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Rishi Sunak slows Mexico and Canada trade talks as he eyes pre-election UK/US pact

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:00 GMT

LONDON — Crucial talks on Britain’s future trade with Canada and Mexico have been deprioritized as Rishi Sunak’s government pursues a pre-election agreement with Joe Biden’s U.S. administration.POLITICO reported this week that the U.K. and U.S. are preparing a “foundational” trade agreement designed to be wrapped up before both the U.S. president and U.K. prime minister face re-election next year.But the drive threatens to further squeeze the time that already-pressed British negotiators can commit to securing continued market access to Canada and Mexico as key elements of post-Brexit deals with each of those two countries expire.British negotiators’ agendas were so full in June that Sunak personally asked for renewed Canadian and Mexican deals to “be taken forward on a slower timeline than previously planned,” according to a memo circulated within the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and obtained by POLITICO.Expiry of parts of the Canada and Mexico agreements — which were ro...

5 things to watch in the Chicago Bears-Washington Commanders game — plus our Week 5 predictions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:00 GMT

The Chicago Bears will try to halt their 14-game losing streak when they visit the Washington Commanders for “Thursday Night Football.”The game comes just four days after the Bears dropped to 0-4 after blowing a 21-point second-half lead against the Denver Broncos. Meanwhile, the Commanders (2-2) are coming off an overtime loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.As kickoff approaches at FedEx Field, here’s our snapshot look at the game.Players in the spotlightThe Bears offensive lineThe Commanders have a formidable front four of defensive tackles Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen and defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young. The quartet has combined for 8 1/2 sacks and 19 quarterback hits.That makes for a big challenge for the Bears offensive line and quarterback Justin Fields, who has been sacked 17 times this season.“Guys are just going to have to be great on double teams, sustain blocks for a long time and really just protect,” Fields said. “We k...

Crew hand Revolution painful 2-1 loss on a late goal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:00 GMT

The New England Revolution had their 15-game home unbeaten streak snapped by a potential postseason rival that jumbled the MLS Cup playoff picture in the East.Crew defender Malte Amundsen leisurely chipped home the winner off Diego Rossi’s corner kick in the 86th minute to secure a 2-1 victory over the Revolution on Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium.The Revolution (14-7-10) dropped from third to fifth in the MLS standing with three games remaining while the Crew (15-9-8) slid into fourth place. The Revolution wrap up a stretch of three games in eight days at second place Orlando FC on Saturday night. The Revolution are 1-2-1 under interim head coach Clint Peay.“The corner could have been defended better, it’s a play where you have to attack the ball and we didn’t,” said Peay. “I thought we had some quality stretches on both sides of the ball. We dictated stretches of the game but we made two really poor mistakes that cost us.”Despite the busy stretch of games, Peay made minimal bu...

Stock market today: Asian shares rise buoyed by Wall Street rally from bonds and oil prices

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:00 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly rose Thursday, boosted by a cheaper yen that’s a plus for exporting economies in the region, although it recovered slightly in Asian trading. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 edged up 0.9% in morning trading to 30,794.97. Sydney’s S&P/ASX 200 jumped 0.5% to 6,925.50, while South Korea’s Kospi added 0.6% to 2,420.74. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong gained 0.6% to 17,295.62. Trading was closed in Shanghai for Chinese national holidays, the Mid-Autumn Festival and China’s National Day, continuing through the rest of the week. Oil prices declining overnight on Wall Street also came as positive news, although they regained some of the losses in Asian trading. A cheaper yen works as a plus for Japan and other Asian economies by boosting the value of their nations’ exports when converted from dollars into yen. The S&P 500 climbed 0.8% to claw back more than half its sharp tumble from a day earlier, which sent it to a four-...

Philippine boats breach a Chinese coast guard blockade in a faceoff near a disputed shoal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:00 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Two Philippine supply boats breached a Chinese coast guard blockade in the South China Sea on Wednesday in a recurring confrontation near a disputed shoal some fear could spark a larger security crisis that could draw in the United States.Two Philippine coast guard ships escorted the smaller supply boats, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether the ships were blocked by the Chinese coast guard from coming closer to the Second Thomas Shoal, where a small contingent of Filipino marines has stood guard for years aboard a long-marooned but still actively commissioned warship, the BRP Sierra Madre.China also claims the shoal and has surrounded it with its coast guard ships and militia vessels to prevent the Philippines from delivering construction materials that Beijing fears could be used to reinforce the Sierra Madre and turn it into a permanent territorial outpost.“Despite attempts by a significant number of China coast guard and Chinese maritime milit...

