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Hajj pilgrims perform final rituals in Mecca before heading to Mina

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:10 GMT

MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Pilgrims streamed into Mecca’s Grand Mosque on Saturday to perform their final rituals before heading to Mina in preparation for the Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam and one of the largest religious gatherings in the world.They moved through the white marble courtyards of Islam’s holiest site to perform the tawaf, the walking circuit around the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure covered in a black, gold-embroidered cloth, their fervent recitations ringing through the air. People on the ground floor closest to the Kaaba shuffled due to the sheer number of participants. Those on the upper floors were able to walk more briskly, even run. Pilgrims raised their hands in supplication, took selfies or video, and phoned their relatives as they performed the tawaf. They then walked or ran between two hills in a re-enactment of Hagar’s search for water for her son, Ismail, a story that occurs in different forms in Muslim, Christian and Jewish traditions.Pilgrims must e...

Mexico imposes 50% tariff on white corn imports amid trade dispute with U.S. and Canada

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:10 GMT

Mexico on Saturday began imposing a 50% tariff on white corn imports, a move the president says looks to boost national production and prevent imports of genetically modified corn.The measure, published late Friday in the Mexican government’s official gazette, will be in force until the end of the year and occurs amid a trade dispute between Mexico and its North American trade partners, Canada and the United States, over genetically modified corn.White corn was among the basic foods that were exempted from tariffs earlier this year in an attempt by the Mexican government to control inflation. But according to the decree, the decision “has not generated a significant impact on the decrease in prices in the national market, so it’s considered appropriate to eliminate it.”At 5.84% in May, the Mexican government considers inflation more or less under control.Mexico imports some white corn – the kind used for human consumption – mainly from the United ...

Sikh protesters in Vancouver decry Nijjar shooting death as foreign interference

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:10 GMT

Protesters in Vancouver say many Sikh community members firmly believe the shooting death of a British Columbia temple president was linked to foreign interference.About 200 protesters from the Canadian Sikh community gathered outside Vancouver’s Indian consulate this morning, accusing the South Asian nation’s government of being involved in the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.Police have not linked the shooting to foreign interference, saying that investigators have no reasons to believe that the Sikh community in Canada is at risk.Most of the protesters are advocates for an independent Sikh state in India and came from cities ranging from Metro Vancouver to Toronto, Montreal and Edmonton for today’s protest.Protesters who knew Nijjar, who was organizing an unofficial referendum in India prior to his death, described him as a “peaceful” man who was “loved in the community.”Nijjar was gunned down in his vehicle last week while leaving the Guru...

SWAT team responds to domestic disturbance in Schiller Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:10 GMT

SCHILLER PARK, Ill. — Schiller Park police are asking some residents to stay indoors and avoid the area as they handle a SWAT situation.According to police, officers were called Saturday afternoon to a domestic disturbance at an apartment building on Ruby Street between Waveland Avenue and Ivanhoe Avenue. Park Ridge warning community of man impersonating police officer, assaulting teen girls Police haven't released specific details about what led to the SWAT situation, but said one person is barricaded inside and no one is injured.While they are on scene, police have asked people to avoid the area and those who are in the area to stay indoors.

Person shot on Interstate 80 in Northwest Indiana

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:10 GMT

LAKE COUNTY, Ind. — A person was shot early Saturday morning on Interstate 80 near Hammond, according to Indiana State Police.Around 3 a.m., a person was shot during a road rage incident in the westbound lanes of I-80 near Indianapolis Boulevard. Anti-gay graffiti spray-painted on Chesterton Municipal Complex sign ISP Sgt. Glen Fifield said the person, who was driving a black Ford Mustang GT, was shot by someone in a light-colored sedan.The person who was shot was taken to a hospital, treated and released, Fifield said. Anyone with information or photos and or videos of the vehicles involved to call Det. Eagles at 219-696-6242.

Hot summer for Illinois ahead: Weather predictions heat up in new NOAA forecast

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:10 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – An already sweltering summer forecast just got even steamier. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a new long-range weather outlook Thursday that favors above-average temperatures for basically the entire United States.Between July and September, all but a few states have between a 33% and 70% chance of a hotter-than-normal summer.The highest chance for heat is in Arizona — which is already hot on even a normal summer day. The average high in Phoenix in July is 106 degrees. El Niño officially arrives early: What it means for 2023 weather The entire East Coast, from Maine down to Florida, the Gulf Coast, the Pacific Northwest and the Southwest is “likely” to see an above-normal summer, according to the forecast. NOAA gives about half of U.S. states a 50% to 60% chance of extra-hot weather over the next three months.Things are a bit better in California and the Midwest, but those regions are also still more likely to see a hot summer than a...

'That's the way to go,' Senate plan aims to give Texans $18B in property tax relief

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:10 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) - Texas leaders are still at odds over plans to lower your property taxes. On Tuesday, the Texas Senate unanimously approved its largest property tax relief plan yet. "The senate plan is a record $18 billion of tax relief going straight to school taxpayers across the state," said State Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) the author of the legislation. His bill would require voter approval in a constitutional amendment election.But it's not clear if the $18 billion dollar plan will break the stalemate between the state's top leaders over how to provide tax relief.The new proposal preserves the Senate's top priority of raising the homestead exemption to $100,000, the most direct benefit to homeowners and the major sticking point between the upper chamber and Gov. Greg Abbott. It also dedicates $400 million more towards buying down school district property tax rates, the strategy Abbott prefers exclusively.Bettencourt said he believes combining an increased homestead ...

Woman found fatally shot in Aurora; homicide investigation underway

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:10 GMT

A woman was fatally shot in Aurora Saturday morning, and police are looking for a suspect.#APDAlert Officers are investigating a death in the 3000 Blk of N. Peoria Street.The call came in around 6:45 am and when officers arrived, they found an adult woman that appeared to have succumbed to a gunshot wound. The person who called in the incident was gone along with… pic.twitter.com/a4z9zMuGo5— Aurora Police Dept (@AuroraPD) June 24, 2023About 6:45 a.m. Saturday, police were called to the 3000 block of North Peoria Street, the Aurora Police Department said.Officers found a woman who was shot, police said. Police were unable to locate the person who called about the incident, a news release said.The Adams County coroner’s office will identity the woman after her family is notified. The coroner also will determine the cause of death. A homicide investigation is ongoing.

Fire breaks out on roof of Target in Northridge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:10 GMT

An array of solar panels on the roof of a Target store in Northridge were damaged after they caught fire on Saturday. Los Angeles Fire Department units were dispatched to the Target located at 8999 Balboa Boulevard around 11:45 a.m. and found that the building and the attic were clear. Fire crews on the roof located a surface fire involving an array of solar panels. They conducted a drop bag operation to bring the hose line up to the roof and extinguished the blaze in 21 minutes. According to LAFD, the fire does not appear to have penetrated through the roof into the attic or main structure. No injuries were reported. 

Authorities investigating after two women found dead in Diamond Bar, foul play suspected 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:10 GMT

Homicide investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are continuing their investigation after two women were found dead in Diamond Bar on Saturday morning. According to a release from LASD, authorities responded to the 23800 block of Sapphire Canyon Road around 8 a.m. and found two female adults deceased at the scene. A person of interest has been detained, police said, and foul play is suspected. The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. To provide information anonymously, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or visit www.lacrimestoppers.org