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Nigeria mulls G20 bloc membership as president heads to India to attend summit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:35 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu left for India on Monday to attend this year’s G20 summit, as his country considers joining the bloc of major world economies, presidential spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale said.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended a special invitation to Tinubu, as Nigeria’s membership is under consideration.“While Nigeria’s membership of the G-20 is desirable, the government has embarked on wide-ranging consultations with a view to ascertaining the benefits and risks of membership,” Ngelale said in a statement.The G20 brings together 19 countries and the European Union, with India currently holding its presidency, which rotates annually among the members. Many world leaders are expected to attend the two-day global summit in New Delhi.If Nigeria joins the G20 bloc, it would be the second African country after South Africa to join the league of the most industrialized nations of the world. Nigeria has the highest GDP in Afric...

Tens of thousands still stranded by Burning Man flooding in Nevada desert

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:35 GMT

BLACK ROCK DESERT, Nev. (AP) — Tens of thousands of partygoers were still stranded Monday morning in the northern Nevada desert after a late-summer storm turned a week-long counterculture fest into a mud pit. Burning Man organizers said the main road leading out of the festival was still too muddy for a mass exodus of RVs and vehicles to safely exit but hoped traffic could begin flowing around noon Monday.Organizers closed the festival to vehicles after more than a half an inch (1.3 centimeters) of rain on Friday drenched the Black Rock Desert about 110 miles (177 kilometers) north of Reno.The annual gathering attracts nearly 80,000 artists, musicians and activists for a mix of wilderness camping and avant-garde performances. Disruptions are part of the event’s recent history: Organizers had to temporarily close entrances to the festival in 2018 due to dust storms, and the event was twice canceled altogether during the pandemic.“We are a little bit dirty and muddy but spirits ...

Putin has dashed global hopes for reviving the Ukraine grain deal. This is why it matters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:35 GMT

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Vladimir Putin on Monday, hoping to persuade the Russian leader to rejoin the Black Sea grain deal that Moscow broke off from in July. But Putin made it clear that the initiative would not be restored until Moscow’s expectations for Russian agricultural exports are met.Here are some key things to know and what’s at stake:WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME OF THE TALKS?Putin and Erdogan met for more than three hours on Russia’s southern coast after weeks of speculation about when and where they might meet. Erdogan had previously said Putin would travel to Turkey in August. Putin, however, poured cold water over hopes for a revival of the grain initiative, saying the West must first meet its obligations to facilitate Russian agricultural exports. WHY DID RUSSIA LEAVE THE GRAIN DEAL?The Kremlin refused to renew the grain agreement when it expired in July. The deal — brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July 2022 — ha...

Ontario Greenbelt controversy timeline

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:35 GMT

Embattled Ontario Housing Minister Steve Clark stepped down from his cabinet role on Monday following weeks of criticism over his handling of efforts to remove land from the province’s protected Greenbelt.Here is a timeline of events in the controversy:Nov. 4, 2022: Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark announces via news release that Ontario would remove 7,400 acres in 15 different areas of the Greenbelt, while adding 9,400 acres elsewhere, in order to build 50,000 homes. It contradicted a pledge he made in 2021 not to open up the Greenbelt “to any kind of development.”Nov. 11: CBC reports that the landowners who stand to benefit from the Greenbelt land removals include prominent developers and that one purchase happened as recently as September.Nov. 30: Clark says he did not tip off developers ahead of announcing changes to the Greenbelt. Premier Doug Ford says the same a day later.Jan. 6, 2023: Ontario Provincial Police say they’re working to determine wh...

Smash Mouth frontman Steve Harwell dies at 56

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:35 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Steve Harwell, the longtime frontman of the Grammy-nominated pop rock band Smash Mouth has died. He was 56. The band’s manager, Robert Hayes, said Harwell “passed peacefully and comfortably” Monday morning surrounded by family and friends at his home in Boise, Idaho. The cause of death was acute liver failure, Hayes said in a statement.Smash Mouth was known for hits including “All star” and “Then the morning comes.”“Steve Harwell was a true American Original. A larger than life character who shot up into the sky like a Roman candle,” Hayes said. “Steve should be remembered for his unwavering focus and impassioned determination to reach the heights of pop stardom.” Born in California in 1967, Harwell performed in a rap group called F.O.S. (Freedom of Speech) before forming Smash Mouth in 1994. The band released two two platinum albums on Interscope Records, the ska-fueled 1997’s “Fush Yu Mang” and 1999’s “Astro Lounge.” The second albu...

