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Trudeau in Iceland to meet Nordic leaders ahead of NATO, amid Arctic uncertainty

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:17:55 GMT

KEFLAVIK, ICELAND — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau landed in Iceland Sunday where he will be a guest at the annual meeting of Nordic leaders as uncertainty looms over the future of the Arctic and there are heightened concerns about global security following internal strife in Russia.The Nordic summit will include leaders from the host country as well as Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway, and the autonomous areas of Greenland, the Faroe Islands and the Åland Islands.Trudeau’s office said it is a chance to advance common interests with the Nordic nations, which range from protecting the environment and developing clean energy to tackling security challenges.The security discussions took on even more importance this weekend, after mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin led troops from his private Wagner Group in an armed rebellion in Russia as he called for the ouster of the country’s defence minister. The move seemed poised to threaten President Vladimir Putin’s decades-...

Exit polls in Greek election project landslide win for conservative New Democracy party

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:17:55 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — An exit poll from Greece’s second election in five weeks indicates the conservative New Democracy party has won by a landslide, gaining enough parliamentary seats to form a government for a second four-year term.The poll projects Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ party gaining 40-44% of the vote, with his main rival, the left-wing Syriza party suffering a crushing defeat with just 16-19% projected support, even worse than his 20% in the last elections in May.Sunday’s vote came just over a week after a migrant ship capsized and sank off the western coast of Greece, leaving hundreds of people dead and missing and calling into question the actions of Greek authorities and the country’s strict migration policy. But the disaster, one of the worst in the Mediterranean in recent years, did not affect the election, with domestic economic issues at the forefront of voters’ minds.The exit poll projects Mitsotakis’ party will a comfortable majority of Par...

Egypt’s president gives highest honor to visiting Indian prime minister as ties improve

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:17:55 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on Sunday bestowed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Egypt’s highest honor as the two countries tightened their partnership.El-Sissi welcomed Modi at the presidential palace in Cairo with the Order of the Nile, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement. The leaders signed a declaration elevating Egyptian-Indo ties to a “strategic partnership,” which means the two nations agreed to intensify their cooperation and hold periodic talks, the statement said.Egypt and India share deep ties that date back to the 1950s, when they played key roles in founding the Non-Aligned Movement, which sought an alternative path at the height of the Cold War.Modi, who arrived in Cairo on Saturday, is the first Indian prime minister to pay a state visit to Egypt in more than two decades. His two-day stop came six months after el-Sissi was in New Delhi as an official guest at India’s Independence Day.Modi also invited the Egyptian leader to att...

Florida man and stepson die after hiking in extreme heat in Big Bend park in Texas

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:17:55 GMT

BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, Texas (AP) — A Florida man and his 14-year-old stepson died after hiking in extreme heat at Big Bend National Park in West Texas, according to officials. The 31-year-old man had been hiking the Marufo Vega Trail on Friday with his two stepsons, ages 14 and 21.Temperatures at the time were 119 degrees Fahrenheit (48 degrees Celsius), according to the National Park Service. The park, like other parts of Texas, are experiencing extreme heat with daily high temperatures ranging from 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius) to 119 degrees Fahrenheit.The 14-year-old became sick during the hike and lost consciousness.His stepfather hiked back to his vehicle while the boy’s older brother tried to carry him back to the trailhead, according to the park service.Authorities were first alerted about the emergency at 6 p.m. CDT on Friday. A team of park rangers and U.S. Border Patrol agents reached the scene at 7:30 p.m. and found the 14-year-old had died.Authorities be...

Furbies returning to store shelves next month

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:17:55 GMT

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — Furbies are making a comeback.Hasbro announced Thursday that the fluffy and chatty animatronic children's toy will return to store shelves next month.The toymaker described the new Furbies as being "...the next era of cool, cute and weird.""Following its craze-inducing launch in 1998, Furby has taken the world by storm, impacting every corner of the cultural zeitgeist, from music to television and film," Hasbro's Kristin McKay said. "For the brand’s 25th anniversary, we wanted to ignite the same excitement for this new generation by harnessing Furby's power of nostalgia while giving Gen Alpha everything they crave."The interactive toy features five voice-activated modes and more than 600 responses, including lights, sounds and 10 unique songs.Furby responds to hugs, pats, belly tickles, shaking, and feeding of its pretend "Pizza Charm." It also babbles nonsensically in "Furbish," which is the toy's made up language. Why are restaurants sneaking in service ...

