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Erdogan says Turkey could approve Sweden’s NATO membership if Europeans ‘open way’ to EU membership

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:42 GMT

By KARL RITTER and SUZAN FRASER (Associated Press)VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday introduced a new condition for approving Sweden’s membership in NATO, calling on European countries to “open the way” for Turkey to join the European Union.The surprise announcement by Erdogan before departing to a NATO summit in Lithuania’s capital added new uncertainty to Sweden’s bid to become the alliance’s 32nd member, which Turkey initially blocked saying Sweden was too soft on Kurdish militants and other groups that Ankara considers security threats.It was the first time that Erdogan linked his country’s ambition to join the EU with Sweden’s efforts to become a NATO member.“Turkey has been waiting at the door of the European Union for over 50 years now, and almost all of the NATO member countries are now members of the European Union,” Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul. “I am makin...

These trails are closed due to excessive heat warning

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:42 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Several hiking trails in the Cleveland National Forest are closed due to extreme heat in the forecast.Starting Monday, the San Diego River Gorge, Cedar Creek Falls, Three Sisters Falls and Eagle Peak trails were closed due to excessive heat, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service announced. Excessive Heat Warning issued for these areas in San Diego County The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning for San Diego County deserts and mountains beginning Tuesday morning and lasting through Sunday. The NWS forecasts dangerously hot conditions with temperatures that could reach 117 degrees in the deserts and 101 degrees in the mountains. People in these areas are advised to keep out of the sun, drink lots of fluids and seek air conditioning.

AFN chooses interim national chief ahead of annual meeting

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:42 GMT

The Assembly of First Nations has appointed a new temporary leader as the advocacy organization tries to forge a path forward after the tumultuous tenure and ousting of its national chief.Joanna Bernard, who is the regional chief for New Brunswick, has been chosen as the interim national chief until a new one is elected in December.“It is crucial that the Assembly of First Nations resume its important work of advancing First Nations’ priorities,” Bernard said in a news release Monday. The decision comes ahead of this week’s annual general assembly in Halifax where hundreds of Indigenous leaders are set to gather for the first time since former national chief RoseAnne Archibald was ousted from the organization’s helm. Archibald has said she may attend the meeting, scheduled to take place Tuesday through Thursday, and is asking for chiefs to reinstate her.Archibald was voted out during a special chiefs assembly on June 28 that also dealt with a human resources ...

Two injured in possible road-rage shooting near busy downtown Toronto intersection

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:42 GMT

TORONTO — Two people are in hospital with serious injuries after a shooting in downtown Toronto that police say could be the result of road rage following reports of street racing.Police say they were called to 7 Charles Street West, just one block south of Toronto’s busy Yonge and Bloor intersection, just after 6 a.m. this morning for a drive-by shooting.Duty Insp. Michelle Olszevski says officers arrived to find a man and a woman in their 20s suffering from gunshot wounds.Olszevski says they were taken to nearby hospitals where they are currently in serious, but non-life-threatening condition.She says that before the shooting, police got a call about stunt driving taking place on Yonge Street shortly before 6 a.m. and the vehicles and occupants involved were also at the scene of the shooting.Olszevski says it’s possible the shooting occurred as a result of road rage. Nearby condo resident Aiman Fatima says she saw a group of ten to twelve people, mostly in their 20s, t...

Stock market today: Wall Street drifts ahead of updates on inflation, profits

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:42 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are drifting on Wall Street Monday ahead of a week with updates on where inflation and corporate profits are heading.The S&P 500 was 0.1% higher in morning trading, coming off just its second losing week in the last eight. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 148 points, or 0.4%, at 33,883, as of 10:45 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.1% lower.FMC, an agricultural sciences company, tumbled 12.2% for the biggest loss in the S&P 500 after it warned of a sudden drop in business across most of the world toward the end of May as partners burned through inventory levels. It said the “unforeseen and unprecedented” declines would hurt its results for the spring and full year.On the winning side of Wall Street was Helen of Troy, which said profit and revenue fell by less last quarter than analysts expected. The company behind OXO, Hydro Flask and other brands jumped 15.6%. But it also warned of a expectations for a slower economy.The big que...