Putin says he won’t renew the grain deal until the West meets his demands. The West says it has

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:35 GMT

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that a landmark deal allowing Ukraine to export grain safely through the Black Sea amid the war won’t be restored until the West meets Moscow’s demands on its own agricultural exports.Ukraine and its Western allies have dismissed the Kremlin’s demands as a ploy to advance its own interests.Still, Putin’s remarks dashed hopes that his talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could revive an agreement seen as vital for global food supplies, especially in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.Russia refused to extend the deal in July, complaining that a parallel agreement promising to remove obstacles to Russian exports of food and fertilizer hadn’t been honored. It said restrictions on shipping and insurance hampered its agricultural trade, though it has shipped record amounts of wheat since last year.Putin reiterated those complaints Monday, while also telling reporters that if those commitments were honored, Russia could r...

2 injured, thousands of dollars in damage: Drone used to spot teenage suspects throwing rocks onto Wisconsin highway

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:35 GMT

FITCHBURG, Wis. (WFRV) - Two 15-year-old Wisconsin boys were taken into custody after a drone caught them allegedly throwing rocks onto a highway, causing thousands of dollars in property damage and injuring two people.According to the Fitchburg Police Department, three separate incidents were reported between the hours of 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on August 15, 16, and 19. In each incident, rocks were allegedly thrown and dropped from a railroad bridge down onto Highway 14.Officers report that at least 18 vehicles were damaged in the three incidents, and two people also reported minor injuries.A Fitchburg sergeant, who is also a pilot for the city's drone team, flew a drone above the bridge to investigate, when he noticed two teens around 10 p.m. on Aug. 21. The sergeant reported seeing one throw rocks onto the highway.Both 15-year-old boys were arrested. Multiple charges related to endangering safety and damaging property will be referred to the Dane County District Attorney’s Office...

When will the fall colors peak in the Midwest?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:35 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — Sure, many of us are still soaking in the summer sun — and heat — but fall is right around the corner. Depending on where you live, the leaves may have already started fading to their fall shades of reds, oranges, yellows and browns. How fast the leaves change, and when colors peak, largely depends on where you live. Regardless of where you live, though, the leaves around you are on a schedule. Why do leaves change color?What ignites the trees to erupt into reds, oranges and yellows is largely the length of day, Brad Hutnik, a forest ecologist/silviculturist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources told Nexstar. We’ve been slowly losing daylight since the summer solstice in mid-June, and it will only become more noticeable as we move through September. Our trees are tuned into that lack of light and will begin to wind down for the year. “Oftentimes, by the time we’re seeing the leaves on the trees, that tree is functionally shut down fo...

Year-round school: Difference-maker or waste of time?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:35 GMT

(The Conversation) - Contrary to how it sounds, “year-round” school usually doesn’t mean students going to school throughout the year – or for more days than other students. Often it just means switching up the calendar so that there’s not such a long summer break. Below, two education experts – Nicole Miller and Daniel H. Robinson – answer five questions about the modified school calendars known as year-round school.What kinds of year-round schools exist?The first is the “single-track” modified calendar, also known as a “balanced calendar.” The second is the “multi-track calendar.” Neither one is typically an extended year. Instead, both calendars involve moving the 180 school days around so that there are multiple short breaks as opposed to the typical long summer break.Single-track calendars have all students following the same schedule. This balanced calendar often includes intersessions that provide additional opportunities for learning rather than...

Ex-Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph officially announces his retirement

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:35 GMT

Kyle Rudolph is hanging up the cleats for good.After being selected by the Vikings in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft, Rudolph became a household name across a decade in Minnesota. He used his 6-foot-6, 265-pound frame to his advantage in 140 games with the Vikings, tallying 453 receptions for 4,488 yards and 48 touchdowns.Aside from his production on the field, Rudolph was also very active in the Twin Cities community, doing a lot of philanthropic work with the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital. He was nominated for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award multiple times during his time in Minnesota.Though he undoubtedly will be remembered for his time with the Vikings, Rudolph also played 16 games for New York Giants late in his career, and added a brief stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season.According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Rudolph will be retiring as a member of the Vikings, with the team planning to honor him at U.S. Bank Stadium d...