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Head of Mexican immigration agency charged after fatal fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:20 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The head of Mexico’s National Immigration Institute will face criminal charges for a fire that killed 40 migrants in a locked cell, the federal Attorney General’s Office said Tuesday.The office said in a statement that the head of the immigration agency was criminally remiss in not preventing the fire, despite earlier incidents showed the situation at the country’s migrant detention centers needed correcting.Prosecutors said the case showed a “pattern of irresponsibility,” their statement released just hours after Mexico’s president said two guards seen fleeing when the fire broke out did not have keys to the cell door.The head of the immigration agency, Francisco Garduño, could not be immediately contacted for comment. Prosecutors said another official would also face charges, but did specify exactly what they were.The comments by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador earlier in the day came on the same day that the bodies of 17 Guatemala migrants and...

Asian shares moderately higher with focus on inflation data

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:20 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher Wednesday, as markets watched for key inflation data likely to influence the Federal Reserve’s stance on interest rates. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.6% in early trading to 28,096.74. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 0.6% to 7,352.10. South Korea’s Kospi edged less than 1 point lower, to 2,547.27.Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index lost 0.7% to 20,345.23 and the Shanghai Composite index added 0.3% to 3,322.39. “Broader markets remain laser-focused on this week’s critical inflation data as market participants attempt to tease out the state of the economy and the course the Fed might take from here,” Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management, said in a report.On Wall Street, the S&P 500 had its smallest one-day move in more than a year, slipping 0.17 points, or less than 0.1%, to 4,108.94. Most of the stocks in the index rose, as did the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which gained 0.3% to 33,68...

Israeli army kills 2 alleged Palestinian gunmen in West Bank

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:20 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military shot and killed two Palestinians who allegedly opened fire at troops from their car in the northern West Bank on Tuesday, authorities said, the latest incident in a wave of deadly violence gripping the occupied territory. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the two men killed in the West Bank village of Deir al Hatab as Saud Abdullah Saud and Mohammed Abu Dira, without saying their ages.The Israeli military said the men shot at an Israeli outpost near the settlement of Elon Moreh, south of the Palestinian city of Nablus. Israeli soldiers on patrol opened fire, killing the two alleged gunmen.Palestinian media reported that a third gunman was in the car during the drive-by shooting and fled the area. Israeli security forces said they were searching for other suspected assailants and found a pair of M-16 rifles and a pistol at the scene. The local armed group of the Balata refugee camp, a militant stronghold near Nablus, identified the two m...

Mexican official fired for ordering rays’ stingers removed

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:20 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Officials in northern Mexico said Tuesday they have filed complaints against a local employee who ordered fishermen to rip the stingers off live rays to protect tourists during Easter week. The governor of the northern state of Sonora, Alfonso Durazo, called it an act of “caveman logic to protect tourists” in the town of Huatabampo. “Who could think of such a thing? What world do they live in?” Durazo said, adding he had reported the offense to the Attorney General for Environmental Protection. People were shocked when videos of the mutilations began to circulate this week. Some of the fishermen were shown ripping out the spiny stinger with gloved hands, and tossing the sting rays back into the Pacific. While some claimed the rays could survive and re-grow their stingers, it was unclear if that was true, or how many would survive the brutal treatment. The creatures involved were a smaller species related to the larger, better-known manta rays. It was unclear exact...

Search underway for missing person in Niles

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:20 GMT

NILES, Ill. — A heavy police presence was seen in a Cook County forest preserve Tuesday.According to Forest Preserves of Cook County Police, law enforcement searched a forest preserve near the 6700 block of North Milwaukee Ave in Niles, along the North Branch Trail near the Chicago River.Forest Preserve officials said the heavy police presence in the area was a part of a missing person's investigation in which law enforcement searched around the river and surrounding preserves for most of Tuesday afternoon and evening.While Forest Preserves police began the investigation, the Chicago Police Department has taken over as the leading investigative agency and will provide updates moving forward.No other information is available at this time.Stay with WGN as this story develops.

