Home

Meloni to visit Paris this week to push Rome’s World Expo candidacy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:52 GMT

PARIS — Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will be in Paris on Tuesday to support Rome’s candidacy to host the 2030 World Expo.The Italian leader will participate to the General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) — the Paris-based institution that oversees World Expos, an official with direct knowledge of the visit told POLITICO. Officials from both countries are currently working to organize a meeting between Meloni and French President Emmanuel Macron while the Italian prime minister is in the French capital, according to the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly.Rome is competing with Riyadh (Saudi Arabia,) Busan (South Korea) and Odessa (Ukraine) to host the 2030 event, but the Ukrainian candidacy has been put on hold given the ongoing war.Two officials with direct knowledge of the file stressed that Meloni’s goal is not to earn Paris’ support as France already repeatedly declared it would support Riyadh, raising cr...

US, China remain at odds on numerous issues as Blinken finishes first day of meetings in Beijing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:52 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — The United States and China have failed to overcome their most serious disagreements but were able to discuss them in a potentially constructive way and have agreed to continue talks, U.S. officials said Sunday.The officials said Secretary of State Antony Blinken was able during a nearly 6-hour meeting to secure a visit to Washington by Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang. But, they said progress on other issues remains a work in progress.Blinken, the highest-level American official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office, will have more senior level contacts with the Chinese on Monday, including potentially with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Despite Blinken’s presence in the Chinese capital and the relatively upbeat assessment of Sunday’s meeting, the prospects for any significant breakthrough on the most vexing issues facing the planet’s two largest economies remain slim. Blinken’s trip follows his postponement of plans to visit China in February after...

Dauphin mourns elderly community ‘who made us where we are today’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:52 GMT

The elderly community in Dauphin is among the hardest hit by last week’s fatal highway crash, with many knowing friends who were on the bus.Residents of Dauphin are searching for answers and anxiously waiting for updates about the identities of the victims and the status of those who remain in hospital.“We just can’t imagine the devastation that families are having to cope with right now, and so our hearts go out to them,” said 90-year-old Florence Marchak.Fifteen people were killed and 10 were injured in Thursday’s fiery crash between a transport truck and a minibus that was carrying seniors from the Dauphin area to a casino near Carberry, Man., some 190 kilometres away.Six of the hospitalized patients remain in critical condition, Shared Health said in an update Sunday morning.Some of those on the bus involved in the crash are believed to be from St. George’s Place, a retirement home in Dauphin – the small community of 8,600 people northwest of Winnipeg.LATEST ON MANIT...

20 wounded including 1 fatal in shooting in Willowbrook Township

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:52 GMT

DUPAGE COUNTY, Ill. -- At least 20 people were shot, one fatally, early Sunday morning during a gathering in unincorporated Willowbrook Township.A DuPage County Sheriff’s Office official said around 12:30 a.m., deputies were near Route 83 and Honeysuckle Rose Lane when they heard gunshots and responded to the area.According to Battalion Chief Joe Ostrander with the Tri-State Fire Protection District, 12 ambulances were brought to the scene. In total, 10 people were transported from the scene to area hospitals, with injuries ranging from graze wounds to more serious gunshot wounds.Investigators look over the scene of an overnight mass shooting at a strip mall in Willowbrook, Ill., Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)Investigators look over the scene of an overnight mass shooting at a strip mall in Willowbrook, Ill., Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)Investigators look over the scene of an overnight mass shooting at a strip mall in Willowbrook, Ill., Sunday, June 1...

What Father's Day means to a Chicago sports executive

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:52 GMT

CHICAGO - On this Father's Day in 2023, some will celebrate the day by enjoying attending or watching a sporting event. But there are a number of fathers who will be taking part or playing a part in one of these athletic competitions over the weekend. It once again calls to mind the balancing act that those people have in either amateur or professional sports when it comes to their home life and their passion.Dave Baldwin has certainly faced that as he moved to Chicago to become the President of Business Operations for Chicago Fire FC. The executive, who was previously the chief ticketing officer of the National Football League's Washington Commanders, moved from Northern Virginia to Chicago with wife, Mary, and two children, Hudson and Blake, with another on the way. As he started work with the Fire in the new year, the family was living in separate places, with his wife and two children living with her parents in Grand Rapids, where they originally met.Dave would travel home on we...

