Kim’s visit will take place “at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin,” the statement said.Last week, a U.S. official said the North Korean leader was expected to travel to Russia by the end of September, as an increasingly isolated Moscow is looking to buy artillery ammunition from North Korea for its invasion of Ukraine. In a recent letter to Kim, Putin called for the two countries to “strengthen … bilateral ties on all fronts.”

Runners and riders for the EU’s bank job

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:58 GMT

BRUSSELS ― Running the European Investment Bank used to be something of an afterthought for the EU ― not high-profile enough to attract the most ambitious politicians, not glamorous enough for those wanting to show off on the world stage.But with the EIB’s remit expanding to play a significant role in financing the fight against climate change and rebuilding war-torn Ukraine, some serious political horse-trading is involved this time around. The winner will replace Werner Hoyer, a German who has been EIB president since 2012.Hoyer’s previous career highlights were two spells totaling six years as a deputy foreign minister in Germany. The shortlist this year includes a star European commissioner and a high-profile finance minister. Below are the five official candidates. While the EU top-jobs jigsaw sometimes has a habit of throwing up some late surprises, in reality it’s a two-horse race ― for the moment, at least. A decision will be taken this fall, and before Hoy...

Teen arrested after a guard shot breaking up a fight outside a New York high school football game

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:58 GMT

UTICA, N.Y. (AP) — A 16-year-old was arrested for shooting a school security guard who was breaking up a fight outside a high school football game in central New York, police said.The security guard was shot in the back of the head Saturday afternoon outside Proctor High School in Utica. He was was hospitalized in critical but stable condition and was expected to make a full recovery, city police said in statements this weekend.A game with Binghamton High School was in its final moments when the fight broke out in the parking lot outside the stadium. At least two of the school’s security employees got involved to stop the fight when shots were fired and the unidentified guard was hit.The teen suspect was arrested Sunday on second-degree attempted murder and other charges. Police said they could not identify the teen because of his age but said he was not a current student at Proctor High School and was enrolled in an alternative educational program.Police said the investigation was ...

Oregon man to be arraigned in 1979 Back Bay murder

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:58 GMT

An Oregon man is expected to be arraigned Monday in Boston Municipal Court in connection with the murder of a 24-year-old Pennsylvania woman in a Back Bay apartment building in October 1979, Essex District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.John Michael Irmer, 68, was transported from Portland to Boston and will be charged with murdering Susan Marcia Rose on Oct. 30, 1979.Last month, Irmer walked into the Portland FBI field office and volunteered to agents that he met a woman with red hair at a skating rink around Halloween in Boston in1979.  Irmer said the two walked into 285 Beacon St., which was under renovation at the time. Irmer said that shortly after the two entered the building he grabbed a nearby hammer and struck the woman on the head, killing her.  Irmer said he fled to New York the next day. Investigators retrieved a DNA sample from Irmer, which proved to be a match with DNA samples preserved from the murder scene.“Nearly 44 years after losing her at such a young age, the f...

Bells toll as the U.S. marks 22 years since 9/11, from ground zero to Alaska

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:58 GMT

By JENNIFER PELTZ and KAREN MATTHEWS (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — Bells tolled at ground zero and solemn tributes unfolded around the country as Americans looked back Monday on the horror and legacy of 9/11. People gathered at memorials, firehouses, city halls, campuses and elsewhere to observe the 22nd anniversary of the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil. Nearly 3,000 people were killed when hijacked planes crashed at New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the attack reshaped American foreign policy and domestic fears.“For those of us who lost people on that day, that day is still happening. Everybody else moves on. And you find a way to go forward, but that day is always happening for you,” Edward Edelman said as he arrived at ground zero to honor his slain brother-in-law, Daniel McGinley. President Joe Biden is due at a ceremony on a military base in Anchorage. His visit, en route to Washington, D.C., from a ...

Oregon man charged in brutal 1979 deadly hammer slay

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:58 GMT

An Oregon man is being charged with the brutal 1979 cold case killing of a Pennsylvania woman who was found bludgeoned to death at a Beacon Street construction site.John Michael Irmer is expected at Boston Municipal Court today where he’ll be charged with murder in connection with the brutal slay of Susan Marcia Rose, 24, of Pennsylvania.Irmer, now 68, approached the FBI in Portland, Oregon and told agents he met the red-headed  Rose at a skating rink around the time of Halloween in 1979, according to the Suffolk DA’s office. The two made their way to Beacon Street and entered a building under renovation where Irmer grabbed a hammer and repeatedly struck Rose in the head, according to the DA’s office.Irmer fled to New York the next day, he told FBI agents.Investigators with the DA’s office confirmed Rose was found murdered at 285 Beacon Street. The cause of death was determined to be blunt injuries to the head.DNA evidence was preserved from the scene and that matched a sample obtai...

Chicago Cubs salvage series with a win — and they still control their postseason fate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:58 GMT

Just when the Chicago Cubs have appeared to be on the brink of watching their postseason aspirations spiral away, they come through.That’s how good teams perform, and the Cubs have shown a knack for moving past a tough couple of games, staying locked in and maintaining their hold on a playoff spot. They bounced back following a pair walk-off losses last weekend in Cincinnati to win the series finale, leading into a sweep of the San Francisco Giants, and after dropping three consecutive games to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Cubs took care of business in Sunday’s 5-2 win.“I feel like we’ve been honestly grinding away at it the last couple days and just nothing really to show for it,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “Once again, it’s just one of those things we’ve got to stay the course and continue to prepare and go out there and obviously compete.”Three solo home runs in the third inning — Christopher Morel, and back-to-back...