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Thai Parliament prevents leader of party that won election from being renominated for prime minister

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:24:33 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s Parliament voted Wednesday against allowing the leader of the progressive party that finished first in May’s general election a second chance to be confirmed as prime minister.Pita Limjaroenrat had assembled a coalition of parties holding a majority of the seats in the House of Representatives. But his nomination for prime minister was defeated in a joint vote of the House and Senate last week, with conservative military-appointed senators mostly refusing their support over ideological differences.The joint session debated Wednesday whether Pita could be nominated for a second time, and House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha then put the question to a joint vote. A motion to prevent him from running again was passed by a vote of 395 to 312, with eight abstentions. The meeting of Parliament was then adjourned.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday agreed to suspend Move Forwa...

Advance voting starts in Toronto, Ottawa area provincial byelections

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:24:33 GMT

Advance voting is set to begin Wednesday in provincial byelections in Toronto and Ottawa.Eligible voters in two ridings, Scarborough-Guildwood and Kanata-Carleton, can cast a ballot at advance voting locations from Wednesday to Friday.Elections Ontario says applications to vote by mail are due by Friday at 6 p.m., with election day on July 27.Advance voting locations for Scarborough-Guldwood are open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. from July 19-21Canadian Druze Society – 898 Markham RoadSir Wilfrid Laurier Collegiate Institute – 145 Guildwood ParkwayTam Heather Curling & Tennis Club – 730 Military Trail More voting information can be found here.The east Toronto riding of Scarborough-Guildwood has been vacant since Mitzie Hunter, who held one of the few Liberal seats, resigned last month to unsuccessfully run in Toronto’s mayoral byelection.The Ottawa-area riding of Kanata-Carleton was vacated in March when Merrilee Fullerton abruptly resigned both her post as mini...

Edmunds compares: Kia Telluride and Mazda CX-90

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:24:33 GMT

The Kia Telluride was an instant home run for the brand when it debuted in 2019 and it has sat atop Edmunds’ list of best midsize three-row SUVs ever since. Last year, it further benefited from a few cosmetic and technology updates. But also vying for your attention is the all-new 2024 Mazda CX-90. Replacing Mazda’s CX-9 model as its largest SUV, the CX-90 boasts sleek looks, engaging performance and a premium-feeling cabin. Does the CX-90 have what it takes to dethrone the 2024 Telluride? Edmunds experts compared them to find out.COMFORT AND INTERIORMazda has had luxury aspirations for some time now, and that effort is renewed inside the CX-90. The CX-90’s interior feels well built and plush, and it features numerous physical buttons for major functions, each clearly labeled and easy to reach at a glance. The driver and passenger seats are great for long drives too. The CX-90 can seat up to eight passengers, though passenger space in the second and third rows is less than in the Te...

Defense wants trial in attack against Nancy Pelosi’s husband moved from San Francisco

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:24:33 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Lawyers for the man charged in last year’s attack against former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband want his federal trial to be moved out of San Francisco, saying intense publicity means he won’t get a fair trial. David DePape is set to appear in federal court Wednesday. His lawyers will ask the judge to move the trial to the city of Eureka, neighboring Oregon. The federal trial is set to start Nov. 13.His federal public defenders, Jodi Linker and Angela Chuang, say media attention on the case in the San Francisco Bay Area has tainted the pool of jurors. They said a survey they commissioned shows many potential jurors already believe he is guilty of the crimes and would be unable to change their minds.Prosecutors say DePape broke into the Pelosis’ San Francisco home on Oct. 28 seeking to kidnap the former speaker — who was out of town — and instead beat her 83-year-old husband with a hammer. The violence sent shockwaves through the political world....

India’s Tata will build a $5-billion new electric car battery factory in the UK

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:24:33 GMT

LONDON (AP) — India’s Tata Sons plans to build a 4-billion-pound ($5.2 billion) electric car battery factory in the U.K., the conglomerate said Wednesday. The plant is expected to become one of Europe’s largest battery cell manufacturing sites when it begins production in 2026. Britain’s government said the new factory, the largest investment in the U.K. automotive industry in decades, will create 4,000 jobs directly and thousands more in supply chains.The plant is expected to produce about 40 gigawatt hours of battery cells every year, enough to provide half the U.K.’s electric vehicle batteries, Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps said.“Our multibillion-pound investment will bring state-of-the-art technology to the country, helping to power the automotive sector’s transition to electric mobility, anchored by our own business, JLR (Jaguar Land Rover),” Tata Sons chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said.The new plant will supply batteries to other brands as ...

