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An explosion at a Chinese steel mill kills 4 and injures 5

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:25 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — An explosion at a steel mill in China’s northeast killed four people and left five hospitalized with injuries, the city government said Friday.A blast furnace exploded Thursday morning at the Yingkou Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. in Yingkou, east of Beijing in Liaoning province, the city’s Emergency Management Bureau said in a statement.The cause was under investigation, but experts believe an equipment malfunction was to blame, the announcement said.Phone calls to the Yingkou government Friday weren’t answered.The disaster occurred less than 12 hours after an explosion Wednesday evening blamed on cooking gas killed 31 people in a barbecue restaurant in Yinchuan, a city in China’s northwest. The Associated Press

Infighting among Putin’s lieutenants seems to reveal signs of ‘deep dysfunction’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:25 GMT

The video was shocking — not just for what it showed but also for what was said.Yevgeny Prigozhin, the outspoken millionaire head of the private military contractor Wagner, stood in front of the bloodied bodies of his slain troops in Ukraine and yelled expletive-riddled insults at Russian military leaders, blaming them for the carnage.“They came here as volunteers and they died to let you lounge in your red wood offices,” Prigozhin shouted. “You are sitting in your expensive clubs, your children are enjoying good living and filming videos on YouTube. Those who don’t give us ammunition will be eaten alive in hell!”It was a disquieting display for Russians used to more than two decades of rigidly controlled rule by President Vladimir Putin — years with little sign of infighting among his top lieutenants.Prigozhin’s video in May and his other rants against the military leadership have been met with silence from Putin, as well as the brass. Some see Putin’s failure to squelc...

German parliament approves a memorial to Jehovah’s Witnesses persecuted by the Nazis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:25 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — The German parliament has approved the construction of a memorial in Berlin to the Jehovah’s Witnesses persecuted under the Nazis, a plan the country’s culture minister hopes will help end their status as “forgotten victims.”On Thursday evening, lawmakers backed a motion formally calling on the government to support construction of the memorial in the capital’s central Tiergarten park.It will follow memorials already constructed in Berlin over the past two decades to Jewish, gay, Sinti and Roma, and disabled people murdered by the Nazis. Lawmakers also have mandated a project to build a memorial to the Polish victims of World War II.The foundation that oversees the existing memorials, which also will be in charge of the one for Jehovah’s Witnesses, pointed to the Christian denomination’s resistance from the start to the Nazi regime, and to the help it gave other persecuted groups, noting that its members refused to give the Hitler salute o...

Tropical Storm Bret brings winds and rain to islands in eastern Caribbean

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:25 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Tropical Storm Bret brought winds and heavy rain early Friday to islands in the eastern Caribbean that shut down to prepare for potential landslides and flooding.The storm’s center was west of St. Vincent and west-southwest of St. Lucia and moving west at 17 mph (28 kph). Its maximum sustained winds were 60 mph (95 kph).Airports, businesses, schools and offices closed on St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Dominica, Martinique and other islands by midday Thursday.Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, had urged people to go to a government shelter if they believed their home might not withstand the strong winds and heavy rains.“These storms can turn around fairly quickly,” he warned.Forecasters had warned that the storm might pass directly over St. Lucia, which is north of St. Vincent, but its path shifted south.“Protect your lives, property and livelihoods,” urged Prime Minister Philip Pierre on St. Lucia.Residents across St. Luci...

Flooding displaces tens of thousands and kills 1 as heavy monsoon rains batter Indian villages

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:25 GMT

GUWAHATI, India (AP) — Tens of thousands of people have taken shelter in government-run relief camps as heavy monsoon rains batter villages in India’s northeast, and one person has died in the floodwaters this week, a government relief agency said Friday.Assam state is on red alert and bracing for more downpours this weekend by evacuating people in low-lying areas.Nearly 14,000 people currently live in 83 relief camps run by the Assam state government in 20 out of the state’s 31 districts, said the state disaster management agency in a statement. Overall, nearly 500,000 people have been hit by the monsoon floods in the state.“We are fully prepared to deal with the situation with our rescue agencies deployed at vulnerable and worst-affected locations,” said G.D. Tripathi, a state government official.One of Asia’s largest rivers, the Brahmaputra, floods annually. It flows 1,280 kilometers (800 miles) across Assam state before running through Bangladesh, which shares a 260-kilome...