James Spader bids farewell to an intriguing criminal mastermind as ‘The Blacklist’ finale approaches

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:42 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Raymond “Red” Reddington is finally hanging up his famous black fedora and — fitting for a manipulative genius — he’s doing it on his own terms.“The Blacklist” ends its 10-year NBC run Thursday with a two-hour send-off, and star James Spader says the cast and crew relished the chance to take their time saying goodbye.“I was very, very glad we were able to end it exactly the way we wanted to end it. It was deliberate and we weren’t taken by surprise in terms of when the ending was going to come,” he tells The Associated Press. “You’ll see that the ending has conviction and we commit to it.”The end of “The Blacklist” is a swan song for Reddington, one of the most intriguing and delicious characters on television. A master of brokering shadowy deals for criminals, he offered his help to the FBI tracking down the world’s most dangerous criminals.Spader reveals that the show — filmed mostly in New York City with an embrace of international characters — went overseas...

Celebrity birthdays for the week of July 16-22

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:42 GMT

Celebrity birthdays for the week of July 16-22:July 16: Singer William Bell is 84. Actor-singer Ruben Blades (“Fear the Walking Dead”) is 75. Drummer Stewart Copeland of The Police is 71. Actor Faye Grant (“Affairs of State”) is 66. Dancer Michael Flatley (“Lord of the Dance”) is 65. Actor Phoebe Cates is 60. Actor Paul Hipp is 60. Actor Daryl “Chill” Mitchell (“Ed”) is 58. Actor Jonathan Adams (“Last Man Standing”) is 56. Actor Will Ferrell is 56. Actor Rain Pryor (“Head of the Class”) is 54. Actor Corey Feldman is 52. Singer-guitarist Ed Kowalczyk (Live) is 52. Singer Ryan McCombs (Drowning Pool) is 49. Actor Jayma Mays (“The Millers,” ″Glee”) is 44. Actor AnnaLynne McCord (“Nip/Tuck”) is 36. Actor-singer James Maslow (“Big Time Rush”) is 33. Actor Mark Indelicato (“Ugly Betty”) is 29. Singer-guitarist Luke Hemmings of 5 Seconds Of Summer is 27.July 17: Actor Donald Sutherland is 88. Bassist Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath is 74. Actor Lucie Arnaz is 72. Actor David Hasselhoff is 7...

British police assessing information from BBC over claim a presenter paid a teen for explicit photos

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:42 GMT

LONDON (AP) — British detectives met representatives of the BBC on Monday over allegations that a leading presenter paid a teenager for sexually explicit photos.The U.K.’s publicly funded national broadcaster has suspended the male star, who has not been named, over allegations he gave a youth 35,000 pounds ($45,000) starting in 2020 when the young person was 17.Though the age of sexual consent in Britain is 16, it’s a crime to make or possess indecent images of anyone under 18.London’s Metropolitan Police force said detectives were “assessing the information discussed at the meeting and further enquiries are taking place to establish whether there is evidence of a criminal offence being committed.”“There is no investigation at this time,” the force said.The Sun newspaper, which first reported the allegations, said the young person’s mother had complained to the BBC in May but that the presenter had remained on the air.The BBC said in a statement on Sunday that it “first...

Stretch of Lake Shore Boulevard closed starting Wednesday for Honda Indy

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:42 GMT

If your commute involves taking Lake Shore Boulevard West, a large stretch of the roadway will be off-limits to drivers starting Wednesday for the Honda Indy.Lake Shore from Strachan Avenue to British Columbia Road will be closed from 9 p.m. on Wednesday, July 12, until 1 a.m. on Monday, July 17.The southbound lanes of Strachan Avenue from Fleet Street to Lake Shore Boulevard West will also be closed from 9 p.m. on Wednesday until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, July 16.Ahead of the full closure on Lake Shore West, several curb-lane restrictions will be in effect along the boulevard from Monday, July 10, until Wednesday.The Honda Indy festivities kick off on Friday with the main race happening on Sunday.

Oil refinery fire injures 8 firefighters in southern Iran

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:42 GMT

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Fire erupted at an oil refinery in southern Iran and injured eight firefighters Monday, the official IRNA news agency reported. The news agency did not say what caused the fire but reported the firefighters were hurt while trying to put out the blaze burning in two of the five tanks at an oil depot near Iran’s port of Banda Abbas. Authorities said there was concern the fire might spread to more tanks. The port, located at the mouth of strategic Strait of Hormuz, is a major import and export hub. Similar fires were reported there in the past and at other oil facilities in Iran. Authorities blamed them on decades of international sanctions as well as hot summer weather.Temperatures in Bandar Abbas reached nearly 37 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday.The Associated Press