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Kremlin says Russia and China must edge closer to counter Western efforts to contain them

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:56 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — A senior Kremlin official on Tuesday called for closer policy coordination between Moscow and Beijing to counter what he described as Western efforts to contain them as he hosted China’s top diplomat for security talks.Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of Russia’s Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that Moscow “seeks progressive development and strengthening of the Russian-Chinese relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation.”“Amid the campaign unleashed by the collective West that is aimed at the double containment of Russia and China, it’s particularly important to further deepen Russian-Chinese coordination and interaction on the inetrnational arena,” Patrushev said.He noted that Putin is set to hold “substantive” talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during next month’s trip to Beijing to attend a summit of the Chinese Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.Patrushev, a lo...

Russian drone attack on a city in western Ukraine sparks an inferno at a warehouse and kills 1

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:56 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched a massive drone attack on the western city of Lviv early Tuesday, damaging a warehouse facility in a fiery blaze and killing one man, Ukrainian authorities said.Ukraine intercepted most of the 30 Shahed drones overnight, the Air Force said. But drones that got through air defense systems sparked an inferno at the industrial storage facility that was not used for military purposes, Gov. Maksym Kozytsky said. An artillery strike in Kherson in the south struck a bus, killing a police sergeant and wounding two men, said Ihor Klymenko, Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs. That strike also set a warehouse on fire. The developments in the war front came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in New York to address the U.N. General Assembly and Security Council before going to Washington on Thursday to meet with lawmakers and President Joe Biden.Zelenskyy has continued to drum up funding and support for new weapons as the counteroffensiv...

Hunter Biden has gone on the offensive against Republicans. That could be tricky for the president

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:56 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hunter Biden has gone on the offensive against his Republican critics, arguing in a new lawsuit that although he is the son of the president of the United States, he shouldn’t be treated differently than any other American.The lawsuit against the IRS is only the latest in a series of counterpunches by the president’s son. But while Hunter Biden’s lawyers might think that an aggressive approach is the best legal strategy for Biden the son, that might not be what’s best for Biden the father as he seeks reelection and tries to keep the public focused on his policy achievements. The president has had little to say about his son’s legal woes — which now include a felony indictment — beyond that Hunter did nothing wrong and he loves his son. The White House strategy has been to keep the elder Biden head-down and focused on governing, reasoning that that’s what voters will prioritize, while working to keep Hunter’s troubles at arm’s dis...

Feist, Daniel Caesar mong artists up for Polaris prize

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:56 GMT

TORONTO — Ten Canadian musicians and bands will compete for the Polaris Music Prize tonight.The $50,000 award for the year’s best Canadian album will be handed out during a concert event held at Toronto’s Massey Hall.Among the contenders is Calgary-raised pop singer-songwriter Leslie Feist, Toronto R&B singer Daniel Caesar and Oji-Cree alternative soul artist Aysanabee.Other nominees include Haitian-Canadian artist Gayance, Winnipeg’s Begonia and Nigerian-Canadian Debby Friday.Rounding out the list is British Columbia native Dan Mangan, Toronto rock band the Sadies, B.C. hip hop duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids and Prince Edward Island indie pop band Alvvays.The Polaris prize names the best Canadian album of the previous year — irrespective of genre or sales — as chosen by a group of journalists, broadcasters and music bloggers.Last year, the Polaris went to Congolese-Canadian Pierre Kwenders for his third album “Jose Louis and the Paradox Of Love.”This yea...

Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Sikh activist whose killing has divided Canada and India?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:56 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh independence advocate whose killing two months ago is at the center of a widening breach between India and Canada, was called a human rights activist by Sikh organizations and a terrorist by India’s government.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that his government was investigating “credible allegations that agents of the Indian state were linked to the killing of a Canadian citizen” after Nijjar was gunned down on June 18 outside a Sikh cultural center in Surrey, British Columbia. India denied any role in the killing, calling the allegations absurd. Nijjar was a prominent member of a movement to create an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan, and at the time of his death was organizing an unofficial referendum among the Sikh diaspora with the organization Sikhs For Justice.He also owned a plumbing business and served as president of a local Sikh temple or gurdwara.Nijjar was a wanted ...

