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Czech police say people have been killed in a shooting in downtown Prague

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:56:36 GMT

PRAGUE (AP) — A shooting in downtown Prague killed several people and wounded dozens of others, and the person who opened fire is dead, Czech police said Thursday.Police gave no details about the victims or the circumstances of the gunfire in the Czech Republic’s capital. They said officers were deployed due to a shooting at a school in Jan Palach Square.The philosophy department of Charles University, which is located in the square, was evacuated, Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda said.The police department said the square has been sealed off. It urged people also to leave the surrounding streets and stay inside.Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said no other shooter was at the scene, but he urged people to cooperate with police.Prague’s rescue service confirmed several people were killed and said a larger number suffered various injuries.Prime Minister Petr Fiala canceled his scheduled events and was heading for Prague.

Ryan Gosling is serving us more Ken, just in time for Christmas

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:56:36 GMT

(CNN) — Christmas just got Kenergized.Ryan Gosling and “Barbie: The Album” producer Mark Ronson have remade the blockbuster movie’s hit tune “I’m Just Ken” for “Ken The EP,” which includes three new versions of the song: a holiday version, titled “Merry Kristmas Barbie,” an acoustic version, titled, naturally, “In My Feelings Acoustic,” and a dance rendition of the song, “Purple Disco Machine Cover.” (Why not “Pink Disco?)The two had teased the new music on Dec. 18, wearing Santa hats in a studio together.The video for the song details why Ronson felt it was necessary to make more “Ken” tunes, with Gosling getting back into his Ken character to sing in a studio decorated for the holidays.“Barbie” received 10 nominations for the 2024 Golden Globe Awards, Gosling’s nomination for best supporting actor among them.“I’m Just Ken” was nominated for best original song for a motion picture. The original recording has already earned Gosling his first Billboard Hot 100 hit.Ronson produce...

Backlash builds against Macron over Depardieu support

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:56:36 GMT

French President Emmanuel Macron is facing mounting backlash for showing support for film star Gérard Depardieu, who is accused of sexual assault and sexism.Former French President François Hollande on Thursday criticized Macron’s recent statements to the France 5 TV channel, in which he praised Depardieu’s contribution to filmmaking.“It was expected of the President of the Republic to talk about women, and not simply to say that Gérard Depardieu was a great actor,” Hollande told French radio France Inter. “He has made this cause the big deal of his five-year term and this is how he is dealing with the issue of Gérard Depardieu.”On Wednesday, Macron said he was a “great admirer” of Depardieu, a “great actor” who makes France “proud.” He also said he didn’t want Depardieu stripped of his Légion d’Honneur (Legion of Honor), the country’s highest order of merit.But his comments sparked ire in France.Depardieu was charged with rape in 2020...

From pastina pasta to Sierra Mist, here are 8 food and drinks we lost in 2023

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:56:36 GMT

New York (CNN) — You might’ve indulged in some of the final bites and slurps of your favorite food and drinks without even realizing it.2023 marked the end of McDonald’s baked goods (thankfully, we have new treats at CosMc’s to anticipate), the final batch of a historic craft beer and a Girl Scouts cookie that was one year old, among other fan-favorite foods that are now in the garbage heap of history.Restaurants and food manufacturers are constantly evaluating what’s selling and what’s not, so it’s not a surprise that these items are disappearing. But it doesn’t make their losses any easier for fans.Here are some culinary creations that left us this year.Aha seltzer waterCoca-Cola’s attempt to make a La Croix competitor fizzled out less than three years after its debut. Aha, a lineup of flavored seltzer waters (some with a splash of caffeine) rolled out in 2020 amid the pandemic and never gained traction with consumers.Coke announced in October that th...

Texas’ new immigration law sows confusion and uncertainty along the border

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:56:36 GMT

(CNN) — A new law that makes entering Texas illegally a state crime is sowing confusion and uncertainty among undocumented migrants and mixed status families along the US-Mexico border, according to immigration advocates.Many of those advocates tell CNN they fear a wave of racial profiling as well as detentions and attempted deportations by state authorities when the law is expected to take effect in March.“There are a lot of unknowns about how this law will be implemented,” Houston immigration attorney Roberto Quijano said a recent town hall meeting about the law.Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed the measure, Senate Bill 4, into law on Monday, granting local law enforcement the power to arrest migrants and judges the ability to issue orders to remove them to Mexico, in a state where Latinos represent 40% of the population. “We have a lot of concerns about racial profiling and racism,” Ramona Casas...

