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South Korean and Polish leaders visit an air base in eastern Poland, discuss defense and energy ties

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:05:06 GMT

MINSK MAZOWIECKI, Poland (AP) — South Korea’s prime minister was in Poland on Wednesday for talks on regional security amid the war in neighboring Ukraine, and also to discuss military and nuclear energy cooperation as his country continues to strengthen ties with Warsaw.Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and his Polish counterpart, Mateusz Morawiecki, visited an air base in the town of Minsk Mazowiecki in eastern Poland, where they watched Korean FA-50 fighter jets that Poland recently bought along with other military equipment. They discussed further cooperation on military weapons and equipment, as Poland also wants to help produce South Korean weapons. South Korea is also to take part in Poland’s development of nuclear power.“We are united in defending (our) civilization and peace,” Morawiecki said after the talks, referring to Russia’s almost 19 months of war on Ukraine. “For that reason we have more and more of joint projects in the economy and in the defense ...

Escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante has been arrested in Pennsylvania, officials say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:05:06 GMT

POTTSTOWN, Pa. (AP) — An escaped murderer was captured Wednesday after eluding hundreds of searchers for two weeks, bringing relief to anxious residents of southeastern Pennsylvania who endured sleepless nights as he hid in the woods, broke into suburban homes for food, changed his appearance, and fled under gunfire with a rifle pilfered from a garage, authorities said.Authorities used thermal imaging from aircraft to pinpoint a possible location and then used ground forces to capture escaped inmate Danelo Souza Cavalcante, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity to discuss the operation, which played out over several hours.State police announced Cavalcante’s capture on social media on Wednesday, as the search entered its 14th day, and planned a news conference announcing details for 9:30 a.m. Aerial video footage from Fox 29 News showed a handcuffed man in a gravel lot and wearing a grey, long-sleeve shirt with law enforcement off...

Coal mine collapses in northern Turkey, killing 1 miner and injuring 3 others

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:05:06 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A section of a coal mine collapsed in northern Turkey on Wednesday, leaving one miner dead and injuring three others, officials said. There were 280 workers inside the Armutcuk coal mine near the town of Eregli in northern Zonguldak province but only four miners were working in the section that caved in, Gov. Osman Hacibektasoglu told NTV television. The cause of the collapse was not immediately known. Three of the miners were brought out with injuries and two of them were in critical condition in hospital, the governor said.Families rushed to the entrance of the coal mine for news of their loved ones, television footage showed.Turkey’s worst mine disaster was in 2014, when 301 miners died after a fire erupted inside a coal mine in the town of Soma, in the west of the country. Last year, an explosion in another coal mine in northern Turkey killed 41 people. The Associated Press

Stock market today: Wall Street churns a bit higher in early trading

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:05:06 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are churning slightly higher on Wall Street after a highly anticipated report showed inflation accelerated across the country last month, but not by much more than expected. The S&P 500 was up 0.2% in early trading Wednesday. The Dow was up 119, and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.2%. The report said U.S. consumers paid prices last month that were 3.7% higher than a year earlier, up from July’s inflation rate of 3.2%. Much of the acceleration was because of higher fuel costs, which can swing very sharply and quickly. Underlying inflation trends still look to be pointing toward continued moderation.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Wall Street pointed slightly lower early Wednesday ahead of a key report on U.S. inflation that could sway the Federal Reserve’s upcoming decision on interest rates. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged 0.1% lower before the bell, while the S&P 500 are essentially unchanged.Eco...

Doug Ford’s approval rating lowest among Canadian Premiers, polling shows

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:05:06 GMT

Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s approval rating has seen its largest dip since he took office as he currently ranks last among Canadian premiers, new polling shows.The Angus Reid Institute has Ford’s approval rating at 28 per cent, down five per cent from his previous standing. Those findings were published last week, on Sept. 8. Ford is tied with Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson, whose approval rating improved from 25 per cent to 28 per cent, respectively.Ford’s current approval rating is the lowest of his five-year term as Ontario’s Premier. Ford held his highest approval rating in March 2020 at 69 per cent, but it’s dipped significantly since.Elsewhere, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston are tied with the country’s highest current approval rating despite a significant drop, while Newfoundland Premier Andrew Furey (49 per cent), Vancouver Premier David Eby (48 per cent) and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith (47 per cen...

