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Bye-bye birdie; Elon Musk to change Twitter logo to X

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:08:38 GMT

NEW YORK — Elon Musk said Sunday that he plans to change the logo of Twitter to an “X” from the famous blue bird, marking what would be the latest big change since he bought the social media platform for $44 billion last year.In a series of posts on his Twitter account starting just after 12 a.m. ET, Twitter’s owner said that he’s looking to make the change worldwide as soon as Monday.“And soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds,” Musk wrote on his account.The change isn’t surprising given Musk’s long history with the name “X,” says Allen Adamson, co-founder of marketing consultancy Metaforce. The billionaire Tesla CEO tweeted last October that “buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app.”Musk’s rocket company, Space Exploration Technologies Corp., is commonly known as SpaceX. And in 1999, Musk founded a startup called X.com, an online financial ser...

Yankees Notebook: Aaron Judge swings during Jonathan Loaisiga’s live bullpen in latest step toward return

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:08:38 GMT

Aaron Judge faced live pitching for the first time since injuring his right big toe, taking swings against rehabbing reliever Jonathan Loaisiga before Sunday’s game at Yankee Stadium.Judge took 11 pitches, fouled off four and swung through another during Loaisiga’s live bullpen session.The development marked progress for the reigning American League MVP, who hasn’t played since tearing a ligament on a June 3 running catch that took him into the Dodger Stadium right field wall.“To have Aaron get in there and be able to have to take pitches … those are good tests that he’s got to go through in working his way back,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said afterward. “It seemed like a good day all around.”Boone said the Yankees needed feedback from Judge before determining his next move. The manager hopes Sunday’s session is a “springboard” for Judge, who could take part in simulated games, live at-bats or a minor-league ...

Soldier in Congo kills 13 people, including his wife, after son’s burial takes place without him

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:08:38 GMT

GOMA, Congo (AP) — A soldier in northeastern Congo opened fire on family members and others who had buried his son before he could arrive home to attend the ceremony, killing 13 people, including 10 children, officials said Sunday. The attack late Saturday left the soldier’s wife, in-laws and two of his children dead, before he turned his weapon on other civilians, said Lt. Jules Ngongo, a spokesman for the army in Ituri province, where the killings took place.The soldier was not identified.The soldier arrived home from his post at another village in the province to find family and community members gathered in mourning for his son, who died Thursday of natural causes, said Baraka Muguwa Oscar, the local village chief. “This soldier did not like the fact that his son … was buried without his approval and in his absence,” Oscar said. Elements of the Congolese army were dispatched to apprehend the soldier, a member of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, or FARD...

Fire still blazing on the Greek island of Rhodes as dozens more erupt across the country.

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:08:38 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Firefighters were struggling through the night to contain 82 wildfires across Greece, 64 of which started Sunday, the hottest day of the summer so far.Their ongoing efforts were without the help of firefighting planes and helicopters, which do not operate at night.The most serious fire is on the island of Rhodes. Some 19,000 people have been evacuated from several locations on Rhodes as wildfires burned for a sixth day, Greek authorities said. No further evacuations have been ordered so far Sunday evening.The Ministry of Climate Change and Civil Protection said it was “the largest evacuation from a wildfire in the country.”Local police said 16,000 people were evacuated by land and 3,000 by sea from 12 villages and several hotels. Six people were briefly treated at a hospital for respiratory problems. A person who fell and broke a leg during a hotel evacuation and a pregnant woman remained hospitalized, the latter in good condition, authorities said.A number of ...

3 injured when small plane crashes in residential neighborhood in Massachusetts

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:08:38 GMT

STOW, Mass. (AP) — Three people were injured when a small plane crashed into a residential neighborhood in Massachusetts on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.Police and firefighters responding to multiple 911 calls just after 1 p.m. found the single-engine Cessna 182 in a wooded area between two homes in the town of Stow, a police spokesperson said.One of the plane’s three occupants had self-extricated from the plane, but the other two needed help from first responders.All three were taken to nearby Minute Man Airfield and were then flown by medical helicopter to a Worcester hospital with what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries, the spokesperson said.No information about the injured people was available.The Federal Aviation Administration said in an email that it and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. There was no immediate word on what caused the plane to crash.The Associated Press

