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France and Philippines eye a security pact to allow joint military combat exercises

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:04 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — France and the Philippines are condiering a defense pact that would allow them to send military forces to each other’s territory for joint exercises, the Philippine defense chief said Saturday after holding talks with his French counterpart.Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said in a joint press conference with French Minister for the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu that they were seeking authorization from their heads of state to begin negotiations.“We intend to take concrete steps into leveling up and making more comprehensive our defense cooperation, principally by working to get authorization from our respective heads of state and relevant agencies to begin negotiations for a status of visiting forces agreement,” Teodoro said.“The first goal is to create interoperability or a strategic closeness between both armed forces, see how both navies work together, how air forces work together,” Lecornu said through an interpreter.The Philippines has such an agreement ...

Russia brings new charges against jailed Kremlin foe Navalny

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:04 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been handed new charges by Russian prosecutors.The 47-year-old is already serving more than 30 years in prison after being found guilty of crimes including extremism — charges that his supporters characterize as politically motivated. In comments passed to his associates, Navalny said he had been charged under article 214 of Russia’s penal code, which covers crimes of vandalism.“I don’t even know whether to describe my latest news as sad, funny or absurd,” he wrote in comments on social media Friday via his team. “I have no idea what Article 214 is, and there’s nowhere to look. You’ll know before I do.”He said that the charges were part of the Kremlin’s desire to “initiate a new criminal case against me every three months.” Never before has a convict in solitary confinement for more than a year had such a rich social and political life,” he joked.Navalny is one of President Vladimir Putin’s most ardent opponents, best kno...

Here are the buttons for the 2024 St. Paul Winter Carnival

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:04 GMT

2024 Winter Carnival button art by Kao Lee Thao. (Courtesy of the St. Paul Winter Carnival)2024 Winter Carnival button art by Kao Lee Thao. (Courtesy of the St. Paul Winter Carnival)2024 Winter Carnival button art by Kao Lee Thao. (Courtesy of the St. Paul Winter Carnival)2024 Winter Carnival button art by Kao Lee Thao. (Courtesy of the St. Paul Winter Carnival)Show Caption of ExpandEven if the weather hasn’t caught up, winter has officially arrived — because the 2024 St. Paul Winter Carnival buttons have been unveiled.The four buttons, designed by artist Kao Lee Thao, were made public Saturday night at the annual tree lighting ceremony at Union Depot.Local painter and animator Kao Lee Thao, who designed the commemorative buttons for the 2024 St. Paul Winter Carnival, poses with a 3D project. Thao is first-generation Hmong-American and grew up in St. Paul and Savage. (Courtesy of the St. Paul Winter Carnival)Thao, 47, is a painter and a partner at Folklore Studio, a 3D animation com...

Ask Amy: Woman at home worries about work

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:04 GMT

Dear Amy: I am a woman in my mid-40s with two grown children.I have suffered with depression and anxiety for much of my life. I am on medication and work weekly with a therapist.Things have been under control until recently.Over the past few months my mother had a stroke, my husband had a heart attack, and one of my children called off their wedding. I handled everything as it was happening, but once everything settled, I had a bit of a breakdown.I took some time off work to attend to my mental health. When I returned, I was pretty much told I was no longer needed at the company. I was very hurt, but in reality it was probably time for me to move on.My husband and I talked and decided that I didn’t need to be in a hurry to return to work. We realized that we could more than make it on his salary and I still wasn’t in a great place mentally. My therapist didn’t think I was ready to return to work, and definitely not in a place to start a new job.Being home, I’ve bee...

