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Brazil’s Lula in Portugal amid Ukraine remarks controversy

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:45:30 GMT

LISBON (AP) — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva arrived in Portugal on Friday amid heightened tensions with the European Union, following statements suggesting that Kyiv and the West share some responsibility for the conflict in Ukraine.Lula tweeted images of his arrival in Lisbon that showed him walking down a red carpet accompanied by his wife, Rosangela.The Brazilian leader courted controversy last weekend when he said that both Ukraine and Russia had decided to go to war, and claimed that the U.S. was “stimulating” the fighting. Earlier in the month, he irked Ukraine, the U.S. and the EU by suggesting that Ukraine should cede Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014, to end the current conflict. Lula also welcomed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Brasilia on Monday. The following day, Lula condemned the “violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity” while promoting his proposal for a club of nations, including Brazil, to mediate a peaceful resolution to the war.L...

Stock market today: Wall Street remains quiet, P&G gains

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:45:30 GMT

Stocks barely moved in morning trading on Wall Street Friday as investors close out a quiet week of mostly mixed corporate earnings reports.The S&P 500 was mostly unchanged as of 10:20 a.m. Eastern. The benchmark index has been wavering over the last several days and is on track for a slight weekly loss.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 51 points, or 0.2%, to 33,840.13 and the Nasdaq fell 0.2%.Banks and technology companies were mostly lower and weighed on the broader market. Health care companies and a range of consumer product makers gained ground and tempered losses elsewhere.The latest corporate earnings and forecasts have been the big focus for investors this week, as they try to get a better sense of how companies are handling high inflation, a slowing economy and fears about a recession. The market has a handful of earnings reports to assess Friday. Hospital operator HCA Healthcare rose 5.3% after the company topped estimates for the first quarter and raised its full-...

Women are monsters, victims and heroes in ‘Evil Dead Rise’

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:45:30 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When director Lee Cronin set out to make the latest installment of the “Evil Dead” franchise, he knew he wanted to bring a fresh angle to his version of the iconic horror series while still giving winks and nods throughout to his source material.“I didn’t want to reboot a reboot or reboot something from before. So, I needed to find a new world, new characters,” he said.After meeting with Sam Raimi, who created the original 1981 “Evil Dead,” Cronin walked away with two stipulations for his new movie, “Evil Dead Rise,” which hits theaters Friday.He wanted to take the “’Evil Dead’ lore” to an urban environment, unlike the traditional rural cabin setting, and he wanted the story to center around a family.“The cogs started turning in my mind and I knew family and city and a kind of a world that maybe people could identify with,” he recalled. “I started to look at the construct of that family and then to look at some of the people in my own life.”Those peopl...

Early morning fire engulfs southern Idaho high school

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:45:30 GMT

POCATELLO, Idaho (AP) — An early morning fire engulfed much of a large high school in southern Idaho on Friday.The Pocatello Fire Department said the fire at Highland High School was reported just before 4 a.m., and when firefighters arrived they found flames showing above the building amid heavy snowfall.The Pocatello School District canceled classes and fire crews worked to contain the flames and save what they could.The flames have reportedly caused part of the roof and some walls to collapse as well as some explosions inside the school, but there were no reports of injuries in the first three hours of fighting the fire, the Idaho State Journal reported.Authorities have not yet said what might have caused the fire, but an investigation is expected to begin once the flames are out.The school has roughly 1,500 students, making it one of the largest in Idaho.The Associated Press

Boy, 16, charged following ‘road rage’ incident in Mississauga parking lot

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:45:30 GMT

A 16-year-old has turned himself in to police after a man was stabbed during a “road rage incident” in a Mississauga parking lot on Wednesday. Police were called to a plaza near Eglinton Avenue West and Ridgeway Drive around 6:30 p.m. They say an argument between a driver and a pedestrian escalated to the point where the pedestrian stabbed the driver.Paramedics said the driver was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries. He has since been upgraded to serious but stable.On Thursday, police said a teenager turned himself in to police and has been charged with aggravated assault. The suspect cannot be named due to the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Canadian consumers pull back on spending amid high prices, interest rates: Experts

