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EU Parliament seeks to speed up ammo deal for Ukraine

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:16:43 GMT

European People’s Party chief Manfred Weber wants the European Parliament to use a fast-track procedure to vote on plans to boost weapons and ammunition production to help Ukraine as soon as this month, he said in a letter to Parliament President Roberta Metsola obtained by POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook.“In view of the urgent need to help Ukraine in filling up its ammunition stocks, the EPP Group would like to request an urgent procedure pursuant to Rule 163 of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure,” Weber wrote in his letter, dated May 5.The clock is ticking: The EU has promised to supply Ukraine with 1 million shells in the next year, but there are concerns it may fall short of its promise to produce on the Continent the quantity needed. EU ministers in March asked Brussels to come up with a law to use the EU budget to ramp up defense manufacturing capacity in Europe to meet those goals.Last week, the Commission approved plans to increase the EU’s ammunition production c...

Fishy business: EU flashes green money to support Indian Ocean tuna grab

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:16:43 GMT

The EU’s sustainable fishing funds are intended to save the environment. In the Indian Ocean, critics say they’re being used as leverage to allow Europe’s fishing fleets to keep fishing vast amounts of tuna.EU vessels — most of them French or Spanish — catch up to a third of tuna in those waters, according to data from the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), an international body tasked with managing the fisheries. To do so, they deploy so-called fish aggregating devices — floating objects made of plastic or wood used to attract fish — that scientists say lead to overfishing and cause plastic pollution.Concerned by the EU’s practices, a group of 11 IOTC member countries are calling to limit the use of floating devices to allow fish to recover and ensure the species’ survival. Their proposal calls for a 72-day moratorium on the practice every year, and a limit on how many devices can be used.The EU has launched a campaign to ensure that doesn’t happen.Through so-called “sustain...

The pendant is 20,000 years old - Ancient DNA shows who wore it

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:16:43 GMT

Inside a Siberian cave that has been an archeological treasure trove, an elk's canine tooth (pictured) - pierced to become a pendant - was unearthed by scientists with care to avoid contaminating this intriguing artifact made roughly 20,000 years ago.The pristine collection of the pendant from Denisova Cave paid dividends. Scientists on Wednesday (3 May) said a new method for extracting ancient DNA identified the object's long-ago owner - a Stone Age woman closely related to a population of hunter-gatherers known to have lived in a part of Siberia east of the cave site in the foothills of the Altai Mountains in Russia.The method can isolate DNA that was present in skin cells, sweat or other bodily fluids and was absorbed by certain types of porous material including bones, teeth and tusks when handled by someone thousands of years ago.Objects used as tools or for personal adornment - pendants, necklaces, bracelets, rings and the like - can offer insight into past behavior and cultur...

Single family residence sells in Palo Alto for $2.8 million

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:16:43 GMT

3320 Stockton Place – Google Street ViewA 1,548-square-foot house built in 1952 has changed hands. The property located in the 3300 block of Stockton Place in Palo Alto was sold on April 14, 2023, for $2,808,000, or $1,814 per square foot. The property features five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a garage, and one parking space. It sits on a 6,305-square-foot lot, which also has a pool.These nearby houses have also recently been purchased:On Morris Drive, Palo Alto, in February 2023, a 1,355-square-foot home was sold for $2,858,000, a price per square foot of $2,109. The home has 3 bedrooms and 1 bathrooms.In March 2023, a 2,032-square-foot home on Thomas Drive in Palo Alto sold for $3,400,000, a price per square foot of $1,673. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 1,541-square-foot home on the 800 block of Ross Court in Palo Alto sold in June 2022, for $3,300,000, a price per square foot of $2,141. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. 

Electronic Arts earns, consumer prices, consumer sentiment

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:16:43 GMT

A look at some of the key business events and economic indicators upcoming this week: GAME ON Video game maker Electronic Arts delivers its latest quarterly report card Tuesday. Wall Street predicts that the company’s fiscal fourth-quarter earnings increased versus the same quarter last year, while revenue was flat. Investors will be listening for an update on sales of the widely anticipated “Star Wars Jedi: Survivor” game, which debuted last month. TRACKING INFLATION The Labor Department releases its April snapshot of inflation at the consumer level Wednesday. While inflation remains painfully high, it has been easing in recent months as the Federal Reserve has pressed its interest rate hiking campaign. Economists project the April reading will show inflation at the consumer level rose 5% from a year earlier, matching March’s pace. Consumer price index, annual percent change, not seasonally adjusted: Nov. 7.1 Dec. 6.5 Jan. 6.4 Feb. 6.0 March 5.0 April (est.) 5.0 Source: FactS...

