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A building fire in Johannesburg leaves at least 73 dead, many of them homeless, authorities say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:30 GMT

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A nighttime fire ripped through a rundown five-story building in Johannesburg that was occupied by homeless people and squatters, leaving at least 73 people dead early Thursday, emergency services in South Africa’s biggest city said.Some of the people living in a maze of shacks and other makeshift structures inside the derelict building threw themselves out of windows to escape the fire and might have died then, a local government official said.A witness said he saw people throwing babies out of the burning building in an attempt to save them and that at least one man died when he jumped from a window on the third floor and hit the concrete sidewalk “head first.”As many as 200 people may have been living in the building, witnesses said, including in the basement, which should have been used as a parking garage. Others estimated an even higher number of occupants.Seven of the victims were children, the youngest a 1-year-old, according to an emergency service...

Lukashenko scoffs at demands for Wagner troops’ expulsion from Belarus

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:30 GMT

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said demands that he kick Russian Wagner Group mercenaries out of Belarus are “unreasonable and stupid.”“There should not be a single foreign serviceman in Poland, Lithuania or the other Baltic states. Then we can also make claims about the presence here of servicemen from other countries,” Lukashenko said during a meeting of the Security Council, reported Belarusian news agency Belta. “But for now, these are unreasonable and stupid demands (not even requests and suggestions, but demands).”On Monday, ministers from Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia met in Warsaw to discuss the border situation with neighboring Belarus, where some troops from the Wagner Group have been stationed since their aborted rebellion against Moscow in June.The ministers want Belarus to expel all Wagner troops from its territory “immediately,” and remove the group from the Belarusian territories, while also withdrawing all undocumented migrants ...

Putin faces election challenge from jailed pro-war Russian nationalist

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:30 GMT

Pro-war Russian nationalist Igor Girkin has launched a long-shot presidential bid from behind bars at a pre-trial detention center, in an announcement blasting Vladimir Putin as “extremely gullible.”In a statement posted on Telegram on Thursday, Girkin — who goes by the nom de guerre Strelkov (“Shooter”) — listed six reasons why he’s a better candidate than Putin, the longtime Russian ruler who is waging a brutal war on neighboring Ukraine. Girkin, 52, gained notoriety in 2014 when he led troops into eastern Ukraine and briefly became the breakaway Donetsk region’s defense minister. He was convicted in absentia of murder by a Dutch court over his role in shooting down a Malaysian Airlines passenger jet, which killed 298 people. After the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he reinvented himself as a critic of Russian military strategy in Ukraine, claiming he could do it better.Announcing his intention to run i...

Stunning Set-up

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:30 GMT

Feel the difference? It’s hard not to notice this morning as fresh northwesterly winds usher in much lower humidity and slightly cooler air. Highs today bounce back into the mid 70s with dew points crashing into the 40s. Dry air wins out through the day with just some mid to high level clouds streaming in along the south coast. The risk of rip currents as well as larger waves will be along the coast the next couple of days thanks to Hurricane Franklin still sending back swells. The Fall freshies are with us tonight as temps crash back in the upper 40s and low 50s under a mainly clear sky. A gorgeous day sets up tomorrow with tons of sun and low humidity. Highs rebound into the mid to upper 70s. Full on summer mode is on for the weekend as temps warm up through Labor Day. While it’ll be a bit cooler at the coast, it’ll still be plenty warm enough for the beaches. Enjoy! It certainly would have been nice to have more 7 days forecasts this summer, like the upcoming o...

Sudan’s army chief warns that the country will be fragmented if the deadly conflict is not resolved

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:30 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — The head of Sudan’s army warned Thursday that the northeast African country will be divided if the conflict between the military and rival paramilitary force is not resolved.Sudan was plunged into chaos after monthslong tensions between the military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, exploded into open fighting on April 15.“We are facing a war, and if it is not resolved quickly Sudan will be fragmented,” Burhan said in a speech addressed to the country’s police force in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan. Burhan’s remarks echo those he made in Egypt on Tuesday, the general’s first trip abroad since the conflict broke out. During the visit, Burhan met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and discussed ways to end the fighting. But neither gave any details about any potential initiatives or terms.During a separate speech on Monday, Burhan ruled out any reconciliation with the RSF.The nearly ...