Top US and Chinese military officials speak for the first time in over a year

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:56:36 GMT

(CNN) — The top US and Chinese generals spoke on Thursday for the first time in over a year, marking the end of a strained silence between senior US and Chinese military officials that had deeply concerned the Pentagon.Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., had a video conference call with his Chinese counterpart on Thursday, Joint Staff spokesperson Capt. Jereal Dorsey said.Brown spoke with the People’s Liberation Army of China Chief of the Joint Staff Department Gen. Liu Zhenli, also marking the first time the two have talked since Brown became chairman.“Gen. Brown discussed the importance of working together to responsibly manage competition, avoid miscalculations, and maintain open and direct lines of communication,” Dorsey said. “Gen. Brown reiterated the importance of the People’s Liberation Army engaging in substantive dialogue to reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings.”

Can an improving Chicago Bears defense provide an emphatic finish to the season? 12 numbers and nuggets for Week 16.

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:56:36 GMT

The Chicago Bears are headed for a Christmas Eve date with the Arizona Cardinals, looking to rebound after blowing a 10-point fourth-quarter lead in Sunday’s loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Bears’ status as “in the hunt” in the NFC playoff chase was promptly revoked after that collapse.Now they must manufacture new motivation and energy to finish out another losing season. The Cardinals (3-11) are one of three teams worse than the Bears in the conference. That creates an opening this weekend for Matt Eberflus’ team to get back on track. To help set the stage, here are a dozen eye-catching numbers and nuggets.24-23Score of the Bears’ 2006 victory against the Cardinals on “Monday Night Football” in the now-iconic “The Bears are who we thought they were” game. The Bears trailed 23-3 late in the third quarter but somehow rallied to win without scoring an offensive touchdown. On a night during which quarterback Rex Grossman th...

Callahan: How much of this Patriots season can be blamed on injuries?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:56:36 GMT

FOXBORO — Let’s leave the dead horses be.The Patriots are a bad team playing out a lost season. So are a half-dozen other teams.Bill Belichick’s future is uncertain. Whose isn’t?But what of the past, and what could have been?After last weekend’s loss, Belichick admitted losing three starters to injury factored into the offense’s decision to turtle in the final minutes against Kansas City.“I would say we didn’t feel like we were able to do probably what we should have done in that situation,” he said.So were it not for Hunter Henry, Cole Strange and Conor McDermott going down, how would the Pats have played? Stepping back, might that question apply to the entire season?Belichick could – and maybe will in his end-of-year meeting with Robert Kraft – try to pin the Patriots’ season on poor injury luck. Their offense and defense have both been devastated by injury. It feels like a hard sell, but let’s play it out.The Patri...

Scooter service Bird Global steers into bankruptcy protection

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:56:36 GMT

SAN DIEGO — Electric scooter company Bird Global announced Wednesday that it has filed for bankruptcy protection in an attempt to stabilize its wobbly finances.The move marks a sobering comedown for a formerly high-flying startup that was trying to make it easier to get around big cities in an environmentally friendly way with its fleet of electric scooters. The concept attracted about $500 million in investments from prominent Silicon Valley venture capital firms such as Sequoia Capital and Accel Partners before becoming a publicly traded company in 2021.Now, the Miami-based company finds itself struggling to survive after losing more than $430 million since the end of 2021.Bird has lined up $25 million in financing from MidCap Financial, a division of Apollo Global Management, as it tries to reorganize under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Florida.Michael Washinushi, Bird's interim CEO, predicted the company will be able to bounce back and continue its “mission to make cities ...

Crescent Point Energy completes deal to buy Hammerhead Energy

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:56:36 GMT

CALGARY — Crescent Point Energy Corp. says it expects average production of 198,000 to 206,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2024 now that it has closed its deal to buy Hammerhead Energy Inc. The guidance includes development capital expenditures of $1.4 billion to $1.5 billion for the year.The company says it plans to spend 45 per cent of its 2024 budget in Alberta’s Montney region where it expects average annual production of 97,000 boe/d. Thirty-five per cent of the budget will go to the Kaybob Duvernay region where production is expected to average 50,000 boe/d.Crescent Point says it plans to spend the remaining 20 per cent of its 2024 budget on its assets in Saskatchewan, which are expected to generate annual average production of 55,000 boe/d.The company announced a deal in November to buy Hammerhead Energy and its assets in the Montney region of northwest Alberta for a total of $2.55 billion, including approximately $455 million of Hammerhead’s net debt. Th...