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US names former commerce secretary, big Democrat donor to coordinate private sector aid for Ukraine

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:44 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has tapped former Commerce Secretary and major Democratic donor Penny Pritzker to coordinate U.S. efforts to channel private sector reconstruction assistance to Ukraine.President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the appointment on Thursday, just moments after the Treasury imposed a raft of new sanctions on Russia and Russian operatives for their role in the war on Ukraine. “Working in lockstep with the Ukrainian government, our allies and partners, international financial institutions, and the private sector, she will drive the United States’ efforts to help rebuild the Ukrainian economy,” Biden said in a statement. “This includes mobilizing public and private investment, shaping donor priorities, and working to open export markets and businesses shut down by Russia’s brutal attacks and destruction.”Pritzker, a native of Chicago with Ukrainian family roots, heir to her family’s Hyatt hotel fortune and a prolific fun...

Asbestos, mould, gas leaks in Milton courthouse force closure of in-person hearings

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:44 GMT

Superior Court judges will not be presiding over in-person cases at a courthouse in Milton because of a mould problem in the building, along with a number of other health and safety concerns.On Monday, Justice Clayton Conlan of the Superior Court of Justice wrote that Superior Court judges would cease sitting at in-person matters at the courthouse until further notice after carefully reviewing the situation at the building.The move followed a similar decision earlier this month by judges with the Ontario Court of Justice to dismiss all in-person hearings following the discovery of mould in parts of the courthouse along with other issues, including asbestos, a gas leak and staff shortages.Conlon says it was a “disappointing day for justice in the Halton region” and says judges are doing what they can but cannot allow members of the public and justice officials to enter the building while it remains contaminated.Attorneys in Halton Region say that some hearings can be conducted ...

FAA restores Mexico aviation to highest safety rating

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:44 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The United States Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday returned Mexico’s aviation safety rating to the highest level two years after downgrading it.The change will allow Mexican airlines to add new routes to the United States, and U.S. airlines will once again be able to sell tickets on Mexican airline-operated flights.In May 2021, the FAA lowered Mexico’s rating because the country did not meet standards set by a United Nations aviation group.The FAA found that Mexico’s ability to oversee its airlines fell short of standards set by a U.N. group called the International Civil Aviation Organization. Those standards cover a broad range of issues, including the regulator’s technical expertise, inspection procedures and record-keeping.FAA safety ratings of other countries are designed to measure those countries’ oversight of its airlines but do not mean that the airlines are unsafe.The FAA decision to lower Mexico from “Category 1” to “Category 2” had put it in...

Police detain 233 people for alleged drug dealing at schools in Albania

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:44 GMT

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Police in Albania reported the detention of 233 people Thursday as part of a nationwide operation to to stop drug dealing at schools. Interior Minister Taulant Balla said some 3,000 officers took part in the crackdown aimed at some 23 criminal groups that allegedly distribute drugs like cannabis, cocaine, heroin and ecstasy in school and university surroundings.“Albanian parents and families today are evaluating state police and also expect systematic work against criminals of any kind,” Balla said.Albania, which has an Adriatic Sea coastline and land borders with Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia, long has had a reputation as a main European drug trafficking route. For a long time, it also was regarded as a center of marijuana production.After coming to power in 2013, the left-wing Socialist Party government of Prime Minister Edi Rama set destroying cannabis plants as a goal. Over the next two years it destroyed millions of cannabis plants with a...

Venice and its lagoon again escape inclusion on UNESCO list of heritage sites in danger

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:44 GMT

VENICE, Italy (AP) — The storied Italian lagoon city of Venice escaped inclusion on UNESCO ‘s list of world heritage in danger during a meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Saudia Arabia on Thursday, as member states commended preservation efforts, including a pilot project that will make Venice the first city to charge entry.It is the second time Venice has escaped being labeled an endangered world heritage site, as recommended by the UNESCO’s committee’s findings that climate change and mass tourism are among threats “causing irreversible impact to the outstanding universal value” of Venice and its lagoon.The vote came just two days after the Venice city council approved an experimental plan to charge day-trippers a 5-euro entrance fee on 30 high-traffic days next year — one of the efforts cited by many of the 21 countries that supported keeping Venice off the list.Venice similarly avoided being labeled an endangered world heritage site in 2021 after the Ro...

