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China fetes American veterans of World War II known as ‘Flying Tigers’ in a bid to improve ties

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:08 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China on Monday feted two American veterans of World War II as Washington and Beijing look to past collaboration for inspiration on improving today’s strained ties.Mel McMullen, who is in his late 90s, and Harry Moyer, who turned 103 on Monday, are among the few surviving members of a U.S. Army Air Force command that helped China battle Japan and became popularly known as the Flying Tigers.Their visit is the latest in a small but expanding series of exchanges ahead of a possible meeting between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping next month, as the United States and China try to repair a relationship that has deteriorated sharply over differences on trade, technology, security and human rights.McMullen recounted how Chinese farmers saved the lives of downed American pilots, hiding them by day and moving them from village to village by night, despite the risk of severe punishment by the Japanese.“I think that’s something we should all understand,” he said at a ce...

St. Lawrence Seaway traffic to start moving again after tentative deal ends strike

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:08 GMT

TORONTO — The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. says ships are expected to start moving this morning after it reached a tentative deal with Unifor to end a strike by workers that brought the system to a halt.The company says workers will be back on the job as of 7 a.m. The tentative agreement, which must still be ratified, ends a strike that began on Oct. 22. The job action by 360 workers represented by Unifor brought a stop to ships though the key trade corridor.Details of the settlement were not immediately available, but the union had been fighting for higher wages to keep up with the rising cost of living. The premiers of Ontario and Quebec had called on Ottawa to intervene if federally mediated talks failed to bring about a quick end to the walkout.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2023.The Canadian Press

Bangladesh top court commutes death sentences of 7 militants to life in prison for 2016 cafe attack

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:08 GMT

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh’s High Court on Monday commuted the death sentences of seven Islamic militants to life in prison for their role in a 2016 attack on a cafe in the capital, Dhaka, that killed 20 people, mostly foreigners.A special anti-terrorism tribunal in 2019 sentenced the seven members of a banned militant group to death in the attack that triggered a major crackdown on extremists. The group behind the attack on the Holey Artisan Cafe, the Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh, wants to establish Sharia law in the secular Muslim-majority nation of more than 160 million. A two-member panel of High Court judges on Monday commuted the death sentences of the seven men after rejecting their appeals challenging the verdict, said defense lawyer Aminul Ehsan Zubayer.He said that the High Court found that the men were guilty of hatching conspiracy, provoking and abetting the militants who directly took part in the attack. The attack on the cafe began after the militants took ho...

US consumers keep spending despite high prices and their own gloomy outlook. Can it last?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:08 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A flow of recent data from the U.S. government has made one thing strikingly clear: A surge in consumer spending is fueling strong growth, demonstrating a resilience that has confounded economists, Federal Reserve officials and even the sour sentiments that Americans themselves have expressed in opinion polls.Spending by consumers rose by a brisk 0.4% in September the government said Friday — even after adjusting for inflation and even as Americans face ever-higher borrowing costs.Economists caution that such vigorous spending isn’t likely to continue in the coming months. Many households have been pulling money from a shrinking pool of savings. Others have been turning increasingly to credit cards. And the additional savings that tens of millions of households amassed during the pandemic — from stimulus aid and reduced opportunities to travel, dine out and visit entertainment venues — are nearly depleted, economists say.Still, the truth is no one knows where...

French government says 9 people detained after violent attack on Lyon soccer team buses

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:08 GMT

PARIS (AP) — French police have detained nine people and are searching for other suspects after a violent attack on buses carrying the Lyon soccer team and fans left coach Fabio Grosso with a head injury and forced the postponement of its game at Marseille, the interior minister said Monday.Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on BFM television that five police officers were also injured in the attack Sunday night, which drew nationwide attention amid concerns about soccer violence.“Shame and Disgust,” was the headline on L’Equipe newspaper’s front page, with a picture of Grosso’s bloodied face. However, it’s unlikely the attack will lead to disciplinary sanctions against the nine-time French champions.Since it took place outside the Velodrome stadium, responsibility lies with public authorities and not with the club. The case has been taken over by a French league committee in charge of scheduling competitions, and not by the discipline commission. The team bus ...

