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Sheriff: Louisiana man shoots girl playing hide and seek

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:27 GMT

STARKS, La. (AP) — A Louisiana man has been charged with aggravated assault and battery after shooting at children who had been playing hide and seek outside his home, striking a 14-year-old girl, officials said.The girl suffered a gunshot wound to the back of the head early Sunday, and was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a statement posted on social media Monday.Investigators learned that several children were playing hide and seek in the Starks neighborhood and were hiding on the neighbor’s property.David Doyle, 58, told detectives that he got his gun when he saw shadows outside his home and shot at people he saw running away, unknowingly hitting the girl, officials said.It’s the latest in a series of recent shootings sparked by seemingly trivial circumstances.Doyle was arrested and charged with aggravated battery, four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm and illegal discharge of a f...

Gift Guide: For cooks with a craving for sustainability

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:27 GMT

This time of year can be a big gift-giving moment, with Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, graduations, weddings and more. And whatever the occasion, if the recipient enjoys spending time in the kitchen, then food and kitchen-related gifts are a natural place to start.More and more of us are shopping and cooking with an eye toward sustainability and eco-consciousness. So here are some cooking gifts and tips that fit that bill:You can start by doing a little homework on the company you’re purchasing from. That job has been done for you if the company has gotten a B Corp certification. It shows that a business is meeting high standards in supporting a variety of community and environmental markers, with measurable metrics. The certification lasts three years before needing to be renewed.Another accreditation to look for is 1% for the Planet, which means the company has committed to donate 1% of annual sales to environmental causes, and is transparent in its efforts to operate sustainably. Cl...

Truck slams into Polish bus in Germany, injuring dozens

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:27 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A highway collision between a long-distance Polish bus and a truck injured dozens of people in eastern Germany, police in Poland and German news agency dpa reported.The crash happened Tuesday on the A 12 highway in the state of Brandenburg between the towns of Storkow and Fredersdorf.German police said 52 people were hurt, including 10 with severe injuries, dpa said. One person was said to be in critical condition.Three helicopters, ambulances and police officers were on the scene, and the section of highway was closed. Police said the truck, which was traveling in the direction of Berlin, collided with the side of the bus when it tried to change lanes. Polish police confirmed on Twitter that a bus from Poland was involved in a crash in Germany and that many people were injured. Polish police personnel were deployed to the scene to aid the injured. The Associated Press

Christie’s sale of Austrian heiress’ jewels stirs criticism

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:27 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — Christie’s is auctioning a staggering 700 pieces of jewelry from the collection of the late Heidi Horten, an Austrian heiress whose German husband built a retail empire starting in the 1930s — in part from department stores and other assets sold by desperate Jews as they fled Nazi Germany.The auction house says the sale from “one of the greatest jewelry collections” is expected to reap some $150 million. Proceeds are to benefit her Vienna art museum, welfare for children, and medical research. Christie’s — as criticism of the auction grew — said it planned to chip in some of its profits from the sale to Holocaust education.The sale has already begun online, but also takes place in-person in two parts on Wednesday and Friday at a ritzy Geneva hotel. There’s a record-setting ruby ring that Heidi Horten bought for $30 million in 2015. A dazzling diamond necklace could fetch $15 million or more. And the auction house says the sale features more Bulgari jewels than ever ass...

Spanish Civil Guard raid illegal wells amid drought

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:27 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s Civil Guard said Friday it had arrested 26 people in raids on illegal wells in the Andalusia region, as part of a widening crackdown on unauthorized water use amid a prolonged drought. The Civil Guard’s environmental crimes division said it had identified 250 infractions by fruit farmers including illegal wells and boreholes in the Axarquia area, east of the coastal city of Malaga. It estimated the damage to public water infrastructure at 10 million euros ($10.95 million).Spain’s central government is urging increasingly strict rules on water use in Andalusia, the world’s most important region for olive oil production and a key source of fruits and vegetables for the European export market.Record-breaking April temperatures in Andalusia have coupled with a chronic lack of rainfall. Water reservoirs in the Guadalquivir river basin, which runs through the territory, are only about a quarter full, at 27.95%, even before summer has begun. Fa...

