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Shippers warned to stay away from Iranian waters over seizure threat as US-Iran tensions high

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:54 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Western-backed maritime forces in the Middle East on Saturday warned shippers traveling through the strategic Strait of Hormuz to stay as far away from Iranian territorial waters as possible to avoid being seized, a stark advisory amid heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S. A similar warning went out to shippers earlier this year ahead of Iran seizing two tankers traveling near the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of the world’s oil passes. While Iran and the U.S. now near an apparent deal that would see billions of Iranian assets held in South Korea unfrozen in exchange for the release of five Iranian-Americans detained in Tehran, the warning shows that the tensions remain high at sea. Already, the U.S. is exploring plans to put armed troops on commercial ships in the strait to deter Iran amid a buildup of troops, ships and aircraft in the region.U.S. Navy Cmdr. Timothy Hawkins, a spokesman for the Mideas...

Italy’s justice minister visits prison where 2 inmates died as advocates warn of summertime suicides

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:54 GMT

ROME (AP) — Italy’s justice minister visited a Turin prison on Saturday where two women died within hours of each other, as prisoner advocates warned of a spate of summertime suicides in Italy’s overcrowded detention facilities.Justice Minister Carlo Nordio told reporters his visit wasn’t an inspection or investigation into the Lorusso and Cutugno prison, but rather a demonstration of solidarity with the facility following the deaths Friday. He called for alternative forms of detention and the conversion of military barracks for prison use to help relieve overcrowding.According to news reports and the Antigone Association, which advocates for better prison conditions, an Italian woman killed herself in her cell at the prison, while a Nigerian woman died within hours in the facility’s mental health ward after having refused food and drink since she arrived July 22. Even before their deaths, Antigone had counted 42 prison suicides so far this year, following the 85 in 2022...

2 dead and several missing after Tunisian migrant boat sinks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:54 GMT

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — An infant and a 20-year-old man were found dead Saturday morning after a migrant boat sank off the coast of Tunisia, near the southeastern port of Gabès, the country’s coast guards reported.According to a statement from the National Guard, the boat, which was carrying 20 Tunisian migrants, sank just 120 meters (390 feet) from the beaches of Gabès. Thirteen individuals were rescued, and search efforts are ongoing to locate the five who are still missing.The prosecutor’s office has initiated an investigation into the causes and circumstances of the incident, the statement further detailed.Gabès port is located approximately 140 kilometers from Sfax, a point of departure for many of the Mediterranean crossing operations toward Europe.This recent incident adds to the increasing number of casualties in the Mediterranean’s perilous waters. Just a few days ago, 41 migrants were believed to have drowned after setting off from Sfax, the Italian Red Cross and rescu...

Polish minister says reinforcement at the border with Belarus is due to hostile rhetoric and actions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:54 GMT

JARYLOWKA, Poland (AP) — Poland’s defense minister said Saturday that the country has increased the number of troops protecting its border with Belarus as a deterrent amid “destabilizing” actions by its pro-Russian neighbor. Mariusz Blaszczak met in Jarylowka, in eastern Poland, with some of the troops recently deployed close to the Belarus border.He insisted that the increased military presence is purely a deterrent move, not a hostile act, as Minsk and Moscow are claiming. “There is no doubt that the Belarus regime is cooperating with the Kremlin and that the attacks on the Polish border are intended to destabilize our country,” Blaszczak said.Two Belarus military helicopters briefly entered Poland’s airspace last week, a move considered by Warsaw to be a deliberate provocation. Also a pro-government group in Belarus recently alleged that Poland’s politicians, who support Ukraine in its war against Russia’s aggression, were “igniting the fire of war with their actions and rhetoric...

Pakistan investigates claims that porter was left to die during Norwegian climber’s K2 record quest

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:54 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — An investigation has been launched into the death of a Pakistani porter near the peak of the world’s most treacherous mountain, a Pakistani mountaineer said Saturday, following allegations that dozens of climbers eager to reach the summit had walked past the man after he was gravely injured in a fall.The accusations surrounding events on July 27 on K2, the world’s second-highest peak, overshadowed a record established by Norwegian climber Kristin Harila and her Sherpa guide Tenjin. By climbing K2 that day, they became the world’s fastest climbers, scaling the world’s 14 highest mountains in 92 days.Harila rejected any responsibility for the death of the porter, Mohammed Hassan, a 27-year-old father of three who slipped and fell off a narrow trail in a particularly dangerous area of K2 known as the bottleneck. In an Instagram post Friday, she wrote that she felt “angry at how many people have been blaming others for this tragic death” and that...

