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Ukraine’s foreign minister and visiting Chinese envoy discuss peace, but next steps unclear

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 05:00:48 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s foreign minister met with a visiting Chinese mediator to discuss how to end Russia’s war, but no details were disclosed Wednesday and the next steps were unclear. Over two days, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba discussed with envoy Li Hui “ways to stop Russian aggression,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.Kuleba briefed Li, a former Chinese ambassador to Moscow, “about the principles of restoring a stable and just peace based on respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”Kuleba, according to the statement, repeated his government’s position that Ukraine wouldn’t accept any proposal involving the loss of its territories or the “freezing of the conflict.”There was no word on how Li responded to Kuleba.Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government says it’s neutral and wants to serve as mediator in the 15-month-long conflict, but has supported Moscow politically. Beijing released a proposed pea...

Target wrestles with pullback in spending and theft that costs retailer

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 05:00:48 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Target on Wednesday reported another quarterly profit decline and issued a cautious sales and profit outlook for the current period.The Minneapolis company is dealing with rising costs, which includes rising theft as a big factor, and consumers who have become more cautious about spending.The company still topped Wall Street expectations and stuck to annual profit guidance above industry analyst projections. Target is among the first major U.S. retailers to report quarterly results, and a lot of attention will be paid to the impact that stubbornly high inflation and tightening credit are having on customers. Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, reports earnings Thursday. Macy’s, Kohl’s and Nordstrom post quarterly results later this month.Home Depot, the nation’s largest home improvement retailer, said Tuesday that sales for the first quarter fell 4.2%, and it expects its first annual revenue decline since 2009. Also on Tuesday, U.S. data showed ...

Seneca Nation approves school’s ‘Warrior’ nickname, logo

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 05:00:48 GMT

SALAMANCA, N.Y. (AP) — Leaders of the Seneca Indian Nation will allow a public school district located on their land to continue using its Warrior nickname and logo despite New York’s ban on schools’ use of Indigenous imagery, officials said Wednesday.In giving approval, Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong Sr. said the Salamanca school district represented “the most unique of circumstances” because of its location on the nation’s Allegany Territory, and large percentages of Native American students and staff. Last month, the New York Board of Regents prohibited public school districts from using Indigenous nicknames and mascots — but included an exception for districts that receive written approval from a federally recognized tribal nation in New York.Salamanca is the only U.S. city built on land leased from a Native American reservation and about 38% of students in the public school system are members of the 8,000-member Seneca tribe. Surveys and community fo...

Some 50 migrants kidnapped by gang in northern Mexico, president says

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 05:00:48 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A busload of about 50 migrants were kidnapped by a gang in northern Mexico in the latest of a series of mass abductions, though some already have been freed, Mexico’s president said Wednesday.President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said National Guard troops were searching for the migrants in an area around the northern city of Matehuala, and that some have already been found alive. The migrants had been travelling north toward the U.S. border in a bus from the southern state of Chiapas, when the vehicle, passengers and drivers were abducted. “They have already found some,” López Obrador said at his morning news briefing. “Originally, there were reports of 50,” he said of the total number of victims, without specifying how many had been located. “We hope to rescue them,” he added.Bus company officials first reported the abduction on Tuesday, and told local media they had received demands for $1,500 apiece to release the migrants.“Unfortunately, there are gangs...

BP subsidiary agrees to record $40M penalty and pollution-cutting steps at Lake Michigan refinery

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 05:00:48 GMT

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — A BP subsidiary will pay a $40 million penalty and install technology to control releases of benzene and other contaminants at its Whiting oil refinery on the Indiana shoreline of Lake Michigan, Biden administration officials said Wednesday.The actions will settle a civil case against BP Products North America Inc. filed by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency, which described the penalty as the largest ever under the Clean Air Act for pollution from a structure. Additionally, the company will invest around $197 million in improvements.“This settlement will result in the reduction of hundreds of tons of harmful air pollution a year, which means cleaner, healthier air for local communities,” said Larry Starfield, acting assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.The 134-year-old refinery, located between Hammond, Indiana, and Chicago, is the biggest in the U.S. Midwest and sixth largest...

