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Agence France-Presse pursues copyright case against X, formerly known as Twitter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:20 GMT

PARIS (AP) — France’s international news agency, Agence France-Presse, says it is pursuing a copyright case against X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, in an effort to secure potential payment for its news content. The news agency said it applied Wednesday to a Paris court to compel Elon Musk’s rebranded company to provide data it says is needed “for assessing the remuneration owed to AFP.” The news agency announced the legal action in a statement. It said it is seeking payment under European Union intellectual property rules that cover “neighboring rights,” which allow news outlets and publishers to seek payment from digital platforms for the sharing of their work.France was the first EU country to adopt the rules into national legislation, in 2019.“As a leading advocate for the adoption of neighboring rights for the press, AFP remains unwavering in its commitment to the cause,” the news agency said.It described the legal action against Twitter...

Violent unrest is rising in Ethiopia’s Amhara region after attempt to disarm fighters, witnesses say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:20 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Violent unrest is escalating in Ethiopia’s Amhara region as federal security forces clash with a local ethnic militia, leading the deputy prime minister in an unusually outspoken statement to call the situation “increasingly grave.”Ethiopia’s second most populous region has been gripped by instability since April, when federal authorities disarmed the Amhara regional force as part of the recovery from a devastating two-year conflict in the neighboring Tigray region. Authorities last year also tried to dismantle the Amhara militia known as Fano. Both forces had fought alongside federal ones in the Tigray conflict, but now the federal government wants to centralize its security powers. Many Amhara, however, are deeply attached to their regional fighters and accuse the federal government of trying to undermine their region, which federal officials reject.Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen on Wednesday called for dialogue to seek a peaceful resolution and descri...

Nintendo’s profit jumps as Super Mario franchise gets a boost from hit film

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:20 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Nintendo reported a 52% increase in net profit for the first fiscal quarter on Thursday following the success of its Super Mario movie and the new Zelda video game.Demand was strong for Nintendo Switch game software, which received a boost from the release earlier this year of the film about the jumping plumber called “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” according to Nintendo Co.The film has so far drawn more than 168 million people globally, grossing $1.3 billion.That makes it one of the top-selling animation films on record, second only to “Frozen II,” and the top animation film based on a video game. The “Lion King” 2019 remake, while it uses computer graphics and was an even a bigger hit, isn’t categorized as an animation film. Also helping lift Nintendo’s results was the popularity of “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” game, released in May, the latest in the hit action-adventure series.The Japanese video game maker’s April-June net profit totaled 181 billion ye...

Waves grow up to 13 feet tall in California as Earth warms, research finds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:20 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Waves are getting bigger and surf at least 13 feet (about 4 meters) tall is becoming more common off California’s coast as the planet warms, according to innovative new research that tracked the increasing height from historical data gathered over the past 90 years.Oceanographer Peter Bromirski at Scripps Institution of Oceanography used the unusual method of analyzing seismic records dating back to 1931 to measure the change in wave height.When waves ricochet off the shore, they collide with incoming waves and cause a ripple of energy through the seafloor that can be picked up by seismographs designed to detect earthquakes. The greater the impact, the taller the wave is.Until now, scientists relied on a network of buoys by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that collect data on wave height along U.S. coasts, but that data along the California coast only went back to 1980.“Until I stumbled upon this data set, it was almost impossible to make that co...

Toronto home sales and prices up from last July, down from June: TRREB

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:20 GMT

TORONTO — The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board says home sales, listings and prices were up in July compared with last year, but activity looks to be slowing in the face of higher interest rates. The board says the 5,250 sales for the month was up 7.8 per cent compared with July 2022, while listings grew 11.5 per cent. The average selling price was up 4.2 per cent in July from a year earlier to $1,118,374, while the benchmark price was up 1.3 per cent. Sales and prices however trended lower from June on a seasonally adjusted basis with sales down 8.8 per cent and the average price down 0.7 per cent.The drop in month-over-month sales in July marked the second month in a row for lower sales, while the July price pullback was the first month since February that saw a retreat.The board says that it seems the sales momentum seen earlier in the spring has somewhat stalled since the Bank of Canada restarted its rate tightening cycle in June. This report by The Canadian Press was first pu...

