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India’s Modi meets the press at the White House – and takes rare questions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:06 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Narendra Modi did something very unusual on Thursday at the White House — he took questions from journalists.It’s a rare occurrence for the Indian prime minister who avoids unscripted moments and has presided over a steady decline in press freedom in his country. The news conference was more limited than the kind that U.S. presidents usually hold with foreign leaders, but even that wasn’t easy to arrange with Modi. Indian officials agreed to the event only the day before, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations. Administration officials told Modi’s advisers that taking questions from the media was a standard part of how White House state visits are conducted, the person said.An Indian reporter asked about addressing climate change, and an American reporter pressed Modi on human rights concerns— a particularly delicate topic as the United States seeks closer ties with India as a b...

RCMP release names of those killed in Carberry crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:06 GMT

RCMP in Dauphin Manitoba have released the names of the individuals who were killed in a fatal bus crash along the Trans-Canada Highway near Carberry on June 15.“The word tragedy has been used a lot over the last week. But never has that word had as much meaning as it does when we look at these photographs,” said Supt. Jeff Asmundson, West District Commander, Manitoba RCMP.“There has been a cloud over this community since the collision occurred. We lost 16 people who were mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandparents, whose decades of contributions helped make this community what it is. They were gone in an instant. And nine more remain in hospital with serious injuries being tended to by dedicated health care professionals,” he added.Along with the names, the RCMP released provided a note from the families. Names are as follows:Louis Bretecher, 81, Proud and beloved Husband, Father, and Pepere. He will forever be missed and always remembered by all who k...

In the effort to reopen I-95 in Philadelphia, crews get some help from a NASCAR fan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:06 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The race to reopen a stretch of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia is getting a boost from a truck-mounted jet dryer that’s normally used to keep moisture off the track at the Pocono Raceway.A vehicle-mounted, kerosene-fueled turbine arrived Thursday at the scene of the June 11 fire at an underpass. Both directions of the heavily traveled interstate have been closed, pinching off traffic on the East Coast’s main north-south highway.Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said this week he expects a temporary fix to be in place so traffic can resume in the coming days, but with rain in the forecast the NASCAR track’s fan is expected to help by getting the asphalt dry enough for lines to be painted.A PennDOT spokeswoman said the idea came from Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll, a former state lawmaker who represented a district near the racetrack in Long Pond, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) north of Philadelphia. Carroll got in touch with a contact at the...

Winter cold snap in B.C. cut 2023 grape crop by up to 56 per cent: growers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:06 GMT

KELOWNA, B.C. — Wine growers in British Columbia are calculating their losses from a bitter cold snap in the province last winter that has devastated vineyards. Industry representatives are at a Kelowna winery today outlining the affect on vineyards, harvests, revenues and jobs after December’s freeze that saw temperatures in the Okanagan dip to minus 30 C.Wine Growers B.C. president Miles Prodan says in a statement that the “climate-change related” cold snap had the potential to cut this year’s grape and wine production by between 39 and 56 per cent, with direct revenue losses of up to $145 million.He cites a grower’s survey that says the impact of the freeze could result in the loss of 381 jobs, representing a 20 per cent reduction in the industry’s workforce. Prodan says the survey found that 45 per cent of the Okanagan region’s planted grape crop suffered long-term damage, and 22 per cent of vines needed to be replaced.He says the grape ...

Biden promotes human rights as Modi says ‘absolutely no space for discrimination’ during state visit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:06 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden emphasized the power of democracies on Thursday as he hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House, boasting of the collaborations between the two nations on “nearly every human endeavor” while stressing that universal human rights remain vital to the success of both the U.S. and India. In a news conference Thursday, Biden called the relationship between the U.S. and India “among the most consequential in the world, that is stronger, closer and more dynamic than at any time in history.” He underscored how two of the world’s most powerful democracies were cooperating on issues such as the climate, health care and space, saying that the U.S-India economic relationship was “booming.” “On the issues that matter most that will define the future, our nations look to one another including on critical regional and global issues,” Biden said in his opening remarks. But standing alongside Modi, who has come under criticism from huma...

