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3 Kurds reportedly shot dead celebrating new year in Syria

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:28:22 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Turkey-backed opposition fighters in Syria fatally shot at least three ethnic Kurds who were celebrating a holiday late Monday by lighting fires, Syrian opposition activists and pro-government media said. The shooting near the northwestern town of Jinderis, which suffered substantial damage during last month’s earthquake, underlined the high tensions between Turkey-backed opposition fighters and the Kurdish community in Syria.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the shooting was carried out by members of the Ahrar Sharqiya group, an armed opposition group backed by Turkey.The observatory said members of the group got into an argument with some Kurds after mocking them for lighting a fire in honor of the Kurdish new year celebration. Members of the Ahrar Sharqiya group shot and killed three Kurds and wounded four others, the observatory said. It said all those killed were from the same family.The pro-government Sham FM radio station s...

US says China and Russia blocking UN action on North Korea

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:28:22 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States accused China and Russia on Monday of shielding North Korea from any action by the U.N. Security Council for its unprecedented spate of intercontinental ballistic missile launches, which violate multiple U.N. resolutions and jeopardize international aviation and maritime safety.U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told a council meeting that Chinese and Russian “obstructionism” was encouraging North Korea “to launch ballistic missiles with impunity” and advance its development of more sophisticated and dangerous weapons.After the meeting, she read a statement on behalf of council members Albania, Ecuador, France, Japan, Malta, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom, joined by South Korea, that condemned the launches. It said the growing crisis threatens not only the region but global peace and stability, and called for the Security Council to speak again with one voice. Unlike Thomas-Greenfield in her remarks, the statemen...

Minnesota moving to fortify state status as abortion refuge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:28:22 GMT

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota is moving to fortify its status as a refuge for patients from restrictive states who travel to the state to seek abortions — and to protect providers who serve them.The state House on Monday passed a bill by a 68-62 vote to prohibit enforcement in Minnesota of laws, subpoenas, judgements or extradition requests from other states against people who get, perform or assist with abortions in Minnesota. The Senate version passed its first committee test last week. The House lead author, Democratic Rep. Esther Agbaje, of Minneapolis, said at a news conference before the debate that a prime example of what supporters are worried about is a Texas law that deputizes individuals to enforce their state’s strict restrictions by allowing them to sue to anyone who helps a patient obtain an abortion elsewhere. Democratic House Majority Leader Jamie Long, of Minneapolis, said the bill is needed because Texas-style legislation has been introduced in several sta...

Missouri to restrict gender-affirming care for minors

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:28:22 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s Republican attorney general on Monday said he will limit access to gender-affirming care for minors, sidestepping the GOP-led Senate as it struggles to pass a law banning the practice completely. As hundreds of activists rallied at the Capitol to pressure lawmakers to act on the bill, Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced plans to file an emergency rule. The rule will require an 18-month waiting period, 15 hour-long therapy sessions and treatment of any mental illnesses before Missouri doctors can provide that kind of care to transgender children, according to Bailey’s office. The emergency rule also requires disclosure of information about puberty blocker drugs, including that they are experimental, not approved by the FDA and that the FDA has warned they can lead to brain swelling and blindness, Bailey said.While puberty blockers and hormones often prescribed in transgender treatment are not FDA approved for transgender care, they are...

CN Rail and Unifor reach tentative collective agreements

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:28:22 GMT

MONTREAL — CN Rail and Unifor say they have reached new tentative collective agreements for around 3,000 workers across Canada.The union said in a press release that the four collective agreements cover CN employees in several roles across the country.Details of the agreements will not be released until they have been ratified by the members. Negotiations broke down in February after several months of bargaining, with workers backing a strike in early March. Unifor national president Lana Payne said in a statement that the negotiations were fraught with challenges. She says the union was able to stand up to CN thanks to solid support from the workers. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 20, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:CNR)The Canadian Press

