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Russia halts wartime deal allowing Ukraine to ship grain. It’s a blow to global food security

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:26 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Russia halted an unprecedented wartime deal on Monday that allows grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where hunger is a growing threat and high food prices have pushed more people into poverty.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced Russia would suspend the Black Sea Grain Initiative until its demands to get its own agricultural shipments to the world are met — even though the country has been shipping record amounts of wheat and its fertilizers also have been flowing.“When the part of the Black Sea deal related to Russia is implemented, Russia will immediately return to the implementation of the deal,” Peskov said. Russia has complained that restrictions on shipping and insurance have hampered its exports of food and fertilizer — also critical to the global food chain.It’s the end of a breakthrough accord that the United Nations and Turkey brokered last summer to allow food to leave the Black Sea region after Russia invaded it...

Israel’s governing coalition presses ahead with plan to overhaul courts ahead of expected protests

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:26 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s governing coalition pushed ahead on Monday with its contentious plan to overhaul the country’s judiciary, despite growing opposition from within the country’s military and a wave of mass protests expected this week.A parliamentary committee was preparing a bill that would limit judicial oversight on some government decisions, legislation that has sparked intensifying criticism from military reservists in elite units, including the air force and cyberwarfare.Many have warned they will not show up for duty if the overhaul moves ahead. Reservists, who make up the backbone of the country’s mostly compulsory military, played a key role in prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pause the overhaul plan earlier this year. In response to the legislation, which is expected to go before a final parliamentary vote early next week, a large protest movement is expected to stage a “day of disruption” on Tuesday. These days of mass pr...

An apartment building collapses in Cairo, killing at least 7, according to Egypt’s state media

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:26 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — An apartment building collapsed Monday in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, leaving at least seven people dead, state-run media said, as rescuers at the scene searched through the rubble.Building collapses are common in Egypt, where shoddy construction and a lack of maintenance are widespread in shantytowns, poor city neighborhoods and rural areas.The state-run MENA news agency reported that rescue teams recovered at least seven bodies from under the rubble of a four-story building in Cairo’s neighborhood of Hadaeq el-Qubbah.Four survivors were also recovered and taken to hospital and authorities evacuated a neighboring apartment building, MENA said.Police forces cordoned off the area as rescue teams were combing the rubble in search for possible survivors, according to local reports.It was not immediately clear what caused the building to collapse.The government has tried to crack down on illegal building in recent years after decades of lax enforcement. Authorities are a...

Schools and stock market are closed as Typhoon Talim sweeps south of Hong Kong

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:26 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Schools and the stock market were closed in Hong Kong on Monday as Typhoon Talim swept south of the city. As the financial hub braced for rainy and windy weather, more than 100 people sought refuge at temporary shelters. Some government and ferry services were halted and various events were postponed. The city’s airport authority said 16 flights were canceled.The Hong Kong Observatory raised a No. 8 typhoon signal, the third-highest warning under the city’s weather system, early Monday. It was the first warning of its kind issued this year.As Talim — with maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometers (87 miles) per hour — gradually moved away from Hong Kong in the afternoon, the observatory downgraded its warning for the city. China’s National Meteorological Center forecast the typhoon would make landfall in neighboring Guangdong province and Hainan province on Monday night before entering the Gulf of Tonkin and striking land again in the Guangxi region on T...

Accused Russian intelligence officer pleads not guilty to US smuggling charges

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:26 GMT

An alleged Russian intelligence officer pleaded not guilty on Friday (14 July) to US charges of smuggling US-origin electronics and ammunition to Russia to help its war against Ukraine.Vadim Konoschenok, who was extradited on Thursday (13 July) from Estonia, entered the plea at a hearing in federal court in Brooklyn.US Magistrate Judge Ramon Reyes ordered Konoschenok detained pending trial, after prosecutors called him a flight risk."No matter where you are in the world, if you violate US export controls or evade US sanctions, we will not rest until you face justice," Breon Peace, the US Attorney in Brooklyn, said in a statement.Sabrina Shroff, a US-based lawyer for Konoschenok, declined to comment.The Russian embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.Konoschenok, 48, was detained by Estonian authorities in October 2022 while trying to cross into Russia carrying 35 types of semiconductors and electronic components, some of which were subject to U.S. export contr...

