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EU migration chief says deadly shipwreck highlights surge in migrant crossings from eastern Libya

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:25:31 GMT

STOCKHOLM (AP) — The shipwreck last week off Greece that is feared to have killed hundreds of people may be the “worst ever tragedy” of its kind in the Mediterranean Sea, the European Union’s migration chief said Wednesday. The tragedy comes as migrant crossings from eastern Libya to Europe have surged, said Ylva Johansson, the EU’s migration and home affairs commissioner. As many as 750 people may have been on board the migrant ship that sank in the Mediterranean a week ago, and just over 100 people survived the shipwreck. So far, 82 bodies have been recovered and hundreds of people are missing.“We saw this new modus operandi starting in the beginning of this year. We’ve seen an increase with 600% along this route from the eastern part of Libya towards EU or mainly towards Italy,” Johansson told a news conference in Stockholm. She said it appears the vessel was “an empty fishing boat leaving from Egypt, going to the eastern part of Libya, picking up maybe 750 migrants,&...

Coast Guard suspends search for ship’s crew member reported overboard off Southern California

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:25:31 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Searchers were unable to find a crew member who fell off a cargo ship in the ocean off Southern California, the Coast Guard said.The search lasted nearly 15 hours before it was suspended Tuesday evening, the Coast Guard said in a statement.A bulk cargo carrier reported the sailor overboard around 5 a.m. about 14 miles (23 kilometers) southwest of Point Conception as the vessel was transiting the Santa Barbara Channel en route to the Port of Long Beach, the Coast Guard said.The Coast Guard broadcast an alert to vessels in the area and sent a helicopter, a small boat and a cutter to conduct the search. “The decision to suspend an active search is never easy and is only made after exhaustive efforts to find the missing person,” said Chief Warrant Officer John Rose, the search coordinator at Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach. The Associated Press

Modi flexes India’s cultural reach with backbends and cobras in a yoga session on the UN lawn

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:25:31 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Praising yoga as “truly universal,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi practiced it Wednesday with a multinational crowd at the United Nations, performing backbends and corpse poses as he kicked off the public portion of his U.S. visit by calmly flexing India’s cultural reach.With a checkerboard of made-in-India yoga mats covering the U.N. headquarters’ spacious north lawn, Modi stopped and bowed at a statue of the assassinated Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi. Then, in brief remarks, Modi turned to the topic at hand, portraying yoga as an all-ages, portable practice accessible to all faiths and cultures.“When we do yoga, we feel physically fit, mentally calm and emotionally content. But it is not just about doing exercise on a mat,” Modi said. “Yoga is a way of life.” Then the leader of the world’s most populous nation took his spot on a mat amid the throng of hundreds. Over the next 35 minutes, he joined in breathing exercises, meditation, bac...

‘Another planet’: What it’s like to visit the remains of the Titanic

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:25:31 GMT

Five explorers eager to view the underwater wreck of the Titanic remained lost at sea Tuesday as a massive search operation continued in the North Atlantic.OceanGate Expeditions’ underwater submersible, dubbed Titan, was headed more than 700 kilometres off the coast of St. John’s, N.L. when it lost contact with its support ship.The trip was just the latest excursion to a haunted site that has lured adventure-seekers since its discovery in 1985.A look at the expedition.Why visit the Titanic? The deadly sinking of the massive ocean liner in 1912 has captured the fascination of historians, scientists and average observers alike. More than a century later, few don’t know it struck an iceberg on its doomed maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York and pulled more than 1,500 people to a watery grave.Don Lynch, the official historian of the Titanic Historical Society, visited the site twice in 2001 and said from California that the Titanic is “part of our...

‘They’re abandoning people:’ Dad and son bumped from Air Canada flight to UK, no explanation provided

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:25:31 GMT

An Air Canada passenger who says he had the trip of a lifetime ruined by the airline is waiting for an explanation — something he says could take another month-and-a-half to happen.Author Dan Gardner and his son were headed from Ottawa to London last Friday on what he says was supposed to be a very special trip, including shooting a show with legendary comedian John Cleese.“We were checked in, long in advance, we made our connecting flight to Toronto, long in advance, we had our boarding pass and the flight was boarding,” Gardner told CityNews.Home news: I just had the trip of a lifetime ruined by Air Canada. I was to do a TV show with the legendary John Cleese. Scrubbed. I was to see London with my son. Scrubbed. Why? Air Canada bumped up us as we were boarding. No explanation. No help. Unreachable reservations line.— Dan Gardner (@dgardner) June 18, 2023“When we got to the front to have our boarding passes scanned, they said you have to go speak with that p...

