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UN demands that Lebanon’s forces and Hezbollah militants allow unannounced UN peacekeeping patrols

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:17 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council approved a resolution Thursday demanding that the Lebanese military and Hezbollah stop blocking the movement of the U.N. peacekeeping force and guarantee its freedom to operate, “including by allowing announced and unannounced patrols.”Lebanese officials had pushed to remove a provision in the resolution, first introduced last year, that allows the peacekeepers to patrol without giving prior notice to the Lebanese army.Hassan Nasrallah, head of the Lebanese militant group and political party Hezbollah, said in a speech Monday that the provision is a violation of Lebanese sovereignty, and that the United States wants the U.N. peacekeeping force “to be spies for the Israelis.”But the council ignored the request and voted 13-0 with Russia and China abstaining, strengthening last year’s text and reaffirming that under the agreement between the United Nations and the Lebanese government, the peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL “does not requ...

Greece sends 100 extra firefighters to a massive northeastern wildfire as it burns for a 13th day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:17 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities sent 100 extra firefighters Thursday to the country’s northeast where a massive blaze in its 13th day flared up again, prompting authorities to put residents on standby for a possible evacuation.The fire that started Aug. 19 — part of a busy fire season for Greece — has destroyed vast tracts of forest and burnt homes, and has been blamed for the deaths of 20 migrants whose bodies were found last week in the area, which is near the border with Turkey.Allegations that migrants may have been responsible for the fire have led to some vigilantism against foreigners, though people arrested in recent days suspected of starting blazes around the country have all been Greek.The reinforcements sent Thursday to the Alexandroupolis and Evros region brought the total number of firefighters deployed there to 582, backed by 10 planes and seven helicopters from nine European countries, Greece’s fire department said. A total of 26 people, including the two-mem...

Greek authorities say that dozens more migrants have reached Aegean islands from Turkey

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:17 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Nearly 200 more migrants have reached Greece’s Aegean Sea islands in boats from Turkey, Greek authorities said Thursday, including 51 people who made landfall on the high-end resort of Mykonos.The new arrivals come amid a steady rise in migration to the European Union country, which officials mostly attribute to better summer sailing conditions.While Greece was once the main entry point to the EU for people seeking a better life in the wealthy bloc, its Mediterranean neighbor Italy now has nearly seven times more arrivals. A Greek coast guard statement said a motor yacht that had landed 42 men, eight women and a child on Mykonos Wednesday was stopped hours later off the eastern Aegean island of Patmos. Three men on it were arrested on suspicion of belonging to a migrant smuggling group based in neighboring Turkey.The coast guard also said 30 migrants, including 6 children, were found Wednesday on the coast of Evia — an island near the Greek mainland that ...

Saskatchewan, New Brunswick naming changes means ‘life or death’ for trans kids: Ien

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:17 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s minister for women, gender equality and youth says policies in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick that require parental consent before students under 16 can have schools use their preferred pronouns and names puts transgender and nonbinary kids in a “life-or-death situation.” And while Marci Ien declined to comment on whether Ottawa sees a role for itself in any potential court challenges, the cabinet minister said the Liberal government is keeping an eye on what unfolds. “What I can tell you is that we’re watching closely as this develops,” she told The Canadian Press in an interview Wednesday. “Obviously anything is possible, but I’m not going to comment on anything hypothetical at this time.” Saskatchewan recently became the second jurisdiction to change its policy around pronoun use and name changes for students younger than 16, making it a rule that teachers must first seek permission from those students’...

S&P/TSX composite up as Shopify boosts tech sector, U.S. stock markets also higher

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:17 GMT

TORONTO — Strength in technology stocks led by Shopify Inc. after its deal to help merchants integrate access to Amazon.com Inc.’s fulfilment network within their Shopify stores helped Canada’s main stock index move higher in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets also rose.The S&P/TSX composite index was up 14.32 points at 20,344.64, while shares in Shopify rose more than eight per cent.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 51.28 points at 34,941.52. The S&P 500 index was up 6.74 points at 4,521.61, while the Nasdaq composite was up 51.96 points at 14,071.27.The Canadian dollar traded for 73.87 cents US compared with 73.88 cents US on Wednesday.The October crude contract was up US$1.04 at US$82.67 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up three cents at US$2.83 per mmBTU.The December gold contract was down US$3.90 at US$1,969.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was down two cents at US$3.83 a pound.This report by The ...

