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Niger adds to growing list of countries in the Sahel run by the military

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:19 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Mutinous soldiers in Niger this week overthrew the democratically elected government of President Mohamed Bazoum, adding to a growing list of military regimes in West Africa’s Sahel region and raising fears of regional destabilization.The Sahel, the vast arid expanse south of the Sahara Desert, faces growing violence from Islamic extremists, which in turn has caused people to turn against elected governments.The military takeovers have followed a similar pattern: The coup leaders accuse the government of failing to meet the people’s expectations for delivering dividends of democracy. They say they will usher in a new democratic government to address those shortcomings, but the process gets delayed.Karim Manuel, west and central Africa analyst for the Economist Intelligence Unit, says the military governments threaten to unwind democratic gains made not just in the Sahel region but in the broader West Africa region.“This increases political instability going for...

Montana train derailment report renews calls for automated systems to detect track problems

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:19 GMT

Federal investigators renewed their recommendation that major freight railroads equip every locomotive with the kind of autonomous sensors that could have caught the track flaws that caused a fatal 2021 Amtrak derailment in northern Montana.But installing the sensors on the tens of thousands of locomotives in the fleet could be cost prohibitive, and it’s not entirely clear if one would have caught the combination of rail flaws that the National Transportation Safety Board said caused the crash near Joplin, Montana, that killed three people and injured 49 others. And rail unions caution that no technology should be a substitute for human inspectors.The NTSB report laid blame in part on BNSF railroad, which owns the tracks, and “a shortcoming in its safety culture.” But it noted that even if track inspections had been more frequent, the severity of the problems may not have been noticed the day of the crash without devices and technology designed to enhance the inspections.“It i...

Count of ballots from Spaniards abroad gives edge to right-wing block and deepens the stalemate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:19 GMT

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Ballots from Spaniards living abroad were counted Friday, and they gave a new twist to the inconclusive results from the general election.The conservative Popular Party gained an additional seat from Madrid’s constituency late in the day at the expense of the Socialist Workers’ Party. That change gives the right-wing coalition of the PP and the far-right Vox party 172 seats in the lower house of parliament and drops left-wing forces to 171.Forming a stable governing coalition will require one of the blocks to have the support of 176 lawmakers in the 350-seat body, and it’s not clear that either side will be able to obtain enough backing from smaller parties.The country’s main political parties had been waiting for the count in the hope they might win seats from opponents and recompose the final picture. Results coming in from different constituencies during the day showed no changes across Spain — until Madrid added the last-gasp surprise.The switch lik...

Sen. McConnell plans to serve his full term as Republican leader despite questions about his health

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has repeatedly said he is “fine” since he froze up midsentence during a press conference on Wednesday. And now his office is trying to tamp down speculation that he might not fill out his term as leader because of his health.In a statement, his office said McConnell appreciates the continued support of his colleagues and “plans to serve his full term in the job they overwhelmingly elected him to do.”The statement, first reported by Politico, comes after McConnell, 81, has suffered health problems in recent months. At his weekly press conference this week, he froze and stared vacantly for about 20 seconds before his GOP colleagues standing behind him grabbed his elbows and asked if he wanted to go back to his office. He later returned to the news conference and answered questions as if nothing had happened.When asked about the episode, he said he was “fine,” a statement he repeated in a hallway to reporters later that day. Ne...

Alabama authorities charge Carlee Russell for fabricating story about kidnapping, finding toddler

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:19 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Authorities in Alabama said Friday they filed criminal charges against a woman who confessed to fabricating a story that she was kidnapped after stopping to check on a toddler she saw walking on the side of an interstate highway. Carlee Russell was charged with false reporting to law enforcement and falsely reporting an incident, both misdemeanors that carry up to a year in jail, Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis said. Russell turned herself in to jail Friday and was released on bond, he said.“Her decisions that night created panic and alarm for citizens of our city and even across the nation as concern grew that a kidnapper was on the loose using a small child as bait,” he said. “Numerous law enforcement agencies, both local and federal, began working tirelessly not only to bring Carlee home to her family but locate a kidnapper that we know now never existed. Many private citizens volunteered their time and energy in looking for a potential kidnapping victim that we kn...

