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US-backed Kurdish forces impose curfew in eastern Syria after new clashes with rival Arab militia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:02 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces imposed a curfew after clashes erupted again on Monday in eastern Syria, where their fighters had battled for weeks with rival Arab militiamen, Syrian media and activists reported.The fighting in a region where hundreds of American troops are deployed has pointed to dangerous seams in a coalition that has kept a lid on the defeated Islamic State group for years. The reports say the Syrian Democratic Forces imposed the open-ended measure in several towns in Deir el-Zour province, including the town of Ziban, close to the Iraqi border where the Americans are based. Hundreds of U.S. troops have been there since 2015 to help in the fight against the militant Islamic State group. The oil-rich province is home to Syria’s largest oil fields.Al Mayadeen, a pan-Arab TV station, said several fighters from the Kurdish-led forces were killed after Arab gunmen took over several parts of Ziban on Monday. The SDF in a statement Monday said the gunmen en...

Music Review: Breathy, mid-tempo Wilco returns for ‘Cousin,’ which is heavy on the slower tracks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:02 GMT

If you like your Wilco mid-tempo, melodic and breathy, then “Cousin” is for you. Taking yet another departure in tone after last year’s epic double album “Cruel Country,” the Chicago combo’s latest is more along the lines of 2019’s “Ode to Joy.” Wilco enlisted Welsh artist Cate Le Bon to produce the 10 tracks on “Cousin,” the band’s 13th studio record. It marked the first time since 2007’s “Sky Blue Sky” that Wilco went outside the band for a producer.The result is a deeply layered, musically rich record, albeit heavy on the slower tracks. At times, like on “Pittsburgh,” the soundscape is so thick it feels like an aural impressionist painting, with layer upon layer of music melded together to create a sonic image.This is music for late at night, with the lights down low, a favorite beverage within reach, and no distractions.“Infinite Surprise” is a standout, leading off “Cousin” slowly and then building to a cacophonous crescendo. But songwriter a...

Unifor’s narrow vote of support for Ford contract shows challenges ahead: experts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:02 GMT

TORONTO — The narrow vote of support by Unifor members for the proposed contract with Ford Motor Co. has experts saying that reaching deals with General Motors and Stellantis could prove more challenging. Unifor members at Ford voted 54 per cent in favour of a new three-year collective agreement over the weekend, a sharp contrast to the 81 per cent support their last contract received.The union has said the deal will set the pattern for contract talks at GM and Stellantis, but Steven Tufts, a labour expert at York University, said the relatively low support raises the question of whether workers will accept the template.“The wild card here is will GM and Stellantis workers, will they ratify an agreement that’s based on the Ford pattern, or will they want more, given their companies are bigger and more profitable?” The Ford deal already does mark notable gains for the union, including a 20 per cent base wage gain for production workers over the contract, a move back...

Weather-related home repairs highest in Atlantic Canada: HomeStars survey

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:02 GMT

TORONTO — Homeowners in Atlantic Canada completed the highest number of emergency repairs due to weather-related events in the past year, according to HomeStars’ latest renovation report.One-third of homeowners across Canada who renovated or repaired their properties in the past year made weather-related repairs, while 41 per cent of those in Atlantic Canada specifically said they did emergency repairs, many of them because of catastrophic flooding.The survey shows 79 per cent of respondents say sustainability was important when choosing building materials for renovations, while 59 per cent who renovated over the last 12 months chose green products.HomeStars CEO Shir Magen says while inflation and interest rates put a damper on overall spending on repairs and renovations, 73 per cent of Canadians surveyed still plan to do at least one home renovation in the next 12 months. The report says Canadian homeowners who spent an average of $12,300 on renovations in the past year but s...

