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With banku and jollof rice, Ghanian chef tries to break world cook-a-thon record

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:47 GMT

ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — A chef in Ghana has been preparing banku and other regional dishes on live TV since New Year’s Day as she tries to break a world record for marathon cooking — an attempt being cheered on and widely celebrated in this West African nation.Failatu Abdul-Razak had cooked for over 110 hours as of Friday afternoon at a hotel in the northern city of Tamale where she is aiming to break the Guinness World Record for a cook-a-thon of 119 hours and 57 minutes held by Irish chef Alan Fisher.Abdul-Razak ”has put Ghana on the map,” said Isaac Sackey, the president of the Chefs’ Association of Ghana. “So we need to try to honor her.” West Africa has been gripped in a frenzy of world record attempts in several categories since Nigerian chef Hilda Baci claimed the world cooking record last May with a 100-hour performance before being dethroned by Fisher.The Guinness World Record organization has yet to publicly comment about Abdul-Razak’s attempt, which could reach 120 hour...

Quebec man sought by U.S. after pregnant Mexican migrant dies crossing border

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:47 GMT

MONTREAL — New York authorities are seeking the extradition of a Colombian man living in Quebec in connection with the death of a migrant woman who was trying to cross into the United States from Canada in December.The attorney’s office for the Northern District of New York has charged Jhader Aguusto Uribe-Tobar, 35, with conspiracy to commit alien smuggling and alien smuggling for financial gain, both resulting in death, relating to the death of Ana Karen Vasquez-Flores.The 33-year-old Vasquez-Flores, who was pregnant, was found in the Chazy River near Champlain, N.Y., on Dec. 14, two days after her husband alerted a border patrol agent that she had not emerged from the woods. U.S. authorities allege that Uribe-Tobar advertised his services on TikTok under a pseudonym and charged the woman and her husband US$2,500 to guide her by text message as she walked alone across the border.In response to the extradition request, the RCMP arrested Uribe-Tobar at his home in St-Hyacinthe...

Republican US Rep. Doug Lamborn of Colorado announces he won’t seek reelection

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:47 GMT

Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn of Colorado announced Friday that he won’t seek a 10th term in Congress in the latest shakeup of Colorado’s U.S. House races for the 2024 election.Lamborn, who represents the Colorado Springs area, about an hour south of Denver, talked about his plans to retire at the end of 2024 on a radio show Friday morning, saying he wants to spend more time with family.His planned departure comes on the heels of Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s announcement last week that she’s running in a different district, where the seat’s been left open after Republican U.S. Rep. Ken Buck said he wouldn’t run again. The decisions of Buck, Lamborn and Boebert have left Colorado’s three GOP-held House districts without incumbents. “I thank the good people of El Paso County for the amazing and wonderful opportunity to serve in the nation’s capital as representative,” Lamborn said in a press release.Associated Press, The Associated Press

Strays land in doghouse after causing an estimated $350K in damage to cars at Houston dealership

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:47 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — A pair of strays have landed in the doghouse after being caught on video causing more than a quarter-million dollars’ worth of damage at a Houston car dealership.One dog, described as a bull terrier mix, was captured in early December, and the second, whose breed was not immediately known, was caught Dec. 31, KTRK-TV reported. Both dogs are being held by the Houston animal control shelter, BARC.The dogs were captured on surveillance video scratching the paint and tearing the bumpers off of vehicles in the lot at G Motors, according to the dealership’s finance manager, Imran Haq. They caused an estimated $350,000 in damage.Haq and sales manager Gaby Fakhoury contacted BARC when the attacks began in November. They believe the dogs entered the lot by crawling under a fence and that they were chasing stray cats that were hiding under the vehicles.“We have never seen something like this — dogs attacking cars and causing damage,” Fakhoury told KTRK.A man who ans...

The U.S. northeast is preparing for a weekend storm that threatens to dump snow, rain, and ice

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:47 GMT

Millions of people across the eastern U.S. are preparing for a wintry mix of precipitation as a potent storm system looks to bring snow, freezing rain and ice to the region. The system is expected to reach North Carolina by Saturday morning and then track along the northeastern coastline throughout the weekend. It could bring to Philadelphia and other major cities amounts of snow not seen in several years.The heaviest snowfall is expected in regions including the Poconos in Pennsylvania, parts of the Hudson Valley and portions of New England. However, winter storm warnings and watches were in effect throughout much of the Northeast.Chris Stachelski of the National Weather Service said localized accumulations of snowfall could exceed one foot in areas of higher elevation.Elsewhere, the concern is ice — with up to a quarter of an inch forecast for parts of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and West Virginia. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the city was preparing for the snowstorm...

