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Declared missing as a child, British teenager lives off-grid for 6 years, then pops up in France

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:22:48 GMT

LE PECQ, France (AP) — The vehicle’s headlights silhouetted the exhausted teenager walking alone in the rain in deepest rural France, with a skateboard tucked under his arm. “I said to myself, ‘That’s strange. It’s 3 am in the morning, it’s raining, he’s all by himself on the road between two villages,” delivery driver Fabien Accidini recounted. From there, the story gets stranger still. The youngster, it turned out, was Alex Batty, a 17-year-old from Britain who had been missing since 2017.British and French authorities confirmed on Friday that the teenager found by Accidini this week was the boy who vanished at age 11, when his mother and grandfather took him on what was meant to be a two-week family holiday in Spain.Instead, it turned out to be a six-year odyssey through Morocco, Spain and southwest France, living an off-the-grid life. Until this week. Batty suddenly popped back up on the radar on Wednesday. That’s when Accidini found him alone on the remote Fre...

No regrets for Ja Morant over suspension with actions, not words, proving lesson learned

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:22:48 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Being suspended for the first 25 games of the NBA season was tough on two-time All-Star Ja Morant, who said Friday he had “some horrible days” as he worked to focus on himself away from basketball.The Memphis Grizzlies point guard wouldn’t say he regrets being suspended by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver for the second time in the span of four months.“In the end, I feel like it made me better,” Morant said. ”I feel like I learned some stuff about myself that I did during that process. Very eye-opening. It kind of gave me a new look on life. How I go about my days. How I carry myself.”Morant’s suspension ends on Tuesday, when he’ll be available to play for the Grizzlies in New Orleans on the second night of a back-to-back road swing. Morant said he’s been counting down the days until his return and is just grateful and thankful to still be here.The No. 2 pick overall in the 2020 draft, 2021 NBA Rookie of the Year and 2022 Most Improved Player has ...

Boise State faces UCLA in LA Bowl seeking one more Mountain West postseason win over Pac-12

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:22:48 GMT

LA Bowl: UCLA (7-5) vs. Boise State (8-5), Dec. 16, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)Line: UCLA by 4 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.Series record: UCLA leads 1-0.WHAT’S AT STAKEThe Broncos staged a late-season turnaround by winning their final four games to claim the Mountain West for the first time since 2019, a run that was enough to see interim coach and defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson earn the top job permanently. The Bruins staggered to the finish line, losing three of their last four games but getting a rivalry victory that likely saved coach Chip Kelly from being fired. KEY MATCHUPBoise State RB Ashton Jeanty vs. UCLA’s defensive line. Jeanty rushed for 153 yards and a touchdown in the Mountain West title game against UNLV, and the Broncos will need more from their running offense after starting QB Taylen Green transferred to Arkansas. The Bruins were fierce at stopping the ground game, finishing third in the FBS allowing 2.33 yards per carry, but won’t have All-America and Lo...

Prince Harry claims vindication in court victory as judge finds British tabloid hacked his phone

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:22:48 GMT

FILE - Prince Harry leaves the High Court after giving evidence in London, Tuesday, June 6, 2023. A judge ordered Prince Harry on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023, to pay nearly 50,000 pounds (over $60,000) in legal fees to the publisher of the Daily Mail tabloid for failing to knock out its defense in a libel lawsuit. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)(AP/Alberto Pezzali) FILE - Prince Harry leaves the High Court after giving evidence in London, Tuesday, June 6, 2023. A judge ordered Prince Harry on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023, to pay nearly 50,000 pounds (over $60,000) in legal fees to the publisher of the Daily Mail tabloid for failing to knock out its defense in a libel lawsuit. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)(AP/Alberto Pezzali) ...

Spanish police arrest 14 airport workers after items go missing from checked-in luggage

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:22:48 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Fourteen workers at one of Spain’s main airports for tourists were arrested on suspicion of stealing items from checked-in luggage, police said Friday.Police seized allegedly stolen items worth almost 2 million euros ($2.2 million), including around 13,000 euros ($14,000) in cash, from the group of employees at the largest airport in Tenerife, in Spain’s Canary Islands, a statement said. Another 20 airport employees are under investigation in the same case.The Tenerife South airport handles about 11 million passengers a year, most of them European tourists seeking the pleasant climate of the islands off the coast of northwest Africa.The investigation began after an increase in passenger complaints about items missing from their luggage, the police statement said.The thefts occurred as baggage was being placed in the aircrafts’ hold, police said. Inside the hold, the alleged thieves forced open suitcases, took out valuables and shut them again.Authorities seized 2...

