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US government sanctions Russians on the board of Alfa Group in response to war in Ukraine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday imposed financial sanctions against four Russians on the board of Alfa Group, one of Russia’s largest conglomerates with interests in oil, natural gas and banking.The sanctions are part of continuing efforts to place restrictions on the economy of Russia and its wealthiest powerbrokers, a response to its invasion last year of Ukraine and the ensuing war. Sanctioned by Treasury are Petr Olegovich Aven, Mikhail Maratovich Fridman, German Borisovich Khan and Alexey Viktorovich Kuzmichev.“Wealthy Russian elites should disabuse themselves of the notion that they can operate business as usual while the Kremlin wages war against the Ukrainian people,” said Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo. “Our international coalition will continue to hold accountable those enabling the unjustified and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.”Also sanctioned is the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. The group is involved in the te...

Foundations seek to advance AI for good – and also protect the world from its threats

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:39 GMT

While technology experts sound the alarm on the pace of artificial-intelligence development, philanthropists — including long-established foundations and tech billionaires — have been responding with an uptick in grants.Much of the philanthropy is focused on what is known as technology for good or “ethical AI,” which explores how to solve or mitigate the harmful effects of artificial-intelligence systems. Some scientists believe AI can be used to predict climate disasters and discover new drugs to save lives. Others are warning that the large language models could soon upend white-collar professions, fuel misinformation, and threaten national security.What philanthropy can do to influence the trajectory of AI is starting to emerge. Billionaires who earned their fortunes in technology are more likely to support projects and institutions that emphasize the positive outcomes of AI, while foundations not endowed with tech money have tended to focus more on AI’s dangers.For example, form...

Dog finds woman in cornfield, 2 days after she disappeared in Michigan crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:39 GMT

BRIGHTON, Mich. (AP) — A woman who was missing after being seriously injured in a car crash was finally discovered two days later by a police dog in a dense cornfield in southeastern Michigan, authorities said.“We knew she didn’t have much longer in order to live,” said state Trooper Jeff Schrieber, who found the woman with Woodson, his specially trained dog.The 45-year-old woman, whose name wasn’t released, was involved in a crash Sunday in Livingston County’s Deerfield Township, 45 miles (72.4 kilometers) northwest of Detroit.Her car was found but she was not at the vehicle. By Tuesday, two days later, the state police got involved. Troopers searched for nine hours among mature corn plants.“It feels like needles going in your face as you’re going through the corn at a high rate of speed with the dog,” Schrieber told WXYZ-TV.Finally, Woodson pulled hard and led his handler to the woman, who was nearly a mile from the crash site.“I was able to get her awake. … One ...

‘Perfect storm’ causing constant delays at Air Canada, despite windfall profits: CEO

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:39 GMT

MONTREAL — A “perfect storm” of problems lies behind Air Canada’s wave of flight delays over the summer, its CEO said, even as the country’s largest airline roars back to profitability.Despite more staff and revamped technology, Air Canada’s operations in June and July failed to meet “expected levels,” Michael Rousseau told analysts on a conference call Friday.The chief executive identified “severe weather” — thunderstorms, in particular — and “global supply chain issues” as culprits.Flight tardiness and cancellations have particularly plagued Air Canada’s large network of regional flights, run by Jazz Aviation. Rousseau cited a pilot shortage amid new competitors such as Flair Airlines and Lynx Air, stricter regulations on shift length as well as enrolment at flight schools, which shrank during the COVID-19 pandemic.“We have this almost perfect storm that exists at this point in time,” Rousseau said...

Stock market today: Wall Street is mixed after pickup in wholesale inflation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:39 GMT

BEIJING — Stocks are mixed on Wall Street in morning trading Friday, as investors review reports on inflation and consumer sentiment for clues about the Federal Reserve’s next move on interest rates. The S&P 500 was down 0.2% after spending much of the morning wavering between small gains and losses. The benchmark index is still on pace for its second losing week in a row. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 79 points, or 0.2%, at 35,254, as of 11:07 a.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq composite was 0.6% lower, reflecting a pullback in big tech companies. Stocks lost ground in the early going after the Labor Department reported Friday that its producer price index, which measures inflation before it hits consumers, rose 0.8% last month from July 2022. The latest figure followed a 0.2% year-over-year increase in June, which had been the smallest annual rise since August 2020.While modest, the increase in wholesale prices last month could help persuade the Federal Reserve that...