UN says number of people killed, injured or kidnapped in Haiti rose 14% in recent months

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:17 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.N. said Thursday that 1,860 people were reported killed, injured or kidnapped in Haiti from April to June, a 14% increase compared with the first three months of the year.The surge in gang violence remains centered in the capital of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas, with nearly 300 people alone killed or injured by snipers in the slum of Cite Soleil, according to a human rights report released by the U.N. Integrated Office in Haiti, known as BINUH.The report was released a day after the U.S. Embassy in Haiti urged U.S. citizens to leave the Caribbean country “as soon as possible” given the ongoing insecurity and infrastructure challenges.Among those killed from April to June were 13 police officers and more than 460 gang members, the majority of those by lynching, followed by police shootings, the U.N. said. At least 230 suspected gang members have died as a result of a violent civilian uprising dubbed “bwa kale” that began in April and targets...

Fire activity expected to kick up in N.W.T., Mounties warn against re-entering

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:17 GMT

YELLOWKNIFE — Fire activity along a key Northwest Territories highway is expected to kick up in the coming days, while Mounties say they’ll stop a potentially large group from trying to re-enter when an evacuation order is still in effect.  The territorial government says Highway 1, which links up with Alberta, is open to essential travel but could close without warning due to poor visibility. It’s expected the highway will close to all traffic between Friday and Sunday due to high winds, meaning there has been a pause on bringing back essential workers not in health care. RCMP spokesman Cpl. Matt Halstead says police have received information that as many as 50 vehicles from Alberta are planning to return before an evacuation order is lifted. He says it’s not safe to return to any evacuated communities, and anyone who risks the safety of government staff or RCMP officers at checkpoints may be charged. About 70 per cent of the territory’s population — includi...

Filipino who helped tame insurgency and pro-poor Indian cancer doctor among Magsaysay awardees

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:17 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine university professor who became a peace negotiator and helped ease decades of Muslim insurgency violence in her country and an Indian doctor, who chose to work in a far-flung rural region to reach poor cancer patients desperately in need of medical help were among those who won this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Awards — regarded as Asia’s version of the Nobel Prize.The other winners announced on Thursday were a London-educated lawyer who turned away from a life of privilege in Bangladesh to lead a movement providing education to poor children and an East Timor farmer, who uses his songs to campaign for food security and environmental protection.The annual awards are named after a Philippine president, who died in a 1957 plane crash, and honor “greatness of spirit” in selfless service to people across Asia. The winners will be presented with their awards at the Metropolitan Theatre in Manila on Nov. 11. “They are Asia’s torchbearers of hope, illumina...

2 South Elgin HS students killed in semi crash: Police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:17 GMT

BARTLETT, Ill. -- Two South Elgin High School students have died after a crash involving a dump truck in Bartlett Thursday morning, police said.Bartlett police responded to a crash near the intersection of Route 25 and Keynon Road involving a Honda Civic occupied by four South Elgin High School students and a semi-truck. A female passenger suffered life-threatening injuries and was transported to a hospital where she later died. Another female passenger of the Honda was pronounced dead at the scene.The driver of the semi-truck was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and the female driver of the Honda was also transported to a hospital with non-life threatening injures. 5 people shot, 2 in critical condition, in Peoria Route 25 is closed between West Bartlett and Graham Road.WGN is actively following this incident and will update as more information is recovered.

WATCH LIVE | 'Skip-the-Line' program kicks off Friday at Illinois DMVs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:17 GMT

CHICAGO — Starting Friday, most DMV facilities will require an appointment to get drivers licenses, Real ID's and driving tests.It part of a move to modernize Illinois' Department of Motor Vehicles. The appointments will be required at the states 44 busiest DMV locations throughout the states, including all Chicago locations — except the Loop location.The Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced the "Skip-the-Line" program back in July.The idea is to cut the unpredicability of wait times at DMV's where people can wait hours or just a few minutes depending on the lines.Starting Friday, you will need to book your appointment online.A few more changes coming to the DMV are the hours. Instead of Tuesday through Saturday, the facility will be open Monday through Friday — however, about a dozen will remain open on Saturday.You will also not need appointments for titles to register your vehicle or get license plate stickers.The secretary o...