Jordanian lawmaker is charged with smuggling guns into occupied West Bank

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 05:00:48 GMT

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — A Jordanian lawmaker has been indicted on charges that he illegally smuggled scores of rifles and handguns into the occupied West Bank through an Israeli-controlled crossing, his lawyer said Wednesday.The alleged gun-running scandal that gripped headlines last month has threatened to further strain ties between Israel and its Arab neighbor to the east despite their nearly three-decade-old peace treaty. The apparent effort by a Jordanian parliament member to sneak guns into a restive West Bank — where young Palestinians are increasingly getting their hands on rifles and opening fire at Israeli security forces — has raised fears of Jordanian support for Palestinian militancy that undercuts the country’s moderate, pro-Western monarchy. The Jordanian lawmaker, Imad al-Adwan, was charged in a state security court in Amman last week, his lawyer Ali Mubaideen told The Associated Press. After being interrogated, al-Adwan, 35, was charged with four counts of illega...

Grass cutting on DVP, Gardiner must be done during daytime, City says

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 05:00:48 GMT

Drivers on both the Don Valley Parkway (DVP) and Gardiner Expressway have been grappling with heavier than usual delays for the past three weeks as springtime maintenance continues.Crews have been working on cutting grass and trimming trees and hedges alongside both routes, which has, at times, led to lane restrictions and major traffic backups.NB DVP approaching Eglinton – right lane closed for maintenance. #NBDVP pic.twitter.com/68DNynd8RG— CityNews Toronto Traffic & Weather (@citynews680) May 15, 2023CityNews reached out to the City of Toronto to ask why this type of maintenance cannot be done during the overnight hours as is typical on 400-series highways.The City said there is a long list of reasons and the main one is to ensure crews doing the work are safe.“Grass cutting is conducted during the day to ensure the safety of crews, who lack the proper lighting tools, and because the changing terrain around the highway requires full visibility to maneuver equipmen...

Twitter is purging inactive accounts including people who have died, angering those still grieving

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 05:00:48 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Emily Reed lost her younger sister Jessica more than 10 years ago. For much of the last decade, she’s visited Jessica’s Twitter page to help “keep her memory alive.”Twitter became one of the places where Emily processed her grief and reconnected with a sister she describes as almost like a twin. But Jessica’s account is now gone.Twitter became one of the places where Emily processed her grief and reconnected with a sister she describes as almost like a twin. But Jessica’s account is now gone.Last week, owner Elon Musk announced Twitter would be purging accounts that have had no activity for several years. That decision has been met by an outcry from those who have lost, or who fear losing the thoughts and words of deceased loved ones linked to now-inactive accounts.Reed immediately returned to Jessica’s page as she had done a day or two earlier after learning of the purge. In place of Jessica’s page was an “account suspended” message that suggested it m...

Buffalo Grove High School students killed in Wheeling crash ID'd

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 05:00:48 GMT

WHEELING, Ill. — Four students at Buffalo Grove High School were killed in a three-vehicle crash in Wheeling.The victims have been identified as: 16-year-old Jesus Rodriguez, 17-year-old Kevin R. Hernandez-Teran and 18-year-old Richard De-lta of Wheeling, and 17-year-old Ricky Barcenas of Arlington Heights.High School District 214 has confirmed all four boys were students at Buffalo Grove High School. According to police, the crash happened around 10:20 p.m. Tuesday at the intersection of Dundee and Schoenbeck roads.One student remains hospitalized, according to the school district.Police said speed and a disregard for traffic signals seem to be the primary factors of the crash. Police investigate after reported shooting on I-290; all lanes closed at Central The school district released the following statement:Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of these students during this time of tragedy. We also offer condolences to all Buffalo Grove students, families a...

Funeral services held Wednesday for slain CPD officer Aréanah Preston

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 05:00:48 GMT

CHICAGO — Funeral services were held Wednesday for fallen Chicago Police Officer Aréanah Preston.Visitation took place at the Blake-Lamb Funeral Home, located at 4727 W. 103rd St in Oak Lawn, Tuesday afternoon.The 24-year-old officer had just returned from a shift in the 5th District when she was shot and killed on the 8100 block of South Blackstone Avenue. Four suspects have been charged in her fatal shooting. Fallen CPD Officer Aréanah Preston honored at Loyola graduation Preston earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Illinois State University and joined CPD three years ago.Preston's mother told WGN she was a smart and driven woman who was looking forward to her graduating with her master's from Loyola University. On Saturday, Loyola posthumously awarded Preston's degree to her mother.Her law enforcement colleagues said she was brave and compassionate. Preston's last arrestee, taken into custody just hours before her death, reportedly wept when they heard the...