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Firefighting plane crashes in Greece, killing both pilots, as island blazes force new evacuations

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:40:11 GMT

RHODES, Greece (AP) — A Greek air force water-dropping plane crashed while diving into a wildfire in southern Greece on Tuesday, killing both pilots, as authorities battled blazes that have been raging for days across the country amid a return of heat wave temperatures.A state ERT TV video showed the CL-215 aircraft releasing its load of water on the island of Evia before its wingtip apparently snagged in a tree branch. Moments later it disappeared into a deep fold in the ground from which a fireball erupted.The air force said the pilots, aged 34 and 27, both died in the crash. The plane had no ejection system.Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cancelled a planned visit to Cyprus for Wednesday, and three days of mourning were called for Greece’s armed forces.A third successive heat wave in Greece pushed temperatures back above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) across parts of the country Tuesday amid a string of evacuations from fires that have raged out of control f...

Biden’s dog Commander has bitten Secret Service officers 10 times in four months, records show

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:40:11 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden ‘s dog Commander bit Secret Service officers at least 10 times between October 2022 and January, including one incident that required a trip to the hospital for an injured law enforcement officer, according to records from the Department of Homeland Security.The conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch on Tuesday released nearly 200 pages of Secret Service records that it obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The group said it filed suit after the agency, a division of DHS, “failed to respond adequately” to its request last December for records about biting incidents involving the purebred German shepherd. The group said it filed the request after receiving a tip about Commander’s behavior.The White House and the Secret Service appeared to play down the situation on Tuesday. Elizabeth Alexander, communications director for first lady Jill Biden, said in an email that the White House complex is a “unique and often s...

China removes its outspoken foreign minister during a bumpy time in relations with the US

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:40:11 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China removed its sometimes outspoken foreign minister on Tuesday and replaced him with his predecessor at an unusually scheduled meeting, a move that has fueled rumors about the personal lives and political rivalries of China’s Communist Party elite.The step to remove Qin Gang and replace him with Wang Yi doesn’t appear to signal any significant change in the hard-edged foreign policy adopted in recent years by leader Xi Jinping, who oversees the world’s second-largest economy — and a nation that is the primary U.S. rival for international influence. U.S. officials said as much about Qin’s departure after learning of the move. In its announcement on the national evening news, state broadcaster CCTV gave no reason for Qin’s removal. Within minutes, all mentions and photos of him had been removed from the Foreign Ministry’s website. However, he was still referred to on the central government’s main site as a Cabinet-level state councilor, a possible s...

Neve Campbell boards Karen Kain doc as executive producer, film to premiere at TIFF

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:40:11 GMT

TORONTO — Neve Campbell is headed to the Toronto International Film Festival as executive producer of a Karen Kain ballet documentary.The dancer-turned-screen star says “Swan Song” is an extremely personal project, noting she trained at Canada’s National Ballet School and considers ballet her first love.Production company Visitor Media says Campbell is expected to attend the world premiere at the festival, which runs Sept. 7 to 17.The “Scream” and “Party of Five” actor would assure the fest some star power amid an ongoing Hollywood actors strike that prevents unionized performers from promoting their work.“Swan Song” follows Kain as she directs a group of dancers in a production of “Swan Lake” on the eve of her retirement from the National Ballet of Canada.It’s billed as an “intimate, character-driven” look at the conflicts, injuries and sacrifices of its subjects who, “in various ways, confront ideals of race, class and body standards.”The feature documentary is s...

S&P/TSX composite ticks lower in late-morning trading Tuesday, U.S. markets rise

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:40:11 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index ticked lower in late-morning trading as weakness in financials and telecom stocks outweighed strength in energy and base metals, while U.S. markets rose. The S&P/TSX composite index was down 30.84 points at 20,551.28.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 23.62 points at 35,434.86. The S&P 500 index was up 8.63 points at 4,563.27, while the Nasdaq composite was up 72.38 points at 14,131.24.The Canadian dollar traded for 75.78 cents UScompared with 75.92 cents US on Monday.The September crude oil contract was up 47 cents at US$79.21 per barrel and the September natural gas contract was down less than a cent at US$2.69 per mmBTU.The August gold contract was up US$1.10 at US$1,963.30 an ounce and the September copper contract was up seven cents at US$3.93 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X)The Canadian Press

