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Paris strips Palestinian leader Abbas of special honor for remarks on Holocaust

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:08 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Paris has rescinded a special honor it bestowed on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas because of his recent antisemitic comments minimizing the Holocaust.Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo published a letter Friday saying that “your remarks run counter to universal values and the historical truth of the Holocaust.”Noting that tens of thousands of Jews were rounded up in Paris under the Nazi occupation and deported to death camps, Hidalgo said, “We condemn your comments with the utmost firmness. No cause can justify revisionism and negationism.”Hidalgo awarded Abbas the city’s highest honor, the Grand Bronze of Paris, in 2015 for his efforts toward peace in the Middle East and a two-state solution.In a speech last month to senior members of his Fatah movement, Abbas said that Adolf Hitler killed European Jews not because of antisemitism, but because of their “social functions” in society, such as money lending.The United States, Germany and the European Union condemned his commen...

Rescue begins of ailing US researcher stuck 3,000 feet inside a Turkish cave, Turkish officials say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:08 GMT

Rescue teams began the arduous process Saturday of extricating an American researcher who became seriously ill while he was 1,000 meters (3,000 feet) below the entrance of a cave in Turkey, an official from Turkey’s disaster management agency said.It could take days to bring Mark Dickey to the surface since rescuers anticipate he will have to stop and rest frequently at camps set up along the way as they pull his stretcher through the narrow passages.“This afternoon, the operation to move him from his camp at 1040 meters to the camp at 700 meters began,” the official from the Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate told The Associated Press.The 40-year-old experienced caver began vomiting because of stomach bleeding while on an expedition with a handful of others in the Morca cave in southern Turkey’s Taurus Mountains.Teams of rescuers from across Europe have rushed to Dickey’s aid. A Hungarian doctor reached and treated him inside the cave on Sept. 3. Doctors and rescuers hav...

Minister urges Canadians in Morocco to contact Global Affairs after devastating quake

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:08 GMT

Federal Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has urged Canadians in Morocco to register with Global Affairs Canada after a deadly earthquake struck the country late Friday night.In a tweet this morning, Joly says Canada’s thoughts are with all of those affected by the devastating quake.She says Canadians in Morocco who need help should contact the federal Emergency Watch and Response Centre, which can provide emergency consular assistance.Global Affairs Canada says it is working on an update about how many Canadians were in Morocco at the time of the disaster.The rare, powerful earthquake has killed more than 1,000 people and injured about 1,200 people, but those numbers are expected to climb.The 6.8-magnitude quake is the biggest to hit the North African country in 120 years.— With files from The Associated PressThis report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2023.The Canadian Press<!– Photo: 20230909110916-64fc8c7252f05d0e00b312dbjpeg.jpg, Capt...

G20 countries agree to increase clean energy but reach no deal on phasing out fossil fuels

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:08 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — G20 leaders agreed Saturday to triple renewable energy and try to increase the funds for climate change-related disasters but maintained the status quo with regards to phasing out carbon spewing coal. At a news conference shortly after the leaders of the Group of 20 of the world’s biggest economies — which also emit 80% of all planet-warming gases — announced the agreement, Amitabh Kant, a senior Indian government official leading some of the G20 negotiations, called it “probably the most vibrant, dynamic and ambitious document on climate action.”While most climate and energy experts were not as ebullient, they agreed that the G20 leaders had put out a strong message on climate action, even as the world is seeing increasingly frequent natural disasters such as extreme heat.Even at the last meeting of the G20 climate ministers before the summit, disagreements had remained. Global leaders and climate experts say the declaration had largely taken the conversation...

Biden gives Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed a hearty handshake a year after an awkward fist bump moment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:08 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — The Saudi crown prince once vilified by President Joe Biden has been elevated from a fist bump to a hearty handshake.Biden warmly greeted Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Mohammed bin Salman, after they appeared together along with several other leaders at the Group of 20 summit Saturday in New Delhi. The leaders had gathered to announce an ambitious plan to build a rail and shipping corridor linking India with the Middle East and Europe. Biden smiled and shook hands with the crown prince, who is often referred to by his initials MBS, as the announcement wrapped up. This year’s G20 host, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Mod i, quickly draped his own hand over their hands.The cordial greeting was a sharp contrast to the last time Biden and the crown prince met, just over a year ago, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. During that encounter, Biden awkwardly greeted the crown prince with a fist bump, a moment roundly criticized by human rights activists, who were already...

