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German central bank sees the economy stagnating again in the 3rd quarter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:57 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s central bank anticipates that the country’s economy, Europe’s biggest, will be more or less stagnant again in the current quarter — adding to a string of weak performances.German gross domestic product stagnated in the second quarter after declining in both of the two previous quarters as the country struggled with high energy prices, rising borrowing costs and weakness in China, which has been a key trading partner.The International Monetary Fund forecast last month that Germany would be the globe’s only major economy to shrink this year, even with feeble economic growth around the world amid rising interest rates and the threat of growing inflation.A monthly report Monday from the Bundesbank, Germany’s central bank, indicated that the picture isn’t about to improve. “In the third quarter of 2023, German economic output will probably remain largely unchanged again,” it wrote.The bank said that, while private spending should cont...

Is it illegal for your dog to sit on your lap while driving?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:57 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — It's adorable to watch your dog look out the driver's seat window as they rest comfortably on your lap, but it's more dangerous for both you and the dog. Keeping your dog in the backseat while you drive even though they'd prefer your lap isn't a form of unusual punishment, it's actually safer. There's no specific law prohibiting your furry friend from sitting on your lap, but there can be consequences if your furbaby becomes a distraction. Dog rescued after 5 nights, 4 days alone in mountains "There's really no law that restricts a dog to a certain part of the vehicle. With that said though, if somebody rides with a dog, or really any kind of animal on their lap, and it causes them to violate some other traffic law, that's when it's a problem," said Colorado State Patrol Public Information Officer Sgt. Troy Kessler. "It typically becomes careless driving because you're not driving with regard, you're allowing your focus, which shouldn't be on the road, to be taken...

Lakewood city council member calls on stricter rules after dog mauling

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:57 GMT

LAKEWOOD, Colo. (KDVR) — After a 6-year-old boy was viciously mauled by dogs in a Lakewood neighborhood, one city leader is calling on stricter enforcement to prevent this from happening again.The incident happened last Wednesday in a neighborhood near Yale and Sheridan. The dog attack happened in Anita Springsteen's ward, she is a Lakewood council member in Ward 3.Springsteen said in order to prevent this from happening again, several city departments need to enforce rules in an area she feels is underserved."I had a lot of concerns about how this little boy was injured so badly," Springsteen said. Fate of dogs unknown after mauling 6-year-old at Lakewood park Diego Dominguez-Inungarai was mauled by two dogs and left bloodied and scarred, undergoing multiple medical procedures and more left to go."I think it's inexcusable that a little boy would be attacked by dogs in this manner," Springsteen said.Diego was walking to a park in the Thraemoor neighborhood with his aunt when the a...

A woman in California was killed after an argument over a Pride flag hanging outside her clothing store, deputies say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:57 GMT

(CNN) — The owner of a clothing store in southern California was killed after an argument about a rainbow Pride flag hanging outside the business, deputies said.Laura Ann “Lauri” Carleton, 66, was found suffering from a gunshot wound Friday evening at her store Mag.Pi in Cedar Glen, just east of Lake Arrowhead, a news release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.“Through further investigation, detectives learned the suspect made several disparaging remarks about a rainbow flag that stood outside the store before shooting Carleton,” the release said.The suspect, who hasn’t been identified by investigators, ran away after the shooting and was later found about a mile away, still armed, deputies said.“When deputies attempted to contact the suspect, a lethal force encounter occurred and the suspect was pronounced deceased,” the sheriff’s department said. “No deputies were injured during the incident.”The shooting c...

Chicago baseball report: Cubs start 7-game road trip with ample opportunities, while White Sox mark special family and career moments

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:57 GMT

The Chicago Cubs did not let a series-opening loss to the lowly Kansas City Royals derail their weekend, delivering a series win led by Justin Steele and Kyle Hendricks.After a week of interleague games against the Cubs and Colorado Rockies, the Sox will see plenty of the American League West with the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics coming to Guaranteed Rate Field.Every Monday throughout the season, Tribune baseball writers will provide an update on what happened — and what’s ahead for the Cubs and Sox.Cubs not taking their schedule for grantedThe Cubs took care of business as they needed to against the second-worst team in baseball over the weekend.Coming off their series win versus the Kansas City Royals, the Cubs must continue to secure series victories the rest of the way, and the current stretch in their schedule provides ample opportunities. They begin a seven-game road trip Monday in Detroit before a four-game set in Pittsburgh that leads into back-to-back ...