The top-rated steakhouse in every state, according to Yelp

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:17:55 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – The average steakhouse usually specializes in all the foods your cardiologist warns you about: large portions of red meat, gooey mac and cheese, towers of fried onion rings, and various vegetables that have been generously creamed (corn or spinach, mostly) before reaching your table.For the sake of your next angiogram, you probably shouldn’t eat these foods on a regular basis. But if you’re dead-set on disregarding your doctor’s advice, you should at least break your diet at a steakhouse that gets rave reviews. 6 Chicago area spots rank among 100 best doughnut shops in the country, according to Yelp To help you find the best of the best, Nexstar has asked the analysts at Yelp to determine the top-ranked restaurants within the site’s “steakhouse” category. Using their extensive database of user-generated restaurant ratings, Yelp’s team ultimately identified the best-reviewed chophouses in each state based on the collective tastes of the Yelp community.Ready to dig in? T...

No pressure, but Twins’ Joey Gallo glad to finally put another one out

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:17:55 GMT

DETROIT — Joey Gallo has twice been a Gold Glove defender, but power has always been his calling card. From 2017-2021, the big left-handed bat averaged 35.1 homers with an .830 OPS and made two All-Star Game appearances.But the Twins outfielder / first baseman said before Sunday’s afternoon game against the Tigers at Comerica Park that he doesn’t feel pressure to hit home runs.“It’s always nice to hit them and stuff, but I don’t ever feel pressured to do it,” he said. “For me, I feel pressure that I want to put the ball in play and have success that way, and do damage in terms of slugging and hitting doubles and getting on base and having good at-bats.”Still, it was with some relief that Gallo slugged a home run to straight away center field in Saturday night’s 3-2 loss to the Tigers. It was his first home run since May 20, covering 19 games.“The last few games hadn’t gone the way I would have liked them to,” he said. “Just trying to get back on track and hel...

Albany residents hope a community center can help deter gun violence

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:17:55 GMT

Albany Police are still investigating the two homicides early Sunday morning. Now, community members are calling for action. “To any young person willing to listen, gun violence is not the answer,” Derek Johnson, Albany Common Council Ward 2, said.Johnson said this after Albany residents woke up to news about two homicides. According to police, the first incident happened around 12:45 am on Myrtle Avenue and Philip Street, where they responded to reports of a shooting, with the second incident just a couple of hours later. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox!  Owusu Anane, Albany Common Council Ward 10, said the situation shocked and disheartened community members. And he offered his condolences to the victim’s family.“We’ve had close to four homicides in 7 days. Four homicides…close to four homicides. In 7 days… It’s unacceptable,” Anane said. “And I think that we all have a role to play to make sure that our neighborhoods are ...

Starbucks workers in Cypress Park join nationwide strike over contract negotiations, pride decorations 

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:17:55 GMT

A group of unionized Starbucks workers in Cypress Park are keeping the store locked and beginning to strike amid a stall in contract talks and issues with alleged removal of pride month decoration in stores nationwide. Strikes are taking place at more than 150 Starbucks locations across the country, with over 3,500 unionized employees expected to participate. One of the major reasons for the protest is contract negotiations – or a lack thereof. “We’ve been unionized for a year at our store and we’ve yet to have a contract negotiated,” said one protester. “The company refuses to sit and bargain in good faith over our contract.”  Hundreds march in L.A. as writers’ strike reaches 50-day mark Other employees are joining the nationwide protest over the alleged removal of pride flags from Starbucks stores. “As a member of the LGBTQ community, I feel a bit lied to,” said another protester. “It just shows that Starbucks doesn’t really have my back, or my community’s back.” Starb...

Hayward: Man killed in ATV rollover crash

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:17:55 GMT

HAYWARD — A man died Saturday afternoon after his all-terrain vehicle rolled over while he tried to make a turn in a residential neighborhood, according to Hayward police.The crash was reported around 3:10 p.m. on Peterman Avenue near Linfield Lane, police said. According to an initial investigation, a 37-year-old Hayward resident was “traveling at a high rate of speed” when he lost control while trying to turn from Peterman onto Linfield.That caused his ATV to roll, causing him to suffer serious injuries. Police said the man, whose name has not been publicly released, died at the scene.Police added that it was unclear if the driver was impaired by drugs or alcohol when the crash happened. Additional details were not released Sunday morning; the rollover marked the city’s sixth fatal traffic crash of the year.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | One killed, one arrested in Oakland traffic collision Crashes and Disasters | Two bro...