Akwesasne police detain 13 people suspected of trying to cross illegally into U.S.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:39 GMT

MONTREAL — Akwesasne Mohawk police say they recently detained 13 people who were allegedly attempting to cross illegally into the United States from Canada.Police say they received a call on Saturday regarding foreign nationals on the American side of the territory in the village of Kana:takon, also known as St. Regis.Officers found a family of four walking down the road and another family of nine in a private home, and turned them over to Canadian authorities. The news comes after the bodies of eight Indian and Romanian migrants were found near an overturned boat in March in the waters off Akwesasne, which straddles Quebec, Ontario and New York state.The body of 30-year-old Casey Oakes, who had last been seen operating the boat, was found last month. Akwesasne police say human smuggling is a serious crime and are encouraging residents to report any suspicious people or activities. 

Child, 3, dies on migrant bus to Chicago: Tribune

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:39 GMT

CHICAGO -- A three-year-old child died aboard a migrant bus to Chicago, the Tribune reported. The Chicago Tribune stated that an Illinois Department of Public Health official confirmed the child died while entering the Chicago area. Since last year, about 12,000 migrants have been bussed to Chicago by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, without warning. The city has been trying to find spaces to temporarily house them along with dealing with concerned community members and response from the police. Illinois Supreme Court upholds state’s ban on semiautomatic weapons The city confirmed that many migrants have arrived in Chicago from Venezuela and other regions like Africa, Europe and the Middle East. The city currently has about 14 operating shelters and has a goal to get migrant families out of residing in police station lobbies. The cause of death of the child has not been released and WGN will update as more information is recovered.

Lollapalooza lures record number of hotel guests, but Taylor Swift is still queen

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:39 GMT

CHICAGO — More people stayed in downtown hotels for Lollapalooza weekend than any other time in the music festival’s 32-year run Chicago.A whopping 131,190 hotel room nights were booked Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, according to the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association. That’s not only a record for Lolla weekend but also 18% higher than last year.  As Chicago works to bounce back from the pandemic experts are closely watching hotel occupancy numbers to see if tourists can help fill the crater left by a lull in business travelers.“Last weekend was the second best weekend of the summer for Chicago hotels,” Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association president and CEO Michael Jacobson said. “It is major events like these that not only benefit Chicago’s economy but boosts our city’s image and reputation on the global scale.” Beyoncé vs Taylor Swift vs NASCAR: Who’s been the biggest boon to Chicago? While Lollapalooza drew huge crowds downtown, Taylor Swift is still the reigning q...

A rare picture & yearbooks of Michael Jordan sell big at auction

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:39 GMT

NEW YORK — A picture is sometimes worth a thousand words, but one taken of the best player in Bulls' history is worth a lot more than that.At least that's the case at the 2023 Lelands Classic Summer Auction, which closed on August 5, where a picture of Michael Jordan netted some big money at auction.This PSA Type 1 photograph of Jordan from his rookie year sold for $141,954 from a buyer who wanted this piece of memorabilia from the six-time NBA champion and five-time regular season MVP.It's from his first game against Washington on October 26, 1984 at Chicago Stadium, showing him dribbling up the court with his tongue hanging out. The photograph was taken for the Chicago Sun Times. Jordan would score 16 points with seven assists, six rebounds, and four blocks in 40 minutes of action that night in the first of 1,072 regular season games. It was Orlando Woolridge who would lead the charge for the Bulls that night, scoring 28 points in a 109-93 win.Along with this picture, two of Jorda...

Pilots' miscommunication blamed for United jet's plunge toward ocean: NTSB

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:39 GMT

(The Hill) -- The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Friday that a December incident in which a United Airlines flight came within 750 feet of the ocean was caused by pilot miscommunication.In a report on the incident, the NTSB said United Flight 1722, a Boeing 777, “lost altitude” a “minute after departure” from Kahului Airport on the island of Maui in Hawaii on Dec. 18. The flight descended about 1,350 feet to nearly 750 feet above the water. “No injuries were reported and the airplane was not damaged,” the report said.  Maui mayor compares wildfire destruction to ‘war zone’ The NTSB concluded the incident was caused by “the flight crew’s failure to manage the airplane’s vertical flightpath, airspeed and pitch attitude” after a “miscommunication about the captain’s desired flap setting during the initial climb.” The Hill has reached out to United for comment.A passenger on flight 1722 interviewed by CNN in February said the incident reminded him of the ...