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Biden administration makes clear it has no plans to place conditions on military aid to Israel despite pressure from lawmakers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:25 GMT

(CNN) — The Biden administration currently has no plans to place conditions on the military aid it is providing to Israel, officials told CNN, despite growing calls by Democratic lawmakers and human rights organizations for the US to stop providing weapons unless Israel does more to protect civilians in Gaza.Speaking to Democratic donors in Washington this week, President Joe Biden acknowledged that he has had tough conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Israel’s military campaign, how Israel is losing international support, and the need for a two-state solution led by the Palestinian Authority. But he said even throughout those discussions, “we’re not going to do a damn thing other than protect Israel in the process. Not a single thing.”Echoing that sentiment, US officials told CNN that the US has no plans to shift its position and draw any red lines around the transfer of weapons and munitions to Israel. They note...

Chicago Bears Q&A: When would a potential Justin Fields trade take place? How realistic are their playoff chances?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:25 GMT

Once left for dead at 2-7, the Chicago Bears have stoked long-shot playoff hopes with three wins in their last four games, including two in a row.Before they try to make it three straight Sunday in Cleveland, Brad Biggs gauges the playoff scenarios and answers a slew of other questions in his weekly Bears mailbag.You’ve been pretty transparent with your thoughts on Justin Fields’ future with the Bears. Assuming you are correct and the Bears trade him away (respectfully, I hope they don’t!), what would you anticipate that timeline looking like? Is this a move that would likely take place in March or could it stretch out down to the wire? — Vince R.I’m not exactly sure what you mean by “the wire,” but I would imagine if they decide to move on from Fields, they would prefer to have a 2024 draft pick in return. That could happen in March after the new league year begins, or it could be a move made during the draft. The timing would depend on a h...

Porter Airlines signs new partnership deal with Alaska Airlines

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:25 GMT

TORONTO — Porter Airlines has signed a new partnership deal with Alaska Airlines. The companies say the interline agreement means that travellers can now buy combined Porter-Alaska itineraries directly from the Porter website or via third-party agencies.Porter flights from Toronto to California are expected to start in January.The new routes will allow passengers to fly directly into major Alaska Airlines hubs in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Connections via shared Canadian airports are expected in early 2024.Under the partnership, Alaska’s Mileage Plan members will also start earning points on Porter flights booked via Alaska Airlines from January and later in 2024. Both VIPorter and Mileage Plan members will earn miles in their respective loyalty programs no matter where they book their flights.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2023.The Canadian Press

Editor says Myanmar authorities have arrested 2 local journalists for an online news service

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:25 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military government has arrested two journalists with a local online news service, their editor said Wednesday, in its latest crackdown on media freedom since seizing power nearly three years ago.The chief editor of Dawei Watch, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from authorities, told The Associated Press that Aung San Oo and Myo Myint Oo were arrested late Monday at their homes in the coastal town of Myeik. The town is about 560 kilometers (350 miles) south of Yangon, the country’s biggest city.The editor said they were arrested three days after returning home from hiding and that security forces told family members they were arrested for reports they had filed. The computers and mobile phones of the reporters and their family members were confiscated by police, and the journalists are being held in an interrogation camp, the editor said.Dawei Watch mostly covers news in southern Myanmar.“Journalists are writing the news reports and ...

Wholesale inflation in US slowed further last month, signaling that price pressures continue to ease

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:25 GMT

Wholesale inflation in the United States was unchanged in November, suggesting that price increases in the economy’s pipeline are continuing to gradually ease.The Labor Department reported Wednesday that its producer price index — which tracks inflation before it reaches consumers — was flat from October to November after having fallen 0.4% the month before. Measured year over year, producer prices rose just 0.9% from November 2022, the smallest such rise since June. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, so-called core wholesale prices were unchanged from October and up 1.1% from a year ago.Wednesday’s report reinforced the belief that inflation pressures are cooling across the economy, including among wholesale producers. The figures the government issued Wednesday, which reflect prices charged by manufacturers, farmers and wholesalers, can provide an early sign of how fast consumer inflation will rise in the coming months. Year-over-year producer price inflation ha...

