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Royal Caribbean takes ownership of the world’s biggest cruise ship

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:13:48 GMT

(CNN) — The world’s biggest cruise ship is now in­­ the hands of its new owner, with Royal Caribbean accepting delivery of the 1,198-foot Icon of the Seas this week.The 20-deck, 250,800-tonne ship was officially handed over to the cruise company at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, on November 27. Its inaugural voyage is set to depart from Miami, Florida on January 27, 2024 and will tour the Caribbean for seven days.According to a news release issued by Royal Caribbean, it took 900 days to build Icon of the Seas, which has the capacity to hold a whopping 7,600 guests and 2,350 crew members. That’s nearly 10,000 people – the population of a small town.“Today, we are celebrating more than a new ship; it’s also the celebration of the culmination of more than 50 years of innovation and dreaming at Royal Caribbean to create the ultimate vacation experience,” said Royal Caribbean Group president and CEO Jason Liberty during a ceremony at the shipyard on Monday.When it ...

Chicago Bears defense hopefully finding its groove after a 4-interception game against the Minnesota Vikings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:13:48 GMT

The barrage of Chicago Bears’ takeaways started with 11 minutes, 43 seconds to play in the second quarter Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.Vikings quarterback Josh Dobbs lofted a pass to wide receiver Jordan Addison on the left sideline, and Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson leaped into the air to pull it down.Bears safety Jaquan Brisker was next. A Dobbs pass in the second quarter bounced off Addison’s hands, and Brisker dived forward.Then it was linebacker T.J. Edwards’ turn. Johnson broke up a third-quarter Dobbs pass to K.J. Osbourn, and Edwards hopped as he caught it.Finally, nickel Kyler Gordon jumped in on the action in the fourth quarter, diving to pull in a football that defensive tackle Justin Jones nearly secured himself before he bobbled it.When the Bears were done in Minneapolis, they had intercepted Dobbs four times to help drive a 12-10 Bears victory, the team’s first in the NFC North under coach Matt Eberflus. In the last two games against the ...

New Google geothermal electricity project could be a milestone for clean energy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:13:48 GMT

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT (Associated Press)An advanced geothermal project has begun pumping carbon-free electricity onto the Nevada grid to power Google data centers there, Google announced Tuesday.Getting electrons onto the grid for the first time is a milestone many new energy companies never reach, said Tim Latimer, CEO and co-founder of Google’s geothermal partner in the project, Houston-based Fervo Energy.“I think it will be big and it will continue to vault geothermal into a lot more prominence than it has been,” Latimer said in an interview.The International Energy Agency has long projected geothermal could be a serious solution to climate change. It said in a 2011 roadmap document that geothermal could reach some 3.5% of global electricity generation annually by 2050, avoiding almost 800 megatonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.But that potential has been mostly unrealized up until now. Today’s announcement could mark a turning point.Fervo is using this first pilot to la...

Morgan Wallen tops Apple Music’s 2023 song chart while Taylor Swift and SZA also top streaming lists

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:13:48 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Country singer Morgan Wallen ’s “Last Night” topped Apple Music’s global song chart in 2023 as the giant music streamer released year-end lists Tuesday and provided listeners with data on their own most listened-to tunes.Wallen’s hit emerged as the country song with the most days — 52 — at No. 1 on the Global Daily Top 100 chart. Nigerian rapper Rema’s “Calm Down” remix with Selena Gomez was No. 12 on the global songs chart, the highest entry, ever, for an African song. (“Calm Down” was No. 1 on the streamer’s Shazam chart.)Joining “Last Night” at the very top of the global songs list were “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus in second, “Kill Bill” by SZA in third, “Rich Flex” by Drake and 21 Savage in fourth, and another SZA track in fifth slot: “Snooze,” which was followed by Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero.”SZA, who leads the 2024 Grammy nominations, topped Apple’s most-read lyrics in 2023 for her smash single, “Kill Bill.”Wallen’s “Last Night” stayed atop the Billboard Ho...

Hunter Biden offers to testify publicly before Congress, setting up a potential high-stakes face-off

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:13:48 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hunter Biden on Tuesday offered to testify publicly before Congress in response to a subpoena from Republicans investigating nearly every aspect of his business dealings as they pursue an impeachment inquiry into his father, President Joe Biden.The Democratic president’s son slammed the inquiry as a “fishing expedition” and refused to give closed-door testimony but said he would “answer any pertinent and relevant question” in front of the House Oversight Committee next month, setting up a potential high-stakes face-off. Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, subpoenaed Hunter Biden in early November in the inquiry’s most aggressive step yet and one that tests the reach of congressional oversight powers. Comer’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.So far, Republicans have failed to uncover evidence directly implicating President Biden in any wrongdoing. But lawmakers insist th...

