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Fire at French vacation home for adults with disabilities leaves 11 dead

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:21:26 GMT

PARIS (AP) — A devastating fire that raged through a vacation home for adults with disabilities in eastern France Wednesday left 11 people dead, the local deputy prosecutor said.Nathalie Kielwasser, deputy prosecutor for Colmar, said 11 people who were sleeping on the upper floor and in a mezzanine area of the private accommodation in the town of Wintzenheim were trapped by the fire, while five managed to escape. Some 12 people who were staying on the ground floor were able to evacuate, she said. The adults, who had “slight intellectual disabilities,” were on a vacation sponsored by two specialized associations, she added.Investigations are ongoing to determine the circumstances of the fire and whether the building met all the required security standards, she added. Authorities said one of the survivors was sent to a hospital with serious injuries. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne arrived at the scene on Wednesday afternoon. She said she wanted to show the government’s su...

Restrictions at Broadview and Danforth begin Aug. 14 to replace streetcar tracks

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:21:26 GMT

The City of Toronto has announced further restrictions as they will replace TTC streetcar tracks, with the next phase requiring closures at the intersection of Broadview and Danforth avenues.Beginning Aug. 14, crews will replace tracks on the north side of the intersection, which is expected to be completed by late August.During construction, only one shared eastbound lane will be available and there will be no westbound traffic on Danforth Avenue through the intersection and no southbound traffic on Broadview Avenue.One northbound lane will be open on Broadview Avenue from Gerrard Street East to Danforth Avenue and there will be a detour route for cyclists travelling westbound.After the north side of the intersection is finished work will then begin on the south side from late August through the Labour Day weekend.During this work there will be one shared eastbound and one westbound lane for motorists and cyclists on Danforth Avenue through the intersection. No left or right turns ...

Niger’s ousted president is said to be running low on food under house arrest, 2 weeks after coup

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:21:26 GMT

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Niger’s deposed president is running out of food and experiencing other increasingly dire conditions two weeks after he was ousted in a military coup and put under house arrest, an advisor told The Associated Press on Wednesday.President Mohamed Bazoum, the West African nation’s democratically elected leader, has been held at the presidential palace in Niamey with his wife and son since mutinous soldiers moved against him on July 26. The family is living without electricity and only has rice and canned goods left to eat, the advisor said. Bazoum remains in good health for now and will never resign, according to the advisor, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive situation with the media. Bazoum’s political party issued a statement confirming the president’s living conditions and said the family also was without running water.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Bazoum on ...

CAE tops earnings predictions in first quarter amid renewed demand in civil aviation

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:21:26 GMT

MONTREAL — CAE Inc. is reporting a 13 per cent spike in revenues as commercial aviation bounces back following a prolonged pandemic downturn.The builder of flight and health simulators says net income attributable to equity holders in the three months ended June 30 rose to $65.3 million from $1.7 million in the same period a year earlier.That quarter in 2022 saw its income statement marred by supply chain problems and writedowns on a pair of pricey defence projects.On an adjusted basis, CAE says earnings in its first quarter hit 24 cents per share compared with six cents per share a year prior, beating analyst expectations of 21 cents per share, according to financial markets data firm Refinitiv.The Montreal-based company says first-quarter revenue rose to $1.05 billion from $933 million the previous year.Chief executive Mark Parent says double-digit growth in its civil aviation segment bolstered earnings and boosted CAE’s adjusted backlog by 12 per cent to a record $11.18 bil...

Singer and songwriter Sixto Rodriguez, subject of ‘Searching for Sugarman’ documentary, dies at 81

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:21:26 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Singer and songwriter Sixto Rodriguez, who became the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary “Searching for Sugarman,” has died. He was 81.Rodriguez’ death Tuesday in Detroit was announced on the Sugarman.org website and confirmed Wednesday by his granddaughter, Amanda Kennedy.A 2013 Associated Press story referred to Rodriguez as “the greatest protest singer and songwriter that most people never heard of.”His albums flopped in the United States in the 1970s, but — unknown to him — he later became a star in South Africa where his songs protesting the Vietnam War, racial inequality, abuse of women and social mores inspired white liberals horrified by the country’s brutal racial segregation system of apartheid.Swedish filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul’s documentary “Searching for Sugar Man” presented Rodriguez to a much larger audience. The film tells of two South Africans’ mission to seek out the fate of their musical hero. It won the Academy Award ...

