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Fiery train derailment in Minnesota prompts evacuations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:48:25 GMT

A train hauling ethanol and corn syrup derailed and caught fire in Minnesota early Thursday and nearby residents were ordered to evacuate their homes, authorities said.The BNSF train derailed in the town of Raymond, roughly 100 miles (161 kilometers) west of Minneapolis, about 1 a.m., according to a statement from Kandiyohi County Sheriff Eric Tollefson.The Associated Press left a message seeking comment from BNSF officials.The train “had numerous rail cars derail” and several caught fire, Tollefson said. Homes in an area 1/2 mile (0.8 kilometers) around the site were evacuated, according to Tollefson, and residents were taken to a shelter in nearby Prinsburg.Railroad safety has been in the spotlight nationally ever since last month’s fiery derailment of a Norfolk Southern train near East Palestine, Ohio. Roughly half of that town of about 5,000 people near the Pennsylvania border had to be evacuated after officials decided to release and burn toxic chemicals.Federal regulator...

EU chief urges caution in tech trade with China

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:48:25 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union must be prepared to develop measures to protect trade and investment that China might exploit for its own security and military purposes, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned on Thursday.Speaking before a trip to China planned for next week, von der Leyen said that it’s important to stop “sensitive technologies” that could be used in security crackdowns or to restrict human rights from falling into Beijing’s hands.“China’s changing policies may require us to develop new defensive tools for some critical sectors,” she said. “Where dual-use purposes cannot be excluded or human rights might be implicated, there will need to be a clear line on whether investments or exports are in our own security interests.”The commission, the EU’s executive branch, manages international trade on behalf of the 27 member countries and defends their interests at the World Trade Organization.Von der Leyen said that the EU should focus its defen...

Taiwan’s president speaks to her island’s safety on US stop

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:48:25 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Taiwan’s president addressed members of New York’s Taiwanese community in a U.S. stopover on her way to Central America as she seeks to rally allies of the self-ruled island amid tensions with China.Pro-China demonstrators waving the Chinese flag rallied against President Tsai Ing-wen’s events in New York. One protester held a sign whose slogan declared the Taiwanese leader a “big traitor of China.”In a speech Wednesday night to fellow Taiwanese in New York, Tsai thanked the United States for its security assistance and urged Taiwanese unity.“The safer Taiwan is, the safer the world will be,” she said, and pledged Taiwan would work with its democratic partners to remain on the path of democracy.Tsai arrived in New York on Wednesday and was expected to spend Thursday in closed events in the city. Taiwan is carefully calibrating Tsai’s stops in the United States and forgoing official meetings with senior U.S. leaders in Washington in an effort to li...

Candlelight walk to be held Thursday night in honour of teen fatally stabbed at TTC station

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:48:25 GMT

A candlelight walk will be held in the High Park area on Thursday night to honour Gabriel Magalhaes, the teen fatally stabbed at Keele Subway Station over the weekend.The walk is being organized by the “Keele Street Public School” class of 2020. The event will begin at 8 p.m. at the Bloor Street gates of High Park, where the 16-year-old grew up.Police had said Magalhaes was sitting on a bench at the station on Saturday night when he was approached. A 22-year-old man of no fixed address was later arrested and charged with one count of first-degree murder. The teen’s death came as the TTC has been dealing with a series of high-profile cases of violence.“My coworker, who so tragically lost her beloved son this past weekend, has extended an invitation to join his family on a candlelight walk to honour him,” said a family friend.Court documents from Newfoundland and Labrador provincial court show Jordan O’Brien-Tobin, 22, is wanted on an outstanding wa...

In Germany, Charles III set to make organic ‘king cheese’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:48:25 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — After schmoozing with Berlin’s political elite in the morning, King Charles III plans to head to the German countryside for a down-to-earth afternoon visit at an organic farm, where Britain’s monarch will help make an orange-colored cheese with a crown imprint.“We heard that the king is a great lover of cheese,” Katja von Maltzan, who with her husband runs the Brodowin farm 80 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of Germany’s capital.“We took that as an opportunity to make our own creation for him,” the farmer told German news agency dpa.The Brodowin King is a Tilsiter-style cheese infused with carrot juice to give “it a little sweetness and an orange color, like British cheddar,” she said. Charles’ visit underlines his interest and commitment to environmental causes. His three-day visit to Germany — his first foreign trip as Britain’s monarch — also included a reception dedicated to building a more sustainable world.During the reception ...

