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Cuban officials conclude Russia trip with agreements on oil, wheat, and renewed tourism

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:29:25 GMT

HAVANA, Cuba (AP) — Cuba said Tuesday it is reaffirming its alliance with Russia through a series of agreements considered key for the island nation, including on the supply of oil, the sale of wheat and the resumption of flights between both countries that were halted by the war in Ukraine.The agreements between two longtime allies facing economic sanctions from the United States were the result of a recent visit by Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero to Russia and were disclosed Tuesday by Gerardo Peñalver, Cuba’s vice minister of foreign affairs, in an interview with state-run Cubadebate website.“There was progress in the high-level political dialogue, taking into account that both nations are strategic allies and are under the effect of unilateral coercive measures,” said Peñalver, who was in Russia with Marrero and other high-level officials from June 6-17. It was the most recent in a series of meetings between Russian and Cuban officials seeking to reinforce their strate...

What are senior citizens looking for in Toronto’s next mayor?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:29:25 GMT

Senior citizens make up almost 16 per cent of Toronto’s population and as a new mayor is set to be voted in next week, CityNews finds out their perspective on how they need to make Toronto a livable city.Maria Mikelenas-McLoughlin is almost 81 years old. She has been a widow for 12 years now and lives alone in the home she has had for about 40 years in EtobicokeShe also had a bad fall recently. She needs to walk, but uneven sidewalks and potholes are a big concern. Mikelenas-McLoughlin blames failed promises from past politicians.“We were going to have a terrific walkable neighbourhood … well the sidewalks are uneven and if you have mobility issues like I do … it’s pretty easy to trip and fall,”Mikelenas-McLoughlin lost her husband 12 years ago and wishes there was a community hub in her Etobicoke neighbourhood where she might be able to find some companionship.“like ppl, I talk to everybody … but there is no one to share a Saturday ni...

Ex-CNN producer sentenced to more than 19 years for luring 9-year-old into sex acts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:29:25 GMT

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — A former CNN television producer who had pleaded guilty to luring a 9-year-old girl into illegal sexual acts was sentenced Tuesday to more than 19 years in prison and an additional 15 years of supervised release during a U.S. District Court hearing in Vermont.John Griffin of Stamford, Connecticut, pleaded guilty in federal court in December to using interstate commerce to entice and coerce the girl to engage in sexual activity at his Vermont ski house. As part of the 2022 plea deal, the government dropped two remaining counts of enticement of a minor against Griffin, then 45 year old.Griffin had initially pleaded not guilty in 2021. He has been ordered to pay restitution to the victims. According to the plea deal, Griffin met a woman on a website during the summer of 2020 and persuaded the woman to bring her daughter to his Ludlow, Vermont, ski home for sexual activity.Griffin paid the woman and girl to fly from Nevada to Boston, picked them up and drove them ...

Thousands take to the streets in Colombia to protest leftist government’s reforms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:29:25 GMT

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Thousands of people marched in Colombia on Tuesday to voice their frustration with President Gustavo Petro’s government and its attempts to make sweeping changes to the nation’s health and pension systems, and its labor laws.The protests were held as Colombia’s first leftist president struggles to keep his coalition in congress together and sees a slump in his approval ratings as violence between rebel groups grows in some parts of the country. A corruption scandal involving two members of Petro’s inner circle has also put the government on the defensive, with the president now fighting allegations that his campaign was financed with undeclared donations.“This government is going to take us back decades,” said Jimmy Rosero, a retired army officer, who helped carry a 40-foot-long Colombian flag at a march in Bogota. “We don’t want any of its reforms to be approved” by congress. Petro was elected a year ago following massive protests over social and economic in...

Greek court orders 9 smuggling suspects held pending trial over migrant ship disaster

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:29:25 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Nine men suspected of crewing a migrant smuggling ship that sank off Greece leaving more than 500 missing were ordered held in pretrial custody Tuesday, as new accounts emerged on the sinking and the appalling conditions on the trip from Libya towards Italy.The Egyptian suspects face charges that include participation in a criminal organization, manslaughter and causing a shipwreck. A court in Greece’s southern city of Kalamata ordered their detention after questioning them for hours.Only 104 men and youths — Egyptians, Pakistanis, Syrians and Palestinians — survived one of the worst migrant shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea early on June 14; 82 bodies have been recovered, the last late Tuesday as a large search continued for a seventh day.Survivors said women and children were trapped in the hold as the ship capsized and sank within minutes to one of the deepest spots in the Mediterranean.Survivor accounts emerged Tuesday confirming that about 750 peop...