Dave Chappelle coming to Chicago this fall

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:40:11 GMT

CHICAGO — Dave Chappelle is bringing his comedy tour to Chicago this fall.The comedian will end his tour with a stop at the United Center, located at 1901 West Madison Street, on Oct. 4. Presale tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Wednesday, and to the public at 10 a.m. Thursday via Live Nation."Dave Chappelle Live" will kick-off in New York in late August.The complete list of tour dates are below:Aug. 22: New York — Madison Square GardenAug. 23: New York — Madison Square GardenSept. 8: Cleveland — Rocket Mortgage FieldHouseSept. 9: Detroit — Little Caesars ArenaSept. 12: Lexington, Kentucky — Rupp ArenaSept. 13: Indianapolis — Gainbridge FieldhouseSept. 15: New Orleans — Smoothie King ArenaSept. 17: Kansas City, Missouri — T-Mobile CenterSept. 18: Omaha, Nebraska — CHI Health CenterSept. 21: Nashville — Bridgestone ArenaSept. 23: Saint Paul, Minnesota — Xcel Energy CenterOct. 4: Chicago — United Center

Comedian Jim Gaffigan discusses a few topics on WGN Morning News

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:40:11 GMT

CHICAGO — He's got a lot going on at the moment from a new show to an upcoming tour with a comedic legend. But before the actor's strike, Chesterton native Jim Gaffigan had some time to talk with Dean Richards about a few projects that are coming up for him in 2023.On Tuesday, his new comedy special "Dark Pale," will premiere on Amazon Prime and will be his 10th such program in his career. On November 9 &10, he'll team up with Jerry Seinfeld for a pair of performances at the United Center as part of a tour that will also stop in Inglewood, San Francisco, and St. Louis.Dean spoke to Jim about these topics and more in this edition of "Dean's A-List Interview" that aired on the July 25 WGN Morning News. You can watch the full interview in the video above.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

Number of children receiving free summer lunches down by almost 45 percent: research

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:40:11 GMT

(The Hill) -- The number of U.S. children who received free summer lunches on an average day in July 2022 dropped considerably compared to the previous year, according to a report released by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC). On an average day in last July, almost 3 million children received a free lunch through the federal Summer Nutrition Program, which gives free meals to low-income children. That was down 44.5 percent, or 2.4 million children, compared to July 2021.Summer breakfast saw an even steeper decline: 1.8 million children last year, down 62 percent from July 2021.“The drop in participation was driven in large part by Congress’s delay in extending the pandemic child nutrition waivers that allowed all communities to offer summer meals and provided operational flexibilities; the staffing challenges (both within the nutrition programs and summer educational and enrichment programs); and the supply chain disruptions,” the report says.  Students from ...

LeBron James’ son Bronny hospitalized after suffering cardiac arrest at USC practice, spokesman says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:40:11 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bronny James, son of NBA superstar LeBron James, was hospitalized after going into cardiac arrest while participating in a practice at Southern California on Monday, a family spokesman said Tuesday.The spokesman said medical staff treated the 18-year-old James on site and he was transported to a hospital, where he was in stable condition after leaving the intensive care unit.“We ask for respect and privacy for the James family and we will update media when there is more information,” the spokesman said. “LeBron and Savannah wish to publicly send their deepest thanks and appreciation to the USC medical and athletic staff for their incredible work and dedication to the safety of their athletes.”Bronny James announced in May that he would play college basketball for the Trojans. He is an incoming freshman and was one of the top high school prospects in the country.Related ArticlesSports | Yankees, Mets enter Subway Series looking for more than bragging rig...

3M’s dark chapter deepens as CEO faces investors

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:40:11 GMT

3M Co. has so many big problems on its hands that one veteran Wall Street analyst likened the conglomerate’s challenges to the Titanic — just after the iceberg.“We’re talking more about rearranging the deckchairs when you’ve got these big calamities bearing down on the company,” said Deane Dray, an RBC Capital Markets analyst who has covered 3M for nearly 20 years.That may sound like hyperbole for one of the longest-tenured components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average that generates more than $30 billion in sales and showers investors with $3 billion in annual dividends. Yet the magnitude of what 3M is confronting is immense.Wall Street expects 3M will post its sixth-straight quarter of declining sales when it reports results on Tuesday as demand continues to slump across much of its vast portfolio. The bigger worry is that potentially billions of dollars in legal liabilities will consume huge amounts of cash for years to come and put its cherished dividend at risk.The company, ba...