Majority of Canadians believe food prices will continue to rise. Stats show, they’re right.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:19 GMT

Inflation may not be as red-hot as it was in months past, but that’s not stopping most Canadians from dreading that next trip to the grocery store.Rising food costs have forced Canadian households to alter their budgets, and a new poll is shedding light on how many don’t believe relief is on the way.According to a recent Maru Public Opinion survey, 71 per cent of Canadians believe food costs at their local grocery stores will be even higher six months from now.One woman outside of a Toronto Loblaws responded, “Yep, I do,” without hesitation when CityNews asked if she thought grocery store prices would rise within that time frame. One man said that while he didn’t think prices would rise, he wasn’t confident they’d improve.Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics lab at Dalhousie University, said Canadians are right.“What that means to me is that 71 per cent of Canadians actually know what’s going on and understand ...

Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas disciplined for beaning Cubs' Ian Happ

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:19 GMT

ST. LOUIS — A retaliation against a Cubs' batter on Thursday night has earned a Cardinals pitcher a suspension from Major League Baseball.On Friday afternoon, the league announced that Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas has been suspended for five games after intentionally hitting Ian Happ in the Cubs' 10-3 win over St. Louis at Busch Stadium on Thursday night. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol, who was ejected from the game for arguing on behalf of Mikolas, was suspended one game and will serve it tonight against the Cubs in the second of a four-game series.Per MLB, Mikolas has appealed his suspension.The incident happened in the first inning, and started after an accident between two former teammates. In his first at-bat of the game, Happ's backswing struck catcher Willson Contreras in the head, drawing blood. After being looked at by athletic trainers and still bleeding, he was pulled from the game. There appeared to be no ill feelings between the two, who were teammates in C...

Evanston police investigating 'suspicious activity' involving Pride flags

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:19 GMT

EVANSTON — Evanston police are investigating after someone vandalized Pride flags with anti-LGBTQ+ messaging.Small, defaced pride flags were spotted Thursday on Central Street and near the Dempster Metra stop. The words "pride death" were written on each flag, and one of the flags was burned.  Police listed the three locations:1700 block of Central Street2100 block of Central Street600 block of Dempster StreetPolice believe the incidents occurred in the early morning of July 27. There is no evidence yet of any specific threats made to members of the LGBTQ+ community. The suspect(s) responsible and the motive are pending investigation. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesAnyone with information is asked to contact Evanston police at (847) 866-5040.

Man unresponsive after being pulled from pond in Bensenville

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:19 GMT

BENSENVILLE, Ill. — A man is unresponsive after being pulled from a pond Friday afternoon in Bensenville.According to Bensenville police Chief Dan Schulze, the man slipped into the Redmond Pond in the 500 block of John Street. Woman dead after incident in Lake Michigan, found pinned beneath boat: CFD Police and fire personnel from Bensenville and other agencies responded, found the man, brought him to the surface and took him to a hospital.His specific condition hasn't been released."Our thoughts are with the individual's family and loved ones," Schulze said.

Taylor Swift urged to postpone Los Angeles-area shows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:19 GMT

(KTLA) – A labor union representing thousands of hotel housekeepers in Southern California is asking Taylor Swift to postpone her upcoming concerts at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood until they are paid "a living wage."UNITE HERE Local 11 published an open letter to the pop star in the Los Angeles Times on Thursday.“We make beds, clean bathrooms, and take care of every guest need. Your shows make our hotels a lot of money,” the letter reads. “In Los Angeles, hotels are doubling and tripling what they charge because you are coming. They also add junk fees on rooms, just like Ticketmaster does. But we see none of it.” Taylor Swift now has more No. 1 albums than any woman in history Hotel workers have been staging labor actions in the Los Angeles area since the start of July as they negotiate for increased pay and benefits. They have also joined striking Hollywood writers and actors on the picket lines.Experts predict Swift's 52-night, 20-city tour will become the highest-grossing of all t...