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Russia detains a hard-line nationalist who accused Putin of weakness in Ukraine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:44:39 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — A prominent Russian hard-line nationalist who accused President Vladimir Putin of weakness and indecision in Ukraine was detained Friday on charges of extremism, a signal the Kremlin has toughened its approach with hawkish critics after last month’s abortive rebellion by the Wagner mercenary company.Igor Strelkov, a retired security officer who led Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and also was implicated by the Netherlands in the downing of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet that year, has argued that a total mobilization is needed for Russia to achieve victory. He recently criticized Putin as a “nonentity” and a “cowardly mediocrity.”The detention of the 52-year-old Strelkov, whose real name is Igor Girkin, was reported by his wife, who posted the news on his messaging app channel. She said he apparently faces charges of extremism. Strelkov’s lawyer Alexander Molokhov confirmed his detention to the official Tass and RIA Novosti news agen...

Stock market today: Wall Street heads for another winning week as stocks drift

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:44:39 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is drifting through mixed trading Friday, keeping it on track for another winning week.The S&P 500 was 0.1% higher in morning trading and on pace for its eighth winning week in the last 10. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 44 points, or 0.1%, at 35,269, as of 10:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was virtually unchanged a day after tumbling to its worst loss in more than four months.Roper Technologies rallied 3% for one of the larger gains in the S&P 500 after it reported better profit and revenue for the spring than analysts expected. The company, which looks to dominate niche tech markets, also raised its financial forecasts for the full year.On the losing side of Wall Street was American Express, which fell 4.2%. It reported stronger profit for the spring than expected, but its revenue fell short of forecasts.Comerica swung from an early gain to a loss of 2.6% after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the spring than an...

A movie theater chain’s plan to charge more for good seats, less for the front row, falls flat

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:44:39 GMT

Movie theater operator AMC has ditched plans to charge more seats with better sightlines after competitors did not follow along. AMC began the pilot program five months ago in three U.S. markets where it said it charged slightly more for better seats, and less for those in the front of the theater and others with inferior views. AMC said its competitors didn’t raise or cut prices on any of their seats based on location. The company said because it wants its pricing to remain competitive, it’s ending the pilot program in the coming weeks and there will be no attempt to roll out those changes nationwide. AMC also found that more than three out of every four guests who previously sat in the preferred sightline section continued to choose seats in that section, even with a slight up-charge. But it saw little to no increase in people buying front row seats that were cheaper.AMC first announced the pilot program in February. AMC, based in Leawood, Kansas, said it’s now going to focu...

Liberal government looking for input on new law to improve safety in long-term care

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:44:39 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal government is looking for public input on a new legislation to improve safety in long-term care, in the aftermath of the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Liberals promised during their 2021 election campaign to table a Safe Long-Term Care Act, after widespread COVID-19 outbreaks drew attention to the struggle many homes faced to provide basic care to residents.The new legislation is also a condition of the Liberals’ supply-and-confidence deal with the NDP, in which New Democrats agreed to support the Liberals on key House of Commons votes until 2025 in exchange for movement on shared priorities. Earlier this year, two panels of experts in the field of long-term care released new standards for improving health, safety and infection prevention in long-term care homes.It’s not yet clear to what extent those standards will form the basis of the new legislation, or whether they will be enforced across the country.The federal government sa...

5th person charged in Toronto kidnapping of ‘Crypto King’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:44:39 GMT

Toronto police have charged a fifth person allegedly involved in the violent December 2022 kidnapping of Aiden Pleterski, the self-proclaimed Crypto King.Last week, police said officers were notified of a missing person in the city’s downtown core on Dec. 5, 2022.It’s alleged that the victim was lured into a vehicle by the suspects, and once inside the vehicle, two suspects pointed firearms at them. Local authorities did not provide a precise location of where the kidnapping occurred.Toronto police have not released the victim’s name, but court documents obtained by the New York Times show that Pleterski, 24, was kidnapped on Dec. 5.Police said the victim was held captive for three days and taken to various locations where they were repeatedly assaulted.The suspects later released the victim in downtown Toronto and demanded a large amount of Canadian currency. Police said the victim’s life and family were threatened.Investigators arrested four people in July ...