Russian spaceport visited by North Korea’s Kim has a history of corruption and construction delays

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:05:06 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — The space launch facility where Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday reflects an ambitious attempt by Moscow to burnish its scientific glory that faded after the collapse of the Soviet Union.The new Vostochny Cosmodrome has a troubled history tarnished by construction delays and widespread corruption.Here is a glance at the spaceport’s creation and capability:POST-SOVIET CREATIONAfter the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia leased the Baikonur Cosmodrome from Kazakhstan and continued to use it for most of its space launches. The agreement with Kazakhstan allows Russia to keep leasing Baikonur for $115 million a year through 2050.The relatively small Plesetsk launch pad in northwestern Russia has been used for some military satellite launches and military missile tests.Amid occasional disputes with Kazakhstan over Baikonur’s use, Russian authorities declared that the country needs a full-fledged space facility o...

Statistics Canada says household debt ratio down in Q1 as income grew

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:05:06 GMT

Statistics Canada says the amount Canadians owe relative to how much they earn fell in the second quarter as disposable income comfortably outpaced the growth in debt and demand for mortgages fell.The agency says household credit market debt as a proportion of household disposable income, on a seasonally adjusted basis, fell to 180.5 per cent in the second quarter compared with 184.2 per cent in the first quarter of the year.In other words, Statistics Canada says there was $1.81 in credit market debt for every dollar of household disposable income in the second quarter, down from $1.84 in the first three months of 2023.Meanwhile, the household debt service ratio, measured as total obligated payments of principal and interest on credit market debt as a proportion of household disposable income, was 14.79 per cent in the most recent quarter, down from 14.90 per cent in the first quarter, when it hit its highest point since 2019.The moves came as seasonally adjusted household credit ma...

WATCH: AJ Freund death, DCFS workers trial day 3

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:05:06 GMT

MCHENRY COUNTY, Ill. — The trial for two former Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) workers accused of child endangerment enters its third day Wednesday.The multiple felony charges filed in Sept. 2020 against Andrew Polovin and Carlos Acosta stem from the April 2019 death of five-year-old Andrew “AJ” Freund of Crystal Lake. They are accused of having known Freund’s life was in danger four months earlier yet not taking action. Previous Coverage: Nearly 20 police reports can be used in AJ Freund DCFS trial The bench trial began on Monday with the McHenry County State’s Attorney providing an opening statement for the prosecution, and separate attorneys providing statements for each of the defendants. Tuesday's proceedings were occupied entirely by the state's fourth witness, Carol Ruzicka. Ruzicka is a retired DCFS regional administrator who testified for the prosecution as an expert in regard to DCFS procedures.Ruzicka will return to the stand Wednesday where the defen...

New COVID shots: 5 things to know after CDC’s approval 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:05:06 GMT

Americans will be able to receive an updated COVID-19 vaccine as early as Wednesday after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed the shot for all Americans at least 6 months old. The new shots from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech will hit the market just as the U.S approaches the fall and winter respiratory virus season. They arrive along with new treatments to protect infants and older adults from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).Here's what to know:The vaccine protects against current variantsLike all the other COVID-19 vaccines, the updated version is not designed to prevent infection completely but is meant to reduce the severity of symptoms and curb the risk of "long COVID."The updated shots were designed to target the XBB.1.5 variant, which was dominant when vaccine makers began to formulate and test a new version. That variant is no longer dominant and only accounts for about 3 percent of cases. But experts and administration officials have said the v...

Former Bears running back Tarik Cohen is back in the NFL

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:05:06 GMT

CHICAGO — After struggling with injuries the past three years, a former Bears draft pick will get the chance to restart his career in the National Football League.That opportunity for Tarik Cohen is going to come in his home state. Per numerous reports, the running back is signing with the Panthers' practice squad on Wednesday as they prepare for their Monday night home opener against the Saints in Charlotte. It will be the first time that Cohen, a Bunn, North Carolina native, has been with a team since the Bears released him in March 2022, when Ryan Poles took over as the Bears' general manager.This is the next step in the NFL comeback for the running back and kick returner who was the fourth round pick of the Bears in the 2017 NFL Draft. Cohen was a first team All-Pro and Pro Bowl punt returner in 2018 and signed a three-year, $17.25 million contract on September 20, 2020. ‘This one hurts’: Bears deal with blowout loss to open 2023 season But the problems started later that wee...