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Turkey and Sweden fail to end their NATO membership standoff. Their leaders will try again on Monday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:32 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — Sweden and Turkey made some progress in talks aimed at overcoming President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s objections to the Nordic country joining NATO, but gaps still remain in their positions and their leaders will meet next week to discuss them, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday.NATO had hoped the problems would be resolved before its July 11-12 summit in Lithuania. Sweden’s entry would be a symbolically powerful moment and the latest indication that Russia’s war in Ukraine is driving countries to join the alliance. Those hopes have been all but dashed.Stoltenberg told reporters after the meeting that he, Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson would hold talks in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on Monday — on the eve of the summit — in an effort “to bridge the gap we still see.”“We all agreed that we have made good progress. We all agreed that the full membership of Sweden is in the security interests of all allies, and we all want to concl...

Kirk Howard, founder of publishing house Dundurn Press, dies at 90

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:32 GMT

TORONTO — Kirk Howard, founder of the quintessentially Canadian publishing house Dundurn Press, has died. The publisher confirms Howard died on June 30 at age 90. Howard established Dundurn Press in 1972 and remained at its helm for 47 years, before selling it in 2019.Dundurn Press started as a publisher of books on Canadian history, but expanded over the decades.Among its notable releases are the series “Amanda Doucette Mysteries” and “Inspector Green” by Barbara Fradkin and two works by Steve Paikin: “Bill Davis: Nation Builder, and Not So Bland After All” and “Paikin and the Premiers.”Howard also served at various times as president of the Association of Canadian Publishers and the Ontario Book Publishers Organization, as well as treasurer of Livres Canada Books.In 2019, he was invested into the Order of Canada. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 6, 2023.The Canadian Press

Parade entry of woman in Native American dress pulled by a rope sows outrage, confusion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:32 GMT

MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — An entry in a Fourth of July parade in Iowa has spawned confusion and outrage — one woman on horseback pulling a rope used to bind the wrists of another woman wearing Native American dress.Commenters of Facebook and other social media sites were perplexed by the entry Tuesday in a parade in Muscatine. Some wondered whether it a disapproving commentary on treatment of Indigenous people or an endorsement of that treatment.Mayor Brad Bark said he spoke with the group responsible and was told their intention was to pay homage to the Cherokee Nation and how unjustly its members were treated.Megan Burton, the woman on the horse, told the Quad-City Times that the portrayal was on behalf of Cherokee National Treasure, a group that honors distinguished Cherokees. Burton said she and the woman who appeared to be portraying a slave are both of Native American descent.The parade’s host, the Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said in a statement that...

S&P/TSX composite down more than 300 points, U.S. stocks also fall

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:32 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index was down more than 300 points in a broad-based decline, while U.S. stock markets also fell.The S&P/TSX composite index was down 343.22 points at 19,760.67.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 513.22 points at 33,775.42. The S&P 500 index was down 60.19 points at 4,386.63, while the Nasdaq composite was down 215.26 points at 13,576.39.The Canadian dollar traded for 74.90 cents US compared with 75.34 cents US on Wednesday.The August crude oil contract was down 69 cents at US$71.10 per barrel and the August natural gas contract was down three cents at US$2.63 per mmBTU.The August gold contract was down US$12.30 at US$1,914.80 an ounce and the September copper contract was down four cents at US$3.73 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 6, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X)The Canadian Press

Record-breaking wildfire season will continue to burn hot for months: officials

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:32 GMT

OTTAWA — Natural Resources Canada says the country’s record-breaking wildfire season will continue to be abnormally intense throughout July and into August.The projections are based on anticipated high temperatures, dry conditions and historical comparisons. The risk is expected to shrink slightly in August, but it will remain high across the country.Canada surpassed the known historic record for total area burned by wildfires in one season on June 27, with months of hot weather still to come. Some 88,000 square kilometres have burned as of July 5 — nearly 11 times the average amount burned by that date over the past 10 years.More Canadians have been evacuated from their homes this year than in the last four decades, with more than 155,000 forced to leave due to fire and smoke. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 6, 2023.The Canadian Press

