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Tony Bennett dies at 96: ‘Best singer in the business’ [+photo gallery]

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:19 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Tony Bennett, the eminent and timeless stylist whose devotion to classic American songs and knack for creating new standards such as “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” graced a decadeslong career that brought him admirers from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga, died Friday. He was 96, just two weeks short of his birthday.FILE - American singer Tony Bennett and 27-year-old Sandi Grant smile during the reception held at the Hilton Hotel, London on March 8, 1968, for Bennett who is in London for a concert tour. Bennett, the eminent and timeless stylist whose devotion to classic American songs and knack for creating new standards such as "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" graced a decadeslong career that brought him admirers from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga, died Friday, July 21, 2023. He was 96. (AP Photo/Bob Dear, File)FILE - Veteran singer Tony Bennett displays his two Grammy's backstage at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles Wednesday, March 1, 19...

Councilor Kendra Lara’s crash: Police body camera footage catches her misleading cops

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:19 GMT

“Is she alive?”That was the first comment made by the 83-year-old owner of the Jamaica Plain home where City Councilor Kendra Lara slammed the Honda Civic she was driving into at 4:27 p.m. on June 30. It was all picked up on police body camera video.The owner was stunned to see a car almost in her house, but she first asked about the victims.Lara’s 7-year-old son suffered a bad laceration over his eyebrow and both the District 6 councilor and her son were taken to Children’s Hospital. The police body camera footage released late Thursday shows police calmly helping Lara and her son first along with firefighters and EMTs and then investigating the crash second.A police officer takes a cell phone photo of Councilor Kendra Lara’s crash. (BPD body camera video screengrab.)Lara, according to the audio on the footage, mislead police when she said “No” she did not have her license with her adding: “I can bring it,” she says on video.Tha...

Man in critical condition after being struck by van in Midtown Toronto

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:19 GMT

A man is fighting for his life in hospital after being struck by a vehicle in Midtown Toronto on Thursday afternoon.The crash happened around 2:30 p.m. at the intersection of Yonge Street and Chaplin Crescent.Police say a 37-year-old man was driving a Dodge Ram van southbound on Yonge and was sitting at a complete stop when an emergency vehicle approached from behind with its sirens on.When the driver went to change lanes to get out of the way, the van lost control and drove up on the curb striking a male pedestrian sitting on a bench next to a bus shelter. The van continued through the intersection and stopped on the southside of the intersection.The pedestrian was rushed to hospital in life-threatening condition.Investigators are examining the van for mechanical failure. There is no word if any charges will be laid.Anyone witnesses are being asked to contact police.

French police investigate violent home robbery of Paris Saint-Germain ‘keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:19 GMT

PARIS (AP) — French police are investigating a violent armed robbery that targeted Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma at his home.The Paris prosecutor’s office said the player was targeted overnight Thursday to Friday. The prosecutor’s office and the French capital’s police force refused to release details about the attack that French media said took place in the early hours of the morning in his Paris home.A police investigation has been opened on possible armed robbery, kidnapping and aggravated violence charges, the prosecutor’s office said.Le Parisien newspaper, quoting an unnamed police source, reported that four people broke into his apartment in Paris’ upmarket 8th district at about 3 a.m. It said Donnarumma and his partner were tied up and that he was slightly injured. Both were treated in hospital for shock, it said.The attackers made off with valuables estimated to be worth about half a million euros (dollars), including watch...

Dual strikes bring Hollywood to a screeching halt

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:19 GMT

In today’s Big Story podcast, last week, after negotiations with studios and streaming giants failed to yield an agreement, the 160,000 performers represented by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) decided to go on strike. They’re joined on the picket lines by Writers Guild of America members — the first time both unions have been on strike simultaneously since the 1960s.Both groups’ demands differ, but their main grievances boil down to two things: revenue decreases in the age of streaming and concern about AI-induced job losses. With their collective actions bringing many major productions to a screeching halt and leaving thousands of people out of work, the pressure is on both sides to come up with a reasonable compromise.Barry Hertz, deputy arts editor and film editor for The Globe and Mail, says the strike’s impact is already being felt within the Canadian film industry.“Projects that are funded by the Hollywood studios and streamers come up to Canada to produ...