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:45:30 GMT

Canadian consumers are pulling back on spending as rising prices and high interest rates appear to be taking a toll on retail sales. Retail sales slipped 0.2 per cent to $66.3 billion in February amid a drop in spending at general merchandise stores and gasoline stations and fuel vendors, Statistics Canada said Friday.The early estimate for March also points to an even steeper decline of 1.4 per cent, though the agency cautioned the figure would be revised.“We’re starting to see consumers tighten their belts,” retail analyst Bruce Winder said. “Canadian consumers are incredibly cautious right now.”Economists have warned of a lag between rising prices and high interest rates and the affect on the economy. While the Bank of Canada held its key lending rate at 4.50 per cent at its most recent rate decision, it is up from 0.25 per cent at the start of 2022.“It is clear that consumer spending behaviour has been impacted by the rapid rise in interest ra...

Q&A: Why ‘Dear Mama’ director took on Tupac despite attack

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:45:30 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Filmmaker Allen Hughes thought participating in any Tupac Shakur project was a farfetched idea especially after surviving a brutal altercation involving him and the rap legend three decades ago.For years, Hughes firmly held a grudge even after a public apology from Shakur — who along with nearly a dozen gang members in 1993 physically attacked the filmmaker for firing the rapper from the cult classic “Menace II Society.” He along with his brother Albert Hughes had previously directed Shakur’s “Brenda’s Got a Baby” music video in 1990s. After the dispute, Shakur was convicted and served about two weeks in jail.It took Hughes some time, but he finally stopped holding onto his deep-seated resentment a few years ago when Shakur’s estate approached him to direct a documentary called “Dear Mama,” which premieres Friday on FX and will stream the following the day on Hulu. The five-part docuseries explores how the mother-son duo of Tupac and Afeni Shakur shape...

5 years later, memories of devastating Toronto van attack live on for community

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:45:30 GMT

On the first unseasonably warm day of the year, a bustling area in north Toronto sees a variety of pedestrians out enjoying the sun: mothers push strollers, teens leaving school chat in groups and office workers in suits gather outside for their lunch breaks.There are few visible signs that the deadliest attack in Toronto’s history _ and one of Canada’s worst mass murders _ took place on this stretch of Yonge Street on a similarly sunny day five years ago, when a man deliberately drove a rented van down a busy sidewalk on April 23, 2018.In a local park, a modest plaque provides one small reminder of the rampage that left 10 dead and 16 injured that day. A permanent city memorial is still in the works.For some who live and work in the area, however, memories of the attack remain vivid in their minds.“Every time I work around here, every time I crosswalk, I always remind myself, maybe I’ve got to be careful before I start walking,” says Jiyong Lee, who li...

Argentina’s President Fernández won’t seek reelection

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:45:30 GMT

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina’s President Alberto Fernández announced Friday he won’t seek reelection for a second term this year, a decision that follows months of infighting among the ruling coalition as it grapples with a fragile economy and galloping inflation. The center-left president’s unexpected announcement, which he made through a video posted on social media titled “my decision,” came as he was faced increasing pressure from coalition members not to run and polls showing declining approval ratings.The decision immediately shook up Argentina’s political landscape months away from August primaries and the October presidential election. During the seven-and-a-half-minute video, Fernández never actually said he won’t be running for president, but he made that intention clear by saying that on Dec. 10 he would be handing over the presidential sash to whoever is elected, adding that he will “fervently work so that it is a partner from our political space.”Fernández a...

Missing 3-year-old girl believed to be with mother: Chicago police

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:45:30 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago police are searching for a missing 3-year-old girl who they believe is with her mother.Ariel Brown was last seen Thursday in the 6200 block of South Emerald in the Englewood neighborhood. Police said she should be in the company of her mother, Tatyana Brown.Ariel Brown, 3At the time of her disappearance, Ariel was wearing a green shirt with stars, grey leggings, multi-color shoes with her hair in a ponytail.She is described as being three-feet tall and weighing about 30-40 lbs.Anyone with information on her whereabouts should contact Chicago police or detectives at 312-747-8380 or 9-1-1.