Japan has issued a tsunami advisory after an earthquake near its outlying islands

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:00 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japan has issued a tsunami advisory after an earthquake near its outlying islands. Officials say a potential tsunami could reach one meter in height. The advisory, which appears to be the lowest level of warning, asks people on islands in the Izu chain, which stretches south from the center of the main Japanese island of Honshu, to stay away from coasts and river mouths, according to NHK TV. Japan is one of the most earthquake prone places on earth. A massive quake in 2011 caused a tsunami that destroyed huge swaths of northern Japan and caused a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. The Associated Press

Fukushima nuclear plant starts 2nd release of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:00 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant said it began releasing a second batch of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea on Thursday after the first round of discharges ended smoothly.Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said workers activated a pump to dilute the treated water with large amounts of seawater, slowly sending the mixture into the ocean through an underground tunnel.The plant’s first wastewater release began Aug. 24 and ended Sept. 11. In the second discharge it plans to release another 7,800 metric tons of treated wastewater into the Pacific Ocean over 17 days. The wastewater discharges, which are expected to continue for decades, have been strongly opposed by fishing groups and neighboring countries including South Korea, where hundreds of people staged protest rallies. China banned all imports of Japanese seafood, badly hurting Japanese seafood exporters. Japan’s government has set up a relief fund to find new mark...

September sizzled to records and was so much warmer than average scientists call it ‘mind-blowing’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:00 GMT

After a summer of record-smashing heat, warming somehow got even worse in September as Earth set a new mark for how far above normal temperatures were, the European climate agency reported Thursday. Last month’s average temperature was 0.93 degrees Celsius (1.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1991-2020 average for September. That’s the warmest margin above average for a month in 83 years of records kept by the European Space Agency’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.“It’s just mind-blowing really,” said Copernicus Director Carlo Buontempo. “Never seen anything like that in any month in our records.”While July and August had hotter raw temperatures because they are warmer months on the calendar, September had what scientists call the biggest anomaly, or departure from normal. Temperature anomalies are crucial pieces of data in a warming world.“This is not a fancy weather statistic,” Imperial College of London climate scientist Friederike Otto said in an email. “It’s a death sent...

'Naked neighbor' charged after WGN Investigates report

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:00 GMT

Female residents frustrated by a frequently naked neighbor in a downtown high-rise have finally gotten police to focus on their case. They’ve complained for more than two years to everyone from building management to their alderman, police and even the man himself. All to no avail.A “daily nightmare” is how Streeterville resident Kaitlyn Brynarski summed it up in August.  She described a view so violating she fears opening her curtains and is considering selling her condo. “24/7, he’s nude in his unit,” she said. “For 10-to-15 minutes a day, he will go near the windows and expose himself and touch himself.”MORE FROM WGN INVESTIGATES: Illinois DCFS director resignsA second woman, who asked not to be identified, kept a log during a recent 10-month span. By her count, the man exposed himself a total of 68 times, sometimes multiple times a day. “I do feel like it’s a form of sexual harassment,” she said in August.The women filed police reports that say the man has wa...

Autumn? Says who? In Chicago, it's Affy Tapple Season’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:00 GMT

CHICAGO — When the leaves start to turn to color of caramel, and the air is as crisp as an apple, you know it’s fall in Chicago. But to some, the season has another name: “It’s caramel apple season – it’s Affy Tapple season,” said Wendy Bettinger, the customer service manager Affy Tapple, the beloved Chicago company that creates the indulgent snack that has become a fall tradition.Along with brands like Lou Malnati’s, Vienna Beef and Garrett Popcorn, Affy Tapple is one of the city’s favorite foods. “It is definitely one of the iconic Chicago brands,” said Affy Tapple’s owner, Josephine Beavers. This year the caramel apple company is celebrating 75 years in business. In 1948, Affy Tapple opened its first factory on Clark Street in Rogers Park and soon it became a staple of school fundraisers in the city and suburbs.  “It’s a nostalgic brand, obviously, and I think it goes back to a lot of our childhoods,” said Brandon Beavers, the company’s president and CEO. More from Mike Lo...