From leaf crisps to pudding, India’s ‘super food’ millet finds its way onto the G20 dinner menu

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:08 GMT

When the leaders of the Group of 20 arrived in host country India, they were feted by a classic Indian formula of Bollywood song and dance on the tarmac. Now as they tuck in to dinner, they are in for yet another cultural treat: dressed-up versions of a humble, earthy grain that’s a staple for millions of Indians. Millets are a group of grains India has been championing as a super food — versatile, climate-friendly and, if prepared right, presumably delicious enough for world leaders. And after a grueling day of discussions at the summit that saw the African Union added as a new G20 member, delicacies made from it will be rolled out in various forms. The world leaders will gather for the meal at the Bharat Mandapam building, a sprawling exhibition center in the heart of New Delhi, which twinkled with blinking lights on Saturday night. Among the vegetarian delicacies are oxtail millet leaf crisps topped with yoghurt and spiced chutney, Kerala red rice tossed with millet crisp a...

Powerful ethnic militia in Myanmar repatriates 1,200 Chinese suspected of involvement in cybercrime

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:08 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — One of Myanmar’s biggest and most powerful ethnic minority militias has arrested and repatriated more than 1,200 Chinese nationals allegedly involved in criminal online scam operations, an official of the group said Saturday.The arrests were carried out in territory controlled by the United Wa State Army, or UWSA, in eastern Shan state in raids on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nyi Rang, a liaison officer from the militia, told The Associated Press.He said in a text message that the arrested people were handed over to Chinese police at the border gate in Panghsang — also known as Pangkham city — the capital of Wa-administered territory on the border with China’s Yunnan province.Cybercrime scams have become a major issue in Asia, as many of the workers employed to carry out the online scams are themselves victims of criminal gangs, who lure them with fake job offers and then force them to work in conditions of virtual slavery.The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human ...

What are the expectations for the 2023 Bears?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:08 GMT

Nicholas Moreano of CHGO talked about the Bears' upcoming 2023 season ahead of the opener with the Packers on "9 Good Minutes" this week.CHICAGO - With the influx of new talent through free agency and the draft along with hope that the team's quarterback will continue to improve, there is a wide range of expectations for the 2023 Chicago Bears. Some people believe the team can contend for their first NFC North title since 2018 in a division that doesn't have a clear-cut favorite. Others are more cautious, realizing that the team is still building under general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus as they come off a 3-14 season. The number of wins that are expected of this group certainly fluctuates from person to person as the 2023 season opener with the Packers approaches on Sunday. One thing is for certain, however, and that's the fact that there are a lot of questions to answer about just how much the Bears have improved from a year ago. Over the course of the next 17 ...

Can you eat a spotted lanternfly?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:08 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — For nearly a decade, a stunning but destructive invasive species has been spreading throughout the U.S.: the spotted lanternfly. With its dazzling spots and pair of bright red wings, it can be hard not to admire the bug – but would you consider eating it?If you aren’t familiar, the spotted lanternfly is a moth-like insect native to China. It was first detected in the U.S. by a Pennsylvania forester in 2014. While it can’t go very far on its own — with the help of wind and clear air space, the spotted lanternfly can only travel about a mile under its own steam, Shannon Powers, press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture tells Nexstar — the invasive species has been found in more than a dozen states. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, that includes Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, Virginia, and West Virginia. This insect is the spotted lanternfly’s...

Could Hurricane Lee impact the US? Here's when it's supposed to turn

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:08 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Hurricane Lee remains a major hurricane Saturday as it continues its northwestward path through the Atlantic Ocean.According to the National Hurricane Center, Lee was listed a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph on Saturday morning. It was moving west-northwest at 12 mph.Hurricane Lee is seen moving westward Saturday morning. (NOAA)Located more than 300 miles east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands, Lee is expected to continue its current path as it slows down early next week. What is considered a ‘major hurricane’? Several Caribbean nations will experience swells from the hurricane, but Lee will be traveling "well to the north of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico into early next week," the NHC said. As it continues getting closer to the United States, however, forecasters say any potential impacts will depend on when it will turn."The critical day will come Wednesday as Lee is expected to turn n...