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Australia in talks with Indonesia about a possible challenge to Saudi Arabia for the 2034 World Cup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:22 GMT

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) — Soccer officials in Australia and Indonesia have floated the idea of teaming up in a bid to rival Saudi Arabia for the hosting rights to the men’s World Cup in 2034.The Sydney Morning Herald reported comments Wednesday from Indonesia soccer federation president Erick Thohir about ongoing talks that could also include Malaysia and Singapore in a possible bid.Indonesia is being linked with a bid despite having the men’s Under-20 World Cup taken away by FIFA this year amid political turmoil because the Muslim-majority nation did not want to stage games involving Israel.Argentina ended up hosting the under-20 tournament at short notice.FIFA could have disciplined the Indonesian federation for breaching hosting duties but instead rewarded the country weeks later by naming it as host of the men’s Under-17 World Cup. Israel did not qualify for the under-17 edition, which starts next month.Thohir is an Indonesian government minister who has ties to FIFA president Gi...

France’s top body rejects contention by campaigners that racial profiling by police is systemic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:22 GMT

PARIS (AP) — France’s highest administrative authority on Wednesday rejected an effort by rights campaigners to end what they allege is a systemic and generalized practice by French police of targeting Black people and people of Arab descent for stops and checks.Local grassroots organizations and international rights groups had hoped that a favorable ruling from the Council of State could force deep reforms within French law enforcement to end racial profiling.In its decision, the Council of State said witness testimony and other evidence presented in the class-action case established that French police do subject people to checks because of their physical characteristics. It also said such checks don’t appear to be isolated cases and are harmful to the people targeted. But the ruling said discriminatory checks aren’t systemic or generalized. The Council of State is France’s ultimate arbiter on the use of power by authorities. The plaintiffs’ lawsuit, France’...

Keith Urban shares the secret to a great song ahead of Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Ceremony

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:22 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Country superstar Keith Urban and Kix Brooks of powerhouse duo Brooks & Dunn will be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame on Wednesday night at Nashville’s Music City Center.Urban, a four-time Grammy Award winning musician, is being celebrated at the 53rd anniversary gala for hits such as “But for the Grace of God,” “Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me” and “Days Go By.” Kix Brooks’ songwriting in Brooks & Dunn helped shaped the iconic ’90s country music sound, with tracks like the Grammy-nominated “Brand New Man,” “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone” and “Only in America.”Other inductees include Casey Beathard and David Lee Murphy, in the contemporary songwriter category, and Rafe Van Hoy in the veteran songwriter category.When asked to share the secret behind great songwriting in advance of the ceremony, Urban told The Associated Press over the phone: “It’s one of the most elusive things. Some days it just flows and other days, there’s n...

Canada plans to airlift citizens from Israel by end of week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:22 GMT

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says the federal government will begin to airlift Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their families from Tel Aviv by the end of the week.Speaking in Ottawa on Wednesday morning, Joly would not confirm whether any Canadians are being held hostage in Gaza, but she says three Canadians have died in the violence in the region.She says Canadian Armed Forces flights to Athens will be arranged in the coming days and the government will help arrange flights to Canada.“We have secured, with Air Canada, a plane and a crew to bring Canadians home from Athens,” Joly said.Chief of the defence staff Gen. Wayne Eyre says the first Polaris plane will land in Athens later Wednesday and the Air Force will run a shuttle service.As of Tuesday, Joly says there were 4,249 Canadians registered in Israel and another 476 in the West Bank and Gaza.She says Canada will work with the United Nations if there is an evacuation from Gaza but so far there ar...

Chinese carmaker Geely and Malaysia’s Proton consider EV plant in Thailand, Thai prime minister says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:22 GMT

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s national carmaker Proton and its Chinese partner Geely are considering setting up a plant in Thailand to produce electric vehicles, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Wednesday.Srettha said after talks with Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim that the two sides would hold a meeting to identify the next step “and move forward quickly.” He didn’t provide further details. Geely holds a 49.9% stake in Proton, which is owned by local conglomerate DRB-Hicom Berhad. The Chinese carmaker’s entry into Proton in 2017 has given it a foothold in Southeast Asia and helped restore the fortune of the once dominant Malaysian brand. DRB-Hicom and Geely earlier Wednesday formalized a deal to develop an automotive hub in Tanjung Malim in central Perak state, in which Geely is expected to invest 10 billion ringgit ($2.1 billion). Srettha, who took office last month, arrived earlier Wednesday in Malaysia as part of a regional tour to woo...