Velázquez hits grand slam as Cubs rally past Mariners 14-9

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:20 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Nelson Velázquez hit his first career grand slam in Chicago's eight-run third inning, and the Cubs rallied for a 14-9 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night.Dansby Swanson went 4 for 4 and Trey Mancini homered as the Cubs won for the fifth time in six games. Mancini had three RBIs, and Nico Hoerner had two hits and drove in two runs.Velázquez had three hits and scored three times in his first start since he was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Monday.Swanson posted his fifth career four-hit game before departing in the sixth with tightness on his left side. He is batting .400 (16 for 40) in his first 10 games with his new team.Eugenio Suárez and Jarred Kelenic homered for Seattle in its third consecutive loss. Suárez drove in three runs, and Ty France finished with three hits and two RBIs.The Mariners made the most of errors by Swanson and Mancini in the second, scoring five unearned runs on their way to a 7-0 lead.But the Cubs responded in the third, sendin...

Where DPS is patrolling in Austin and why

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:20 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Stabbings and shootings have decreased in Austin since the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) upped patrols in Austin, according to the Austin Police Department (APD)."If there's a perception that there's more police in the area, you're going to be less likely to commit that crime," said Asst. Chief Jeff Greenwalt. "And conversely, if you haven't seen a cop in a while, and there's a perception there's not enough cops on the street - they're going to feel more emboldened and more powered to commit those crimes." How many arrests has DPS made since it began its partnership with Austin Police? The increased DPS patrols began March 30, as a response to staffing challenges faced by APD. Greenwalt said APD asked DPS to help primarily with the below three efforts:Traffic stops for things like speeding to prevent deadly accidentsResponding to crashes so drivers can get help more quicklyPatrolling violent crime "hot spot" areasRegarding the crime "hot spots," Greenwal...

St. Cloud airport awarded $495,000 in federal infrastructure funding

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:20 GMT

Nearly a half-million dollars in federal funding will be used to replace outdated infrastructure, among other projects, at the St. Cloud Regional Airport. U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith announced the funding during a Monday event at the airport.“It’s not just one county — you all rely on this for your constituents and for commerce,” Klobuchar said. “It (the funding) is going to make sure the radio tower equipment is up to date and able to support communication between all the people that have to coordinate to help planes take off and arrive safely.”“It’s a good deal for taxpayers, communities and military readiness for national security,” she said.Smith called St. Cloud “an important economic and cultural hub for the state.”The $495,000 in funding came from the Federal Aviation Administration through competitive bids.Smith told reporters that St. Cloud had the advantage of having a regional airport authority.“You d...

Wild loss to Jets overshadowed by ‘cheap shot’ to Marcus Johansson

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:20 GMT

The lonely Northwest Division banner that hangs in the rafters at Xcel Energy Center will officially go another year without any company.Minnesota Wild left wing Kirill Kaprizov, top left, defenseman Jake Middleton, top middle, and right wing Ryan Hartman, top right, fight with Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo, bottom left and Winnipeg Jets center Vladislav Namestnikov during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, April 11, 2023, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)After flirting with the Central Division title for a few weeks, the Wild officially cannot finish in the No. 1 spot.That much was decided on Tuesday night at when the Wild suffered a 3-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. The result means the Wild will play either the Colorado Avalanche or Dallas Stars in the first round of the NHL playoffs.That said, the Wild lost more than the game on this particular night, as Marcus Johansson went down after taking a cross check directly to the ribs.It went down as a five-mi...

Two people shot and killed in a Hazelwood home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:20 GMT

HAZELWOOD, Mo. - Two people were shot and killed during a disturbance at a Hazelwood home Tuesday night.Chief Tim Burger for the Hazelwood Police Department said officers responded to shots being fired at a home on Latty Avenue and Berkridge Road around 7:30 p.m.When officers arrived on the scene, Burger said a man was in the street holding a gun. It's unknown if shots were exchanged between the man and the officers. Burger said the witness claimed the man's gun had discharged, and he had shot himself in the head. The man was taken to a nearby hospital. Officers later found two people shot inside the home. They were pronounced dead on the scene. Top story: “Easter Miracle” for Lake St. Louis officer critically injured by suspected drunk driver Burger believed the victims and the man were related and lived together.Police have not disclosed the identities of the victims. What led up to the shooting is also unknown at this time.There were around 17 bullet casings on the scene. The i...