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

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:21:40 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 Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:21:40 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 Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:21:40 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 Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:21:40 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...

Dean's Reviews: 'Barbie' in theaters now

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:21:40 GMT

Check out Dean's Reviews on the new film 'Barbie' which is in theaters now.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

Dean's Reviews: Oppenheimer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:21:40 GMT

Check out WGN Entertainment Reporter Dean Richards’ review for “Oppenheimer."Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

AMC's plan to charge more for 'preferred' seats no longer coming to a theater near you

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:21:40 GMT

(WXIN) – AMC’s plan to charge different prices depending on where moviegoers sit is no longer coming to a theater near you.The movie theater chain had announced its “Sightline” program in February, which introduced a three-tiered pricing system for charging moviegoers different prices based on where they chose to sit. The “prime” seats were the most expensive.AMC Theatres launched the initiative in three markets, and had planned to roll it out nationwide by the end of 2023.The company has instead decided to scrap the idea outright, referring to Sightline as a “pilot test program” in an update released Thursday. AMC Theatres to make big change at concession stands The company said consumers didn’t change their behavior enough to warrant making Sightline pricing permanent. Discounting front seats didn’t make them more attractive to movie fans and charging more for the “best seats” didn’t stop anyone from choosing them.Effectively, people sat where they usually sat, regardless of the...

These Mega Millions numbers have been drawn the most since the last jackpot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:21:40 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – The most recent record-setting Powerball jackpot has been won, but a record-setting Mega Millions prize is still up for grabs. Ahead of Friday's drawing, millions of tickets will likely be sold, all hoping to perfectly match the six winning numbers needed for an estimated $720 million prize. You may be ready to try your luck at the Mega Millions prize, currently considered the fifth-largest in the game's history. But do your lucky numbers stand a chance?Just as it is in Powerball, every set of numbers has an equal chance of winning the Mega Millions jackpot. Still, there are some numbers that are drawn more frequently than others. Since 1996, when Mega Millions was rebranded from 'The Big Game,' there are five main numbers that have been drawn more than any others, according to data collected by Lotto America: 31, 17, 46, 20, and 4. All five have been drawn more than 250 times, and all but 20 have been pulled within the last month. When it comes to the Mega Ball, these f...

These 10 cities stay cool — even in July

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:21:40 GMT

(The Hill) -- If you ever wanted to spend a long weekend in Pittsburgh, now may be the time. Pittsburgh ranks as one of America’s coolest cities in midsummer, with an enviable average July temperature of 73.2 degrees, according to federal weather data.  Much of the nation is enduring a dangerous heat wave, breaking records across the Southwest. The high temperature in Phoenix has reached or exceeded 110 degrees on 20 consecutive days. In Pittsburgh, by contrast, Friday’s projected high is 78.  Kentucky declares state of emergency amid flooding As an exercise in escapism, we found 10 large cities, one of them Pittsburgh, with some of the coolest July weather in America. Our average temperatures come from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and span the years 1991 through 2020, so they reflect the growing reach of global warming. San Francisco Mark Twain once said, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” (Or di...

Teen gets 59 days in jail after hitting man in wheelchair

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:21:40 GMT

Editors note: The video above aired on Sept. 21, 2022.AUSTIN (KXAN) – A teen who pled guilty to running over a man in a wheelchair in Sept. 2022 will get out of jail in just under 60 days, according to court paperwork. Pablo Avila-Banagas, who was 17 at the time, pled guilty on July 11 to a misdemeanor charge of assault causing bodily injury.Court paperwork showed Judge David Crain sentenced Avila-Banagas on July 11 to 364 days in Travis County jail along with credit for 305 days for time served.According to the Austin Police Department, officers responded to a call Sept. 3 after a pedestrian, later identified as Rogelio De Luna, was hit by a vehicle in the parking lot in the 9200 block of North Lamar Boulevard.On Sept. 21, Austin police officers and Cops for Charities purchased and donated a new electric wheelchair for De Luna.