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South Africa begins an inquiry into a building fire that killed 76 people in Johannesburg in August

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:24 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — An inquiry began Thursday into an apartment building fire that killed 76 people in South Africa in August and laid bare the deep problems of poverty and neglect in parts of Africa’s richest city.The nighttime blaze swept through a five-story building in the Marshalltown district of Johannesburg, trapping many of the hundreds of people who were living there in badly overcrowded conditions.The building was believed to be one of what are known as “hijacked” buildings in Johannesburg. Authorities suspect it had been taken over by illegal landlords, who were renting out space to poor South Africans and foreign migrants looking desperately for somewhere to live.Johannesburg Emergency Services acting chief Rapulane Monageng gave the first testimony of the inquiry and said that firefighters found no fire extinguishers anywhere in the building. They had all been taken off the walls, he said. A large fire hose had also been removed and the water pipe suppl...

European Union leaders seek aid access to Gaza and weigh the plight of EU citizens there

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:24 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders gathered Thursday to debate ways to use their combined leverage to ensure that more aid reaches Palestinians in need, and how to help EU citizens in Gaza escape danger, including some held hostage by Hamas.EU nations have long been divided in their approach to Israel and the Palestinians, but the brutal nature of the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct 7., which killed more than 1,400 people, and the hardship of civilians forced from their homes in Gaza have shone a bright spotlight on those divisions.Across the EU spectrum, Austria, Germany and Hungary are among Israel’s top supporters. The leaders of Austria and Germany went to Israel to show solidarity after the assault. Spain and Ireland often focus on the plight of the Palestinians. Hamas, for its part, is on the EU’s list of terrorist groups.The challenge has been to strike a balance between condemning the Hamas attacks, supporting Israel’s right to defend itself and ensuring that the rig...

China and the U.S. appear to restart military talks despite disputes over Taiwan and South China Sea

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:24 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China and the United States appear to be restarting dialogue between their militaries, despite continuing disputes over Beijing’s claims to Taiwan and the South China Sea. Chinese reports, as yet not confirmed by Washington, say the U.S. will send a Department of Defense official to attend a Chinese Defense Ministry international gathering that aims to discuss international security cooperation and raise China’s status as a global power. “China attaches great importance to the development of military-to-military relations between China and the United States,” ministry spokesperson Col. Wu Xian said at a briefing on Thursday, China froze military exchanges after then-speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi last August visited self-governing Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory.China’s annual Xiangshan Forum is scheduled for Oct. 29-31. “As we see it, the ranks of the personnel taking part in the exchanges are not the most important. What i...

Dentists decry being left in the dark about federal dental insurance plan

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:24 GMT

Canadian dentists are demanding details on Ottawa’s soon-to-be announced federal dental insurance plan and how the federal government pans to preserve existing provincial and private coverage.Eleven provincial and territorial dental associations wrote a joint letter to the federal health minister to express serious concerns about a lack of information when it comes to critical aspects of the new plan.The plan was born out of the Liberals’ supply-and-confidence deal with the NDP last year, which calls for federal dental care coverage for middle- and low-income families.The new insurance program is expected to be announced before the end of the year, though claims may not be accepted until 2024.The dentists say they’ve raised their questions with federal officials, but do not feel they’ve been heard and aren’t able to answer their patients’ questions about the anticipated program.The health minister did not immediately respond to a request for comme...

Movie Review: Video game-to-horror flick ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ misfires badly

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:24 GMT

Just in time for Halloween comes “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” a video game adaptation with the potential treat of demented Chuck E. Cheese-like animatronic creatures running amok. But the trick turns out to be on us.The movie — built from developer Scott Cawthon’s video game about anthropomorphic robots killing people — poorly fits into this vehicle and the problems start with the creatures themselves.Yes, they have unsettling bright eyes and teeth. But, c’mon, one wears a bow tie, like a guest on PBS. They’re more threadbare than eerie. Yes, they stomp around like The Terminator but one is a chubby chicken with the slogan “Let’s Eat.” They look about as scary as overgrown Care Bears with a drinking problem. One is, we’re not kidding, a cupcake.Caught between PG and R, as well as lost at the crossroads of inadvertent comedy and horror, the PG-13 “Five Nights at Freddy’s” has to go down as one of the poorest films in any genre this year. Like the video game, our hero here i...