Hyundai and Kia thefts keep rising despite security fix

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:27 GMT

Nearly three months ago, Hyundai and Kia unveiled software that was designed to thwart an epidemic of thefts of their vehicles, caused by a security flaw that was exposed on TikTok and other social media sites.So far, it hasn’t solved the problem. Across the country, thieves are still driving off with the vehicles at an alarming rate.Data from seven U.S. cities gathered by The Associated Press shows that the number of Hyundai and Kia thefts is still growing despite the companies’ efforts to fix the glitch, which makes 8.3 million vehicles relatively easy targets for thieves.From Minneapolis, Cleveland and St. Louis to New York, Seattle, Atlanta and Grand Rapids, Michigan, police have reported substantial year-over-year increases in Hyundai and Kia theft reports through April. An eighth city, Denver, which was hit early by the theft outbreak, reported a 23% decline from 2022 levels but still endured a high number of thefts. So far this year, Minneapolis police have received 1,8...

Robo umps reach Triple-A, but MLB rollout still uncertain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:27 GMT

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — Trailing Nashville with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, St. Paul Saints first baseman Alex Kirilloff watched the 3-2 pitch go by for strike three. He thought it might have missed the high and inside corner.There was no point in arguing.The game was being umped by the Automatic Ball-Strike system that Major League Baseball is testing in Triple-A this season, which means the strike was called by a computer and merely relayed to Kirilloff and the crowd by home plate umpire Brock Ballou. “Nobody complains about anything anymore with the strike zone because there’s nothing to complain about,” Saints manager Toby Gardenhire said after his first series with the so-called ”robo-ump.” “You take that as good and bad. It’s kind of entertaining to watch a guy argue.”Much like the pitch clock that had purists panicking, only to quickly and quietly blend into the flow of the game, automatic balls and strikes could soon be coming to the major leagues. And much li...

Pet Valu posts lower profit as same-store sales growth declines

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:27 GMT

MARKHAM, Ont. — Pet Valu Holdings Ltd. reported its first-quarter profit fell compared with a year ago despite its revenue climbing higher.The pet food and supplies retailer says its profit attributable to shareholders totalled $18.7 million or 26 cents per diluted share for the quarter that ended April 1.The result was down from a profit of $22.6 million or 32 cents per diluted share a year earlier.Revenue totalled $250.3 million, up from $213.2 in the first quarter of 2022.The increase came as the company saw same-store sales growth of 9.4 per cent, down from 22.8 per cent in the first quarter of 2022.On an adjusted basis, the company says its profit was 32 cents per diluted share, compared with 35 cents per diluted share last year.This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:PET)The Canadian Press

China says it won’t seek to benefit from war in Ukraine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:27 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — China’s foreign minister said Tuesday that his country has no intention of benefiting from the war in Ukraine and hopes for further discussions on a peace plan Beijing proposed earlier this year.Speaking after a meeting with his German counterpart in Berlin, Foreign Minister Qin Gang noted the recent talks the government in Beijing had with both Moscow and Kyiv, and said China’s special envoy for Europe was expected to visit Ukraine again soon.“We won’t pour oil on the fire” of the war, Qin said, according to an official interpreter.Western countries have accused Beijing of providing political and material support to Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The European Union is currently considering imposing sanctions against companies that supply critical components to Russia’s arms industry. Qin denied Chinese firms were doing so. He said China maintains “normal” trade relations with Russia, not mentioning a significant bump in ...

It’s ‘never too early, never too late’ to learn financial literacy, experts say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:27 GMT

For as long as he remembers, Aidan D’Souza says his mother has helped him ensure that he’s making smart money decisions. At roughly 10 years old, D’Souza said his mother advised him not to spend all his money on candy and frivolous gadgets. When he started working part-time jobs, D’Souza’s mother recommended that he save some of his hard-earned money for his long-term goals and an emergency fund. Today, the 23-year-old said his mother still guides him financially. She helped him set up mutual funds and taught him about compound interest, which accelerates the growth of one’s savings and investments over time. “My mom has always helped me make sure my money was going to the right places,” said D’Souza, who resides in Toronto.“She always wanted to make sure that I was set for life.” While D’Souza credits his mother for the financially secure position he’s in, he acknowledged that not all Canadians have parental figures who are financially literate or know how to best guide their chil...