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EU official says major aid to Lebanon depends on IMF deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:37 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — A European Union official visiting Lebanon said Friday that the international body will increase its humanitarian assistance to the crisis-struck country, but that more significant long-term aid depends on reforms and a deal with the International Monetary Fund.EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič said at a press conference following his two-day visit that the EU will provide 60 million euros (more than $65 million) in humanitarian assistance to Lebanon in 2023, a 20% increase from last year.But he warned that such aid is “not a sustainable long-term solution” to the massive financial crisis that has left three-quarters of Lebanon’s population of 6 million in poverty.To get out of the crisis, he said, Lebanon needs to elect a president — which would resolve a presidential vacuum that has dragged on for five months – and to ink a deal with the IMF, which he said “would unlock substantial financial support also from the European Union th...

After being fired, Israel’s defense minister caught in limbo

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:37 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Five days ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to fire his defense minister set off a wave of spontaneous mass protests and a general strike that threatened to paralyze the country, forcing the Israeli leader to suspend his divisive plan to overhaul the judicial system.But Netanyahu never even sent Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant a formal termination letter, a spokesperson for Netanyahu said. As of Friday, Gallant — whose criticism of Netanyahu’s planned judicial changes led to his dismissal — was still on the job. Gallant’s aides said it was business-as-usual at the Defense Ministry. As local media this week crackled with reports of Netanyahu considering whether to replace Gallant with stalwarts of his right-wing Likud party, Gallant remained in limbo — and even so, the public face of his ministry. He greeted the Azerbaijani foreign minister, toured two military bases and attended Tuesday’s security cabinet meeting...

Russia might put strategic nukes in Belarus, leader says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:37 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The president of Belarus says Russian strategic nuclear weapons might be deployed in his country along with part of Russia’s tactical nuclear arsenal.Russian President Vladimir Putin announced this week that his country intended to deploy tactical, comparatively short-range and small-yield nuclear weapons in Belarus, its neighbor and ally. The statement from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko about strategic nuclear weapons such as missile-borne warheads would pose an even greater threat if it comes to pass.Lukashenko spoke during his state-of-the-nation address on Friday, amid escalating tensions over the conflict in Ukraine and contentions that Western powers want to ruin Russia and Belarus. “Putin and I will decide and introduce here, if necessary, strategic weapons, and they must understand this, the scoundrels abroad, who today are trying to blow us up from inside and outside,” the Belarusian leader said. “We will stop at nothing...

Wimbledon drops ban on Russians, lets them play as neutrals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:37 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Russian and Belarusian players will be able to compete at Wimbledon as neutral athletes after the All England Club on Friday reversed its ban from last year.The players must comply with “appropriate conditions,” including not expressing support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.They also must not receive funding “from the Russian and/or Belarusian states (including sponsorship from companies operated or controlled by the states) in relation to their participation in The Championships,” the All England Club said in a statement.Other tennis tournaments have allowed Russian and Belarusian players to compete as neutral athletes.“We also consider alignment between the Grand Slams to be increasingly important in the current tennis environment,” the club said. “There was a strong and very disappointing reaction from some governing bodies in tennis to the position taken by the All England Club and the LTA last year with consequences which, if continued, would be damaging ...

Ontario minimum wage to increase to $16.55 per hour on Oct. 1

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:37 GMT

Ontario’s minimum wage is set to rise to $16.55 an hour on Oct. 1.It marks a 6.8 per cent boost from the current rate of $15.50 an hour, an increase tied to inflation.The government says the increase means someone making minimum wage and working 40 hours per week would see their pay increase by nearly $2,200 per year.Labour advocates and opposition critics have said Ontario should introduce a $20 minimum wage.The Ontario Living Wage Network says a living wage in many parts of the province would be $19, but in the Greater Toronto Area it is over $23.Labour Minister Monte McNaughton says the increase on Oct. 1 will go a long way toward helping people with the cost of living.

