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AAA offers up Memorial Day travel tips in anticipation of post-pandemic return of crowds

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:30:48 GMT

The AAA is offering up some travel tips as travelers gear up for what is expected to be the busiest Memorial Day travel season since before the COVID-19 pandemic began.Booking earlier flights, traveling lights, and preparing for delays are among the tips the travel organization is making for those looking to travel this holiday.

Howie Carr: Can’t grope your way out of this AJ

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:30:48 GMT

What are the odds that A.J. “Gropey” Baker is going to beat this rap?Not great, would be my call. The best the Gropester can hope for this time is the traditional CWOF – Continued Without A Finding.Gropey is 29 years old. He’s not exactly a kid anymore. There are a lot of advantages to growing up with a silver spoon in your mouth.But damn, shouldn’t some of his fellow blue bloods on the polo team or at the yacht club have filled him in on what the rest of us learned at a very early age?Never, ever take the Breathalyzer.Eat the six-month license suspension and just use Uber. Geoff Diehl could use the work, as much money as he owes on his pathetic failed campaign for governor.Instead, Gropey went back to the barracks in Danvers and blew a 0.152. The legal limit, of course, is .08. I thought kids learned this while studying for the MCAS test. They certainly should.What the kid blew was what the wise guys term the Double Bubble. And that means Double Bubble Trouble.To get the conviction...

European nations back system to calculate damage Russia caused in Ukraine

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:30:48 GMT

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — More than 40 countries at a summit of European leaders have backed a system to estimate the damage Russia is causing during the war in Ukraine, in the hopes Moscow can be forced to compensate victims and help rebuild the nation once the conflict is over.The Russian invasion of Ukraine was the dominant topic during the meeting in the Icelandic capital, Reykjavík, where delegations from Council of Europe member states discussed how the continent’s preeminent human rights organization could support Kyiv.France, Germany and the United Kingdom are among the countries that have signed on to the most tangible outcome of the meeting: a new office to set up a register of damages which will allow victims of the war to report the harm they have suffered.German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the register of damages “a significant contribution to international efforts to hold Russia to account for the consequences of its brutal actions.” Ten countries of the 46-member in...

Why Hyundai and Kia have everyone else playing catch-up

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:30:48 GMT

In the past few years, Hyundai and Kia vehicles have skyrocketed to the top of Edmunds’ rankings in some of the most popular vehicle segments. For example, you’ll find a Hyundai or Kia in the top spots for three-row midsize SUVs, midsize sedans, and multiple categories of electric vehicles. This changing of the guard can come as a surprise for car shoppers expecting to see more familiar brands like Chevrolet, Ford, Honda and Toyota.This success isn’t attributable to one single factor, such as short-lived marketing schemes like rock-bottom pricing or unsustainable rebates. Let’s take a closer look at what these sister South Korean automakers are doing well and where they’re still coming up short.DISTINCTIVE DESIGNFirst impressions matter, and this holds true when people are shopping for a new vehicle. Hyundai and Kia clearly recognize the importance of standing out in a crowd. Whether it’s a family-friendly SUV with three rows of seating or an electric SUV on the technological cuttin...

Trudeau in South Korea warns of growing authoritarianism

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:30:48 GMT

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says authoritarianism is gaining ground in an address to South Korean National Assembly Wednesday morning.The prime minister is in Seoul for his first official visit to South Korea and as Canada vies to strengthen ties between the two countries, and become “the best of friends.”In his address, he says “antagonistic countries” are taking advantage of economic interdependence to their own geopolitical advantage.Trudeau’s visit to South Korea follows on commitments from both countries to strengthen economic and military ties to counterbalance the influence of China.Trudeau went on to tell parliamentarians the “world is facing a moment of uncertainty” as countries recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, while economic anxiety and climate change add stress to people’s lives.He argued Canada and South Korea can be partners in addressing climate change, which he says is also a way to safeguard against geopolitical instability and build more resilient economies.Can...