Greece reinforces firefighting forces as a massive wildfire in the northeast burns for a 13th day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:30 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities further reinforced firefighting forces in the country’s northeast Thursday, where a massive blaze in its 13th day has flared up once more and prompted authorities to alert area residents to be on standby for possible evacuation.More than 100 extra firefighters were deployed, bringing the total to 582, backed by a fleet of 10 planes and seven helicopters from nine European countries, Greece’s fire department said. The fire that started Aug. 19 has decimated homes and vast tracts of forest in the Alexandroupolis and Evros region, near the border with Turkey. It was blamed for 20 of last week’s 21 wildfire-related deaths in Greece.Of those deaths, 18 are believed to have been migrants whose bodies were found together in an area the fire had passed through. The bodies of two more victims, also believed to have been migrants, were found on different days elsewhere in the broader area of the fire. Several other people, including the two-member...

A train slams into a group of workers on the tracks at an Italian station, killing 5 of them

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:30 GMT

ROME (AP) — A speeding out-of-service train slammed into a group of workers doing nighttime track maintenance in northern Italy on Thursday, killing five of them, authorities said. The crash occurred shortly after midnight at a station in Brandizzo, a town in Italy’s Piedmont region. Piedmont Gov. Alberto Cirio provided the death toll and said the accident’s cause was under investigation. Brandizzo Mayor Paolo Bodoni said there were indications that the crew of the train was unaware there were workers on the tracks, reported La Stampa, a newspaper in Piedmont’s main city, Turin.State radio initially said authorities had estimated that the train was moving at about 160 kilometers per hour (100 mph). But a preliminary investigation by railway police later lowered the speed estimate to about 100 kilometers per hour (about 62 mph), the Corriere della Sera newspaper said.The train consisted of an engine car and 11 empty passenger cars that it was transporting, Corriere della ...

Conductor John Eliot Gardiner pulls out of future engagements after allegedly hitting a singer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:30 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Prominent classical music conductor John Eliot Gardiner is pulling out of all engagements until next year after allegedly hitting a singer backstage following a concert. The British conductor said in a statement Thursday that he was stepping back to get “the specialist help I recognize that I have needed for some time.” His agency, Intermusica, said he “deeply regrets his behavior” and intends to get counseling. “I want to apologize to colleagues who have felt badly treated and anyone who may feel let down by my decision to take time out to address my issues. I am heartbroken to have caused so much distress, and I am determined to learn from my mistakes,” he said.Gardiner, 80, allegedly hit William Thomas after the bass singer left the podium on the wrong side after a performance of Berlioz’s opera “Les Troyens” at the Festival Berlioz in La Cote-Saint-Andre, southeastern France.U.K. newspaper The Times reported that the conductor confronted Thomas after th...

Laurentian Bank reports $49.3M Q3 profit, down from $55.9M a year ago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:30 GMT

MONTREAL — Laurentian Bank of Canada reported a third-quarter profit of $49.3 million, down from $55.9 million in the same quarter last year.The bank, which announced it was conducting a review of its strategic options in July, said the profit amounted to $1.03 per diluted share of the quarter ended July 31, down from $1.18 per diluted share a year earlier.Revenue totalled $260.8 million for the quarter compared with $260.0 million in the same quarter last year.Laurentian’s provision for credit losses amounted to $13.3 million for its third quarter compared with $16.6 million a year earlier.On an adjusted basis, the bank says it earned $1.22 per diluted share in its most recent quarter, down from an adjusted profit of $1.24 per diluted share a year ago.Analysts on average on had expected a profit of $1.16 per share, according to estimates compiled by financial markets data firm Refinitiv.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 31, 2023.Companies in this stor...

No injuries after shots fired at home near Dundas and Broadview: police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:30 GMT

Police are searching for a gunman after shots were fired at a home in Toronto’s Riverside neighbourhood early Thursday morning.Officers responded to the scene near Dundas Street East and Broadview Avenue just before 1:30 a.m.Police say the front door of the home was struck by gunfire but no injuries were reported.It is not yet known if the shooting was random or targeted.Police haven’t released a description of a suspect at this time.No further details have been released.FIREARM DISCHARGE:Dundas St East + Broadview Av1:20 a.m.– In a residential neighbourhood– Someone discharged a firearm, striking the door of a residence– No reported injuries– Anyone w/info contact @TPS55Div 416-808-5500#GO2028769^lb— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) August 31, 2023