F.D.A. move to allow Canadian drugs to be exported to U.S. creates shortage fears

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:47 GMT

OTTAWA — A major shift in United States pharmaceutical policy allowing for the importation of drugs from Canada is creating fears about future drug shortages in this country.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to allow Florida to import millions of dollars worth of pharmaceuticals from Canadian wholesalers as a way to avoid high costs in the U.S.Joelle Walker, vice president of public affairs for the Canadian Pharmacists Association says the decision is not great news for Canada, which has more frequently faced acute drug shortages over the last several years.Walker says Canada does not have the capacity to become a pharmacy for the United States. But she says people should not rush to refill their prescriptions because the threat to Canada is not immediate, and Florida still has more work to do to prove imports would actually save Americans money.She says Canada has several safeguards to try to prevent manufacturers from shipping medication south, and to make the idea less ...

US actor Christian Oliver and his 2 daughters died in a plane crash in the Caribbean, police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:47 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — U.S. actor Christian Oliver and his two daughters died in a plane crash near a tiny private island in the eastern Caribbean, according to police in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.The crash occurred Thursday just west of Petit Nevis island near Bequia as the plane headed for nearby St. Lucia, police said in a statement.They identified the daughters as Madita Klepser, 10, and Annik Klepser, 12, adding that the pilot, Robert Sachs, also died.It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the crash, according to police.Authorities said fishermen and divers in the area went to the crash site to help as the St. Vincent and Grenadines Coast Guard headed to the area.“The selfless and brave acts of the fishermen and divers is very much appreciated,” police said.Oliver had dozens of crediting film and television roles, including in the 2008 film “Speed Racer” film and “The Good German,” a 2006 World War II film by Stephen Soderbergh that starred George Clooney and Cate B...

Consumer and business insolvencies continued to rise in November

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:47 GMT

Insolvencies in November were 5.1 per cent higher than in October, and 24.4 per cent higher than a year earlier. The Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy says consumer insolvencies were up 24 per cent in November compared with a year ago, while business insolvencies rose 36.8 per cent. The data, which takes into account proposals and bankruptcies, shows insolvencies for both consumers and businesses continued to rise from pandemic lows.Business insolvencies rose 41.8 per cent year-over-year in the third quarter of 2023, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. However, consumer insolvencies in the third quarter were still below pre-pandemic levels. In November, that trend continued — business insolvencies were higher than in November 2019, while consumer insolvencies were a little lower. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 5, 2024.The Canadian Press<!– Photo: 20240105120144-659840bf3008a181617f9aabjpeg.jpg, Caption: Insolvencies in November were 5.1 per ...

New gun law has blocked over 500 firearms from being bought by young people, attorney general says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:47 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 500 gun purchases have been blocked since a new gun law requiring stricter background checks for young people went into effect in 2022, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Friday, the day after a school shooting in Iowa left a sixth-grader dead.The bipartisan law passed in June 2022 was the most sweeping gun legislation in decades and requires extra checks for any gun purchases by people under age 21. Those denied a gun purchase include a person convicted of rape, a suspect in an attempted murder case and someone who had been involuntarily committed for mental-health treatment, according to the Justice Department. President Joe Biden applauded the news, calling it an important milestone.“Simply put: this legislation is saving lives,” Biden said in a statement where he also called for additional measures such as universal background checks and a ban on firearms often referred to as assault weapons. The Democratic president said he was “proud to have take...

Illinois man charged in Fourth of July parade shooting rehires lawyers weeks after dismissing them

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:47 GMT

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) — The man charged with killing seven people at a Fourth of July parade in suburban Chicago asked to again be represented by public defenders after firing them last month and insisting on handling his own case.Robert Crimo III is charged with 21 counts of first-degree murder — three counts for each person killed — as well as 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery. Dozens of people were wounded in the 2022 shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, including a 8-year-old who was left partially paralyzed. Last month, 23-year-old Crimo told a judge he wished to represent himself at his trial, and asked to move his court date up by a year, to February of this year rather than next.Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti asked Crimo several times if he understood the possible penalties — including consecutive life sentences — if a jury finds him guilty, and then she granted both requests. In response to the judge’s questions, Crimo acknowledged h...