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Ukraine’s Zelenskyy visits Athens to attend meeting of Balkan leaders with top EU officials

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:19:59 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy flew to Greece on Monday for talks with the country’s leadership and to attend an informal meeting of Balkan leaders with top European Union officials.Zelenskyy met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and also was scheduled to meet the country’s figurehead president, Katerina Sakellaropoulou.In the evening, Mitsotakis’ office said, Zelenskyy was to join in an informal dinner organized by Mitsotakis for top officials from nine Balkan nations as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council head Charles Michel. The dinner was scheduled to discuss the Western Balkans region’s future in the EU, which many countries have already joined and the rest are jockeying to enter.Greece has joined its NATO and EU partners in strongly backing Ukraine against the Russian invasion, and has provided material military assistance in the form of armored personnel carriers and ammu...

S&P/TSX composite down in late-morning trading, U.S. stocks mixed

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:19:59 GMT

TORONTO — Losses in the utility, financial and telecommunications sectors weighed on the Toronto Stock Exchange in late morning trading as Canada’s main stock index moved lower, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.The S&P/TSX composite index was down 67.76 points at 19,750.63.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 192.28 points at 34,308.38. The S&P 500 index was down 1.74 points at 4,367.97, while the Nasdaq composite was up 51.85 points at 13,342.63.The Canadian dollar traded for 73.78 cents US compared with 73.79 cents US on Friday.The October crude contract was up seven cents at US$80.73 per barrel and the September natural gas contract was up six cents at US$2.61 per mmBTU.The December gold contract was up 20 cents at US$1,916.70 an ounce and the September copper contract was up a penny at US$3.71 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X)The Canadian Press

Group calls for Facebook, Instagram boycott on Aug. 23 and 24

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:19:59 GMT

TORONTO — An advocacy group is calling on Canadians to boycott Facebook and Instagram later this week.The Friends of Canadian Broadcasting group is asking people to stop posting content on Meta’s platforms on Aug. 23 and 24.The group says the move is meant to show that Canadians won’t be pushed around by Meta, which decided to pull news from Canadian publishers from its platforms in response to legislation that recently passed.The Online News Act requires tech giants Meta and Google to make deals with news publishers whose work they link to or repurpose on their platforms.So far, Meta has shown an unwillingness to cooperate on a potential deal.The group’s executive director Marla Boltman says the boycott will show Meta that if news leaves the platform, so will users.“Eyeballs on their platforms are the most valuable commodity Meta has,” she added in a statement. “Losing many Canadian users, even for a short period of time, will get their attention. But ...

TVO workers walk off job in station’s first-ever strike

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:19:59 GMT

Unionized workers at TVO walked off the job on Monday morning, marking the first strike in the publicly-funded television network’s long history.The Canadian Media Guild (CMG), which represents the workers, announced the strike effective as of 10:30 a.m.Workers are currently picketing outside of the station at 2180 Yonge St. in Toronto.“We are deeply saddened to have not been able to reach a fair and reasonable agreement with our employer,” the union said in a brief statement.Last February, unionized employees voted unanimously in favour of strike action if negotiations failed to address job security and pay wage issues.Their collective agreement expired in October 2022.TVO employees and supporters rallied on Friday ahead of the work stoppage.Interim Liberal leader, John Fraser, was among those on hand supporting the workers. He called TVO “a public good.”“It’s about education, it’s about making sure political news in this province can be disseminated. What they si...

36-year-old motorcyclist killed in front of Midway

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:19:59 GMT

CHICAGO — A motorcyclist was killed Sunday night in a crash in front of Midway Airport.Just before 10 p.m., authorities responded to the 5300 block of West 55th Street on the report of a crash involving a motorcycle.CPD said a 36-year-old motorcyclist collided with a black SUV in the intersection of 55th and Lockwood.The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at Christ Hospital.The 39-year-old driver of the SUV was not injured.

19-year-old man shot, killed in Aurora

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:19:59 GMT

AURORA, Ill. — A 19-year-old man was shot and killed Sunday night in Aurora.Just before 7:25 p.m., officers responded to the 1300 block of North Glen Circle on the report of a person shot.Officers at the scene located a the 19-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds inside of a vehicle that crashed.He was pronounced dead at a local hospital a short time later.Anyone with information is asked to call 630-256-5500. 87-year-old woman dies after striking 2 trees in suburbs No other information was provided.

First locally acquired malaria case reported in Maryland in decades

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:19:59 GMT

(The Hill) -- The Maryland Department of Health has reported its first locally acquired malaria case in more than four decades. State officials said late last week that a Maryland resident tested positive for malaria despite not having traveled outside of the United States or to another U.S. state with recent malaria cases. “Malaria was once common in the United States, including in Maryland, but we have not seen a case in Maryland that was not related to travel in over 40 years,” Department of Health Secretary Laura Herrera Scott said in a statement. “We are taking this very seriously and will work with local and federal health officials to investigate this case.” The Maryland resident was hospitalized and is now recovering, the health department said. David Blythe, director of the department’s Infectious Disease and Epidemiology and Outbreak Response Bureau, said the patient went to a hospital due to a fever and sweating, NBC Washington reported. Blythe reportedly said t...

Tropical storm likely to make landfall in Texas tomorrow

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:19:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Tropical Storm Warnings have been issued for coastal Texas between Corpus Christi and Brownsville.Potential Tropical Cyclone 9Potential Tropical Cyclone 9 formed in the Central Gulf Monday morning, expected to strengthen into a tropical storm within the next 24 hours & make landfall in South Texas early Tuesday.Tropical storm likely to make landfall in Texas tomorrowTropical Storm Warnings issued for South TexasBig PictureWe have an increasingly strong area of high pressure setting up in the Midwest, influencing the weather across most of the country.Heat DomeThe strong high pressure will steer the tropical low around it in a clockwise motion. That will help to pull the low nearly due west into South Texas. The strength of the high will serve to prevent the low from moving farther north, keeping the low on the periphery of the sinking air caused by the high.The rainfallThe strength of the high will serve to keep most of the rain away from Central Texas, unfortun...

NEW: Austin's I-35 expansion receives federal approval

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:19:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Texas Department of Transportation is poised to begin construction on its Interstate 35 Capital Expression Central project near downtown Austin, following federal approval of the project announced Monday.TxDOT received a final environmental impact statement and record of decision, marking completion of environmental clearance as part of the National Environmental Policy Act. With that decision delivered, TxDOT's I-35 Central project is slated to move into its final design and review phase before construction is anticipated to begin in mid-2024.The I-35 Central project is an eight-mile project track running from U.S. Hwy. 290 East to SH 71 and Ben White Boulevard. Project components include the addition of two non-tolled high-occupancy vehicle managed lanes in each direction along I-35, the removal of the upper decks and lowering of the I-35 main lanes between Airport Boulevard and Lady Bird Lake, as well as between Riverside Drive and Oltorf Street.Project desig...

Austin leaders react to APD chief's retirement

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:19:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon announced Monday he would be stepping down from leadership after 25 years with the Austin Police Department and nearly two years serving as its chief.In his statement, Chacon said the decision came after several months of serious considerations and conversations with his family. "Working at APD with you, the sworn and civilian men and women of this amazing department, has been the privilege of my life," Chacon said in part. "Being the Chief of Police is something that I never thought would have been possible, and it has been the pinnacle of my career and an absolute honor to serve you. I know that all of you will continue on this journey, and will make the city proud in your service. Please hold your heads up, keep fighting the good fight, and honor the profession by keeping the citizens of this city safe. Thank you for making this department look so good through [your] tireless and selfless service, and for making this one of the s...