Panama’s Supreme Court declares 20-year contract for Canadian copper mine unconstitutional

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:13:48 GMT

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Panama’s Supreme Court on Tuesday declared unconstitutional a 20-year concession for a Canadian copper mine that had sparked weeks of protests by environmentalists and others who argued it would damage a forested coastal area and threaten water supplies.The announcement by the nine-justice court, after four days of deliberations, set off cheers among demonstrators waiting outside and waving Panamanian flags.“This is what we had been waiting for,” demonstrator Raisa Banfield said after what she called an agonizing wait. “The president has to suspend (mine) operations today.”There was no immediate comment from Minera Panama, the local subsidiary of Canada’s First Quantum Minerals.The dispute over the open-pit mine led to some of Panama’s most widespread protests in recent years, including a blockade of the mine’s power plant. Protesters also blocked parts of the Pan American highway, including a stretch near the border with Costa Rica. Just before the ru...

Toronto woman wanted for allegedly using fake ID to access victims’ bank, wireless accounts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:13:48 GMT

Toronto police are searching for a suspect who allegedly used fake identification to take over several bank and wireless cellphone accounts.Investigators allege a woman attended a number of wireless cell stores and banks between June 2022 and November 2023, where she would use identification bearing the victims’ names to pose as an account holder.The suspect would then allegedly withdraw funds from the unsuspecting victims’ accounts. Police say the account takeovers occurred in Toronto and other locations in Ontario.Investigators say 47-year-old Toronto resident Nadia Campitelli is wanted on six charges, including three counts of fraud over $5,000.Campitelli is described as having a large build, long black curly hair and brown eyes. Police have released photos of the suspect.Anyone with information is asked to contact police. if (typeof window.rsm_galleries === 'undefined') { window.rsm_galleries = []; } window.rsm_galleries[0] = [{"html":"","src":"https:\/\/...

Erdogan to visit Budapest next month as Turkey and Hungary hold up Sweden’s membership in NATO

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:13:48 GMT

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Hungary’s capital in December, his second trip to Budapest this year at a time when both countries remain the only NATO members not to have ratified Sweden’s accession into the trans-Atlantic military alliance.During his visit on Dec. 18, Erdogan will take part in a meeting of the Hungarian-Turkish Strategic Cooperation Council, and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the opening of diplomatic ties between the two countries, Bertalan Havasi, the press chief for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, told local news outlet ATV in a report broadcast on Monday.Havasi didn’t immediately respond to further questions from The Associated Press on Tuesday about the trip.It wasn’t clear whether Erdogan and Orbán would discuss Sweden’s NATO membership, which has been delayed for more than a year by Hungary and Turkey. All 31 NATO allies must endorse the accession of a new member. Erdogan...

WWE smashes its social media record with return of CM Punk

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:13:48 GMT

WWE crushed its social media record over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, with the return of wrestler CM Punk at Survivor Series garnering more than 71 million views across all of the sports entertainment company’s platforms. Survivor Series, a premium live event that’s been held for 37 years, took place at the Allstate Arena in Chicago on Saturday. While WWE’s fervent fans had been talking about the possibility of CM Punk returning to the organization for weeks, his appearance at the WWE event after nearly a decade away from the company surprised nearly everyone, and many took to social media to talk about it. WWE said Tuesday that the comeback moment has more than 71 million views across all platforms, making it the biggest social post in company history. The previous record was a handheld video last year from Logan Paul as he jumped from the ropes during a match. That video garnered more than 40 million views across Paul’s and WWE’s social platforms in less tha...

Baltic nations’ foreign ministers pull out of OSCE meeting over Russian foreign minister attendance

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:13:48 GMT

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — The foreign ministers of the three Baltic states have said they will boycott a meeting by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe being held this week in North Macedonia, in objection to the participation of Russia’s foreign minister.The foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania issued a joint statement Tuesday saying they “deeply regret the decision enabling the personal participation” of Russia’s Sergey Lavrov. “It will only provide Russia with yet another propaganda opportunity.”Lavrov said Monday he planned to travel to Skopje for the OSCE foreign ministers’ meeting, a trip which would mark his first visit to a NATO member country since Russia invaded Ukraine. In September, he was in New York to attend the United Nations’ annual gathering of world leaders. The 57-nation OSCE was set up during the Cold War to help defuse tension between East and West. North Macedonia currently holds the organization’s rotating presiden...