Russia hits Ukraine with huge barrage of Iranian-made drones

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:16:43 GMT

Russia hammered Ukraine with a new barrage of missiles and drones in the early hours of Monday morning, as Moscow gears up to celebrate victory over the Nazis in World War II. In the Kyiv region, Ukrainian air defense shot down 35 Iranian-made Shahed drones, according to Ukraine’s air force. But the debris damaged several buildings and injured civilians. Russian bombers also fired at least eight cruise missiles at the Odesa region, leaving food warehouses destroyed.Russia celebrates the Soviet triumph over Hitler on May 9 annually, and President Vladimir Putin has used the holiday to boost his strongman image during his decades in power.But this year’s celebrations will be somewhat muted, with Putin canceling parades in Russia’s Kursk and Belgorod regions, which border Ukraine, and in Russian-occupied Crimea, citing security concerns. Moscow is now in the second year of its full-scale war on Ukraine and there’s no sign of imminent victory, while even ...

ASEAN leaders to tackle regional crises at tropical resort

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:16:43 GMT

LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia (AP) — A picturesque tourist destination will host crisis-weary Southeast Asian leaders with sun-splashed tropical islands, turquoise waters brimming with corals and manta rays, seafood feasts, and a hillside savannah crawling with Komodo dragons. The sunshiny setting is a stark contrast to the seriousness of their agenda.Indonesian President Joko Widodo picked the far-flung, rustic harbor town of Labuan Bajo as a laidback venue to discuss an agenda rife with contentious issues. These include the continuing bloody civil strife in Myanmar and the escalating territorial conflicts in the South China Sea between fellow leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The 10-nation regional bloc and its member states will meet for three days starting Tuesday, with the growing rivalry between the United States and China as a backdrop. U.S. President Joe Biden has been reinforcing an arc of alliances in the Indo-Pacific region to better counter China over Taiwa...

Set to host, UK taking Eurovision very seriously this year

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:16:43 GMT

LONDON (AP) — There’s nothing like nearly winning to wake people up. And the U.K.’s second-place position at last year’s Eurovision Song Contest has helped kickstart widespread enthusiasm for 2023’s edition — taking place in Liverpool this week.Sam Ryder’s “Space Man” restored the nation’s interest last year with his smiling enthusiasm, soaring vocals and great song despite coming on the heels of James Newman in 2021, who received no points at all, and 2019’s Michael Rice, who also came in last.Normally the winner of the previous contest would host the next one, but that winner was Ukraine, and the ongoing war there has made that impossible. So the U.K., as runnerup, is hosting instead.Singer Rita Ora says Eurovision — the semifinals begin Tuesday and the final is Saturday — has received another lease on life in the U.K.“The Eurovision is suddenly just (becoming) huge again and I’m really here for it,” she said.She’s performing during the interval at a semifinal in Liverpool, but he...

RCMP issue alert for rural residents in central Alberta : In The News for May 8

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:16:43 GMT

In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what’s on the radar of our editors for the morning of May 8 …What we are watching in Canada …RCMP have issued an emergency alert for residents living in a rural community in central Alberta. Mounties say an armed and dangerous person was last seen in the area of Township Road 422 and Range Road 245a in Ponoka County. They say the alert is in effect for everyone within 20 kilometres of Township Road 422 and Range Road 245 A in Ponoka County, including everyone in Maskwacis. RCMP say they are looking for a 30-year-old Maskwacis resident who is described as six feet three inches tall, 250 pounds, with blue eyes and brown hair with blond tips and a buzz cut. They say he was last seen wearing a black shirt and track pants. Police are advising people who see him to not approach him and call 911 immediately.—Also this …Canada’s electronic wa...

Turkey’s opposition denounces fairness of vote under Erdogan

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:16:43 GMT

ISTANBUL (AP) — As Turkey heads for presidential and parliamentary elections at the weekend that are shaping up to be the strongest challenge to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his 20 years as leader, complaints are growing about the fairness of the vote. Turkey’s opposition has long said that the country’s elections are played out on an unlevel playing field, claims often backed by international observers.Media coverage stands out as the most obvious example of where Erdogan enjoys an advantage over his opponents, but factors such as the use of state resources while campaigning and the questionable interpretation of electoral law also feature.Some 90% of Turkey’s media is in the hands of the government or its backers, according to Reporters Without Borders, ensuring overwhelming airtime for the president. Only a handful of opposition newspapers remain in print, most having transitioned to online-only editions.During April, Erdogan received nearly 33 hours of airtime on the main s...