Environmental activists disrupt play at British Open by throwing orange substance on 17th green

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:19 GMT

HOYLAKE, England (AP) — Environmental activists briefly interrupted play at the British Open on Friday by throwing an orange substance to the side of the 17th green at Royal Liverpool, prompting American player Billy Horschel to intervene.Police and security guards quickly took action to keep the Just Stop Oil protesters from causing a bigger disruption during the second round. Play resumed not long after organizers cleaned the substance.Horschel was playing the hole at the time and helped a greenside marshal lead one of the protesters away. The other players at the 17th were Corey Conners and Alex Noren. They all made par on the hole.The protesters, all wearing white shirts with the words “Just Stop Oil,” had entered from each side of the elevated green that sits with the Irish Sea in the background. One of them had a flare, police said.Two protesters were immediately taken away from the green, while two others were later escorted away separately.Local police said in a statem...

Croatian police detain 9 people suspected of smuggling migrants over the Danube from Serbia

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:19 GMT

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatian police have detained nine people suspected of smuggling migrants into the European Union country from neighboring Serbia, a police statement said on Friday. The suspects joined forces with unidentified persons in Serbia to organize illegal entry over the Danube River for foreign nationals and financial gain, the statement said. All the detained suspects are Croatian citizens, the statement added. The Danube separates Croatia in the east from Serbia. Both countries lie on the so-called Balkan land route used by migrants trying to reach Western Europe.Thousands of people from the Middle East, Africa or Asia usually reach Greece or Bulgaria from Turkey, before heading toward North Macedonia, Serbia or Bosnia. From Serbia, migrants often rely on people smugglers to cross without authorization into the neighboring EU states of Croatia, Hungary and Romania. They are in danger of facing abuse, closed borders and harassment. The Associated Press

Statistics Canada says retail sales up 0.2% to $66 billion in May

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:19 GMT

Statistics Canada says retail sales rose 0.2 per cent to $66.0 billion in May, helped by gains at new car dealers and grocery stores.However, the figure fell short of the agency’s early estimate for May released last month that forecasted a gain of 0.5 per cent. Its early estimate for June suggests retail sales for that month were unchanged, but cautioned the figure would be revised.For May, sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers gained 0.8 per cent, helped higher by a 0.7 per cent sales gain at new car dealers and a 5.5 per cent increase at other motor vehicle dealers.Sales at food and beverage retailers rose 1.0 per cent as sales at supermarkets and grocery stores gained 1.4 per cent.Core retail sales — which exclude gas stations and fuel vendors, along with motor vehicle and parts dealers — were unchanged in May.In volume terms, retail sales rose 0.1 per cent for the month.

From Barbie to millennial pink, the cultural phenomenon behind the color that sells

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:19 GMT

“Think pink! think pink! when you shop for summer clothes. Think pink! think pink! if you want that quelque chose.”That advice, sung as an epiphany in the 1957 musical film “Funny Face,” has definitely been heeded — just take a look around at fashion and media. The fascination around pink — each shade and hue with its own connotation — has shaped those cultural engines for generations, revving into full force as we reach peak “Barbie” season. The color has been a crucial detail for films and television — from that scene in “Funny Face,” to Elle Woods sporting her iconic head-to-toe vibrant pink courtroom outfit in 2001’s “Legally Blonde,” to “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” where the shades of pink in costuming play a symbolic role in the final season. And, now, with the Greta Gerwig-helmed film’s release, the vividly hot “Barbie Pink” is inescapable. Throughout history, designers, artists, and brands have played with the emotions the color evokes, shaping meanings that are ...

Your paycheck may clear faster now with launch of FedNow instant payment service for banks

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:19 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Reserve launched a new instant payment service Thursday. FedNow allows banks and credit unions to sign up to send real-time payments so they can offer customers a quicker way to send money between banks.FedNow, which was first announced in 2019, published a list of banks and credit unions that are already signed up to the service. However, it might take longer for customers to be able to use the service with their bank.Here's what you need to know about FedNow.HOW DOES FEDNOW WORK?FedNow offers instant payment services for banks and credit unions to transfer money for their customers. Unlike other private money-transferring services like PayPal or Venmo, FedNow services are not offered to customers directly through a third-party app or website. The services will only be available through banks or credit unions. However, once banks have adopted FedNow, they're expected to make it available on their websites and apps.Once a bank off...