Congressional Budget Office projects lower inflation and higher unemployment into 2025

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:22:48 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Congressional Budget Office said Friday it expects inflation to nearly hit the Federal Reserve’s 2% target rate in 2024, as overall growth is expected to slow and unemployment is expected to rise into 2025, according to updated economic projections for the next two years. The office’s Current View of the Economy from 2023 to 2025 report estimates that the unemployment rate will hit 4.4% in the fourth quarter of 2024 and remain close to that level through 2025. Currently, the unemployment rate is 3.7%, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Meanwhile, gross domestic product, otherwise known as the overall health of the economy, is estimated to fall from 2.5% in 2023 to 1.5% in 2024 — then rebound to 2.2% in 2025, according to the CBO projections. Compared with its February 2023 projections, CBO’s Friday report predicts weaker growth, lower unemployment, and higher interest rates in 2024 and 2025.But in a reminder that the U.S. econo...

Metro riders should prepare for repairs to part of Red Line in downtown DC

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:22:48 GMT

Red Line service will not run through Farragut North, Metro Center and Gallery Place from Dec. 18 through Dec. 30 due to construction. (Courtesy WMATA)Metro riders who frequently travel through downtown D.C. should plan ahead this holiday season, because a portion of the Red Line running through the area will be closed for repairs starting Monday, Dec. 18.It comes at a time when Metro said ridership is historically 40% lower than a typical workweek.The project, which will entail critical repairs and upgrades to the Red Line, will disrupt service through Saturday, Dec. 30.Alternate routes and free shuttle serviceAs a result of the construction, Metro said there will be free shuttle buses and alternate routes for riders to get through the area.From Dec. 18-21 and 25-30Red Line service between Dupont Circle and Gallery Place — which includes Farragut West and the top level of Metro Center — will be shut down. However, there will be Blue, Orange and Silver Line services at Metro Center,...

Correction: Judge yet to rule on cattle industry's request to delay wolf reintroduction

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:22:48 GMT

Editor's note: The judge has not yet issued a ruling in this lawsuit filed to delay the reintroduction of gray wolves to Colorado. The Associated Press erroneously published a report saying that a judge had denied the request. Previous coverage can be found below and this story will be updated when the judge's ruling is released.DENVER (AP) — A federal judge said she would decide by Friday whether to temporarily halt the impending reintroduction of gray wolves to Colorado under a voter-approved initiative, after representatives of the state's cattle industry went to court to try to stop the predators' release.If the judge sides with the industry, the decision would scramble Colorado Parks and Wildlife's plans of searching for, capturing and transporting up to 10 wolves from Oregon starting Sunday.The wolves are supposed to be released by Dec. 31, the deadline imposed under a 2020 ballot proposal that passed by a narrow margin. The animals would be among the first gray wolv...

'I do not see myself as a hero': Officer helps save toddler in drive-by shooting

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:22:48 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — The Longmont police officer who helped save the life of a 3-year-old girl who was shot in a drive-by said it was thanks to a team effort. On Wednesday around 8 p.m., officers with the Longmont Police Department responded to a drive-by shooting in the Countryside Village Mobile Park. A 3-year-old girl was hit by what police called an “unidentified projectile.” She suffered life-threatening injuries to her torso.The hospital staff who treated the toddler credited police for her survival.Longmont Master Police Officer Walter "Cooper" Arvisais spoke about the shooting and the officers who aided the toddler. Police: Man was drunk during Broomfield crash that killed mom, son According to Arvisais, Officer Shane Mathis arrived at the home and noticed the 3-year-old had been shot. Shortly after, Arvisais arrived. Because Arvisais had worked as a flight paramedic who treated adults and pediatrics, he was able to help Mathias start medical treatment on the toddler before arr...

December is shaping up to be one of the warmest on record

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:22:48 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Even after recent below-freezing temperatures and flurries in the Denver metro area, if this warm trend continues into the end of the month, this December will be one of the warmest on record.This December has been all over the place. From thick fog to flurries to 70 degrees, the Denver metro area has seen it all. Despite the changing weather, December's heading towards a sunny end of the month. Colorado’s Ice Castles announces 2023 opening date For this upcoming week, the temperatures will be as high as 60 degrees, which is about 10-15 degrees above average for this time of year.But 60 degrees isn't breaking any daily records. Some days in December this year recorded higher than 70 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.With that being said, towards the end of December, temperatures should be cooling, according to Pinpoint Weather Meteorologist Travis Michels. If temperatures don't cool down by next week, this will be one of the warmest December's on r...