Selection of Thailand’s new prime minister delayed again, to await court decision on election winner

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:20 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — A parliamentary vote to select Thailand’s new prime minister expected on Friday was delayed again after a court put off a decision in a case involving the progressive party that won May’s election, adding to growing uncertainty about when a new government can take office.The Constitutional Court on Thursday said it needs more time to deliberate on whether to accept a petition from the state ombudsman on whether it was constitutional for Parliament to bar Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat, the surprise election winner, from being nominated as a prime ministerial candidate a second time.The progressive Move Forward Party finished in first place in the May election and assembled an eight-party coalition with 312 seats in the 500-member lower house. But Parliament has struggled to confirm a new prime minister, which requires a majority vote together with the conservative 250-member appointed Senate. Pita’s initial bid last month fell short by more than 50 ...

Pope Francis urges students in Portugal to fight economic injustice and protect the environment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:20 GMT

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Pope Francis challenged university students on Thursday to make the world a more just and inclusive place, as he focused the second day of his Portugal trip on inspiring young people to use their privilege to combat global warming and economic inequalities.Francis received a warm welcome at the Catholic University, one of Portugal’s top institutions of higher learning, where students broke into periodic papal chants under an already bright sun on the central Lisbon campus. After the event, Francis was heading to the seaside town of Cascais to visit the local branch of his Scolas Occurrentes foundation, a movement he founded years ago to bring young people from different backgrounds and nationalities together.Francis is in Lisbon through the weekend to attend World Youth Day, the big Catholic jamboree that St. John Paul II launched in the 1980s to encourage young Catholics in their faith. Francis has picked up John Paul’s mantle with gusto as he seeks to inspi...

Trump to face judge in DC in third indictment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:20 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump is due in federal court Thursday to answer to charges that he sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election, facing a judge just blocks from the U.S. Capitol that his supporters stormed to block the peaceful transfer of presidential power.In what's by now become a familiar but nonetheless stunning ritual, Trump is expected to be processed by law enforcement, be officially taken into custody and enter a not guilty plea in front of a judge before being released, so he can rejoin the campaign trail as he seeks to reclaim the White House in 2024.An indictment Tuesday from Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith charges Trump with four felony counts related to his efforts to undo the presidential election in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. The charges could lead to a yearslong prison sentence i...

Update on missing 10-year-old from Troy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:20 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services has provided an update regarding Elizabeth Rosa, the missing 10-year-old reported missing out of Troy on Wednesday. Police say she was last seen with Kristin Lagace, her non-custodial mother. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Image of Elizabeth RosaImage of Kristin LagacePolice say Lagace is 5'8", 191 lbs, with brown hair and brown eyes. Rosa was last seen getting into an unknown car on 7th Avenue in Troy at 11:40 p.m. on Tuesday. Rosa was last seen wearing a grey sweatshirt and may be traveling to New York City or Long Island. Rosa is described as 5'2" and approximately 100 lbs, with brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information on Elizabeth’s whereabouts is encouraged to call Troy Police at (518) 270-4421 or 911.

Seppings, Fall combine to shut out Pioneers as Mohawks take game one of PGCBL Championship

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:20 GMT

AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- As dynamic as the Amsterdam Mohawks' offense has been this season, it's somewhat overshadowed a truly potent pitching staff. But the 'Hawks arms stole the show in game one of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League championship series Wednesday night. Jack Seppings and Peyton Fall combined to shut out the Elmira Pioneers 4-0 at Shuttleworth Park. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! After Seppings tossed three scoreless frames to start the game, Amsterdam finally managed to get on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the inning. Extra hitter Cam Gurney slapped a single the other way down the third-base line, scoring Gage Miller for the first run of the evening.Seppings' outing concluded with a four-strikeout fifth inning - the second time he's achieved that feat this year. The Brown University right-hander finished with five shutout innings and eight strikeouts; he allowed just three hits.Seppings ha...