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American explorer says he thought he would die during an 11-day ordeal in a Turkish cave

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:55 GMT

ISTANBUL (AP) — An American researcher who spent 11 days stuck in a Turkish cave after falling ill said Thursday that he thought he would die there before a complex international rescue operation got him out. Mark Dickey, 40, appeared relaxed as he spoke to reporters at a hospital in Mersin, southern Turkey, where he is recovering from his ordeal.Asked if he ever gave up hope while trapped 1,000 meters (more than 3,000 feet) underground, Dickey replied, “No. But there’s a difference between accurately recognizing your current risk against giving up.“You don’t let things become hopeless, but you recognize the fact that ‘I’m going to die.’”Dickey fell ill on Sept. 2 with stomach bleeding while mapping the Morca cave in southern Turkey’s Taurus Mountains. He vomited blood and had lost large amounts of it and other fluids by the time rescuers brought him to the surface on Tuesday. What caused his condition, which rendered him too frail to climb out of the cave on his own, remained uncle...

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet visits country’s close ally China on his 1st official trip abroad

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:55 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet arrived in Beijing on Thursday on his first official trip abroad since taking office last month. The visit demonstrates his country’s warm relations with China, Cambodia’s closest political and economic ally.Hun Manet was expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials in the capital and to attend a weekend trade and investment expo in southern China, according to Cambodia’s Foreign Ministry. A ministry statement said the two leaders would discuss tightening the nations’ ties with the building of a “Cambodia-China Community,” strategic directions for their bilateral relations, and regional and international matters.Chinese state broadcaster CGTN posted images of Hun Manet and his wife, Pich Chanmony, walking down the stairs from a plane to a red carpet on an airport tarmac, where they were greeted by two children, a Chinese official and others. Hun Manet later laid a wreath at a monument in Beijing...

Stock market today: US futures point higher after US inflation data ease rate hike worries

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:55 GMT

Wall Street is pointing higher Thursday following a modest increase in inflation across the U.S. in August that eased worries over the likelihood of another interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve.Futures for the S&P 500 edged 0.4% higher before the bell Thursday and futures for the Dow Jones industrials were up 0.3%. While the inflation data was a touch hotter than estimated, economists and investors don’t expect it to change the Fed’s anticipated track much. The forecast is still for the U.S. central bank to keep interest rates steady at its meeting next week.The inflation report showed that U.S. consumers paid prices last month that were 3.7% higher than a year earlier, up from July’s inflation rate of 3.2% and slightly more than the forecasts for a 3.6% increase.That’s discouraging for shoppers paying higher prices, but much of the acceleration was because of higher fuel costs. Underlying inflation trends indicated a continued moderation in price increases, economists said...

Stranded luxury cruise ship MV Ocean Explorer has been pulled free at high tide in Greenland

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:55 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The operator of a luxury cruise ship that ran aground in Greenland with 206 people on board said Thursday that the MV Ocean Explorer was “successfully” pulled free by a fisheries research vessel at high tide.The ship’s owner, Copenhagen-based SunStone Ships, said that it was done “based on a pull from the vessel (owned by the Greenland government) and vessel’s own power. There have not been any injuries to any person onboard, no pollution of the environment and no breach of the hull.”It added that “the vessel and its passengers will now be positioned to a port where the vessel’s bottom damages can be assessed, and the passengers will be taken to a port from which they can be flown back home.”The cruise ship ran aground above the Arctic Circle on Monday in Alpefjord, which is in the Northeast Greenland National Park, the world’s northernmost national park.The park is nearly the size of France and Spain combined, and approximately 80% is permanently covered ...

Police search for man who allegedly sexually assaulted woman in Logan Square apartment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:55 GMT

CHICAGO -- Chicago police are investigating after a woman says she was sexually assaulted inside her Logan Square apartment.Police said the sexual assault took place just before 10 a.m. Wednesday morning. WGN is told the suspect got into the woman's apartment near Mozart and Armitage and it is still unclear how the man was able to enter. 11-year-old boy missing from Gary believed to be in ‘extreme danger:’ Police At some point, he sexually assaulted the woman and then left. Police have not made a detailed description of the man and only shared that he was in his 20s or 30s and was wearing a green camouflage jacket with a black hood and black stripes on the left sleeve with black shorts and back crocs. There is at least one surveillance camera that looks like it could have captured the suspect outside of the apartment building. WGN is actively following the incident and will update as more information is recovered.