Wimbledon is finally dry after 3 days of rain. Wawrinka wins and gets Djokovic next

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:32 GMT

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — The courts are finally dry at Wimbledon and the sun is even shining through the clouds at times, giving organizers hope of fitting in a full day of tennis on Thursday for the first time at this year’s tournament.The first three days of action at the All England Club were affected by rain. Only eight matches were completed on Tuesday. Those matches were played on either Centre Court or No. 1 Court, the only stadiums on the grounds with roofs.Because of the all the disruption, there were a handful of first-round matches being played on Day 4. Normally, the first Thursday of the tournament would wrap up the second round.Among the winners was Stan Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion from Switzerland. Wawrinka beat No. 29-seeded Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the third round.The 38-year-old Wawrinka, who won his major titles at the other three Grand Slam tournaments, will next face Novak Djokovic — the 23-time ...

Chicago man receives 15 years for child pornography possession

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:32 GMT

CHICAGO — A registered sex offender received 15 years in prison for child pornography possession.Jason Jeffries, 41, of Chicago, was arrested in Oct. 2022. He was on parole at the time for a 2017 child pornography conviction.Prior to his arrest, detectives received a tip from the Illinois Department of Corrections that Jeffries downloaded and stored several videos on a memory card that contained sexually explicit material involving children.Jeffries pleaded guilty Wednesday to possession of child pornography with a prior conviction. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and will be required to service three years of supervised release.

5 things to know about Threads, Twitter's newest rival

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:32 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — Twitter has faced rival apps before, especially after Elon Musk's purchase of the social media platform last year. Now, it seems a new challenger is coming after Twitter, and it's already gaining traction. On Wednesday, Meta — the company behind Facebook and Instagram — launched Threads, a text-based version of Instagram. Within seven hours, 10 million people had signed up for Threads, according to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg even took to Twitter for the first time in 11 years, sharing a meme appearing to call out the similarities between Twitter and Threads.If you haven't tried Threads yet, or aren't sure what to do on the platform, here are 5 things to know. What is Threads?As mentioned above, Threads is a text-based app, like Twitter. Also like Twitter, you can share photos and videos on Threads — it is, of course, built by photo-and-video-based Instagram. Threads is intended to provide "real-time updates and public conversations," according to a post on Meta...

George Tickner, Journey co-founder and former guitarist, dies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:32 GMT

(WGHP) – George Tickner, best known as a founding member and former rhythm guitarist of the rock band Journey, has died at age 76, according to original member Neal Schon."RIP George you now fly with the Angels," wrote Schon, the only original member in Journey's current lineup, in a Twitter post shared Wednesday.Members of Journey are seen at the band's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in 2005. From left: Jonathan Cain, George Tickner, Steve Perry, Aynsley Dunbar, Neal Schon, Robert Fleischman, Ross Valory, Steve Augeri, Steve Smith and Deen Castronovo. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)Tickner, who played with Frumious Bandersnatch before co-founding Journey in 1973, wasn't with the band for long. After forming the group with lead guitarist Schon, bassist Ross Valory and keyboardist/vocalist Gregg Rolie, Tickner helped to write two songs for Journey's self-titled debut album and stayed with group through its recording before leaving to study medicine at Stanford University.While pursuing a c...

Texas lawmakers speak on property tax relief plan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas state representatives spoke Thursday regarding a plan for property tax relief for all Texans.Rep. Ana-María Ramos joined Rep. John Bryant and other members of the Texas House to discuss the plan.“The agreement delivers significant property tax relief in a fair and equitable plan,” Ramos said in a release.A recap of the 9:30 a.m. news conference is available in the video player below. According to Ramos, Bryant’s plan:Increases the basic allotment by $1,000 and indexes it to inflation, resulting in a permanent increase in teacher salaries of $4,300 per year.Establishes a homestead exemption of the higher of $100,000 or 25% of their home's appraised value, up to a cap of $200,000.Extends tax relief to the 38% of Texas households who rent their homes with a cash rebate of up to 10% of the rent paid in the previous year.Implements a six-cent reduction of school maintenance and operation taxes. A balance between the House and Senate pr...