2nd officer in inmate’s fatal beating gets same 20-year term

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:28:22 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The second of three former correctional officers sentenced in the fatal beating of a state inmate received a 20-year prison term Monday, the same as a co-conspirator despite a judge’s declaration he could have stopped the attack as the senior officer.U.S. District Judge Sue Myerscough sentenced Todd Sheffler, a 54-year-old former correctional lieutenant, on two federal civil rights violations and various other counts for the attempted cover up of the brutal beating of Larry Earvin on May 17, 2018. The federal government had sought a life sentence. Sheffler’s lawyers had asked for 2 1/2 years for the beating of Earvin, 65, as the prisoner was being transferred to a segregation unit at Western Illinois Correctional Center in Mount Sterling. In an emotional statement in court, Sheffler fumbled with shackled hands and wiped tears from his eyes with a tissue. He said he accepted responsibility “for what I did or didn’t do” that caused EarvinR...

Supreme Court seems split in Navajo Nation water rights case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:28:22 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court seemed split Monday as it weighed a dispute involving the federal government and the Navajo Nation’s quest for water from the drought-stricken Colorado River.States that draw water from the river — Arizona, Nevada and Colorado — and water districts in California that are also involved in the case urged the justices to rule against the tribe. Colorado says siding with the Navajo Nation will undermine existing agreements and disrupt the management of the river.But, arguing on behalf of the Navajo Nation, attorney Shay Dvoretzky told the justices that the tribe’s current water request is modest. The “relief that we are seeking here is an assessment of the nation’s needs and a plan to meet them,” he said.Arguing on behalf of the Biden administration, attorney Frederick Liu said that if the court were to side with the Navajo Nation, the federal government could face lawsuits from many other tribes. Four of the court’s justices, including its three libe...

Looking to avoid the Kennedy Expressway construction? Here's what you should know

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:28:22 GMT

CHICAGO — A major years-long construction project on the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago is expected to cause extensive delays.Starting on Monday night, the Illinois Department of Transportation will close the two left-hand inbound lanes of the Kennedy Expressway from the Edens Expressway to Ohio Street. FULL DETAILS: Kennedy Expressway construction project to last 3 years, cost $150M and begins in March It will take about a week for the full configuration to get into place.The express lanes will stay open to inbound traffic until this year’s repairs are done.If you're looking to avoid some frustration and getting stuck in the delays, there are some things you can do to try to avoid the delays. Kennedy Expressway construction project to begin Monday The Illinois Department of Transportation said drivers should consider traveling at off-peak times and avoid rush hour.IDOT also said motorists should consider taking public transportation.Some options include the Metra Union Pacific N...

Vernon Hills mother attempted to save neighbor before apartment fire death, family says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:28:22 GMT

VERNON HILLS, Ill. -- An apartment fire in Vernon Hills Sunday claimed the lives of two, including a woman who has left a mother and son behind.Family members have identified 33-year-old Camille Lonzano as one of the victims who died at a Vernon Hills apartment building early Sunday morning."She was very strong, very smart and very loving. A very loving daughter and a very loving mother," Lonzano's mother Theresa Lujan said.Lozano's mother explains that Camille died as she lived, always putting others before her. Lujan said in her final moments, her daughter alerted neighbors of the fire."Instead of going downstairs which would've saved her," Lujan said. "She continued upstairs to help the neighbor that lived upstairs and that was another person that passed away."According to the Lake Count Coroner's Office, Lozano and 39-year-old Polly Jenson, of Vernon Hills, both died due to thermal and inhalational injuries. Looking to avoid the Kennedy Expressway construction? Here’s what you...

MedWatch Daily Digest: An increased cancer threat for military pilots and ground crews

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:28:22 GMT

For Monday, March 20, WGN’s Dina Bair has the latest on new medical information, including: More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch A study of nearly 900,000 airmen and women who flew or worked on military planes between 1992 and 2017 had an 87% higher rate of melanoma than the general populationA new warning about fake pharmaceuticals in MexicoHow potentially toxic chemicals in everyday products are altering hormonal and metabolic pathways that impact human growth and development