Bears won't take one step toward a new stadium this fall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:55 GMT

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — There is one step that the Chicago Bears won't take toward a new stadium over the next few months. Team president and CEO Kevin Warren said that the team won't be pursuing legislative support in Springfield for a new stadium during the Illinois General Assembly's fall session. This comes as the team continues demolition work at Arlington Park, which they closed on this past February, while also looking at other sites in the area to build a new venue. “Our process to find the best stadium solution for our franchise, our fans and the region continues to be methodical and intentional. Thanks to the leadership of Mayor Brandon Johnson and his team, we have recently engaged in positive and productive discussions with the City of Chicago," said Warren in a statement through the team. "We also continue to have dialogue with officials in Arlington Heights and other Chicagoland locations about a Chicago Bears stadium project.  "At this time, we want to appropriately explo...

PHOTOS: Litter of 'hungry' kittens found inside walls of new apartment complex in Washington

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:55 GMT

KELSO, Ore. (KOIN) – Six kittens were discovered inside the walls of a newly constructed apartment complex in Washington state on Wednesday.Fire officials in Cowlitz County said a “faint noise” coming from inside a wall in the building, located in the city of Kelso, turned out to be a whole litter. VIDEO: Will Ferrell returns to Portland for Timbers game, stand up at McMenamins The cats were found during a walkthrough inspection with on-site construction workers, who, along with fire officials, "opened up a wall" to get to them. It is unclear how long the litter had been behind the new drywall, but crew members said that “other than being hungry, the kittens were in good health.”After retrieving the six kittens, fire officials at the scene gave them what appeared to be milk. (Courtesy: Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue)(Courtesy: Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue)(Courtesy: Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue)(Courtesy: Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue)Firefighters then drove the tiny felines to the Humane Societ...

Residents complain about lane striping on busy roadway

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:55 GMT

LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) -- The heavily trafficked Ronald Reagan Boulevard that runs north and south through cities in Williamson County is in need of a new paint job. Neighbors in the area who drive the road consistently say the striping on the roadway that divides the lanes is worn and faded, almost blending into the road. Charlene Mertz, a Liberty Hill resident, describes the condition of the road as "miserable." The road is two northbound lanes and two southbound lanes with a grass median separating the two. The speed limit can be anywhere between 55 and 65 miles per hour and Mertz said she is worried every time she drives it. "You can't see the edge of the road. You can't see the line divisions. You can't see anything," Mertz explained. Who maintains the road?Mertz said she has been trying to get the road restriped for months. She has called Williamson County to get somebody to fix it, but has not heard back. A Williamson County spokesperson said the county only maintains the road...

UT to lead multi-million dollar space project

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:55 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The University of Texas at Austin said Wednesday two professors will lead a research collaboration with three other universities to help the U.S. Air Force maintain security on a section of outer-space that is quickly becoming a popular venue for Earthbound companies.UT's announcement said the project, “Representations, Theory, and Algorithms for Autonomous Space Domain Awareness in the Cislunar Regime,” will focus on the area between Earth and the moon. It said the project seeks to tackle the "intricate complications of monitoring and controlling activities" of what is known as cislunar space.UT pointed out this region of space is becoming more important as companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin focus on space tourism and NASA plans to fly astronauts to the moon on the Artemis program. According to the announcement, the goals of the project are: Developing new methods to describe how human-made objects move in space while accounting for uncertain...

Hancock man identified in fatal trooper-involved shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:55 GMT

HANCOCK, Mass. (NEWS10) -- The Berkshire County District Attorney's Office has identified the man in the fatal trooper-involved shooting that took place in Hancock, Massachusetts on Saturday. The DA's office says Phillip Heanault (64, Hancock) was fatally shot after not following law enforcement orders and threatening to kill a trooper. Get the latest news, weather, and sports delivered right to your inbox! The Berkshire County District Attorney's Office says following an investigation analyzing the crime scene, body and dash camera footage, and 911 recordings, the unidentified Massachusetts State Trooper retreated a significant distance from Heanault after responding to an emergency call on Richmond Road. The DA's office says Heanault had multiple knives on him at the time of the incident.The unnamed officer reportedly identified themselves to Heanault and told him to stop. Authorities say Heanault did not stop and threatened to kill the trooper. The DA's office says the trooper ...