Word Game: July 17, 2023

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:26 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — PALATE (PALATE: PAL-et: The roof of the mouth; an intellectual taste or liking.)Average mark 13 wordsTime limit 30 minutesCan you find 17 or more words in PALATE? The list will be published tomorrow.SATURDAY’S WORD — UNTOWARD undo unto tarn taro toad torn tour toward town trod tuna tundra turn onward outdraw outdrawn outran outward wand want ward warn wart wont word worn wound adorn around aunt auto radon rant road roan rotund rotunda round rout runt darn dart daunt dawn donut dour down drat draw drawn drownTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Prope...

Ask Amy: It turns out my kind and loving wife is a mean drunk

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:26 GMT

Dear Amy: I have been happily married for 17 years to a kind and loving woman. It is a second marriage for us both. We are retired and living in an upscale over-55 community.Related ArticlesAdvice | Ask Amy: I worked hard for my degree, and my mother-in-law turned it into a joke Advice | Ask Amy: It was a great party, but it will be awkward when we next see these people Advice | Ask Amy: Should I let it go, or tell my co-workers how annoyed I am? Advice | Ask Amy: I want to tell them I’m not an irredeemable pothead Advice | Ask Amy: What if grandma finds out where I’ve sent the kids? Over the past few months my wife has begun drinking to excess every evening. When drunk she gets very mean. She criticizes me and dredges up any past mistakes in my life.For instance, when my first wife and I divorced, I made a substantial financial sacrifice in order to continue to live near my daughter. My wife...

Brad Pitt estuvo entre los famosos que asistieron a la final masculina de Wimbledon

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:26 GMT

(CNN) — Brad Pitt fue una de varias celebridades y miembros de la realeza que disfrutaron de una épica final masculina de Wimbledon este domingo.La estrella de Hollywood estaba en la cancha central para ver a Novak Djokovic y Carlos Alcaraz enfrentarse en un emocionante partido de cinco sets. Después de casi cinco horas, Alcaraz se impuso para ganar su primer título de Wimbledon.Su compañero actor Hugh Jackman y su esposa también fueron vistos en el palco de los jugadores, el actor tuiteó antes del partido: “Más que emocionado de estar aquí para animar a DjokerNole!!! @Wimbledon Vaaaamos”.Carlos Alcaraz gana Wimbledon 2023 tras vencer a Novak Djokovic en emocionante final a 5 setsRachel Weisz y Daniel Craig estuvieron en la Pista Central en un partido que se decidió en el quinto set. (Crédito: Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images)La estrella de James Bond Daniel Craig y su esposa Rachel Weisz fueron también vistos durante la final, al igual que el ex campeón Andy Murray. El acto...

Nationals Notebook: Winning weekend not in the cards

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:26 GMT

C.J. Abrams hit .462 with a team-high seven runs batting in the leadoff spot (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)The All Star break gave us a little of everything: a Home Run Derby (Vlad Guerrero Jr. hitting 72 round-trippers to join his dad Vlad Sr. as winners of the contest) with plenty of fireworks as well as a close game (unlike my childhood, this year saw the NL take the lead only to lose it in the late innings).The hiatus also gave us the announcement of the 2024 regular season schedules. Honestly, the current season is barely halfway complete and I can think of a half-dozen more important baseball topics to discuss rather than who the Nats will open up with (at Cincinnati March 28) or when they’ll face the Orioles (May 7-8 at Nationals Park, Aug. 13-14 at Camden Yards).This couldn’t wait until Nov. 1? While we’re discussing schedules didn’t MLB do it right on two counts by giving us a battle of last place teams (Nationals-St. Louis) as well the Wild Card leaders (...

Georgia mass shooting suspect is killed during intense search and 3 officers are wounded, police say

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:26 GMT

In this photo tweeted by WSB-TV's Steve Gehlbach, Hampton Police Chief James Turner, center, stands next to a mounted picture of suspect Andre Longmore during a news conference in Hampton, Ga., Saturday, July 15, 2023. Authorities are searching for Longmore, who is suspected of gunning down three men and a woman in Hampton. (Steve Gehlbach/WSB-TV via AP)(AP/Steve Gehlbach) In this photo tweeted by WSB-TV's Steve Gehlbach, Hampton Police Chief James Turner, center, stands next to a mounted picture of suspect Andre Longmore during a news conference in Hampton, Ga., Saturday, July 15, 2023. Authorities are searching for Longmore, who is suspected of gunning down three men and a woman in Hampton. (Steve Gehlbach/WSB-TV via AP)(AP/Steve Gehlbach) ...