Bronx deli fire sends flames shooting into night sky, one person is treated for smoke inhalation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:25 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A fire that started in a deli in New York City early Wednesday spread to several other stores and sent flames shooting into the sky.The fire started in a deli in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx at about 3:30 a.m., New York Fire Department Assistant Chief Thomas Currao said in a briefing at the scene. Some 200 firefighters and emergency medical workers responded, he said.A resident of an apartment in the back of the deli was treated for smoke inhalation, Currao said. No other injuries were reported.A total of five businesses were destroyed or damaged by the fire, Currao said.Videos posted on social media show flames and smoke shooting several stories up in the night sky.The cause of the fire was under investigation.The Associated Press

Virginia has tentative deal to move Washington’s NBA, NHL teams, Youngkin says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:25 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has reached a tentative agreement with the parent company of the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals to move those teams from the District of Columbia to what he called a new “visionary sports and entertainment venue” in northern Virginia. The proposal, which would need the state legislature’s approval, calls for the creation of a $2 billion sports and entertainment district south of Washington in Alexandria, just miles from the existing arena, Youngkin said in an interview with The Associated Press ahead of a news conference planned Wednesday at the site. It would include not only an arena for the basketball and hockey teams but also a new Wizards practice facility, a separate performing arts center, a media studio, new hotels, a convention center, housing and shopping, he said. “The Commonwealth will now be home to two professional sports teams, a new corporate headquarters, and over 30,000 new jobs – this ...

Switzerland’s Greens fail in a long-shot bid to enter the national government

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:25 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Switzerland’s environmentalist Greens failed in a long-shot bid to enter the national government Wednesday as lawmakers elected a new center-left minister to the Alpine country’s executive Federal Council.Parliament met in Bern to elect the seven-member governing council following a September election that saw the country’s strongest political force, the nationalist Swiss People’s Party, rebound from losses four years earlier and two environmentally minded parties lose ground.Switzerland has an unusual, consensus-oriented political system. Four parties ranging from the center-left Social Democrats to the populist Swiss People’s Party are represented on the Federal Council. Swiss voters also have a direct say on policy issues in referendums several times every year.The Greens contended that the party had a claim to a seat on the council despite its slump in the election. They argued that the free-market Liberals were overrepresented with two mini...

Shares of cannabis company Canopy Growth to be consolidated on a one-for-10 basis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:25 GMT

SMITHS FALLS, Ont. — Canopy Growth Corp. says a consolidation of its shares on a one-for-10 basis is expected to become effective on Friday.The post-consolidation shares are expected to start trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq at market open on Dec. 20, subject to final confirmation from the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq.The cannabis company says the consolidation was approved by shareholders at a meeting on Sept. 25.It says the move is being implemented to ensure the company continues to comply with the listing requirements of the Nasdaq Global Select Market.Shares in Canopy once traded for more than $60 per share, but have fallen significantly.Canopy shares closed down eight cents at 93 cents on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Tuesday.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:WEED)The Canadian Press

Bulgaria dismantles a Soviet army monument that has dominated the Sofia skyline since 1954

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:25 GMT

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria on Wednesday began dismantling a monument to the army of the Soviet Union that dominated the skyline of the capital, Sofia, for nearly 70 years and was widely seen as a symbol of Russia’s influence in the Balkan country.The monument was erected in 1954 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Soviet forces entering Bulgaria, which had been allied with Nazi Germany in World War II. Their arrival in 1944 marked the beginning of 45 years of hardline Communist rule. Following the collapse of communism in 1989, the local council in Sofia voted to remove the monument, but successive governments shied away from taking the final step.On Wednesday, following years of heated debate, workers began to dismantle the 45-meter-high (147-foot) installation, removing the figures at the top, which showed a Soviet soldier holding an automatic rifle, a woman with her child, and a worker.Vyara Todeva, regional governor of Sofia, said that for 70 years the monument was never...