Death scene in burned ferry moves Filipino rescuers to tears

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:37 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine coast guard commander said Friday that the tragic scenes of death his team saw aboard a gutted ferry, including bodies of adults clutching children, had moved them to tears and sparked fears other passengers could be found dead in the still-smoldering ship.At least 29 of more than 250 people onboard the M/V Lady Mary Joy 3 were killed in the blaze that raged through the ferry Wednesday while it was on an overnight trip from the southern Zamboanga city to Jolo town in Sulu province. At least seven passengers, including two army soldiers, remained missing in the country’s deadliest sea disaster this year, the coast guard said.Basilan Governor Jim Hataman initially reported 31 deaths Thursday but later reduced the toll to 29 after search and rescue groups crossed-checked their figures.All 35 crew members survived, including the captain, who issued an abandon-ship order when the fire hit close to midnight and then ran the ferry aground on an...

Thornton's gas station robbed on Southwest Side

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:37 GMT

CHICAGO — A Thornton's gas station was robbed in the Brighton Park neighborhood early Friday morning. According to police reports, two armed men entered the gas station at the 3400 block of South California Avenue around 2:59 a.m. and approached the clerk, demanding to open the register. 2 year-old escapes Kansas daycare, nearly hit by car, mom says Police say the clerk complied and both men fled the scene in a dark colored SUV. There were no reported injuries and police are investigating the incident.

Trump’s historic indictment: Five takeaways

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:37 GMT

Former President Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury Thursday, making history as the first executive — sitting or former — to face criminal charges.The indictment comes after District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) initiated a probe investigating Trump’s involvement in organizing hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign.The charges, explosive in any context, are made even more so because Trump is running again for the White House in 2024, and leads the field by a huge margin in the nascent race for the GOP nomination. Here are five takeaways from Thursday’s extraordinary development.Charges filed, but specifics unclearBragg has been investigating a $130,000 hush money payment that Michael Cohen made to Stormy Daniels in 2018. (Getty Images)The indictment — which contains the specific charges — will remain under seal until Trump appears in court for his arraignment on Tuesday, unless Bragg successfully asks a judge to ...

Is human composting legal in Texas?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:37 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Marj Sippel and her husband of over 40 years, Harry, always planned to cremate their bodies once they died. That was until they saw an article about an emerging method that allows someone to turn their body into organic material after they pass away. "It felt like the most reasonable and healthy way to return our bodies to the soil," Sippel said. "It was a more natural process than anything I have been exposed to before. We both made the decision that this was what we wanted to do."Harry died last year. Marj said the post-mortem arrangements were peaceful and helped her to heal from the loss of her husband. "I cared for him as he died. And this was the final piece of it, helping to care for his body as he transitions back to soil," she said. This process is called human composting – or natural organic reduction. It's a form of post-mortem body disposition growing in popularity in recent years. Washington became the first state to permit the method, followed soon aft...

Traffic alert: Parts of I-35 to close for bridge demolition beginning Friday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:37 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Department of Transportation said Wednesday it would close parts of Interstate 35 at Williams Drive in Williamson County for a demolition project beginning Friday evening.TxDOT said the closure would impact the northbound and southbound I-35 mainlanes on alternating nights to demolish and remove the existing U-turn bridge at Williams Drive.According to officials, the closure for the northbound lanes between SH 29 and Lakeway Drive would begin Friday at 9 p.m. and last until 9 a.m. Saturday, and the closure for the southbound lanes would be Saturday from 9 p.m. until 10 a.m. Sunday.TxDOT said Friday's traffic would detour to the frontage road at the Williams Drive exit (262) and re-enter the mainlanes north of Northwest Boulevard, and the southbound I-35 mainlanes would be reduced to two lanes. For Saturday, traffic would use the Williams Drive exit (262) and re-enter the mainlanes at the SH 29 entrance ramp, and the northbound I-35 mainlanes would be reduce...