Canadians less anxious about interest rates despite hikes: Maru

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:21:26 GMT

A new Maru Public Opinion survey has found that despite interest rate hikes by the Bank of Canada, part of the goal to lower inflation, less Canadians are feeling anxious and worried about the five per cent it sits at today than they were last October when rates were 3.25 per cent.Fifty-two per cent of Canadians, down from 57 per cent, say the rise in interest rates over the past year, with 39 per cent (down from 36 per cent) is causing some anxiety because of money pressures. Sixteen per cent (down from 18 per cent) say the rise makes them worried about where it may lead to financially for themselves or their family.The remaining 48 per cent (up from 43 per cent) say the higher interest rates are not a problem for themselves or their family.The 16 per cent who are the most worried about the rates impacting themselves or their families are middle-aged and younger (aged 54 or less), those with the lowest income (18 per cent make less than $50K), and those residing in British Columbia...

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith says he’ll retire in July 2024

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:21:26 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said Wednesday he’ll retire next summer.The 67-year-old Smith, who has spent the past 18 years at Ohio State leading one of the largest and most successful athletic programs in the country, announced he would step down in July 2024.“I have always believed that a leader seeks to be the right person at the right time in the life of the institution,” Smith said. “I believe that July 2024 is the right time to welcome new leadership to build upon what we have achieved and continue to build upon the great tradition of excellence in athletics and business advancement at Ohio State.”Smith, a Cleveland native who played college football at Notre Dame, became Ohio State’s eighth athletic director in April 2005. He had previously been athletic director at Arizona State, Eastern Michigan and Iowa State.Ohio State teams have won 115 team Big Ten titles under Smith.___AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/colleg...

Nearly 100 Croatian soccer fans face murder, gang-related charges in Greece after deadly violence

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:21:26 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Nearly 100 arrested Croatian soccer fans appeared in an Athens court Wednesday to face serious criminal charges that include murder and membership of a criminal organization, over their alleged involvement in deadly fan violence. The handcuffed youths – many with their shirts pulled over their heads to hide their identity – appeared before an investigative magistrate a day after a 29-year-old Greek fan was stabbed to death outside AEK Athens’ stadium, prompting the cancellation of a Champions League qualifier against Dinamo Zagreb.Court officials said the magistrate issued the blanket charges against all 103 suspects, including 97 Croatian nationals. The indictments also included charges of multiple assault and illegal possession and use of explosive material. The murder-related charge is likely to be dropped for most of the defendants as the investigation proceeds.Amateur video of the attack showed dozens of youths wielding bats and iron bars running past the ...

Record-setting Sherpa guide sets a new climbing goal for the world’s highest peaks

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:21:26 GMT

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A Sherpa guide who climbed the world’s 14 tallest mountains in record time is eyeing another record, looking to become the youngest person to scale all those peaks twice. Tenjen Sherpa, 35, and Norwegian climber Kristin Harila, 37, shattered the record for the fastest climb of the 14 mountains more than 8,000 meters (about 26,000 feet) high when they topped Mount K2 in Pakistan late last month. The previous record was 189 days, and the pair did it in 92 days.Instead of taking a long break, Tenjen intends to start working toward his new goal by joining an expedition to scale Mount Shishapangma in China within the next couple of months. “I have already done (it) once and I want to double it,” he told The Associated Press in Kathmandu on Wednesday. “It is now my new target to be the youngest to scale these peaks twice.”The only other climber to have completed a second round of the 14 peaks is Sanu Sherpa, who is now 48 years old.Tenjen has already climbed ...

How much you need to make to be in Illinois' top 1%

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:21:26 GMT

(STACKER) — American wealth is becoming increasingly concentrated at the very top of the economic ladder. The top 1% of families hold over a third of the total wealth in the U.S. – up from 27% in 1989 – according to a Congressional Budget Office report from 2022. The bottom half of all households, meanwhile, control just 2% of the total wealth. But who's in this group of ultra wealthy taxpayers? Nationally, households that make $652,657 are considered among the top 1%. They earn more than eight times as much as the median household, which sits around $75,000.  Someone in Florida wins $1.58 billion Mega Millions jackpot, third-largest lottery prize in US history However, the 1% threshold varies from state to state, ranging from as much as $953,000 to as little as $368,000. In Illinois, a household needs to make $660,810 per year, a number which ranks the state as #9 for what it takes to make the cut. SmartAsset analyzed data from the IRS and Bureau of Labor Statistics to determine ...