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Turkey’s Erdogan declares victory in presidential runoff, extends rule into 3rd decade

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:58:19 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won reelection Sunday, according to unofficial results, in a victory that extends his increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade as the country reels from high inflation and the aftermath of an earthquake that leveled entire cities.A third term gives Erdogan an even stronger hand domestically and internationally, and the election results will have implications far beyond Ankara. Turkey stands at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, and it plays a key role in NATO.With nearly 99% of ballot boxes opened, results from competing news agencies showed Erdogan with 52% of the vote, compared with 48% for his challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.In his first comments since the polls closed, Erdogan thanked the nation for entrusting him with the presidency for five more years.“We hope to be worthy of your trust, as we have been for 21 years,” he told supporters on a campaign bus outside his home in Istanbul. He ridiculed his challen...

Debt ceiling agreement gets thumbs up from biz groups, jeers from some on political right

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:58:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The reviews are starting to come in as details emerge about the debt ceiling agreement reached by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.Already, some lawmakers are criticizing the deal as not doing enough to tackle the nation’s debt, while others worry it’s too austere and will harm many low-income Americans.The legislation will likely need support from a significant number of lawmakers from both parties to clear the closely divided House and gain the 60 votes necessary to advance in the Senate. Final text of the agreement is expected Sunday. Many lawmakers say they are withholding judgment until they see the final details.A look at how the agreement is going over so far:EARLY CONCERNSSome of the earliest objections are coming from the most conservative members of Congress, particularly members of the hardline House Freedom Caucus that often clashes with GOP leadership.“I think it’s a disaster!” tweeted Matt Rosendale, R-Mont.“Fake ...

Motorcyclist killed after collision in city’s east end

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:58:19 GMT

A motorcyclist is dead following a crash in the city’s east end on Sunday afternoon.Police say they were called to the area of Markham Road and Lawrence Avenue East around 1:30 p.m. for reports of a crash involving a motorcycle and another vehicle. Paramedics transported the motorcyclist to a trauma centre where he was later pronounced dead. It’s unknown at this time if the driver of the of the vehicle remained at the scene. Paramedics tell CityNews they only treated one person at the scene of the crash.

‘Precious’ musical instruments removed from Monastère du Bon-Pasteur after fire

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:58:19 GMT

A pair of valuable musical instruments have been removed from a Montreal heritage building that caught fire last week, raising hopes that they can be saved to play again.Simon Blanchet, program director at the Chapelle du Bon-Pasteur, says a Fazioli concert grand piano and a 1772 Kirckman harpsichord were both removed on Saturday from the concert venue inside the chapel of the 19th century former monastery.He said both instruments sustained some moisture damage and will have to dry out before they can be fully assessed.RELATED: Firefighters put out Monastère du Bon-Pasteur fire more than 24 hours after it ignitedBut he said both were protected by covers and he’s hopeful technicians will be able to restore them.Blanchet said the instruments’ survival is a small bright light in a devastating week that has seen Montreal musicians lose one of their most important concert venues.The blaze broke out Thursday at the 19th century building, which also includes a residence for sen...

Search for American teen missing in the Bahamas called off

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:58:19 GMT

BATON ROUGE, La. (WVLA) — The U.S. Coast Guard has called off the search for an American teenager who went missing during a boat trip in the Bahamas last week.Cameron Robbins, 18, a recent high school graduate from Louisiana, went missing Wednesday evening, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Royal Bahamas Defence Force reported that around 11:30 p.m. that night, Robbins fell overboard off the Blackbeard's Revenge sunset cruise ship near Nassau, according to the Coast Guard news release.Robbins had been on a trip to Atlantis with graduates from several other schools. It was not a school-organized trip. No graduation: 8th graders turned away from ceremony; parents furious Aircrews from the U.S. and the Bahamas searched more than 325 square miles near where the teen went missing.After multiple days of search, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force called off the search for Robbins "pending further developments," Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Spado, the Coast Guard liaison officer to the B...

