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Bulgarian parliament again approves additional military aid to Ukraine

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:56 GMT

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria’s parliament on Friday approved the provision of additional military aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia.A majority of 147 lawmakers in the 240-seat chamber voted in favor of supplying Ukraine with portable anti-aircraft missile systems and surface-to-air missiles of various types intended to bolster Ukraine’s air defense capabilities, the state-run BTA news agency reported.Military experts said the missiles, which are either defective or redundant, cannot be repaired in Bulgaria, but Ukraine has the needed facilities to fix them or use them for spare parts.Some 55 lawmakers from pro-Russian groups in parliament voted against sending the aid, underscoring the divisions in the Balkan country over helping Ukraine counter Russia’s invasion.Bulgaria, once a member of the now-defunct Warsaw pact, joined NATO in 2004, but still maintains stocks of Soviet-designed weapons.In addition, parliament on Friday approved the use of Bulgarian airspace for training...

LGBTQ+ activists in Minnesota want prosecutors to treat the killing of a trans woman as a hate crime

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:56 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — LGBTQ+ activists in Minnesota want prosecutors to treat the killing of a trans woman in Minneapolis as a hate crime, and they want lawmakers to strengthen legal safeguards to protect a community that’s disproportionately the target of violence.Savannah Ryan Williams, 38, was shot in the head at close range last month. Prosecutors this week charged Damarean Kaylon Bible, 25, with second-degree murder. He remains jailed with bail set at $1 million and his next court date set for Jan. 9. His attorney did not immediately return a call seeking comment Friday.According to the criminal complaint, Bible told police he walked past Williams at a bus shelter near a light-rail station about 5 a.m. on Nov. 29 and that she asked him if he wanted sex. Bible said he began to feel “suspicious” as she performed oral sex on him in a courtyard several blocks away, and that he shot her in the head from just inches away. The complaint says Bible later told his father from jail th...

Downsview airfield operations to end by mid-2024 as redevelopment project ramps up

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:56 GMT

As planning for a massive redevelopment of the Downsview airport lands continues, the company behind the project is aiming to shut down the airfield before the middle of 2024.The news comes as Bombardier prepares to move its operations to Toronto Pearson International Airport in the months ahead.CityNews recently toured the iconic Downsview airport lands as Northcrest Developments prepares to open a site office at the historic location.“We’re building a city within a city and that’s a big responsibility,” Aytakin Mohammadi, the company’s director of impact and engagement, said.“This project is the largest of its kind in North America.He said the proposed redevelopment will rely on innovation, using more timber in building the structures, and will be a net-zero community“We want to be a bit more creative in terms of our building design,” Mohammadi said.The old airport used to be the home of De Havilland. There were various other compani...

UN chief and many nations demand immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza, but US remains opposed

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:56 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations chief and many Security Council members demanded an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza on Friday, but the United States reiterated its opposition despite a direct appeal from Arab diplomats, virtually dooming any action by the U.N.’s most powerful body.The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and other leading Arab nations and Turkey were in Washington on Friday on a rare joint mission to press the Biden administration to drop its opposition to a cease-fire given the soaring death tolls among . They were scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday afternoon.One, the top diplomat of Jordan, told reporters in Washington that the killings of Palestinian civilians in Israel’s bombardment and siege of Gaza were war crimes and threatened to destabilize the region, the U.S. and the world for years to come“If people are not seeing it here, we are seeing it,” Safadi said, adding: “We’re seeing the challenges that we ar...

Supreme Court overturns N.W.T. decision blocking students’ admission to French school

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:56 GMT

OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada ruled today that the Northwest Territories education minister erred in refusing to allow students from five families to attend a French-language school.The children didn’t have a constitutional right to attend a francophone school in the territory because they didn’t fit certain criteria, such as French being their mother tongue or the language of previous education.But a francophone school board recommended they be admitted anyway to help promote the language.The parents first requested the transfers in 2018 and 2019, but the minister denied them, kicking off a protracted court battle. The Supreme Court’s unanimous decision says the territory’s government should have considered the preservation and development of minority language communities.Justice Suzanne Côté wrote in the decision that the minister put too much emphasis on the cost of admitting the students to the schools.This report by The Canadian Press was first pu...