Israel’s Netanyahu to meet Elon Musk. Sit-down comes as company faces antisemitism controversy

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:44 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet billionaire businessman Elon Musk during a trip to the United States next week, the Israeli leader’s office said Thursday.Netanyahu’s office declined to discuss the agenda for Monday’s meeting. But it comes at a time that Musk is facing accusations of tolerating antisemitic messages on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.The Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish civil-rights organization, has accused Musk of allowing antisemitism and hate speech to spread on X. Its director, Jonathan Greenblatt, said Musk had “amplified” the messages of neo-Nazis and white supremacists who want to ban the ADL by engaging with them recently on X.In a Sept. 4 post, Musk claimed the ADL was “trying to kill this platform by falsely accusing it & me of being anti-Semitic.” In other posts, he said the ADL was responsible for a 60% drop in revenue at X and said his company would have “no choice” but t...

NASA appoints UFO research chief 

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:44 GMT

(The Hill) -- NASA announced Thursday that the agency has appointed a director of research to study UFOs — or what the U.S. government calls unidentified anomalous phemona (UAPs).Nicola Fox, the associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, confirmed they have appointed a person to the role, but declined to release their name, only noting the individual has worked for the agency "for a while." “They are being tasked with developing and overseeing the implementation of NASA’s vision for UAP research,” NASA administrator Bill Nelson said of the newly appointed director during a press conference on Thursday. “We will use NASA’s expertise to work with other agencies to analyze UAP.” Nelson added that the agency will use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to “search the skies for anomalies” and vowed to share their findings in a transparent manner. The announcement follows the release of a new report from an independent study panel tasked w...

Kyler Gordon will be out of the Bears' lineup for a bit

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:44 GMT

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — A starter in the Bears' defensive backfield is going to be out of the lineup for the next few weeks. It makes for a not-so-positive start to Kyler Gordon's second year with the team.The Bears have placed starting cornerback Kyler Gordon on injured reserve with a hand injury, knocking him out of the lineup for a least four games..DB Greg Stroman Jr. Has been elevated to the active roster. .@WGNNews pic.twitter.com/n32Ce9ODg0— Larry Hawley (@HawleySports) September 14, 2023The cornerback was placed on injured reserve on Thursday after suffering a hand injury in the Bears' loss to the Packers in the season opener on Sunday. This means that Gordon will have to miss a minimum of four weeks before being able to return to the lineup.He was hurt in the first half of the game and wouldn't return for the second half of the 38-20 loss to Green Bay. Gordon made one solo tackle and had a pass defended in one half of play. Due to the injury , defensive back Greg Stroman ...

McCarthy drops f-bomb, venting frustration with GOP members

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:44 GMT

(The Hill) -- House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) vented his frustration about the hardline conservatives holding up appropriations, dropping an expletive as he dared his fiercest critics to attempt a vote to oust him.During a closed-door conference meeting Thursday, McCarthy addressed an uptick in threats from members to call a motion to vacate the chair — a move to force a vote on ousting the speaker.“If you want to file a motion to vacate, then file the f‑‑‑ing motion,” McCarthy said, Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) recounted.McCarthy’s comments follow Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) earlier this week explicitly threatening to call a motion to vacate if McCarthy does not follow through with a number of spending priorities and votes on bills that his detractors were promised in January.It also comes after hardline conservatives, who have been battling with GOP leadership for months over topline numbers in spending bills, forced GOP leaders to punt consideration of a Department of Defense (D...

DeSantis: Criminalizing women for getting abortions 'will not happen in Florida'

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:44 GMT

(The Hill) -- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Wednesday that he does not support criminalizing abortion in his state."We have no criminal penalty,” he said in a CBS News interview. “The penalties are for the physician.”Florida’s six-week abortion ban is not in effect, pending a lawsuit, but would enable the state to pursue felony charges against "any person who willfully performs or actively participates in a termination of pregnancy,” it reads.DeSantis said those penalties would be for medical providers, not women seeking care, saying he is "absolutely not" in favor of criminalizing abortion for women and that it "will not happen in Florida." DeSantis says he would send military to southern border The presidential candidate has not said whether he would support a national ban similar to his state’s pending six-week law or the current 15-week law. "I support pro-life policies," he said. "I'll be a pro-life president. But at the same time, I've got to chart the course and...