Brian Harman is unstoppable in a drama-free British Open win at Hoylake

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:08:38 GMT

HOYLAKE, England (AP) — Brian Harman stood in the tunnel and looked out to the 18th green at Royal Liverpool with his eyes on that shiny claret jug, waiting for his name to be called with the century-old introduction as “champion golfer of the year.” He always imagined this was possible.Maybe not in a steady rain, his least favorite weather, on Sunday at the British Open. Perhaps not before a British Open crowd that seemed to want anyone but Harman to win, including one fan who he heard say over the weekend, “Harman, you don’t have the stones for this.”All that was sweet music to the little lefty with Georgia grit and something to prove, to himself and anyone watching.And did he ever.Harman delivered a performance so remarkable he hit into only three bunkers all week, led the last 51 holes of the British Open and never gave anyone a chance. He closed with a 1-under 70 and won by six shots.“I’ve always had a self-belief that I could do something like this,” Ha...

Spain’s Socialists and conservative challengers in close contest with half of votes counted

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:08:38 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Early election returns showed the Socialist Party of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez running neck-and-neck Sunday with the conservative Popular Party. With just over half of ballots counted, the Socialists were on course to take 129 seats in the lower house of the Madrid-based national parliament. The Popular Party, which is hoping to win its first national ballot since 2016, appeared poised to win 130 seats, far below pre-election expectations. The absolute majority needed to form a government is 176 seats.Sánchez is trying to win a third consecutive national election since taking power in 2018. The Socialists and the junior member of its coalition government took a beating from the conservative party and the far-right Vox party in regional and local elections in May, prompting Sánchez to call Sunday’s early election. Most polling during the campaign forecast that the national vote would go the same way but require the Popular Party to rely on support from ...

Frustrated lawmakers demand answers on UFOs

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:08:38 GMT

(The Hill) – Senior lawmakers are increasingly demanding that military and other government officials provide them with information about intelligence on unidentified flying objects (UFOs) or unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs).The demands reflect frustrations on the part of some lawmakers that they are being kept in the dark about what’s known about UFOs and UAPs.The lawmakers do not necessarily believe the government is hiding signs of extraterrestrial life from the public and congressional oversight. But they are frustrated they are not learning more about unknown objects flying in restricted U.S. air space.“My primary interest in this topic is if there are … object[s] operating over restricted air space, it’s not ours and we don’t know whose it is, that’s a problem that we need to get to the bottom of,” said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.“If there’s an explanation for it that’s being kept from Congress, then we need to force the i...

3 injured after plane crashes into vacant home in Georgetown

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:08:38 GMT

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — First responders arrived at the site of a plane crash in Georgetown on Sunday, according to officials.The Georgetown Texas Fire Department said the plane crash occurred just before noon in the 500 block of North Wood Drive.A small plane crashed through the roof of a vacant house Sunday in Georgetown. Three people were injured in the crash. (Courtesy Georgetown Fire Department)A small plane crashed through the roof of a vacant house Sunday in Georgetown. Three people were injured in the crash. (KXAN photo/Frank Martinez)A small plane crashed through the roof of a vacant house Sunday in Georgetown. Three people were injured in the crash. (KXAN photo/Frank Martinez)A small plane crashed through the roof of a vacant house Sunday in Georgetown. Three people were injured in the crash. (KXAN photo/Frank Martinez)A small plane crashed through the roof of a vacant house Sunday in Georgetown. Three people were injured in the crash. (KXAN photo/Frank Martinez)A small...

Austin artists create 100-pound, 60-foot Burning Man art piece

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:08:38 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A group of Austin artists are spearheading an approximately 100-pound, 60-foot art installation heading to the 2023 Burning Man festival late next month.The installation, entitled "1000 Hands," is a fabric-based art piece designed to reflect the effects of our "climate reality" amid ongoing environmental impacts due to climate change. Where to go, what to do in Texas when it’s too hot to handle "Knowing how we were going with materials led us to create the narrative that felt the most pressing to us — something that's on the forefront of what we care about and what we try to put out into the world," said Maria Gotay, the lead producer behind "1000 Hands."The piece entirely comprises hand-woven and dyed fabrics to reflect the abstract landscapes of the desert, with vibrant colors reflecting the rising sun and mountain ranges in the distance. In the evening, the piece will illuminate courtesy of hundreds of LED lights interwoven into it, the project's tech lead Janit...