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Japan raises the age of sexual consent to 16 from 13, which was among the world’s lowest

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:45:37 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s parliament on Friday raised the age of sexual consent to 16 from 13, a limit which had remained unchanged for more than a century and was among the world’s lowest, amid calls for greater protection of children and women.The revision was part of a revamping of laws related to sex crimes. Separately, Parliament passed a new law on Friday to increase awareness of LGBTQ+ issues which activists criticized for not guaranteeing equal rights for sexual minorities.Reforms providing greater protection for victims of sexual crimes and stricter punishment of assailants have come slowly in a country where the legislative and judicial branches have long been dominated by men. Japan in 2017 revised its criminal code on sexual crimes for the first time in 110 years. A series of acquittals in cases of sexual abuse and growing instances of sexual images taken of girls and women without their consent have triggered public outrage, prompting the new revisions.The change...

Police charge suspect with 3 counts of murder in rampage that rocked English city of Nottingham

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:45:37 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Police have charged a 31-year-old man with three counts of murder in the knife and van attack that killed two student athletes and a school caretaker earlier this week in the English city of Nottingham.The suspect, Valdo Calocane, is also accused of three counts of attempted murder after he allegedly drove a stolen van at pedestrians during the rampage that began before dawn on Tuesday.Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19 and students at Nottingham University, were stabbed to death on a street near their homes. Ian Coates, 65, was killed more than a mile (1.6 kilometers) away as he headed to work at a local school.Following the stabbings, the attacker allegedly stole Coates’ van and ran down a group of pedestrians, injuring three people, one critically. The attacks unfolded across a large swath of Nottingham, a university city of about 350,000 some 110 miles (175 kilometers) north of London. “These charges are a significant development and arise as a ...

Father planned killings of 3 young sons, lined them up to shoot them in Ohio home, prosecutors say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:45:37 GMT

MONROE TOWNSHIP, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio man accused of fatally shooting his three young sons admitted to planning the killings and lined them up before executing them with a rifle, prosecutors said Friday. Chad Doerman, 32, who is also accused of wounding the boys’ mother at the family’s home, has been charged with aggravated murder, authorities said. His bail has been set at $20 million and he was being held in Clermont County Jail. Deputies responded to the home in Monroe Township shortly before 4:30 p.m. Thursday after receiving a pair of 911 calls, one apparently from the mother who was screaming that “her babies had been shot” and another from a passing motorist who said a girl was running down the street saying her father was killing people, a news release from the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office said.The deputies found three boys, ages 3, 4 and 7, outside the home with gunshot wounds and tried to save their lives, but the children died at the scene. Their names have not b...

Chicago boy, 7, dies after drowning in Lake Michigan: Report

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:45:37 GMT

PORTAGE, Ind. -- A seven-year-old boy from Chicago has died after he was recovered from Lake Michigan Thursday afternoon.Porter Police received a call of a child missing in Lake Michigan near the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk beach around 4:50 p.m. First responders later located the child in the water near Ogden Dues around 5:11 p.m.The child was removed from the water where lifesaving measures were enacted. He was further transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Man charged in shooting outside Prime Time Restaurant in Hickory Hills The cause of death has been ruled an accidental drowning, per an autopsy report. Investigations state the boy was playing waist-deep in water before entering into deeper water. A witness said it seemed the boy was caught in a current that pulled him away from shore. Reports said that a family member entered the water in attempt to rescue him but was also caught in the current and lost sight of the boy.The incident is still under inv...

Michael Jordan's time as Hornets majority owner is over

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:45:37 GMT

CHICAGO — Michael Jordan's time as the majority owner of a National Basketball Association team in his home state has come to an end. On Friday, the Bulls legend and NBA Hall of Famer announced that he's selling his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets to a group led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall. As part of this deal, Jordan will retain a minority stake in the franchise. The Bulls legend and Basketball Hall of Famer, who won six NBA titles and five NBA Most Valuable Player Awards in Chicago, had been the majority owner of the Hornets since 2010. Jordan got into the ownership group for the Charlotte franchise, which was originally known as the Bobcats, in 2006 when he was also head of basketball operations. Along with Plotkin and Schnall, this buyer group for the Hornets also includes Dan Sundheim, Ian Loring, Dyal HomeCourt Partners, rapper, songwriter, and producer J. Cole, country music singer-songwriter Eric Church, along with other investors in the Charlotte area. Plotkin...