‘Help me’ sign leads to rescue of kidnapped Texas girl in Southern California

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:44:39 GMT

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — A 13-year-old girl kidnapped in Texas was rescued in Southern California when passersby saw her hold up a “help me” sign in a parked car, police said.The rescue occurred July 9 in Long Beach, south of Los Angeles, when officers responded to a trouble call and found the “visibly emotional and distressed girl,” police said in a press release Thursday.“Through their investigation, officers learned the Good Samaritans were in a parking lot when they saw the victim in a parked vehicle holding up a piece of paper with “help me” written on it. They acknowledged the note and immediately called 9-1-1,” police said.Steven Robert Sabalan, 61, of Cleburne, Texas, was located and detained.Police said the victim had been near a bus stop in San Antonio, Texas, on July 6 when the suspect approached in a vehicle, pointed a gun at her and demanded that she get in.Detectives determined that the girl was sexually assaulted while being brought to California, and they found a re...

Friends and admirers of Tony Bennett react to the news of his death

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:44:39 GMT

Reaction to the death of Tony Bennett at age 96:“RIP Tony Bennett. The best of the best. The last of the legends. A man whose heart was as big as his voice. The world’s foremost practitioner of the ‘Art of Excellence.’ Deepest love and condolences to my friend Danny and the family.” — Stevie Van Zandt, via Twitter.“Sending my prayers for and condolences to the family of #TonyBennett whose legendary career spanned seven decades. He marched with us in 1964. He was dedicated to civil and human rights and to the arts. He will lives as long as we remember him. #IleftmyheartinSanFrancisco.” — Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., via Twitter.“This one shouldn’t sting so much because any of us would take 96 years, but man is it hard to imagine a world without the great Tony Bennett.” — Josh Gad, via Twitter.“The world was a better place with Tony Bennett at the microphone in a tuxedo, singing. To one of the kindest, most loving people I’ve ever known… Rest in peace, dear Tony.” —...

Parents to be notified if student identifies as transgender in California school district

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:44:39 GMT

(KTLA) - Hundreds attended a heated California school board meeting as a controversial policy requiring parental notification of transgender children passed with a 4-1 vote.The policy requires staff to notify parents in writing within three days after a student requests to identify with a gender different than what is on their birth certificate, according to Chino Valley Unified School District.The notification also applies to students who request a pronoun change or to be called a different name that is not listed on official school records. The request to use a different bathroom will also activate the notification policy.The board voted on the policy Thursday night in an hours-long meeting filled with tension. State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond, was in attendance and spoke against passing the policy during the public comment period.During his speech, he was cut off and a shouting match erupted from the audience as he was escorted out of the building."I was ...

How Jimmy Carter has changed the conversation around hospice

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:44:39 GMT

(The Hill) -- Former President Jimmy Carter’s public disclosure in February that he was entering hospice care — where he remains nearly six months later — is shifting the perception of end-of-life care for patients and their families.Many assumed the 98-year-old former president was on his deathbed, but his family says he has continued to enjoy ice cream and stay up to date on the work of the Carter Center.Ben Marcantonio, interim CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, told The Hill this week that the belief that hospice care is a short-term situation “can be a very common understanding.”“The main marker identified in the benefit [of hospice care] is six months or less,” said Marcantonio. “Yet it also says that’s if the course of the illness or illnesses run their normal course. And so, it's not like a definitive marker.”The average length of hospice care is roughly 90 days, which Marcantonio notes includes situations where it only lasts a few days o...

Dean's Weekender: Tacos Y Tamales Festival, Southside Summer Fest and more

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:44:39 GMT

Check out Dean's Weekender for the latest events coming to the Chicagoland area this weekend from the 'Tacos Y Tamales' festival in Pilsen to the Southside Summer Fest and more.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!