List: What's open on Memorial Day?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:58:19 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - While banks, post offices, and most offices will be closed for Memorial Day, many restaurants and stores will still be open on Monday, May 29. There are, of course, some exceptions. Despite its Memorial Day sales, Costco, for example, will be closed.Some other stores may have limited hours. That includes ALDI, which will close its stores at 6 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. Sam's Club will close at 6 p.m. for both Plus and Club members. These businesses will be open for normal hours on Memorial Day:Big LotsBJ's WholesaleDollar GeneralHome DepotIKEAKrogerLowe'sSproutsTargetTrader Joe'sWalgreensWalmartWhole FoodsWhile CVS and Wegmans stores will be open, pharmacy hours may vary by location. It's best to call ahead to confirm whether your location is open on Monday. Walgreens lists that its stores will be open for the holiday, but its pharmacies will be closed Monday. Hobby Lobby doesn’t use barcodes: Here’s their explanation Looking for a quick bite? Most fast-food res...

Counties with the warmest summers in Illinois

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:58:19 GMT

(Stacker) -- It's almost summer, and the weather is starting to heat up.With this in mind, Stacker compiled a list of the counties with the warmest summers in Illinois using data from the National Centers for Environmental Information. Data represents the average temperatures from June to August 2022; the historic average is the average for these months from 1901 to 2000.Canva#25. Williamson County- Summer 2022 average temperature: 77 degrees- Historic average summer temperature: 76 degrees-- 2022 difference from historic average: 1.1 degreesCanva#24. Edwards County- Summer 2022 average temperature: 77 degrees- Historic average summer temperature: 76 degrees-- 2022 difference from historic average: 1.1 degreesMichael Rolands // Shutterstock#23. Calhoun County- Summer 2022 average temperature: 77 degrees- Historic average summer temperature: 75 degrees-- 2022 difference from historic average: 1.3 degreesJason Patrick Ross // Shutterstock#22. Clinton County- Summer 2022 average temper...

KC family struggling to pay for 7-year-old son's funeral after several health issues

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:58:19 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A big smile is one of the few ways 7-year-old Damario Smith could communicate. "He had the biggest smile ever," said his mother, Irene Roades, who dedicated her life to taking care of him.Roades told FOX4 that weeks after she gave birth to her twin boys, Damario and Damariae, in 2016, she woke up to the latter's cries. When she went into their room, she said Damariae was fine, but that's when she noticed Damario was not. She described him as "seizing" with "blood coming out of his nose" and that he "couldn't breathe." Missouri town prepares for thousands coming to see exhumed nun’s body She rushed him to a hospital where doctors resuscitated him, Roades saying it was due to RSV and pneumonia. "Ever since then he lost a lot of oxygen to his brain, so he couldn't do a lot of things that normal kids could do like walking and talking," she said. Damario, she said, eventually required a feeding tube and help from different nursing assistants."He was happy no matter w...

Illinois towns among US cities with fewest homes for sale

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:58:19 GMT

April is typically the beginning of the spring homebuying season, but this year, fewer sellers than usual are putting their homes on the market. Homeowners who were able to lock in record-low mortgage rates in 2020 and 2021 aren't inclined to shop for a new house if that means getting a new mortgage. Institutional investors also snapped up huge numbers of single-family homes to turn into rental properties in recent years, while simultaneously, many older Americans are choosing to age in place.The end result? About 20% fewer homes are being listed compared to the same time last year, according to Realtor.com data.Of course, some cities and towns have lower inventory than others. To find out which metropolitan areas had the fewest homes for sale in April, Stacker consulted data from Realtor.com. Rankings were determined by the number of homes for sale per 10,000 residents. In the event of a tie, the total number of homes for sale was used. To be included, each metro had to have at lea...

Keanu Reeves’ excellent adventure with Dogstar at BottleRock Napa 2023

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:58:19 GMT

Keanu Reeves had a big day at BottleRock Napa Valley on Saturday.First off, the A-list celebrity’s band Dogstar — which also features former Los Gatos resident Bret Domrose on vocals and guitar as well as Robert Mailhouse on drums — performed its first show in over 20 years for a huge crowd of curious festival-goers at the big Verizon Stage.Then Reeves, who plays bass in the alt-rock act, and fellow bandmates took to the Williams Sonoma Culinary Stage for a cooking demonstration with famed chef Roy Choi and host Liam “Foodie Chap” Mayclem that ended up turning into a burrito tossing party that featured San Francisco 49er George Kittle.Yeah, more on that later.Of course, many of the attendees might not have even released that the “John Wick” star was part of a band, given that Dogstar’s heyday came back in the mid-’90s with the release of the EP “Quattro Formaggi” and opening act stints for both David Bowie and Bon Jov...