At least 1 person is killed and 18 are missing in a landslide in Guatemala

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:02 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Heavy rains set off a landslide in Guatemala’s capital early Monday sweeping several humble homes into a river and leaving a young girl dead and at least 18 people missing, including 10 minors.The 5-year-old girl was recovered by firefighters partially buried in debris and mud some 3 miles (5 kilometers) down the Naranjo river.The landslide swept away six homes and the families who lived in them around 2 a.m. Around 5 a.m. the firefighters announced they would start a search.Landslides are a constant threat during Guatemala’s rainy season, which extends to November. There are few controls on where people build their homes, especially in poor settlements, putting them at greater risk.Images provided by rescuers showed a long path of the landslide and evidence of domestic life strewn along the river bank. The military set up a command center to oversee the rescue effort.The Associated Press

UK police open sexual offenses investigation after Russell Brand allegations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:02 GMT

British police have opened a sex crimes investigation triggered by news reports about comedian Russell Brand.London’s Metropolitan Police Force said Monday that it had “received a number of allegations of sexual offences” after a television documentary and newspaper investigations. It said there have been no arrests.Brand, 48, denies allegations of sexual assault made by four women in a Channel 4 television documentary and The Times and Sunday Times newspapers.The accusers, who have not been named, include one who said she was sexually assaulted during a relationship with him when she was 16. Another woman says Brand raped her in Los Angeles in 2012.The police force did not name Brand in its statement but referred to the recent articles and documentary. It said detectives were investigating allegations of “non-recent” sexual offences, both in London and elsewhere.“We continue to encourage anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a sexual...

2 charged with murder after suburban man allegedly hires hit on ex-girlfriend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:02 GMT

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill. — Two men have been charged with murder following a plot to kill an ex-girlfriend in the northern suburbs, authorities allege.On Friday morning at around 6:05 a.m., North Chicago police responded to a report of shots fired in the 1000 block of Victoria Avenue. Officers at the scene located a woman shot to death inside of a vehicle in a driveway.Police initially told the public it appeared to be a targeted shooting and no one was in custody.Investigators allege Seferino Calihua-Rodriguez, 35, of Waukegan, had a previous relationship with the woman and became upset when it ended.Authorities allege Calihua-Rodriguez hired Misael Chavarin-Plazola, 26, also of Waukegan, to kill the woman.Chavarin-Plazola allegedly followed through and also attempted to kill a second person who was entering the vehicle with the woman, police said. Shots missed the other person.Calihua-Rodriguez was arrested on Friday and Chavarin-Plazola was arrested on Saturday.Calihua-Rodriguez has b...

Around Town visits Robin's Alma Mater, St. Albert The Great School

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:02 GMT

St. Albert The Great School5535 State Rr.Burbank, IL 60569satgschool.com

Democratic Sen. Menendez rejects calls to resign, says cash found in home was not bribe proceeds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:02 GMT

UNION CITY, N.J. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey defiantly pushed back against federal corruption charges on Monday, saying nearly half a million dollars in cash authorities found in his home was from his personal savings, not from bribes, and was on hand for emergencies.Rejecting rising calls for him to resign, he said he believed that he'd be cleared.“I recognize this will be the biggest fight yet, but as I have stated throughout this whole process, I firmly believe that when all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, but I still will be the New Jersey’s senior senator," Menendez said at Hudson County Community College's campus in Union City, where he grew up.He did not respond to questions and did not address whether he will seek reelection next year. Addressing allegations in the indictment unsealed Friday that authorities found cash stuffed in envelopes and clothing at his home, Menendez said that stemmed his parents fear of confiscation ...

Another doubleheader for Monday Night Football? Here's why

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:02 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - For a second week in a row, NFL fans will have twice as many games to watch during Monday Night Football. While it isn't exactly a new norm, it isn't the last time it'll happen this season. Last week was the first doubleheader of the season, featuring a 20-17 win by the New Orleans Saints over the Carolina Panthers and a 26-22 Pittsburgh Steelers win over the Cleveland Browns.This week, the Philadelphia Eagles will travel to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before the Cincinnati Bengals host the Los Angeles Rams. While it may be fun for football fans, the explanation isn't very enthralling. What are NFL players wearing on their necks? It’s part of new broadcasting agreements the NFL reached with ESPN. The deal, completed in 2021, gave ESPN and fellow Disney-owned network ABC more games, The Athletic explains.The Eagles and Buccaneers will play first, with kickoff set for 7:15 p.m. ET on ABC. Then at 8:15 p.m. ET, the Rams and Bengals will kickoff on ESPN.We'll see anothe...