EQB customers weathering shock of high interest rates, CEO says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:56 GMT

TORONTO — The head of EQB Inc. says customers are largely weathering the shock of high interest rates.About 80 per cent of EQ customers had already renewed their mortgage at a higher rate without a major uptick in delinquencies, chief executive officer Andrew Moor said in an interview on Friday. EQB typically offers mortgages with shorter terms compared with the larger banks. Canada’s biggest banks still expect to see waves of mortgage renewals at much higher rates over the next few years as the five-year fixed interest rate and fixed-payment mortgages come up for renewal.Toronto-based EQB, which runs online-based EQ Bank and bought Concentra Trust last year, reported revenue of $395 million and net income of $141 million in its extended fourth quarter that ended Oct. 31.The bank’s fourth quarter spanned four months, and its 2023 fiscal year ran 10 months, as it skipped the third quarter in a one-time move to align its fiscal year with its bigger banking peers.The shift ...

3 Alabama officers fired in connection to fatal shooting of Black man at his home

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:56 GMT

DECATUR, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama city has fired three police officers connected to the fatal shooting of a Black man in front of his own home during a dispute with a tow truck driver.Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling announced the decision Thursday night after the conclusion of personnel hearings. The mayor’s office did not name the officers or the specific reasons for their dismissal. The city police chief said previously that departmental policies were violated with the shooting. A fourth officer was suspended, the mayor said. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s review of the shooting is ongoing, a spokesman said Friday. The findings will be turned over to the local district attorney and grand jury to determine if criminal charges are merited or if officers acted within the bounds of the law. Steve Perkins, 39, was shot and killed by police on Sept. 29 when officers accompanied a tow truck driver trying to repossess Perkins’ truck. Authorities said in September that Perkins had bran...

With no supermarket for residents of Atlantic City, New Jersey and hospitals create mobile groceries

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:56 GMT

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — In this seaside resort, where $5 billion worth of in-person and online gambling gets done each year, there still is not a supermarket.People who live in Atlantic City must either drive off the island to a mainland store, take public transportation — whose cost eats away at the amount left for food — or shop in pricey, poorly stocked corner stores in their own city.A much-touted, heavily subsidized plan to build what would be the city’s first supermarket in nearly 20 years fell apart earlier this year. Now, the state and a hospital system are sending a converted school bus laden with fresh food available for purchase into the city as a temporary solution.Virtua Health brought a modified transit bus to a poor neighborhood in Atlantic City on Friday as part of its “Eat Well” program, funded by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.The program aims to bring high quality food and fresh produce to economically deprived areas that lack meaningful access t...

2 journalists are detained in Belarus as part of a crackdown on dissent

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:56 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Two journalists were detained in Belarus on Friday, a Belarusian journalist association reported, the latest step in a crackdown against dissent in recent years. Chief editor of the Ranak television channel, Yulia Dauletava, and correspondent Lyudmila Andenka were detained in the city of Svetlahorsk in southeastern Belarus and accused of contributing to extremist activities, the Belarusian Association of Journalists reported. Both have covered protests in Belarus and local authorities. They each face up to seven years in prison if convicted. A wave of protests rocked Belarus in 2020, following a disputed presidential election in August that year, in which Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner, securing a sixth consecutive term in office.The protests lasted for months, the largest and most prolonged show of dissent since Lukashenko came to power in 1994 and began repressing independent news media and opposition.Lukashenko unleashed harsh measures agains...

Time to spend: Offseason roadmap to get the Cubs back in the postseason

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:56 GMT

CHICAGO — With millions coming off the books, an elite new manager and heavy expectations to get back on top of the NL Central — now is the time for the Cubs to have their best offseason since landing Jon Lester.It's also not every offseason where one of the greatest athletes ever is available along with former all-stars on teams looking to dump salary.If you're also an obsessed Cubs fan constantly refreshing social media for Shohei Ohtani rumors, you've probably seen several reports casting doubt on the North Siders as true finalists. MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported Friday that Ohtani's decision is "imminent."While potentially not getting a generational talent like Shohei hurts badly, Jed and company likely will be very aggressive this offseason to give new manager Craig Counsell a playoff-contending roster as top prospects will start to be on the cusp.The holes the club may hope to fill will be adding a left-handed bat, everyday corner infielders, a starting pitcher and bullpen ...