5 dead, others missing after scaffolding fell down a shaft at a building site in Germany

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:08 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — At least five construction workers died when scaffolding fell down a shaft at a building site in Hamburg on Monday, German authorities said. Several more people were missing.The fire service in Germany’s second-biggest city said that the building site was evacuated following the accident, German news agency dpa reported. Several hundred workers were gathered outside.The accident happened in the Ueberseequartier, part of the port city’s HafenCity district.HafenCity is a former port area on the Elbe river that is being redeveloped with office and residential buildings, hotels and shops.The Associated Press

Extreme weather may have affected the pumpkins you picked this year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:08 GMT

HUDSON, Colo. (AP) — Alan Mazzotti can see the Rocky Mountains about 30 miles west of his pumpkin patch in northeast Colorado on a clear day. He could tell the snow was abundant last winter, and verified it up close when he floated through fresh powder alongside his wife and three sons at the popular Winter Park Resort.But one season of above-average snowfall wasn't enough to refill the dwindling reservoir he relies on to irrigate his pumpkins. He received news this spring that his water delivery would be about half of what it was from the previous season, so he planted just half of his typical pumpkin crop. Then heavy rains in May and June brought plenty of water and turned fields into a muddy mess, preventing any additional planting many farmers might have wanted to do.Alan Mazzotti walks through one of his pumpkin fields Oct. 26, 2023, in Hudson, Colo. For some pumpkin growers in states like Texas, New Mexico and Colorado, this year's pumpkin crop was a reminder of the water chal...

Hundreds storm Russian airport in antisemitic riot over plane from Israel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:08 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Hundreds of people stormed into the main airport in Russia's Dagestan region and rushed onto the landing field, chanting antisemitic slogans and seeking passengers arriving on a flight from the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, Russian news agencies and social media reported.Russian news reports said the crowd on Sunday surrounded the airliner, which belongs to Russian carrier Red Wings.Authorities closed the airport in Makhachkala, the capital of the predominantly Muslim region, and police converged on the facility. Dagestan’s Ministry of Health said more than 20 people were injured, with two in critical condition. It said the injured included police officers and civilians.People in the crowd walk shouting antisemitic slogans at an airfield of the airport in Makhachkala, Russia, Monday, Oct. 30, 2023. Russian news agencies and social media say hundreds of people have stormed into the main airport in the Dagestan region and onto the landing field to protest the arrival of an a...

Jury selection in Kaitlin Armstrong murder trial begins Monday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Nearly a year and a half after professional Anna Moriah "Mo" Wilson was shot and killed at an Austin home last May, jury selection in the trial of the woman accused of murdering Wilson begins Monday morning. Kaitlin Armstrong was charged in relation to Wilson's death. Armstrong pleaded not guilty in July 2022, with her arrest and plea following a 43-day fugitive hunt tracking her from Austin to Costa Rica, where she was ultimately arrested and detained.Background on Mo Wilson's murderIn the evening on May 11, 2022, the Austin Police Department responded to a 911 call at a residence along Maple Avenue in east Austin. Police discovered an unconscious woman with a gunshot wound, who ultimately died at the scene.That woman was later identified as Wilson, a professional cyclist known for her expertise in gravel and mountain bike racing. She was in Texas and slated to compete in the Gravel Locos race in Hico, approximately 135 miles north of Austin, cycling outlet VeloNews...

Fire burns attic in southeast Austin home; no one hurt

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Austin Fire Department said crews worked an attic fire in a two-story home in southeast Austin Sunday night. The fire department said the fire was on Walnut Grove Drive near the corner of East Stassney Lane and Nuckols Crossing Road.AFD posted at 11:37 p.m. that the fire was knocked down and crews were ventilating the home and salvaging items while seeing if there were any other signs of fire. Fire damages southeast Austin home. (Courtesy: Austin Fire Info) Fire damages southeast Austin home. (Courtesy: Austin Fire Info) AFD said no one was hurt in the fire. KXAN has reached out to AFD for the cause and damage estimate for the fire and will update when we get the information.