See the interior of Wrigley Field's new sportsbook - and when it will open

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:25:31 GMT

CHICAGO — One of the newest additions to the Friendly Confines has set its opening date while also giving fans a glimpse of what to expect when it does. This week, DraftKings announced that their new sportsbook that's located on the corner of Addison Street and Sheffield Avenue outside of Wrigley Field will open on Tuesday, June 27.At first, this will be done for food and beverage services only at the facility, with gambling on the premises still pending approval from the Illinois Gaming Board. Courtesy: DraftKingsCourtesy: DraftKingsCourtesy: DraftKingsCourtesy: DraftKingsCourtesy: DraftKingsCourtesy: DraftKingsAt 17,000 square feet, the facility took 14 months to build, with the construction continuing through the entire 2022 Cubs' season and the opening months of their 2023 campaign. The two-story sportsbook also includes a 2,000-square-foot video screen, touted as one of the largest in the Midwest, and can show up to 25 sporting events at a time. DraftKings describes the menu at...

An 'average' American income may no longer cut it

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:25:31 GMT

(The Hill) - An average American income isn’t enough for a comfortable living in 2023, according to two recent reports. The typical U.S. family earns about $71,000 per year, according to the Census. Yet, the average American believes a family needs at least $85,000 in annual household income to get by, according to a recent Gallup poll.  That finding tracks with a recent study from SmartAsset, a financial technology company, which found the average American worker needs $68,499 in after-tax income to live comfortably. (That works out to around $85,000 in total income, assuming a 20-percent tax hit.)    The two releases point to the same conclusion: Many Americans earn too little in 2023 to attain a decent standard of living in their communities.  American households are feeling the pinch after three years of relentless economic headwinds.  Inflation, a negligible factor in recent years, surged to 5 percent in 2021 and 8 percent in 2022. I...

Dean cooks strawberry-rhubarb cobbler on the grill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:25:31 GMT

WGN Entertainment Reporter Dean Richards shares his recipe for strawberry-rhubarb cobbler on the grill.Ingredients for the filling:4 cups strawberries, hulled and halved2 cups rhubarb, medium dice1/4 cup flour or cornstarch1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated or light brown sugarJuice of half a lemonPinch saltFor the biscuit topping:2 cups all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon salt1 tablespoon baking powder 2 tablespoons granulated sugar1 1/4 cups heavy cream2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing the tops of the biscuitsVanilla ice cream, as needed Dean cooks pizzas on the grill Directions:1. Preheat the oven (or grill, indirect cooking method) at 350°. 2. For the filling, gently mix together the strawberries, rhubarb, flour or cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice and salt. Place in a generously buttered 10-inch cast iron pan. 3. For the biscuit topping, combine the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a medium-size bowl. Stir in t...

84-year-old man missing from Mount Prospect found safe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:25:31 GMT

MOUNT PROSPECT, Ill. — A missing 84-year-old man from Mount Prospect has been safely located, according to the village's police department. The man was last seen driving to an auto repair shop on Arthur Avenue in Arlington Heights around 9 a.m. on Tuesday.The department announced in a post on Facebook that the man has been safely located and reunited with his family. No further details have been released.

City of Austin, Travis County leaders discuss heat preparedness, safety

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:25:31 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — City of Austin and Travis County leaders on Wednesday morning will discuss heat preparedness and safety tips as temperatures are forecasted to continue climbing above 100° for the next seven days. City and county leaders will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. on heat preparedness and safety due to the extreme heat conditions Central Texas is under. The conference will be livestreamed in the video player at the top of this page and on the KXAN Facebook page. Today's Forecast An Excessive Heat Warning remains in effect through 9 p.m. Wednesday for heat index values up to 118°. For two consecutive days, Camp Mabry’s heat index peaked at 116°. This ties the unofficial heat index record set in August 2016, according to the First Warning Weather team, and we’re on track to do it again Wednesday.On Tuesday, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, asked customers to voluntarily conserve energy from 4 to 8 p.m. due to extreme heat and forecasted rec...