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China’s Xi, Brazil’s Lula meet in Beijing to boost ties

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:37 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with visiting Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Friday as part of a push to boost ties between two of the world’s largest developing nations.The meeting came on the second day of Lula’s visit to China, his country’s most important trading partner and key ally in his bid to challenge Western-dominated economic institutions. Lula was greeted with full military honors, including a 21-gun salute, at the Great Hall of the People adjacent to Tiananmen Square in the heart of the Chinese capital.Their talks focused largely on trade ties and other forms of cooperation, but also touched on the conflict in Ukraine, with the leaders agreeing on the need for a negotiated settlement, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. “As comprehensive strategic partners, China and Brazil share extensive common interests,” Xi said, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. “China … sees the relationship as a high priority on its di...

US retail sales fall 1% amid high inflation, rising rates

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:37 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans cut their spending at retail stores and restaurants in March for the second straight month, a sign consumers are becoming more cautious after a burst of spending in January. Retail sales dropped 1% in March from February, a sharper decline than the 0.2% fall in the previous month. Lower sales of autos, electronics, and at home and garden stores drove the decline. The data isn’t adjusted for inflation, which rose only slightly last month.The decline in sales adds to other recent evidence that the economy is cooling as consumers grapple with higher interest rates and the impact of a year-long bout of elevated inflation. Companies are posting fewer open jobs, hiring has slowed even as it remains solid, and layoffs have ticked up. In addition, economists are closely watching to see if banks pull back on lending in the wake of the collapse of two large banks last month. Many smaller banks have lost deposits to larger competitors, which could force them t...

3-vehicle crash blocks off section of Gardiner at Kipling

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:37 GMT

A section of the Gardiner Expressway in the west end is blocked off to drivers after a three-vehicle crash during the Friday morning rush-hour commute.Toronto police responded to the scene on the westbound Gardiner Expressway at Kipling Avenue just before 8 a.m.Police say all three lanes of the expressway are blocked but traffic is getting through on the shoulder.Police also say there is a lot of debris on the road and to use “extreme caution” when driving in the area, adding that drivers may want to consider alternate routes.No injuries have been reported.

How do you give away 133,000 chocolate bars?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:37 GMT

In today’s Big Story podcast, when an independent Alberta chocolatier found herself with an unexpected surplus of 133,000 Rum and Butter bars, all with an expiration date in June, she turned to Facebook for help. The post ended up leading to more responses than she ever could have imagined.Jana Pruden wrote about the incredible candy bar surplus in The Globe and Mail. She joins us on The Big Story to explain why it is so difficult to get rid of that much chocolate, even when you’re trying to give it away for free.“Crystal is happy to accept the loss, to donate the bars, she just really wants them to be eaten and enjoyed, but she doesn’t want to be in a situation where its going to cost her thousands of dollars more to get rid of them, that would be the worst case scenario, or them ending up in the dump which is another possibility,” she said.So, how do you give away 133,000 chocolate bars before time runs out?You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google...

Russia trained Belarusian pilots in nuclear weapons use

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:37 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Belarusian air force crews have completed their training for using tactical nuclear weapons as part of Russia’s plan to deploy the weapons to its ally Belarus amid the fighting in neighboring Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday.The ministry released a video in which a Belarusian pilot said that the training course in Russia had given the crews of the Belarusian air force’s Su-25 ground attack jets the necessary skills for using the weapons.Russian President Vladimir Putin declared last month that Moscow planned to put some of its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. It was another attempt by the Kremlin leader to dangle the nuclear threat to discourage the West from supporting Ukraine. Russia has a union agreement with Belarus that envisions close political, economic and military ties. Russian troops used Belarusian territory to roll into Ukraine from the north in February 2022 and have maintained a presence in Belarus.The deployment of Russia...

Spanish climber leaves cave after 500 days in isolation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:37 GMT

MADRID (AP) — A Spanish mountain climber emerged Friday from a cave 70 meters (230 feet) underground where she spent 500 days isolated from the outside world.Beatriz Flamini, 50, of Madrid, left the cave in southern Spain shortly after 9 a.m. after being told by supporters that she had completed the feat she set out to accomplish on Nov. 21, 2021. Spanish media said the spell underground set a new world record, but the claim could not be immediately confirmed.Blinking and smiling as she embraced well-wishers, Flamini’s first words including asking who would be paying for a celebratory round of beers. In brief comments to journalists, Flamini described the experience of being cut off from the world as “excellent, unbeatable.” She then asked to be excused as she needed a shower, not having had one in more than 16 months. In 1987, Italian Maurizio Montalbini set a world record by spending 210 days in a cave. Internet searches shows reports of a Serb who spent more than 460 days u...

Populist Iraqi cleric announces suspension of his movement

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:37 GMT

BAGHDAD (AP) — Influential Iraqi Shiite cleric and political leader Muqtada al-Sadr announced Friday that he would suspend the movement he leads for one year, citing “corruption” among some of his followers.A group within the Sadrists, dubbing itself the “Owners of the Cause,” believes that al-Sadr is Imam Mahdi, a Shiite religious leader said to have vanished more than 1,000 years ago, who is expected to return leading an army of the faithful to defeat evil in the world.On Friday, Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council announced that an investigative court had ordered the arrest of 65 alleged members of the “Owners of the Cause,” which it described as a disruptive “gang.”In a statement posted on his Twitter account, al-Sadr said, “I want to be a reformer for Iraq, and I cannot reform the Sadrist movement.” He added that he will freeze all activities of the movement — except for religious activities such as Friday prayers.Al-Sadr resigned from politics last August following a nearly ...

1 dead in Northwest Indiana house fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:37 GMT

CALUMET TOWNSHIP, Ind. — One person died Friday morning following a house fire in Northwest Indiana.Authorities were dispatched to the 4900 block of Hayes Street, located in Calumet Township, on the report of a fire.One person died as a result.WGN News will update this story once more information becomes available.

Man, 23, stabbed in neck on Museum Campus

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:37 GMT

CHICAGO — A man is in critical condition after being stabbed in the neck on the Museum Campus in Chicago Thursday night. According to police, a 23-year-old man was on the street near the 900 East Block of Solidarity Drive when a vehicle approached and an unknown individual stabbed him in the neck. Mother charged after 1-year-old girl found dead in 2017 house fire in Markham Police say the offenders fled in an unknown direction and the man was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition. There is currently no one in custody and police are investigating the incident.

Donald Trump Jr. blasts DeSantis for 'campaigning in Ohio' amid Florida flooding

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:37 GMT

(The Hill) -- Donald Trump Jr. on Thursday knocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for what he called “campaigning in Ohio” amid heavy rains and flooding in the Sunshine State. “Fort Lauderdale is under water and DeSantis is campaigning in Ohio right now instead of taking care of the people suffering in his state,” Trump Jr. wrote on Twitter.His father, former President Donald Trump, is running for the White House in 2024. DeSantis has not declared a campaign, but he’s rumored to be a top possible candidate. The Florida governor stopped in Ohio on Thursday as part of his book tour, NBC News reports, along which he’s visited battleground and big-donor states ahead of a potential 2024 announcement.  Hunter Biden is out from the shadows DeSantis’s Ohio trip comes as Florida is battered by torrential rains that hit the state on Wednesday, forced Fort Lauderdale’s airport to shutter and sparked flooding in some places. He posted on Twitter on Thursday to announce a State of Emerge...