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Chicago Bears Q&A: What’s Matt Eberflus’ status? How will the offensive line look when Nate Davis returns?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:00:00 GMT

The Chicago Bears had some extra time this week between Thursday’s 16-13 victory over the Carolina Panthers and Sunday when they face the NFC North-leading Lions in Detroit.Heading into Week 11, there are still many questions surrounding the coach, the culture and the contracts. Brad Biggs answers your Chicago Bears questions each week.After hearing Ryan Poles talk about Matt Eberflus in his last news conference, what are the honest chances he actually gets fired come the end of the season if they win a couple more games? I think the team overall is playing hard and the run defense is playing eons better than last year — a key responsibility of his. But the pass defense is still bad for many reasons. Clearly they love his culture at Halas Hall given how much they use the word. I think it’s also important to not forget this is an organization that kept John Fox for a third year after a 6-10 and 3-13 seasons. — Gerry M., ChicagoI don’t know what is going ...

Bill Belichick mum on potential QB change after latest Patriots loss

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:00:00 GMT

Mac Jones’ run as Patriots starting quarterback reached a new low on Sunday, with a dismal late interception helping doom New England to a 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany.It was telling when Jones was benched for backup Bailey Zappe with under two minutes left and the game still up for grabs, but speaking to WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show on Monday morning, Bill Belichick said they haven’t made a choice on who will lead the Patriots out of the bye week.“I don’t know, we haven’t really talked about that,” Belichick said. “We’re just getting back from Germany and trying to get reorganized here.”Belichick said he felt they needed to make a change after the Jones interception, though he noted that the decision to make a switch wasn’t about one play but how the game had gone as a whole. Zappe’s attempt at a two-minute drill also ended poorly, with the reserve throwing a game-ending interception with 36 seco...

Romania inaugurates an F-16 jet pilot training center for NATO allies and neighboring Ukraine

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:00:00 GMT

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — NATO member Romania inaugurated on Monday an international training hub for F-16 jet pilots from allied countries and other partners, including Ukraine.The training facility situated at an air base in Fetesti in southeast Romania will aim to increase interoperability between NATO allies, and better position the military alliance “to face the complex challenges” in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea region, Romania’s defense ministry said.It said the powerful U.S.-made warplanes will be supplied by the Royal Netherlands Air Force while the aircraft maker Lockheed Martin will provide instructors and maintenance at the training center.Kathleen Kavalec, the U.S. ambassador to Romania who attended the opening, called the collaboration an “example of how the public and private sectors can cooperate to further our defense priorities.”“I am here with one simple message,” she said. “The United States government is here to support in any way we can.”Romania, whic...

Man found dead following house explosion, fire in Scarborough

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:00:00 GMT

One person is confirmed dead after an explosion that levelled a home in Scarborough over the weekend.Fire officials tell CityNews they located the body of a man in the rubble of the home on Kitchener Road near Kingston and Galloway roads. Crews were called to the home just after 11:30 a.m. Sunday for reports of an explosion in the area.Officials are now working to retrieve the body. Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg said Sunday that crews were searching for one person, believed to be the lone occupant at the time of the blast, who was unaccounted for.No other injuries have been reported and officials said adjacent homes were largely unaffected by the fire and explosion. One firefighter sustained minor injuries and was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.People blocks away reported feeling and hearing the blast.There is no word what led to the explosion.With files from Carl Hanstke

Dye & Durham launches strategic review of non-core assets

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:00:00 GMT

TORONTO — Dye & Durham Ltd. says it has launched a strategic review of its non-core assets in an effort to reduce its debt.The company says the review will examine a variety of options, including the potential sale of all or part of its non-core assets, including its financial services business.Dye & Durham CEO Matthew Proud says the company is working closely with its financial and legal advisers to ensure the review is “comprehensive, diligent and maximizes value.”The company cautioned that there’s no assurance the review will result in a transaction. Dye & Durham is a provider of cloud-based legal practice management software.It has operations in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and South Africa.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:DND)The Canadian Press

Restaurant revenues are booming, so why are so many losing money?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:00:00 GMT