Israeli strikes demolish entire neighborhoods as Gaza power plant runs out of fuel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:22 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinians in the sealed-off Gaza Strip struggled to find any safe area Wednesday, as Israeli strikes demolished entire neighborhoods, hospitals ran low on supplies and the territory's only power plant ran out of fuel, deepening the misery of a war sparked by a stunning and deadly assault by Hamas militants.Airstrikes smashed entire city blocks to rubble in the tiny coastal enclave and left unknown numbers of bodies beneath mounds of debris. The bombardment raged on even though militants are holding an estimated 150 people snatched from Israel — soldiers, men, women, children and older adults.Israel has vowed unprecedented retaliation against the Hamas militant group ruling the Palestinian territory after its fighters stormed through the border fence Saturday and gunned down hundreds of Israelis in their homes, on the streets and at an outdoor music festival. Since then, militants have continued to fire rockets at Israel, including a heavy...

Mayor Johnson to deliver first budget address Wednesday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:22 GMT

CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson will deliver his first budget address Wednesday. It is expected to cover everything from filling the more than nearly $540 million budget shortfall to the growing cost of the migrant crisis.The mayor has been warning for weeks this was going to be a challenging budget.Johnson came into office with progressive goals — opening mental health clinics and pouring millions into programs for the homeless, and his treatment not trauma plan.Johnson wants to do this without raising property taxes and with some federal relief dollars ending.While campaigning for mayor, Johnson proposed a number of revenue generating ideas, most included fees and taxes aimed at the wealthy.The Chicago Sun-Times reports Johnson recently hinted the elimination of 1,700 police vacancies. The nearly $540 million gap for next year, according to the Chicago Tribune report, is attributed to revenues dropping and expenditures growing by about 9% over this year's budget.The migrant crisis...

'Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour' may be game-changing for movie industry

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:22 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Greg Marcus has been in the movie business for years but he never expected to be urging moviegoers to take out their phones during a film — let alone to be crafting friendship bracelets in preparation for an opening weekend.But there the chief executive and chair of the Marcus Corporation is in a promotion for his theater chain headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, stringing beads together while humming “Shake It Off.”Movie theaters are readying for an onslaught like they’ve never seen before, beginning Friday when “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” debuts. The concert film, compiled from several Swift shows at Southern California’s SoFi Stadium, is expected to launch with $100 million, or possibly more. Advance ticket sales worldwide have already surpassed $100 million.Swifties will descend. Dancing will be encouraged.“This is different,” says Marcus. “Take your phone out. Take selfies. Dance, sing, get up, have a good time. We want to crea...

Dean's Home Video: 'Frasier' is back

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:22 GMT

CHICAGO — One of the most popular sitcoms from the 1990s and early-to-mid 2000s is making its return nearly 20 years later.Kelsey Grammer is returning for a reboot of "Frasier" that's set to be released on Paramount+ on Thursday with a ten-episode season with the actor reprising the role of Dr. Frasier Crane. The return of that sitcom was the highlight of this week's "Dean's Home Video" on Wednesday's WGN Morning News as Dean Richards took a look at the releases on streaming services this week. He also took a look at "Goosebumps," "The Fall of the House of Usher," "Lessons in Chemistry," "The Burial," and more during the segment.You can watch this episode of "Dean's Home Video" from the October 11 morning news in the video above.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

Granite Shoals Mayor, councilmember resign

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:22 GMT

GRANITE SHOALS (KXAN) — Granite Shoals Mayor Kiel Arnone and City Councilmember Kevin Flack resigned from their positions during Tuesday night's council meeting.During his resignation speech, Arnone said “our current city council has spent more time tearing good people down than leading.”His resignation comes one week after a special meeting resulted in City Manager Peggy Smith being placed on a performance plan.Smith has been under scrutiny after local leaders discovered discrepancies in her proposed budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year.Arnone had hoped to terminate the city manager's contract and hire an interim."I do not want to be associated with a city council that believes the financial mismanagement of a city is acceptable,” he told KXAN.Instead, city council voted 5-1 on October 3rd to keep Smith on board with a personal improvement plan that included frequent performance evaluations.Arnone was the sole opposing vote while council member Flack abstained.Immediately following t...