Japanese surfer nears 90 and talks of catching waves at 100

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:48:25 GMT

FUJISAWA, Japan (AP) — A busy company owner for the early part of his life, Seiichi Sano began anew at 80 by climbing Mt. Fuji. Apparently not challenged enough by Japan’s highest peak, he almost immediately took up surfing.Sano turns 90 later this year, and after being recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest male to surf, he’s ready for other tests.“Maybe I’ll try bouldering,” he said, suggesting he might do it first in a gym. “Outside it might be a bit dangerous.”He ruled out bungee-jumping. “Too scary,” he said.Or maybe he’ll just stick with what he knows.“I think it would be interesting to try to surf until I’m 100,” Sano said. “I think I take better care of myself when I have goals like this. Even now, I take better care of myself than I did before.”Sano lives about 20 minutes from Yokohama and gets out most weekends on the black-sand beach near Enoshima, the small island that hosted sailing for the recent Tokyo Olympics, and was the har...

4 bankers convicted over Swiss account of longtime Putin pal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:48:25 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — Four former bankers with the Swiss affiliate of a key Russian bank were found guilty Thursday of failing to properly check accounts opened in the name of a Russian cellist with longtime ties to President Vladimir Putin.The defendants were handed suspended sentences in Zurich district court that, if violated, could lead collectively to hundreds of thousands of Swiss francs in fines. Lawyers for all the defendants immediately announced plans to appeal, according to an email from a spokesman for Gazprombank Switzerland, which is in the process of winding down its operations and wasn’t itself facing charges.The verdict follows a one-day trial on March 8 based on information about secret financial flows revealed in the Panama Papers leaks in 2016 that implicated musician and Putin’s childhood friend Sergei Roldugin. It took years for prosecutors to unravel the web of money and bring the case to court.The trial opened a rare window into allegations from the Panama Pape...

Homes evacuated after fiery train derailment in Minnesota

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:48:25 GMT

A train hauling ethanol and corn syrup derailed and caught fire in Minnesota early Thursday and nearby residents were ordered to evacuate their homes, authorities said.The BNSF train derailed in the town of Raymond, roughly 100 miles (161 kilometers) west of Minneapolis, about 1 a.m., according to a statement from Kandiyohi County Sheriff Eric Tollefson.The Associated Press left a message seeking comment from BNSF officials. Casualties reported after Army helicopters crash in Kentucky The train "had numerous rail cars derail” and several caught fire, Tollefson said. Homes in an area 1/2 mile (0.8 kilometers) around the site were evacuated, according to Tollefson, and residents were taken to a shelter in nearby Prinsburg.Railroad safety has been in the spotlight nationally ever since last month’s fiery derailment of a Norfolk Southern train near East Palestine, Ohio. Roughly half of that town of about 5,000 people near the Pennsylvania border had to be evacuated after officials d...

5 Chicago area runners in the Super Bowl of US 100-mile ultramarathon

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:48:25 GMT

Five Chicago area endurance athletes have been chosen to participate in an event known as the “Super Bowl” of running – the grueling Western States 100-mile Endurance Run in California. The race will take place on June 24 and 25 on a 100-mile course that starts in Olympic Valley, California, and finishes in Auburn, California.  The race is a physical and mental test for runners who follow a trail that “climbs more than 18,000 feet and descends nearly 23,000 feet,” according to Western States website.Photo courtesy of sponsor Hoka One OnePhoto courtesy of sponsor Hoka One OneThe conditions can range from snow and windchills to rain and extreme heat.  Participants qualify by completing one these races. Anyone who qualifies is entered into a lottery and each year only 369 runners are chosen. Previous Coverage: Meet the only Chicago runner attempting rugged 100-mile ultramarathon This year, the Chicago-area lottery winners are:Adil Lakhani - Chicago - 36Jeni Goodwin - Chicago - 3...

New population estimates show which areas of Texas grew the most in 2022

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:48:25 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas' population surpassed 30 million last year, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. The agency published its July 1, 2022 population estimates Thursday.But new data shows the growth is not being felt evenly across the state.Of the 254 counties in Texas, 158 saw an increase in population since July 1, 2021, while 95 had a population decline. One county, San Saba, had no change.Kaufman County, southeast of Dallas, grew faster than any other county in the state, with a population change of just under 9%. The county was the second-fastest growing in the entire country, behind only Whitman County, Washington, which grew by 10.1%Rockwall, Parker, Comal and Chambers counties all appeared in the top 10 fastest-growing counties in the country, each by more than 5%. Hays County also grew by more than 5%, well above the statewide growth rate of 1.59%.Loving County, west of Midland/Odessa, had the largest percent decrease in population, declining by 10.5% from ...