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Unlicensed Hong Kong radio station that hosted many pro-democracy guests goes off air after 18 years

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:05:32 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — An unlicensed pro-democracy radio station in Hong Kong was shutting down on Friday, going off air after 18 years of service. The closure of Citizens’ Radio came on the eve of the 26th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China’s rule. Since its launch in 2005, the station has hosted various prominent democrats in its shows, including former lawmakers Szeto Wah, Emily Lau, Albert Ho and Lee Cheuk-yan. But its founder Bull Tsang said it was getting increasingly difficult for the station to invite guests following the enactment of a Beijing-imposed law that jailed or silenced many activists. Coupled with banking problems and limited resources, he had no choice but to say goodbye, he said. “It’s hard to let go. It’s like my third son,” Tsang, 67, told reporters before he hosted his last show on Friday night. The closure reflects the collapse of the city’s pro-democracy movement under the national security law following massive protests in...

‘Lives could be saved’: Virginia’s expanded Move Over law takes effect Saturday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:05:32 GMT

Alexis Wells and Latane Flanagan always used to call their sister Angela Hurley when they needed advice.“She knew what was right,” Flanagan said. “You call her and you’re like, ‘Hey, this is what I was thinking, what do you think?’ And she was like, ‘Oh, yeah, that’s right,’ or ‘Oh my gosh, no, you are absolutely out of your mind.'”Hurley, 49, of Mechanicsville, Virginia, was killed on July 19, 2022, when she was waiting for roadside assistance after her car broke down on the side of Interstate 95 in Hanover County outside Richmond. An SUV swerved into the shoulder and hit her vehicle.Her sisters have been advocating for safer traffic laws since her death, in the hopes that other people’s loved ones will make it home safely. Now, a major law they supported is going into effect, as Virginia drivers prepare to travel for the holiday weekend.The state’s updated Move Over law will kick in July 1. It requires d...

Photos: Funnel clouds spotted in Park County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:05:32 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Two defined funnel clouds were caught on camera by a FOX31 viewer as storms moved into the state on Friday morning. Bryan Gunsher, who lives about 5 miles north of Antero Reservoir, told FOX31's Drew Englebart and Katie Orth this is the first funnel cloud he's seen in the eight years he's lived in Park County. Photos: Coors Field covered in hail after Denver storm "These are the first two funnel clouds that I've actually seen in this area. I know we've had a few in the last week or so and a tornado, but nothing like that in our area that I've seen," Gunsher said. Funnel cloud captured on June 30, 2023 in Park County (Photo credit: Bryan Gunsher)Funnel cloud captured on camera in Park County (Photo credit: Bryan Gunsher)The Park County resident captured not one, but two funnel clouds on camera clear as day off in the distance. "We were experiencing a good bit of rain. The wind was actually pretty light. It was very dark, thunder and lightning, and so forth," Gunsh...

How many Coloradans back on the hook for student loans after SCOTUS ruling?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:05:32 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Just under 300,000 Coloradans will be on the hook for their full federal student loan amounts in October following Friday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling. The Supreme Court has made its final ruling on student debt relief, ending the almost yearlong uncertainty borrowers have had on the future of their loans. In a 6-3 decision, the conservative majority of the Supreme Court struck down Biden’s plan that would have given up to $20,000 in loan forgiveness for more than 40 million borrowers.  Supreme Court blocks student loan forgiveness: What should borrowers do now? Student loan borrowers owe a total of $1.7 trillion nationwide, about $29 billion of which is among the borrowers in the state of Colorado.Over a third of Colorado’s federal student loan borrowers would have been approved for loan forgiveness, according to a White House report released in January. About 295,000 borrowers would have been fully approved for the forgiveness plan. Can Colo...

Biden blames GOP for student loan ruling as 2024 political consequences loom

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:05:32 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden insisted Friday that “this fight is not over” after the Supreme Court struck down his $400 billion student loan forgiveness plan. Biden blamed Republicans’ opposition, aiming to direct the ire of millions of borrowers toward them rather than his own party in next year’s elections.The president planned an afternoon address to lay out a series of actions to provide continued relief to 43 million student loan borrowers, and in the meantime tried to stay on the political offensive against the GOP.“The hypocrisy of Republican elected officials is stunning,” Biden said in a statement. “They had no problem with billions in pandemic-related loans to businesses – including hundreds of thousands and in some cases millions of dollars for their own businesses. And those loans were forgiven. But when it came to providing relief to millions of hard-working Americans, they did everything in their power to stop it.”Electoral consequences aside, prog...