See the Bears 2023 training camp schedule

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:45:37 GMT

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Players, coaches, and fans now know when the 2023 edition of the Chicago Bears will begin work for their upcoming season this summer.The Bears have announced their 2023 Training Camp at Halas Hall..Tue, July 25 - Report DayWed, July 26 - First practiceThu, July 27 - First practice open to fansSun, Aug 6 - Soldier Field practiceWed, Aug 16 & Thu, Aug 17 - Practice with Colts in Indy..@WGNNews pic.twitter.com/tci1JEHVfA— Larry Hawley (@HawleySports) June 16, 2023On Friday, the Bears announced their full training camp schedule for 2023, with a majority of the practices taking place at the team's Lake Forest headquarters. Players will report to camp on Tuesday, July 25 and will begin practice at 10 a.m. the next day as head coach Matt Eberflus gets workouts underway. That practice will be closed to the public, but Thursday, July 27 will feature the first of nine training camp sessions that fans can attend.The team will hold its annual Family Fest at Soldier...

Schwarzenegger: Trump won't win in 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:45:37 GMT

Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t worried about former President Trump getting reelected, saying, “I don’t think it’s going to happen.”“But I mean, that’s just my thinking,” the “Terminator” star and former Republican governor of California said in an interview on CNN’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” airing Friday.“I just don't think that you get reelected with 30 percent or 33 percent of the people voting for you in your polls,” Schwarzenegger, a critic of Trump, told Wallace of the 2024 GOP front-runner.“I think those are great poll numbers amongst conservatives. But I think if you put it all together, it's not enough,” added Schwarzenegger, 75.A CBS News and YouGov poll released earlier this week found 61 percent of likely GOP voters said they would vote for Trump in the 2024 Republican primary. In a separate Quinnipiac University survey released Wednesday, President Biden beat Trump by four points in a hypothetical head-to-head rematch.“You need the swing voters. You need the indep...

ATCEMS responded to 5 child drownings in two weeks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:45:37 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Pools are one of the only outdoor spots to escape the triple-digit weather Austin is seeing. As more people head to the water, Austin-Travis County EMS is warning parents or anyone supervising children at pools to be vigilant.According to a tweet from the agency, medics have responded to 16 drowning incidents since the beginning of the year. Nine of those, EMS said, were in June. "From May 20 - June 3, ATCEMS responded to 5 pediatric drownings (8yo or younger) in pools," the tweet said. All 32 of Austin's pools are operational this year, which hasn't been the case in years past due to staffing shortages. This is the first time since 2019 the city has had enough lifeguards to open all pools for the summer season. KXAN is speaking with ATCEMS and lifeguards later this afternoon. Check back for updates.

Extreme Heat Warning issued for Austin-metro all weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:45:37 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Good news? Humidity gets a touch better next week. Bad news? The hottest temperatures are still to come. Expert: Texas heatwave 'driven by climate change' An Excessive Heat Warning is in effect for the Austin-metro and eastern counties until Sunday 8 p.m. Heat index values could reach up to 115°. A Heat Advisory is in effect for all of the Hill Country until Sunday evening as well.Extreme Heat Warning issued for all of the Austin-metro & eastern counties until Sunday 8 p.m.Dangerous heat and humidity will continue to be the top concern areawide - be sure to frequently check in on friends, family and neighbors, particularly seniors, children, those working outdoors, etc.A few isolated storms will attempt to develop late this afternoon into the evening hours. Although the storm count will likely be low (less than a handful), storms that do develop could be strong to severe. There is a low risk of severe storms in parts of our northern counties today.Low risk of...

Airline check-in issues cause delays at Austin airport

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:45:37 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin-Bergstrom International Airport reported delays Friday morning due to check-in issues.AUS said it was seeing longer lines than usual due to an earlier issue with an airline ticket counter’s check-in process around 6:30 a.m. Friday.The airport said it has since resumed normal operations after the issue was resolved, according to an AUS spokesperson.“Operations are normal now but please give yourself extra time to get here early, check bags and get screened by TSA,” AUS said.