Former Chicago Bulls general manager Gar Forman sells Buffalo Grove home for $740,000

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:57 GMT

Former Chicago Bulls general manager Gar Forman and his wife, Leslie, on Aug. 15 sold their five-bedroom, 4,011-square-foot house in Buffalo Grove for $740,000.Forman, 63, started with the Bulls as a scout and worked his way up through the team’s leadership ranks until he became the Bulls’ general manager in 2009. He led the Bulls to the playoffs in seven of his 10 seasons as general manager, but he was ousted from the team in April 2020 during a season that was suspended for a time by the COVID-19 pandemic and that also was marked by poor performance.Forman, who also owns a home in the Las Vegas area, most recently has been a special advisor to the New Orleans Pelicans.In Buffalo Grove, the Formans paid $536,000 in 2003 to buy the house from former Bulls guard Fred Hoiberg and his wife, Carol. Years later, in 2015, Hoiberg was hired as the Bulls’ head coach, and Hoiberg worked under Forman until Hoiberg was fired three and a half years later.Built in 1997, the hou...

British nurse Lucy Letby imprisoned for life for the murders of 7 babies and attempted murders of 6

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:57 GMT

By DANICA KIRKA and BRIAN MELLEY (Associated Press)LONDON (AP) — A former neonatal nurse who killed seven babies in her care and tried to kill six others at a hospital in northern England was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of release by a judge who highlighted “the cruelty and calculation” of her actions.Lucy Letby, who refused to appear in court to face grieving parents who spoke of their anger and anguish, was given the most severe sentence possible under British law, which does not allow the death penalty.Justice James Goss said that the number of killings and attempts and the nature of the murders by a neonatal nurse entrusted with care for the most fragile babies provided the “exceptional circumstances” required to impose a so-called “whole-life order,” which is exceptionally rare.“There was a malevolence bordering on sadism in your action,” Goss said. “During the course of this trial you have coldly...

Kyle Hendricks reclaims classic form: 4 takeaways from the Chicago Cubs’ 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:57 GMT

If ever the Cubs would need classic Kyle Hendricks it’s now, in the thick of a playoff chase.Marcus Stroman’s right rib cartilage fracture will keep him out indefinitely, and the Cubs hope reliever Drew Smyly will be up to the task when he starts Tuesday, so Hendricks is the next best bet behind Justin Steele.On Sunday, Hendricks delivered during a 4-3 win over the Royals — backed by home runs from Seiya Suzuki and Miguel Amaya — to close out the series 2-1.During a challenging August in which his ERA inflated to 4.00, he showed a little vintage Hendricks, touching 90 mph a couple of times.“Yeah, it’s been a while,” Hendricks said. “I mean, it definitely shows me I’m doing the right things. And I’m where I need to be strength-wise.“You do get a little pumped, and I think the guys get excited behind me when they see it.”That includes manager David Ross, who added, “That was cool, that was really nice. So it...

Phil Lind, who helped build Rogers as a director and executive, dies at 80

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:57 GMT

TORONTO — Phil Lind, who helped build Rogers Communications Inc. as an executive and board member, died Sunday. He was 80.Rogers chair Edward Rogers says Lind worked for Rogers for 54 years, including nearly 40 with his father and helped build the company into a telecom and media powerhouse.He says Lind was involved in every key decision in the company’s history.Lind joined the company in 1969 as programming chief when it owned two radio stations and had about 10,000 cable subscribers.He went on to become a key adviser to Ted Rogers and serve in various positions including senior vice-president, programming and planning.Lind, who was most recently vice-chair of the board, was also a member of the advisory committee to the Rogers Control Trust, which controls the company.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX: RCI. B)The Canadian Press

A decade after a sarin gas attack in a Damascus suburb, Syrian survivors lose hope for justice

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:57 GMT

AFRIN, Syria (AP) — One summer night a decade ago, the al-Shami family was woken up by a roaring sound or rockets but it wasn’t followed by the usual explosions. Instead, the family members started having difficulty breathing. Ghiad al-Shami, 26, remembers how everyone tried to run to the rooftop of their apartment building in eastern Ghouta, a Damascus suburb that at the time was held by opposition fighters trying to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad.Al-Shami’s mother, three sisters and two brothers died that night — victims of the Aug. 21, 2013 sarin gas attack that killed hundreds and left thousands of others hurt.Ten years on, al-Shami and other survivors say there has been no accountability for the attack and for the other atrocities committed in Syria during the country’s brutal civil war, now in its 13th year. Over the past year, Assad’s government — accused by the United Nations of repeated chemical weapons attacks on Syrian civilians — has been ab...