Missing brothers, 8 and 11, reported high-risk: CPD

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:54 GMT

CHICAGO -- Two brothers have been reported missing from the city's North Side since Thursday. Police said 11-year-old Ricky Burrage and his eight-year-old brother Rashad Burrage were last seen in the 100 block of North Hudson Avenue. Video shows postal carrier robbed at gunpoint on West Side Police reported the incident as high risk. If any information is recovered on the boys, contact area 3 detectives at 312-744-8266.

Saturday Forecast: Decreasing clouds, high 80s

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:54 GMT

Saturday: Decreasing clouds. SW/NW 5-10 mph. Air quality is in the Good category. High 87, near 80 lakesideSaturday Night: Mostly clear skies. NNE 5-10 mph. Low mid 60sChicago Area Radar | WGN TVSunday: Partly cloudy AM, increasing PM clouds. NW 5-10 mphHigh 83, upper 70s lakeside. Extended outlook has a chance of showers back in the forecast by Sunday night and continuing with on/off showers/t'storms into Monday. Highs cooler on Monday near 80. Trending back to dry for Tue/Wed and hotter with temps close to 90. Some storms roll through on Thursday with highs in the 80s. 

The building of the 2023 Bears takes another step Saturday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:54 GMT

CHICAGO - It's the first of 20 times that the Bears are guaranteed to take the field as a team during the 2023 season.It won't count in the standings, but it will help the coaching staff answer a few questions about the team they'll put on the field when the games do start to count on September 10.The first preseason game against the Titans Saturday will be the chance for Matt Eberflus and his staff to get a glimpse of the starters with a deeper look at others on the roster that could help to fill out the depth chart. Evaluating the roster continues with the Noon kickoff and will continue through two more exhibition contests before the game against the Packers in about a month. Yet Eberflus and his staff have already had a few weeks to get to know some of these players through training camp workouts at Halas Hall. He along with other assistants have been familiarizing themselves with a number of new players while also getting them accustomed to the way the Bears do things on the fie...

Memphis teens watch good deed go viral after giving haircuts to the homeless: 'I hope it inspires somebody'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:54 GMT

(WREG) – Darnell Wells is a 19-year-old barber in Memphis, Tennessee. He usually works at The Shop, in the Frayser neighborhood, giving out haircuts at his corner chair.But this summer, he decided to do something special for the folks who couldn't come to his chair. He brought his skills to them."We were just trying to help as many people as we can," said Wells, who recently gave free haircuts to homeless people in his community. "We didn't know we were going to help that many people." 16-year-old Chick-Fil-A worker sent home over ‘unnatural’ hair color Behind a red lawn chair, in the Memphis summer heat, Wells went to work. He brought his clippers, his friend Zac Sherrod, and a huge heart.Darnell Wells told Nexstar's WREG that nine people showed up for haircuts after he announced he was providing them free for the homeless. (WREG)"There was only two people when we got there," Wells said. "I ended up cutting nine heads and had five more waiting. We ended up giving out at least 30 ...

Coaster at Carowinds theme park reopens to eager guests following shutdown over alarming video: 'We ran there'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:54 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WJZY) – A popular roller coaster at the Carowinds amusement park in North Carolina has officially reopened to the public after an alarming break on one of the coaster's pillars caused a weeks-long shutdown.On Thursday, Aug. 10, Carowinds reopened the Fury 325 coaster following repairs, testing, and a final inspection by the NC Department of Labor's Elevator and Amusement Device Bureau. "The return to operation marks the end of a comprehensive plan dedicated to ensuring the safety and operational readiness of the coaster," Carowinds said on Thursday. Why do people pass out on roller coasters? Recent concerns over the coaster's safety were prompted by a video recorded by a parkgoer in late June, which appeared to show a significant break in one of the ride's support beams — while the ride was in operation.“I’m like, I can see light through that,” parkgoer Jeremy Wagner, who filmed the break, told NewsNation in early July. “To be sure, I checked the other support be...