52,000 more Illinois residents died during the pandemic than is typical

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:29:25 GMT

So many more Illinois residents died in the past three years than is typical they could more than fill Wrigley Field. The Illinois Department of Public Health reports there were 52,108 “excess deaths” as they’re known. Epidemiologists track the number because simply put: The ultimate indicator of health is death. The number of people who died in Illinois (from all causes) varied by only 1,000 people in each of the three years before COVID-19 arrived. Then it soared.Illinois’ official COVID-19 death count stood at 36,000 people as of the start of this year, making it the top underlying cause of excess deaths in our state in recent years. “We can see that COVID-19 accounted for approximately 70% of excess deaths in 2020-2021, but nearly all leading causes of death had increases during that time period as well,” IDPH officials said in a statement responding to an inquiry from WGN Investigates. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: WGN Investigates ‘excess death’ in Illinois during coronavirus pand...

New concussion recommendations — and more

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:29:25 GMT

Medical Watch Digest for June 20.New Concussion RecommendationsThere is a new recommendations for concussion treatment. Namely telling kids not to rest after concussion, activity is better.An international expert panel is revising concussion management for optimal care.The Conference on Concussion set the guidelines based on strong evidence for the benefit of light intensity exercise within the first 48 hours following a concussion.   Aerobic exercise, walking or stationary biking aids recovery better than strict rest.Those who treat patients say minimizing collisions is critical and they are calling for more study on the long term impact of concussions. Recent Coverage from Med Watch: Fusing a foot bone: A look at the surgery that sidelined Tiger Woods Insulin & CancerHigh blood sugar levels not only have implications for diabetes, a new study reveals, it could fuel cancer.University of Copenhagen scientists discovered a hidden mechanism connecting cancer and d...

Excessive Heat Warning continues, but storms coming for many Wednesday evening

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:29:25 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Extreme heat and humidity continue in your forecast, but a brief window for rain and storms appears late Wednesday.Camp Mabry started Tuesday morning at 80° -- a new record warm low temperature, breaking the previous record of 79° set in 1998. An Excessive Heat Warning remains in effect through 9 p.m. Wednesday for maximum heat index values between 110° and 120°. More excessive heat today and WednesdayFor two consecutive days, Camp Mabry's heat index has peaked at 116°. This ties the unofficial heat index record set in August, 2016. San Angelo recorded its hottest day on record on Tuesday as air temperatures spiked to 113°.While the forecast remains dry Tuesday night, rain and storms are more likely even in Austin on Wednesday evening.Isolated storms form starting at 5-6 p.m. Wednesday, then become more widespread between 8-11 p.m. Some storms may be severe with large hail and damaging wind gusts possible. Austin FC fans heading to the 8:30 p.m. game Wednesday shoul...

Man dies after two hit-and-runs, San Marcos PD looks for one of the drivers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:29:25 GMT

SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) -- A man was killed after getting hit twice by two separate vehicles in San Marcos, according to police. Now, the San Marcos Police Department said it needs help finding one of the drivers in that fatal hit-and-run.Police said the crash happened last Wednesday before 1:00 a.m. on State Highway 123. SMPD said 69-year-old Lenard Green Coleman, of Nixon, Texas, was pronounced dead on the scene. Double hit-and-runsBased on evidence and witness statements, detectives said a delivery truck first hit Coleman. They said the driver did not stop to help him, however they've been identified but not charged yet. SMPD said after that initial crash, a silver SUV came from Ebony Street, turned left on State Highway 123 and hit Coleman. SMPD said it's looking for the driver of this silver SUV in connection with a fatal hit-and-run. (Photo: San Marcos Police Department)That driver also did not stop to help. SMPD said they believe that person lives in the neighborhood where t...

'You are evil and everyone needs to know it.' Woman accused in 2018 murder-for-hire plot pleads guilty to conspiracy charge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:29:25 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – A woman connected with a 2018 murder-for-hire plot pleaded guilty to conspiracy to attempt to commit capital murder Tuesday and was sentenced to 10 years probation.Jaclyn Edison, who was 19 at the time, was accused of conspiring with her husband, Nicolas Shaughnessy, who hired two men – Arieon Smith and Johnny Leon – to kill Nicolas’ father, Ted Shaughnessy, owner of Gallerie Jewelers in Austin. Smith, Nicolas and Leon all pleaded guilty to the murder as part of a plea agreement in 2021 and were sentenced to 35 years in prison.As part of her plea deal, Edison will serve 10 years of probation and must stay in the Travis County Jail for two days each year on the anniversary of Ted's death. As part of the deal, Edison also had to give up her passport, cannot leave Texas without first informing her probation officers and can never contact the victim's family again. Edison, the former daughter-in-law of Ted, was the final defendant indicted in the case. Steve Brittain – a...