Millennial Money: 5 options if you’re crushed by student loan and credit card debt

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:56 GMT

The return of federal student loan payments in October has the potential to derail your finances, especially if you’re already struggling with credit card payments.One in five student loan borrowers have risk factors that suggest they could struggle with student loan payments when they resume, according to a June blog post at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.The impact won’t be as significant during the initial 12-month student loan on-ramp period from Oct. 1 to Sept 30, 2024. You won’t default on student loans or see credit scores plummet after missing payments during that time. But interest will continue to accrue, making the growing debt more difficult to manage. Use the next 12 months to make progress with consistent payments. You’ll save more money over time and pay down debt faster.Here are some strategies to consider as you’re getting started.1. REVAMP YOUR BUDGETAn updated budget clarifies how much money is available to pay down debts. Review your debit and credit ca...

Instagram post may shed new light in death of former NFL player's mother

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:56 GMT

MAYWOOD, Ill. — The search continues on Monday for a missing former NFL player whose mother was found dead in a creek in the western suburbs over the weekend.Authorities say they are searching for 35-year-old Sergio Brown, a Proviso East graduate who played in the NFL from 2010 to 2016 with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts.Sergio was reported missing alongside his mother, Myrtle Brown, hours before she was found dead. Homicide investigation underway after mother of former-NFL player found dead in creek A new post appeared on an Instagram account that is believed to be run by Sergio on Monday. In the post, which was shared as a story, Brown makes vague statements regarding the FBI and Maywood police and claims that he thought his mother was on vacation.The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office reports that Myrtle Brown died in an assault and a homicide investigation into her death is underway."You just feel for the family, what they’re going through," Angel Rivera, a...

Attorneys for man charged in Delphi murders argue girls died in ritual sacrifice

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:56 GMT

DELPHI, Ind. – A ritualistic killing involving cultists. A conspiracy among prison guards.Investigators fixated on a single suspect.Those are among the stunning allegations made in court documents filed by defense attorneys on behalf of Delphi murder suspect Richard Allen. Attorneys for Delphi murder suspect Richard Allen want search warrant evidence thrown out Allen is charged with two counts of murder in the February 2017 killings of Abby Williams and Libby German in Delphi. Investigators announced his arrest in October 2022, more than five years after the killings.Attorneys Bradley Rozzi and Andrew Baldwin filed a 130-page motion that lays out, in their opinion, the reasons the October 2022 search warrant for Allen’s property should be thrown out.The attorneys filed an amended motion to suppress the search warrant last week. They’ve now requested a Franks hearing, alleging that investigators withheld information from a judge in order to get the warrant approved. Richard Allen...

Tuesday Forecast: Temps in upper 60s with rain and storms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:56 GMT

CHICAGO — Cloudy, rain with t'storms Tuesday and a wide temperature range. Winds: S 5-15 G20. High: 67. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Mainly cloudy tonight with rain and storms. Winds: SE 5-10 G15. Low: 60.Wednesday Forecast: Mostly cloudy Wednesday with a 20 percent AM rain chance. Winds: SSW 5-10. High: 82.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Chick-fil-A plans return to UK after past anti-LGBTQ+ backlash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:56 GMT

(KTLA) - Chick-fil-A is planning to open restaurants in the United Kingdom by 2025, officials announced.The planned expansion comes four years after the company opened a temporary storefront in Reading, a town west of London, in 2019. LGBTQ activists and supporters protested the company’s arrival due to comments made by former Chick-fil-A CEO Dan T. Cathy regarding same-sex marriage in 2012. McDonald’s to phase out self-serve soft drink fountains In the past, Chick-fil-A has also faced criticism for its donations to Christian organizations, such as the Salvation Army and Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which have expressed opposition to gay rights.In 2019, the company announced it would give money to charities that focused on “education, homelessness and hunger and expanded its partnerships with Junior Achievement, Covenant House and local food banks,” USA Today reported. The company no longer donates money to the Salvation Army and Fellowship of Christian Athletes but still rec...