Money in the bank or homeownership: What should this couple do?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:04 GMT

Question: Regarding your November 25, 2023, column titled “This holiday advice is not the best recipe for wanna-be homebuyers” on The Mercury News and East Bay Times websites:   Your column indicates home prices will not drop with lower home-loan interest rates. The experts agreed. Just like the uncles in your article, my in-laws provided homebuying advice. We listen. In our case, realty advice and down payment assistance come as a package.    My wife is content to rent a home indefinitely. She prefers money in the bank. It is not surprising. Foreclosure ended homeownership for her parents during The Great Recession. Her parents had a bad home loan. They did recover. They have been renting since 2010. My in-laws saved all their disposable income. Now, they want their daughter to buy a home. But there is a catch. Her parents want us to wait until interest rates are lower. Then they will give us down payment assistance.  It is a housing dilemma. My in-laws want us to buy a home when h...

Why so many DCPS teachers are headed for the classroom exit

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:04 GMT

Increasing numbers of D.C. public school teachers are heading for the classroom door.At a hearing held by the D.C. Council during the week, some educators sounded off on what’s lost when their peers exit the classroom as turnover that eased during COVID-19 rebounded to pre-pandemic rates.With the turnover increase “that institutional knowledge as well as the community knowledge, as well as just pedagogical knowledge, gets lost with it,” Dylan Craig, a DCPS teacher, Washington Teachers Union rep and executive board member, told WTOP.“And even there can be great new teachers coming in. But there’s something unique about each school, each community and programs/initiatives that are part of that school … with constant turnover, it’s not quite starting fresh, but almost starting fresh each year,” Craig said.Being overworked is among the reasons teachers leave the classroom, according to Craig, who also said the IMPACT teacher evaluation system ca...

Israel steps up pounding of Gaza after collapse of truce

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:04 GMT

The Israeli military on Saturday stepped up its bombing of Gaza Strip, intensifying its renewed bombing on the second day after a truce between Israel and Hamas collapsed, with Israel accusing Hamas of violating the terms of the agreement.The Israel Defense Forces IDF said on X on Saturday that Israeli strikes hit a total of over 400 terrorist targets in Gaza, including more than 50 targets in the area of Khan Yunis and an Islamic Jihad operational command center inside a mosque, as well as military targets used by Hamas Naval Force.The BBC reported that hundreds of Gaza residents were seen leaving to the western part of Khan Yunis after the Israeli army on Friday dropped leaflets over the area warning people to leave.Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo earlier Saturday said he had spoken with Israel’s president following the resumption of fighting in Gaza and told him there could be no more killing of civilians. “I’ve addressed my concerns about the fact ...

Poland’s new parliamentary majority hits its first legislative snag over wind power rules

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:04 GMT

WARSAW — A bid to pass a new law easing rules for wind farms is turning into a legislative mess for the newly elected majority in Poland’s parliament. A legislative proposal, submitted to the parliament by Civic Coalition and Poland 2050 — two of the four parties forming a coalition expected to take power in early December — added last-minute changes aimed at the development of wind projects to a draft text otherwise focused on freezing energy prices for households and vulnerable users.It’s an effort to undo years of policy by the outgoing Law and Justice (PiS) party, which largely froze the development of onshore wind power. But the way it was done opened opposition parties to the charge that they were undermining their election campaign pledge to restore legislative procedures often ignored by PiS during its eight years in power, when so-called “throw-ins,” or amendments unrelated to the main bill, were common. The move is also seen as a ploy to outmaneuver P...

Fire crews battling two-alarm blaze at three-storey home in midtown

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:04 GMT

No injuries have been reported at a two-alarm house fire in midtown.Fire crews were met with heavy smoke and flames from a three-storey home on St. Clair Avenue West, just west of Avenue Road, when they arrived just before 5:30 a.m. Saturday.Firefighters say an offensive attack was initiated and a primary search of the residence was carried out but they found no one at the home. Crews have since switched to a defensive mode to try and bring the blaze under control.Paramedics are on the scene but say they have not transported anybody to hospital at this point.

Man in life-threatening condition after North York stabbing

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:04 GMT

A man is fighting for his life following an early morning stabbing in North York.Police were called to the area of Upper Canada Drive and Lord Seaton Road just after 4:30 a.m. Saturday.When they arrived they found a man suffering from a stab wound. He was transported to a nearby trauma centre with life-threatening injuries. There was no immediate suspect description.