The mystery of missing persons in America's National Parks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:52 GMT

(NewsNation) — As millions of people head to the U.S. national parks this summer, many may be unaware of the mysterious cases of people who've vanished within the parks.The National Parks Service has faithfully kept records of visitors who disappear, often without a trace. NewsNation looked into the mysterious disappearances of those who simply set out to bask in the beauty of our nation.Whether it's the waterfalls of Yosemite, the meteor showers over Bryce Canyon, or the slot canyons of Zion, more than 400 million Americans and foreign tourists enjoy the beauty of the national parks each year. It was the most visited national park in 2022, but it isn’t exactly a park Unfortunately, some never make it home."NPS investigators are continually working to find people who, who do get lost or have gone missing national parks," said Cynthia Hernandez, with the National Park Service.The National Parks Service keeps a list of the missing. Many people are eventually found or, sadly, turn o...

Michigan woman convicted in father's death caused by chemical burns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:52 GMT

PONTIAC, Mich. (WLNS) - A Michigan woman has been convicted of killing her father with lye, a chemical drain cleaner.On June 15, a jury found Megan Imirowicz guilty of killing her 64-year-old father, Konrad Imirowicz.According to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office, on Oct. 1, 2021, Imirowicz threw lye on her sleeping father, causing chemical burns across his body.Her father survived for five months in the hospital. He passed away three days after being taken off life support. Memphis mom says missing girl was dead for weeks, body stored in bags: police Imirowicz was 18 when she killed her father.“This is a tragic case. The defendant lashed out in anger and wound up killing her father,”said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald in a statement. “I commend the prosecution team for the tremendous work that went into the prosecution and securing justice for the victimin this case.”Imirowicz was found guilty on charges of unlawful possession or use of harmful devices or irritants...

When will El Niño peak?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:52 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – National forecasters made it official this month: El Niño is here. But we might not feel the effects of it just yet. “Historically El Niño events during the summer tend to have very weak impacts over the United States,” explained National Weather Service meteorologist Michelle L’Heureux. “Another way of phrasing that is that El Niño’s impacts can often be unreliable in the summer, and not repeat from one El Niño event to the next El Niño event.” But as the year goes on, El Niño is expected to build strength until it peaks in winter, between December and February. That's when we're most likely to feel "typical" El Niño effects. El Niño officially arrives early: What it means for 2023 weather In the U.S., that means the entire southern third to half of the United States, including California, is likely to be wetter in El Niño. (Exactly where that dividing line falls varies from year to year.) Meanwhile, th...

Woman who knocked on inside of coffin during her wake dies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:52 GMT

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — A 76-year-old woman who had been declared dead and surprised her relatives by knocking on her coffin during her wake earlier this month has died after seven days in intensive care, her family said Saturday.Gilberto Barbera Montoya, the woman's son, told The Associated Press that doctors at the state hospital where she was rushed after the incident said that she died on Friday evening.Ecuador's health ministry confirmed in a statement that Bella Montoya died from an ischemic stroke after spending a week in intensive care. It added that Montoya had remained under “permanent surveillance,” but didn't provide further information on the medical investigation surrounding the case. Your gun or your ganja: It’s illegal for marijuana users to own a gun Barbera Montoya said that he hadn't yet received any report from the authorities on the medical explanation of what happened and warned that things “are not going to stay like this.” He added that a sister of the deceas...

New Austin bar filled with local nostalgia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new bar in east Austin honors the city's history with dozens of signs from bars and restaurants of Austin's past and present. Sign Bar is decorated with more than 75 signs from new and old Austin establishments like Nutty Brown Cafe, Dart Bowl, Catfish Parlor, I Luv Video and other Austin spots. The bar was built in an east Austin closed automobile service station and has indoor, outdoor and patio spaces for guests. Founder Matt Luckie said the bar started 10 years ago as a passion project of collecting bar and restaurant signs from forgotten city bars and restaurants. Sign Bar in east Austin will honor legendary Austin businesses with more than 75 signs. (Courtesy Chad Wadsworth)Sign Bar in east Austin will honor legendary Austin businesses with more than 75 signs. (Courtesy Chad Wadsworth)Sign Bar in east Austin will honor legendary Austin businesses with more than 75 signs. (Courtesy Chad Wadsworth)Sign Bar in east Austin will honor legendary Austin businesses w...