Man shot while sitting in vehicle in Scarborough: Police

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:24:33 GMT

Police are investigating a possible drive-by shooting in Scarborough that sent a man to hospital on Tuesday night.Toronto police say officers responded to the area of Kennedy Road and Eglinton Avenue East around 11:15 p.m. for reports of a shooting.A male victim was found injured at the scene and several bullet holes were discovered on the drivers side of a car.Paramedics tell CityNews a man in his 30s was sent to hospital in serious but non-life-threatening condition.Police say it appears the shooter was inside another vehicle. There is no word on any suspect or suspect vehicle descriptions.The investigation is ongoing.

The surreal Korean border village where a US soldier crossed into the North

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:24:33 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Blue-roofed huts, a raised slab of concrete and some raked gravel are all that separate the rival Koreas at Panmunjom, a rare point of close contact along the most heavily armed border in the world. People have stepped across that thin dividing line, but only under very special circumstances, passing between two nations that are still technically at war. Former U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did it. Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in walked hand-in-hand with Kim across the border. In 2017, a defecting North Korean soldier stumbled across nearby, under heavy gunfire, in a mad dash for sanctuary. And this week an American soldier facing possible military discipline dashed over the line, causing an international incident that could worsen already uneasy relations on the Korean Peninsula, where the North has staged dozens of missile tests this year as it works to advance a nuclear program aimed at targeting the continental United Stat...

Voting fraud claims spread ahead of Spain’s pivotal election

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:24:33 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Days before Spain holds a pivotal election, misleading claims about mail ballots and election fraud are spreading on social media and casting doubts about the results even before the votes have been counted. The allegations, amplified by supporters of the center-right Popular Party and the far-right Vox Party, bear striking similarities to the baseless claims spread by then-President Donald Trump ahead of his 2020 U.S. election defeat and offer a reminder that the distrust of elections that has marred U.S. politics has taken root in Europe, too.Sunday’s general election could tilt Spain in favor of the populist right, as the Popular Party looks to take power away from the Spanish Socialist Worker’s Party and its far-left coalition partner, Unidas Podemos (United We Can).Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the early election after his left-leaning coalition lost big in this year’s local and regional elections that were also marked by online misinfo...

At least 4 injured in Kenya anti-government protests as schools remain closed

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:24:33 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — At least four protesters were injured in Kenya Wednesday as police clashed with demonstrators who are calling for the government to lower the cost of living.The opposition has called for three days of countrywide protests starting Wednesday in a new wave of demonstrations aimed at forcing the president to address the rising cost of living.President William Ruto had vowed that no protests would take place in the country, saying he would take on opposition leader Raila Odinga “head-on.”Four protesters were injured in the capital, Nairobi’s Mathare area, according to a police officer who wished to remain anonymous as he was not authorized to speak to the media.Businesses in Nairobi remained closed on Wednesday as police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters.Demonstrations were reported in several other parts of the country including the western counties of Kisumu, Migori and Kisii where the opposition enjoys huge support. Police on Tuesday said th...

China looks to Kissinger meeting to improve strained relations with US

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:24:33 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Amid a steep downturn in relations with the United States, China has looked to a meeting with former U.S. national security adviser and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to revive positive momentum.The 100-year-old Kissinger met Wednesday with the ruling Communist Party’s diplomat Wang Yi, who said it was “impossible” to transform, encircle or contain China, reiterating top Chinese leaders’ statements on what they say the U.S. is trying to do based on differences over trade, technology, Taiwan and China’s human rights record.On Tuesday, Kissinger held talks with Defense Minister Li Shangfu, who is barred from visiting the U.S. over arms sales he oversaw with Russia.China’s Defense Ministry quoted Li as praising the role Kissinger played in opening up China-U.S. relations in the early 1970s, but said bilateral ties had hit a low point because of “some people on the American side who are not willing to meet China halfway.”U.S. leaders say they have no such intentions, ...