Chicago father convicted of attempted murder in shootings to avenge 2015 slaying of 9-year-old son

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:24 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — A Chicago father has been convicted of attempting to kill three people to avenge the slaying of his 9-year-old son who was lured from a playground into an alley with the promise of a juice box by rival gang members in 2015 and shot.A jury deliberated several hours Wednesday before finding Pierre Stokes, 33, guilty of attempted murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and a gun charge, according to the Chicago Tribune.He was accused of shooting and wounding the girlfriend of one of the men responsible for his son’s death and her two adult nephews in 2016.Prosecutors have said the shooting was the result of a feud between the Bang Bang Gang/Terror Dome faction of the Black P Stones and the Killa Ward faction of the Black Gangster Disciples, which Stokes allegedly belonged to.According to prosecutors, Dwright Boone-Doty and Corey Morgan believed Stokes’ faction was responsible for an October 2015 shooting that killed Morgan’s 25-year-old brother and wounded his mo...

Financial advice from AI may be educational but not holistic, experts say

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:24 GMT

As an experiment, Kelley Keehn asked ChatGPT to suggest a financial plan for a small Canadian family.She prompted the artificial intelligence software to craft a plan for a couple in their 30s who have two young children and want to save for a house. They’re dealing withhefty debt and have zero savings but they’re a high-income household.“What should they do first?” Keehn, a personal finance educator,asked ChatGPT 3.The software offered more than a dozen recommendations the family could follow — from building an emergency fund to paying down high-interest debt to creating a budget to build up a down payment for a house.But Keehn said the AI-generated advice lacked specifics for the family to achieve financial stability.Financial experts say artificial intelligence may be an important tool to democratize financial literacy among Canadians but the software is still not sophisticated enough to interpret the nuances of life and tailor advice to individual financi...

Around Town visits "Icons" Exhibit

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:24 GMT

Around Town visits "Icons:" ExhibitLove the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Canyon in California closed after mountain lion tries to attack dog, injures hiker

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:24 GMT

(KTLA) - Officials with the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in Malibu, California, said Solstice Canyon was temporarily closed after a young mountain lion tried to attack a small, leashed dog walking with its owner.  The encounter, according to officials, happened Tuesday morning. While intervening to protect his dog, the hiker suffered a puncture wound and a scratch on his hand. The dog was uninjured. "A scratch basically, just minor injuries," Seth Riley, the wildlife branch chief for the U.S. National Park Service, told LAist. "He was able to grab the dog and keep the lion from capturing it." Bear caught on camera ringing doorbell National Park Service rangers provided the hiker with first aid on the scene.  Out of an abundance of caution and because a second young mountain lion was spotted in the immediate area, officials closed the park until 8 a.m. Thursday while wildlife biologists examined the area and assessed the situation.  “Mounta...

'It's huge': Florida man finds iguana hiding in his toilet

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:24 GMT

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida man had an unwelcome guest in his home recently after an invasive iguana decided to hide out in his toilet.Gary Greenspan, of Hollywood, Florida, posted videos of the reptile on his Facebook account Saturday, saying he was waiting for animal control to come and get it."There's nothing like getting up in the morning and finding an iguana in your toilet," said Greenspan as he shot video of the reptile Saturday. After confirming that the iguana was alive, he said he was waiting for animal control to "come get this thing out of here." "I don't know if it was just looking for a spa day or what, but it's huge," Greenspan said on the video. "And I don't know how it got there."He added that he would be "a happy camper and, hopefully, so would the iguana" once it was removed. Florida woman runs over husband during search for lost dog: police While Greenspan said he hoped the iguana would be relocated, it likely wasn't. Rel...