In today’s Big Story Podcast, last year, Canadian restaurants took in roughly $100 billion in revenue, more than the pre-pandemic year of 2019. This year it’s pegged to be $110 billion. Yet a third of all restaurants report they are losing money, up from just seven per cent before the pandemic.Even as lockdowns eased and diners returned, a complex set of problems face restaurants in particular — and now the industry’s lobby group says we’re beginning to see double the number of restaurants closing than opening. Kelly Higginson is the president and CEO of Restaurants Canada. “I wish we had a simple, easy answer for [why restaurants are losing money]], because we might be able to find a better solution. But there are so many factors that have led to this situation,” said Higginson.How did this happen, and how do we keep small, local restaurants afloat?You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.You can also find it at thebigs...

The son of a Spanish actor pleads not guilty in Thailand to most charges in the killing of a surgeon

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:00:00 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — The son of a Spanish film star has pleaded not guilty in Thailand to most charges related to the death of a Colombian surgeon whose dismembered body was found on a popular tourist island, officials said Monday.Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, 29, was indicted by prosecutors last month over the death of Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, whose remains were found stuffed in plastic bags at a landfill on Ko Pha Ngan, an island famous for its rave-style “full moon parties.” The indictment laid out the charges of premeditated murder, concealment of the body and destruction of other people’s documents.The Ko Samui Provincial Court and the local prosecutor said Sancho pleaded not guilty to two of the charges. The Spanish news agency EFE reported that sources close to his family said he pleaded not guilty to the murder and destruction of documents charges but pleaded guilty to the charge of hiding the victim’s body.The charge of premeditated murder carries a possible death penalty.The cour...

First Quantum ramping down ore processing at Cobre Panama due to boat blockade

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:00:00 GMT

TORONTO — First Quantum Minerals Ltd. says it has started to reduce ore processing operations at its Cobre Panama mine due to a blockade by small boats at the mine’s port as protests against the company’s new mining concession agreement continue.The company says it is ramping down one ore processing train while two remain operational. Shares in First Quantum have plunged in recent weeks as people in Panama have been protesting the operating agreement between the company and the government for the mine.The scale and scope of the deal have raised nationalist anger as well as environmentalist objections. First Quantum says the blockade by the boats has affected the delivery of supplies for the mine’s on-site power generation plant, which is necessary for full operations.It has also affected the loading of copper concentrate onto ships.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:FM)The Canadian Press

Secret Service agents protecting Biden’s granddaughter open fire when 3 people try to break into SUV

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secret Service agents protecting President Joe Biden’s granddaughter opened fire after three people tried to break into an unmarked Secret Service vehicle in the nation’s capital, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.The agents, assigned to protect Naomi Biden, were out with her in the Georgetown neighborhood late Sunday night when they saw the three people breaking a window of the parked and unoccupied SUV, the official said. The official could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on Monday on the condition of anonymity.One of the agents opened fire, but no one was struck by the gunfire, the Secret Service said in a statement. The three people were seen fleeing in a red car, and the Secret Service said it put out a regional bulletin to Metropolitan Police to be on the lookout for it.Washington has seen a significant rise in the number of carjackings and car thefts this year. Police have reported more than 750 carjac...

Olympic sports bodies want talks with IOC after cricket and others were added to 2028 LA program

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:00:00 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — Olympic sports bodies want urgent talks with the IOC about the risk of cuts in their revenue shares and medal events at the 2028 Los Angeles Games because cricket and other newcomers were added to the program.The International Olympic Committee last month approved cricket, baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse and squash for 2028 and kept boxing, modern pentathlon and weightlifting — three sports whose status had been in doubt.The umbrella group of current Summer Games sports, known by the acronym ASOIF, said Monday the decision to increase to a record 36 sports “has raised several questions” among its members, who collectively shared $540 million of IOC-allocated money at each of the past two Olympics.Most Olympic sports got between $13 million and $17.3 million from the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games in 2021. For some, that was about half their total income over four years.Adding four team sports in 2028 also is set to break the IOC’s preferred limit of 10,500 ath...