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A charter plane grounded in France for days for a human trafficking investigation has taken off for India

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:44:22 GMT

VATRY, France (AP) — A charter plane grounded in France for days for a human trafficking investigation has taken off for India.Source

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to expand Gaza operation, says war ‘isn’t close to finished’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:44:22 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to expand Gaza operation, says war ‘isn’t close to finished.’Source

Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been located, associates say, 3 weeks after losing contact

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:44:22 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been located, associates say, 3 weeks after losing contact.Source

Here’s why the Fed thinks it can cut rates in 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:44:22 GMT

New York (CNN) — On Wall Street, interest rate cuts have recently become less a question of if, but rather, when.The shift came last week after all but two of 19 Federal Reserve officials predicted the central bank would cut interest rates at least once in the coming year, according to the Fed’s latest Summary of Economic Projections. While most officials believe there will be a total of three rate cuts in 2024, one Fed official is penciling in five.Exhilarated by these new foretellings, investors sent markets soaring, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average notching several new record closes as of December 13.But even though rate cuts are generating a lot of buzz with investors, they’re not a sure shot by any means. As the SEP notes, Fed officials’ projections on the future path of interest rates are “subject to considerable uncertainty.”That’s because their assessments of the appropriate monetary policy to apply in the future depend on how the economy perfor...

276 Indians stuck in a French airport for days for a human trafficking probe have left for India

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:44:22 GMT

By CHRISTOPHE ENA and ANGELA CHARLTON (Associated Press)VATRY, France (AP) — A charter plane grounded in France for a human trafficking investigation departed Monday for India with 276 Indians aboard, authorities said. The passengers had been heading to Nicaragua but were instead blocked inside a rural French airport for four days in an exceptional holiday ordeal.Associated Press reporters outside the Vatry Airport in Champagne country saw the unmarked Legend Airlines A340 take off after the crew and passengers boarded the plane.The regional administration said that 276 of the original 303 passengers were en route to Mumbai, and that 25 others requested asylum in France. Those who remained were transferred to a special zone in Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport for asylum-seekers, it said. The passengers grounded in France had included a 21-month-old child and several unaccompanied minors.The remaining two passengers were initially detained as part of a human trafficking i...

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah ‘shares pain’ of grieving families at Christmas amid Israel-Hamas war

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:44:22 GMT

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Liverpool soccer star Mohamed Salah says he “shares the pain” of grieving families at Christmas amid the Israel-Hamas war.The Egypt international posted a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying: “Christmas is a time when families get together and celebrate.“With the brutal war going on in the Middle East, especially the death and destruction in Gaza, this year we get to Christmas with very heavy hearts and we share the pain of those families who are grieving the loss of their loved ones.“Please do not forget them and do not get used to their suffering. Merry Christmas.”Egypt has floated an ambitious plan to end the war.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsThe Associated Press

King Charles III’s Christmas message reflects a coronation theme and calls for planet’s protection

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:44:22 GMT

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III reflected his coronation theme of public service Monday in a Christmas message that he connected to the health of the planet and wars that are raging.In a prerecorded video shot with him standing beside a Christmas tree in Buckingham Palace, the king spoke of the message of Jesus’ life in serving those less fortunate as he honored the “selfless army” that forms the “backbone of our society” helping others.“My heart has been warmed by countless examples of the imaginative ways in which people are caring for one another, going the extra mile to help those around them simply because they know it is the right thing to do,” he said.It was the king’s second Christmas speech since he ascended the throne after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died in September 2022, but the first since his coronation in May when he was officially crowned in a medieval ceremony rich in pageantry and pomp.Charles, who has long campaign...

Reduced visibility expected for Ontario due to Christmas Day fog: Environment Canada

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:44:22 GMT

Environment Canada says near-zero visibility is expected to persist throughout parts of Ontario on Christmas Day due to foggy conditions.The weather agency issued fog advisories for much of the province, starting from Windsor in the southwest to the Niagara and Kawartha Lakes areas in the northeast.It says visibility should improve Monday morning, but fog may remain into the afternoon for some areas, with dense fog developing again in the evening.The agency is warning travel could be hazardous due to reduced visibility and says that drivers should slow down, watch for tail lights ahead and be prepared to stop.Environment Canada says fog is not unusual during cold weather.It forecasts a high of 8C for the Toronto area on Monday, with overnight lows of 4C.

‘Beauty in the struggle’: Edmonton TikToker aims to end hunger with street outreach

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:44:22 GMT

EDMONTON — Kora-lea Vidal, once a running back for Canada’s silver-medal-winning national football team, says she never thought she’d escape domestic violence and become homeless.Vidal, 36, often posts videos on TikTok, where she’s amassed nearly 55,000 followers. She covers tough content but also strives to “show there’s a beauty in the struggle.”“It’s interesting because, when I fell into homelessness myself, as much as it’s a struggle just to meet your basic needs like food, shelter and showers, there’s kind of like a weird sense of freedom to it as well.”She says her troubles help fuel her mission to end world hunger, starting in some rough areas of downtown Edmonton. In 2017, she started a humanitarian movement called Live Lifted dedicated to meeting that goal. “You don’t know how many times people come up and thank me for doing humanitarian work and capturing beautiful moments with their loved ones w...

Monday Forecast: Mild, breezy mid 50s

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:44:22 GMT

Monday Forecast: A dry and mild start to Christmas 2023. Our temp at sunrise of 50 degrees makes this our warmest Christmas morning in 150+ years of Chicago weather history. Rain moves in later this morning and winds will pick up this soggy afternoon. We could see some wind gusts between 20 and 30 mph.Monday Night: the rain and wind continue. Temps overnight will slowly decrease to the still quite mild lower 40s. We'll be around 41 at noon tomorrow with mostly cloudy skies and a few showers. Temps end up in the upper 30s by the late afternoon.