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Pope Francis says he has a lung inflammation but will go to Dubai this week for climate conference

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:48 GMT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis on Sunday revealed that he has a lung inflammation but will go later this week to Dubai to address the climate change conference.Francis skipped his weekly Sunday appearance at a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, a day after the Vatican said he was suffering from a mild flu. Instead, Francis gave the traditional noon blessing in an appearance televised live from the chapel in the Vatican hotel where he lives.“Brothers and sisters, happy Sunday. Today I cannot appear at the window because I have this problem of inflammation of the lungs,” Francis said. The pontiff, whose 87th birthday is next month, added that a priest, sitting beside him, would read out his day’s reflections for him.In those comments, Francis said he was going to the United Arab Emirates for the COP28 gathering on climate change and that he would deliver his speech, as scheduled, on Saturday to the participants.“Besides war, our world is threate...

With a bump from Chicago Bears, girls flag football taking hold at area high schools — including a playoff run at Stagg

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:48 GMT

The girls flag football team from Stagg High School in Palos Hills made it to the playoffs in its first year of competition.And a crowd of zero came to Lake Forest to watch the Chargers quarterfinals game Oct. 28, which ended in a 22-0 loss to Resurrection.That’s not a misprint. Zero.The games were held in the Walter Payton Center at Halas Hall where the Chicago Bears practice and no fans were allowed.But that didn’t bother the Chargers. They still considered it a big-time event.“There weren’t fans but there was still that energy and that pressure,” Stagg senior quarterback Eve Tobin said.The Bears have been championing flag football for three years with its Illinois Girls Flag Football State Championship, leading to much appreciation among the athletes and coaches for getting the ball rolling.But it might be time for the Illinois High School Association to step in and sponsor the sport, which would mean a state tournament with fans.Stagg coach Saja Aln...

Column: Finishing touch proves elusive for Matt Eberflus’ Chicago Bears — and it will define them until they buck the trend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:48 GMT

The Detroit Lions have been one of the best stories in the NFL this season, but they have some fine-tuning to do before they’re taken seriously as a contender to make a deep postseason run.The Lions scored two touchdowns in 2 minutes, 30 seconds Sunday, rallying from a 12-point deficit to defeat the Chicago Bears 31-26 at Ford Field. It was their biggest comeback since a 14-point rally to top the Bears 31-30 at Soldier Field on Nov. 13, 2022.In fact, the last four times the Lions have rallied from 10 or more down to win have come against the Bears, including a 34-30 win on Dec. 6, 2020, at Soldier Field and a 27-24 victory on Nov. 19, 2017, at Ford Field.The Lions’ knack for late heroics ran out Thursday when they fell behind by 17 at halftime against the Green Bay Packers and lost 29-22 after failing to recover an onside kick with 41 seconds remaining. The Lions needed a furious rally to nip the last-place Bears and were thoroughly manhandled up front in a loss to the t...

Terry Venables, the former England, Tottenham and Barcelona coach, has died at 80

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:48 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Terry Venables, a former England soccer player who led the national team to the semifinals of the European Championship as a coach, has died. He was 80.The death of Venables was announced on Sunday in a statement by his family to British media, saying he died on Saturday after a long illness.The English Football Association and Tottenham, one of the clubs he coached, were among those sending tributes to Venables. Former England captain Gary Lineker called him “the best, most innovative coach that I had the privilege and pleasure of playing for.”Charming and popular, Venables, who was born just outside London, played for Chelsea, Tottenham, Queens Park Rangers and Crystal Palace — all clubs in the capital — in a 16-year senior career that included two caps for England.Palace and QPR were the first teams he managed before spells in charge of Barcelona from 1984-87 and Tottenham from 1987-91.Venables then turned to international management, coaching England from 1994-96, ...

No Frills workers at 17 Ontario stores ratify deal with wage gains, full-time jobs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:48 GMT

TORONTO — Unifor says No Frills workers at 17 stores in Ontario have ratified their new collective agreement.The agreement, which covers almost 1,300 workers, will see wages rise between $3.20 and $4.50 an hour over the duration of the agreement. The agreement also includes a new benefits program for part-time workers, and creates 30 new full-time positions to be hired within a year. No Frills is the discount grocery banner owned by Loblaw Cos. Ltd., the largest grocery company in Canada.The workers reached a tentative agreement last Sunday as a strike deadline approached. After a five-week strike over the summer by Metro workers in the Greater Toronto Area resulted in significant gains, Unifor was seeking a similar win for the No Frills employees. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:L)The Canadian Press

Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter were not only a global power couple but also best friends and life mates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:48 GMT

PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — In spring 1955, Rosalynn Carter was doing what she had sworn to avoid when she married an ambitious Naval officer: keeping house and raising children in the same tiny town where they grew up. Then Jimmy Carter called for help from his family’s peanut farming warehouse. The future U.S. president couldn’t manage on his own, and they had no money to hire employees. So his wife gathered their sons and went to answer the company phone. Soon she was managing finances and handling customers.Before long, “I knew more on paper about the business than he did, and he would take my advice about things,” Rosalynn Carter told The Associated Press ahead of their 75th anniversary in 2021. Their marriage was almost a decade old when she went to the warehouse, but that was perhaps the true beginning of a partnership that won the Georgia governor’s office in 1970, the White House in 1976 and then propelled the Carters through four decades as global humanitarians. Undergirding ...

Banks set to report earnings strained by economic slowdown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:48 GMT

TORONTO — Signs of economic slowdown are growing, and Canadian banks could add more evidence this upcoming week.The Big Six banks are set to report fourth quarter results that analysts expect to show lower earnings, more money set aside tocover bad loans, and hints of rising mortgage strain. The results come as economic growth has rolled to a near standstill over the last several months, the engine stalled after the Bank of Canada raised its key interest rate to five per cent. Higher borrowing costs and more cautious banks mean that lending growth has slowed notably. “The key trend in the banking industry right now is really the decrease in lending across the Canadian market,” said Shilpa Mishra, managing director in BDO’s capital advisory services.The pace of lending growth in the third quarter was about half what it was a year ago, while it was down slightly from the previous quarter, she noted. Not only are banks slowing the pace of new lending, but they’re setting aside mo...

13 crew members missing after a cargo ship sinks off a Greek island in stormy seas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:48 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A cargo ship sank off the Greek island of Lesbos in stormy seas early Sunday, leaving 13 crew members missing and one rescued, authorities said. The Raptor, registered in the Comoros, was on its way to Istanbul from Alexandria, Egypt, carrying 6,000 tons of salt, the coast guard said. It had a crew of 14, including eight Egyptians, four Indians and two Syrians, the coast guard said.The ship reported a mechanical problem at 7 a.m. Sunday, sent a distress signal and shortly after disappeared about 4 1/2 nautical miles (8 kilometers) southwest of Lesbos, authorities said.One Egyptian was rescued, a coast guard spokeswoman told The Associated Press.She said that eight merchant ships, two helicopters and one Greek navy frigate were searching for survivors. Three coast guard vessels had difficulty reaching the area because of rough seas, she added. The spokeswoman spoke on condition of anonymity because the case was ongoing and she wasn’t authorized to speak to the m...

Attackers seize an Israel-linked tanker off the coast of Aden, Yemen

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:48 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Attackers seized a tanker linked to Israel off the coast of Aden, Yemen, on Sunday, authorities said. While no group immediately claimed responsibility, it comes as at least two other maritime attacks in recent days have been linked to the Israel-Hamas war. The attackers seized the Central Park, managed by Zodiac Maritime, in the Gulf of Aden, the company and private intelligence firm Ambrey said. An American defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, also confirmed the attack took place.Zodiac called the attack “a suspected piracy incident.”“Our priority is the safety of our 22 crew onboard,” Zodiac said in a statement. “The Turkish-captained vessel has a multinational crew consisting of a crew of Russian, Vietnamese, Bulgarian, Indian, Georgian and Filipino nationals. The vessel is carrying a full cargo of phosphoric acid.”Zodiac described the vessel as being owned by Clumvez Shipping Inc., though other ...

Music venues call for rule changes as noise complaints choke industry

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:48 GMT

Montreal bar and live music venue Turbo Haüs is doing everything it can to mitigate noise and be a good neighbour, says co-owner Sergio Da Silva.The punk rock institution moved in 2018 from a mostly residential neighbourhood to the lively downtown theatre district known as the Quartier des Spectacles. It spent thousands of dollars soundproofing the new space and pays an extra $3,200 in rent each month to keep the two apartments above it empty. So a warning from the city last week to reduce noise came as a shock.“Nice to know it’s illegal to have des spectacles in the … Quartier des Spectacles,” Turbo Haüs lamented in a widely circulated social media post alongside a screenshot of the city notice, which threatens fines of up to $12,000.“It’s a bit surprising and pretty frustrating to be honest,” Da Silva said in a recent interview.He’s one of several club owners calling on Montreal to update noise bylaws and development rules to better p...