Drought Intensifies—but showers & t-storms in the forecast. Tropical Atlantic Comes Alive.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:25 GMT

Are some wetter days finally within sight? The coming weekend is to open sun-filled and hot with air quality issues—but could we're seeing prospects for a potentially wetter patternWe need rain! Friday marked the 9th consecutive day with NO RAIN—and just 0.54" of rain has fallen at Chicago's O'Hare at the last three weeks (since June 1). The O'Hare rainfall deficit since April has now passed 7 inches—the rough equivalent of two months of rainfall. It takes some doing to overcome that kind of moisture shortfall—especially in summer when rains occur in such a varied fashion. But there are some hopeful signs.In released this set of Drought Monitors comparing the extent of drought conditions over the past 4 weeks, the Midwest Regional Climate Center at Purdue University writes: "#Drought has expanded rapidly in the Midwest. Maps show today (left) & just 4 weeks ago (right). Many locations had 2-3 categories of change in that short period. Serious threats developing for ag, water sup...

At recovery summit, UK's Sunak to unveil major Ukraine support

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:25 GMT

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (pictured) unveiled a major package for Ukraine, including $3 billion of additional guarantees to unlock World Bank lending, on the first day of a summit aimed at spurring efforts to rebuild the country on Wednesday (21 June).At the beginning of the two-day Ukraine recovery conference in London, Sunak will outline a package which will also include £240 million ($306m) of bilateral assistance and an expansion of British International Investment in Ukraine.Britain has been one of the main backers of Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February last year, and Sunak hopes the conference will cement London's standing while encouraging the private sector to do more to help rebuild."So, together with our allies we will maintain our support for Ukraine's defence and for the counter offensive, and we'll stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes as they continue to win this war," Sunak will tell the conference, according to excerpts of ...

Revolutionizing Referrals: How Jason Essayli is Disrupting the Financial Advisor Landscape with Advisor Referral Boost

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:25 GMT

In an industry steeped in tradition, redefining the standard can be daunting. However, Jason Essayli, a millennial entrepreneur and a Certified Financial Planner, has fearlessly confronted this challenge. His unique venture, Advisor Referral Boost, has been making waves, effectively reshaping the financial advisor landscape with a disruptive approach to referrals.Jason’s journey started in the financial planning and advice world, where he worked for nearly eight years. His tenure with Charles Schwab, one of the largest wealth management firms in the country, was marked by remarkable achievements, such as managing $230 Million AUM and assisting hundreds of clients. However, it also allowed him to identify the inefficiencies and outdated practices hampering the industry’s potential growth.In this corporate backdrop, he saw the struggles of building relationships with referral partners, a crucial but painstakingly unscalable task.  He states, “There isn’t enough education o...

Single-family home sells for $4.2 million in Danville

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:25 GMT

1346 Charbray Street – Google Street ViewThe spacious, recently built property located in the 1300 block of Charbray Street in Danville was sold on May 24, 2023. The $4,162,272 purchase price works out to $856 per square foot. The house, built in 2018, has an interior space of 4,862 square feet. The property features four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and an attached garage. There’s also a pool in the backyard and four parking spaces. The unit sits on a 0.4-acre lot.Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby:In December 2022, a 4,825-square-foot home on Drysdale Street in Danville sold for $2,900,000, a price per square foot of $601. The home has 5 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms.On Drysdale Street, Danville, in April 2023, a 4,215-square-foot home was sold for $2,685,000, a price per square foot of $637. The home has 5 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms.A 4,466-square-foot home on the 100 block of Capari Court in Danville sold in October 2022, for $3,110,000, a price per square foot of $696....

Cronología del Titán: del lanzamiento al hallazgo de restos del submarino perdido

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:25 GMT

(CNN) — El Titán sufrió una “implosión catastrófica”, informaron este jueves las autoridades de Estados Unidos, en medio de una operación para dar con el paradero del submarino que hace menos de una semana había partido en una expedición a los restos del Titanic. Aquí, una cronología de lo sucedido.Viernes 16 de junio: la expedición parte de Terranova, en Canadá, en el buque de apoyo Polar Prince, que lleva a los participantes al lugar del naufragio del Titanic.Domingo 18 de junio: el Polar Prince lanza al submarino Titán alrededor de las 9 a.m., y allí comienza su inmersión de dos horas hasta los restos del Titanic. Pierde el contacto con el buque al cabo de 1:45 horas de descenso. Su última comunicación con la superficie se produce a las 11.47 a.m. Se alerta a los guardacostas estadounidenses y ese mismo día comienzan las operaciones de búsqueda.La Marina estadounidense detecta una señal acústica compatible con una implosión y transmite esa información a los mand...