As France burns, Macron blames social media for fanning the flames

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:05:32 GMT

PARIS — French rioters have set the country on fire and Emmanuel Macron is pointing the finger at TikTok and Snapchat for pouring gasoline on the inferno.In the past three days, violent protests erupted across France after a police officer shot and killed 17-year-old Nahel M., who was of North African, in a Paris suburb. Rioters targeted public buildings, transport systems and shops with projectiles and Molotov cocktails, leaving 249 members of law enforcement injured and 875 people arrested. Unlike the deadly outbreak of violence in 2005, the turmoil — which has led to public transportation shutdowns, concert cancelations and armored vehicles being deployed across the country — can be documented in real time, shared online and seen by tens of thousands on social media platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Twitter. That online phenomenon is worrying France’s political leaders, who have been scurrying to find solutions as the unrest shows no sign of fizzling out. “We...

Man wanted on January 6-related charges arrested in Obama’s DC neighborhood with guns and materials to make explosives

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:05:32 GMT

(CNN) — A man with numerous firearms and materials to make an explosive was arrested Thursday in former President Barack Obama’s Washington, DC, neighborhood after claiming on an internet livestream that he had a detonator, law enforcement officials told CNN.Taylor Taranto, who had an open warrant for his arrest related to the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack, was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department and federal law enforcement. He has been charged with being a fugitive from justice.“Arresting officers requested MPD’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team to perform a vehicle sweep of the individual’s van near the location of the arrest,” the MPD said in a statement to CNN. “There is no active threat to the community and this incident remains under investigation.”According to law enforcement officials, firearms and materials to make Molotov cocktails were found in Taranto’s car. There is currently no indication of a direct threat to the Obamas, law enforcement...

Actors poised to go on strike against studios, streaming services

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:05:32 GMT

New York (CNN) — Some very famous faces could soon be on picket lines as the union representing about 160,000 actors prepares to possibly go on strike against major studios and streaming services.The current contract for the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) expires at 11:59 pm PDT Friday. The actors could join 11,000 members of the Writers Guild of America, who have already been on strike for two months.Industry experts like Jonathan Handel, an entertainment lawyer and writer and author of a book on the 2007-08 writers strike, “Hollywood on Strike!: An Industry at War in the Internet Age,” expects that there will be a strike. Although there are signs, he added, that the current contract could be extended into next week and postpone the possible start of an actors strike past the July 4 holiday.“My betting is that may be a short extension, but there will probably be a strike. While discussions have been productive, it ...

Santos appears in court for first time since pleading not guilty in criminal fraud case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:05:32 GMT

Central Islip, New York (CNN) — Embattled Rep. George Santos appeared in federal court on Friday, where prosecutors unveiled they had delivered the defense roughly 80,000 pages of documents earlier this week.Santos – back in court for the first time since pleading not guilty to a 13-count indictment alleging fraud related to Covid-19 unemployment benefits, misusing campaign funds and lying about his personal finances – showed no emotion throughout the hearing in Long Island, sitting with his hands folded in front of him.Santos’ attorney, Joseph Murray, noted that Congress’ August recess would be a good time to review the cache of documents.The next hearing will take place on September 7, one week before Congress is back in session. Murray argued he wanted his client to be able to return to session.Murray told the judge that the defense and prosecutors had a “good working relationship,” when discussing when to set a next court date.As he left the table, Santos wished p...

Brazil court bars Bolsonaro from elections until 2030 in ruling that upends his political future

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:05:32 GMT

By MAURICIO SAVARESE and DIANE JEANTET (Associated Press)SAO PAULO (AP) — A panel of judges voted Friday to render far-right former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro ineligible to run for office again after concluding that he abused his power and cast unfounded doubts on the country’s electronic voting system.The decision forbids Bolsonaro from running until 2030, upending the 68-year-old’s political future and likely erasing any chance for him to regain power.Five judges on the nation’s highest electoral court agreed that Bolsonaro abused his authority by using government communication channels to promote his campaign and sowing doubts about the vote. Two judges voted against.“This decision will end Bolsonaro’s chances of being president again, and he knows it,” said Carlos Melo, a political science professor at Insper University in Sao Paulo. “After this, he will try to stay out of jail, elect some of his allies to keep his politica...