Manitoba RCMP release names of 16 seniors killed in bus crash with transport truck

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:06 GMT

DAUPHIN, Man. — Manitoba RCMP have released the names of 16 seniors who died after their minibus was struck by a semi-truck west of Winnipeg.One by one, officers and family members placed giant photos of the victims, who ranged in age from 68 to 88, at the front of a news conference.The bus had been taking the group from Dauphin and the surrounding area on a trip to a casino on June 15, when it crashed with the truck near the town of Carberry.Police have said dashcam footage shows the bus was crossing the Trans-Canada Highway when it went into the path of the truck.Fifteen people on the bus died that day and a woman who was injured died in hospital Tuesday.Health officials have said nine others are in hospital, with four still in critical condition.Community members in Dauphin are to hold a vigil to mourn the victims.This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2022.The Canadian Press

Microsoft, regulators tangle in court over fate of $69 billion deal that could reshape video gaming

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:06 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Federal regulators on Thursday launched a legal attack on Microsoft’s proposed $69 billion takeover of video game maker Activision Blizzard by depicting it as an anticompetitive weapon while Microsoft hailed the deal as a way to make popular games such as Call of Duty more widely available at cheaper prices.Those were the dramatically contrasting pictures drawn by lawyers arguing before U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley on the first of five days of scheduled hearings in San Francisco that are likely to make or break what would be the most expensive acquisition in technology history. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is trying to persuade Corley to issue an order that would prevent the takeover from being consummated before a more extensive administrative trial begins August 2 in Washington. Meanwhile Microsoft is fighting to close the deal ahead of a July 18 deadline that would require paying a $3 billion breakup fee to Activision.Microsoft struc...

May home sales rise with near record-few on the market and biggest annual price drop since 2011

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:06 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes edged higher in May and the national median sale price posted its biggest annual drop in more than a decade, as a near all-time low supply of available properties constrained the housing market.Existing home sales rose 0.2% last month from April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.3 million, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. That’s slightly above what economists were expecting, according to FactSet.Sales sank 20.4% compared with May last year. That marks 10 consecutive months of annual sales declines of 20% or more. The annual drop was steepest in markets across the West and Northeast, where sales slumped more than 25%. The national median home price fell 3.1% from May last year to $396,100, the NAR said. The year-over-year decline is the biggest since December 2011, when the housing market was still on the mend following the mid-2000s housing bust.The latest housing market figures are more evidence t...

WATCH LIVE | U.S. Coast Guard update on mission sub — they say debris field has been found near the Titanic during search for submersible

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:06 GMT

The search for a missing submersible with five people aboard took a bleak turn Thursday when the U.S. Coast Guard said a debris field was found at the bottom of the ocean near the Titanic, and the critical 96-hour mark passed when breathable air could have run out.The Coast Guard’s post on Twitter gave no details, such as whether officials believe the debris is connected to the Titan, which was on an expedition to view the wreckage of the Titanic. It said the debris was discovered within the search area by a remotely operated underwater robot, and was being evaluated. The Titan was estimated to have about a four-day supply of breathable air when it launched Sunday morning in the North Atlantic — but experts have emphasized that was an imprecise approximation to begin with and could be extended if passengers have taken measures to conserve breathable air. And it’s not known if they survived since the sub’s disappearance.Rescuers have...

Mother instructed 14-year-old son to shoot, kill man at hot dog stand, court docs allege

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:06 GMT

CHICAGO — A woman and her 14-year-old son have been charged following a fatal shooting at a hot dog stand Sunday where she allegedly instructed her son to shoot and kill a man.Carlisha Hood, who is a valid FOID and CCL holder, is facing a felony count of murder and another count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Her 14-year-old son is facing a felony count of murder. 2 charged after Northwest Indiana man found beaten to death near fishing area According to police, the pair were arrested Wednesday in the 700 block of West 111th Street after being identified as the individuals who were involved in the fatal shooting of a 32-year-old man at Maxwell Street Express, located in the 11600 block of South Halsted Street, just after 11 p.m. Sunday.According to court documents, Hood entered Maxwell Street Express to get food while her son waited in the car outside. Shortly after, the 32-year-old man entered the restaurant and argument ensued between Hood him, court documents st...