South Korean, Canadian leaders vow cooperation on clean energy, North Korea threat

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:30:48 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The leaders of South Korea and Canada on Wednesday vowed to strengthen their security and economic cooperation to address challenges posed by North Korea and expand Canadian supplies of minerals crucial to South Korea’s technology industry as they held a summit in Seoul.The meeting between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came before they travel to Japan for the weekend’s Group of Seven meetings, where geopolitical uncertainties worsened by Russia’s war on Ukraine, China’s regional assertiveness and North Korea’s nuclear ambitions are expected to drive discussions. In a joint statement issued after the meeting, the leaders condemned North Korea’s growing nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program and urged Pyongyang to return to U.S.-led denuclearization talks, which have stalled since 2019 over disagreements related to international sanctions imposed on the North.Trudeau, the fist Canadian leader to visit S...

39 missing after Chinese fishing boat capsizes in the middle of the Indian Ocean

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:30:48 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Several ships and aircraft searched Wednesday for 39 people reported missing after a Chinese fishing boat capsized in the middle of the Indian Ocean.Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said the accident happened around 3 a.m. Tuesday. The report said the crew includes 17 from China, 17 from Indonesia and five from the Philippines. Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Qiang have ordered Chinese diplomats abroad, as well as the agriculture and transportation ministries, to assist in the search for survivors. “All-out efforts” must be made in the rescue operation, Xi was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency. Li ordered unspecified measures to “reduce casualties and strengthen safety management of fishing vessels at sea to ensure safe maritime transport and production,” Xinhua said. No word was given on the cause of the capsizing. Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines have also expressed their willingness to join in the search. Indonesia’s Na...

Norway’s ailing king celebrates Constitution Day as thousands of flag-waving children cheer

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:30:48 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norway’s King Harald V, who was released from a hospital earlier this week, appeared Wednesday on the royal castle’s balcony to salute the thousands of children marching by as the Scandinavian country celebrated its Constitution Day.Cheering and shouting, waving blue-white-red Norwegian flags, kindergarten and school students marched in front of the royal palace where Harald, 86, and his wife, Queen Sonja, sat and waved back to the vast crowd, many of whom wore traditional costumes.Elsewhere in Oslo, the chairman of the Ukrainian parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, who was visiting his Norwegian counterpart, stood on another balcony and waved at a cheering flag-waving crowd, saying he hoped that “we as soon as possible can celebrate like this in Ukraine.”The holiday marks the day the country commemorates the signing of the 1814 Constitution of Norway. Earlier in the day, Harald’s son and heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon, and his wife, Crown Princes...

Funeral services Wednesday for slain CPD officer Aréanah Preston

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:30:48 GMT

CHICAGO — Funeral services will be held Wednesday for fallen Chicago Police Officer Aréanah Preston.Visitation took place at the Blake-Lamb Funeral Home, located at 4727 W. 103rd St in Oak Lawn, Tuesday afternoon.The 24-year-old officer had just returned from a shift in the 5th District when she was shot and killed on the 8100 block of South Blackstone Avenue. Four suspects have been charged in her fatal shooting. Fallen CPD Officer Aréanah Preston honored at Loyola graduation Preston earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Illinois State University and joined CPD three years ago.Preston's mother told WGN she was a smart and driven woman who was looking forward to her graduating with her master's from Loyola University. On Saturday, Loyola posthumously awarded Preston's degree to her mother.Her law enforcement colleagues said she was brave and compassionate. Preston's last arrestee, taken into custody just hours before her death, reportedly wept when they heard ...

She killed the man raping her. Now she faces 6 years in prison

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:30:48 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A Mexican woman who killed a man defending herself when he attacked and raped her in 2021 was sentenced to more than six years in prison, a decision her legal defense called “discriminatory” and vowed to appeal Tuesday.The ruling against Roxana Ruiz spurred anger from experts and feminist groups who said it speaks to the depth of gender-based violence and Mexico’s poor record of bringing perpetrators of sexual violence to justice.“It would be a bad precedent if this sentence were to hold. It’s sending the message to women that, you know what, the law says you can defend yourself, but only to a point,” said Ángel Carrera, her defense lawyer. “He raped you, but you don’t have the right to do anything.”The Associated Press does not normally identify sexual assault victims, but Ruiz has given her permission to be identified and participates in public demonstrations led by activists who support her. Five takeaways from elections in Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Florida ...