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Wildfires: EU provides crucial assistance to the Mediterranean region

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:10 GMT

As several countries grapple with rapidly spreading wildfires, the EU steps in to reinforce firefighting efforts and provide much-needed support to the affected communities with over 490 firefighters and nine firefighting planes deployed to Greece and Tunisia since 18 July.The two Mediterranean countries have activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and the EU has swiftly replied. 10 countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Italy, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Serbia) are contributing to the EU Civil Protection Mechanism's response to the wildfires in Greece. In total, over 490 firefighters and seven planes have been deployed to different areas of the country. One EU Liaison Officer is supporting the coordination of operations in Greece and the EU's Copernicus satellite mapping is providing damage assessment on several areas in the Attica region and Rhodes.In addition, two Canadairs from the rescEU reserve hosted by Spain are being deployed to northwest Tunisia.Crisis...

Four-bedroom home sells in Danville for $2.3 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:10 GMT

70 Country Hills Court – Google Street ViewThe spacious property located in the first block of Country Hills Court in Danville was sold on June 30, 2023. The $2,300,000 purchase price works out to $806 per square foot. The house, built in 1990, has an interior space of 2,854 square feet. This single-story home presents a roomy floor plan, featuring four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The property is equipped with central A/C. In addition, the house includes an attached two-car garage, offering generous space for vehicles and storage requirements. The lot size of the property measures an impressive 0.4-acre.Additional houses that have recently been sold close by include:A 2,854-square-foot home on the first block of Northview Court in Danville sold in April 2023, for $2,650,000, a price per square foot of $929. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In October 2022, a 3,102-square-foot home on Chadbourne Court in Danville sold for $1,830,000, a price per square foot of $590. The home...

Minnesota visits New York following Stewart’s 33-point game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:10 GMT

Minnesota Lynx (11-13, 8-7 Western Conference) at New York Liberty (18-5, 11-3 Eastern Conference)New York; Friday, 8 p.m. EDTFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK WNBA LINE: Liberty -14.5; over/under is 168.5BOTTOM LINE: New York faces the Minnesota Lynx after Breanna Stewart scored 33 points in the New York Liberty’s 95-84 win against the Atlanta Dream.The Liberty are 10-3 in home games. New York is fourth in the Eastern Conference with 8.0 offensive rebounds per game led by Jonquel Jones averaging 2.3.The Lynx have gone 5-5 away from home. Minnesota is 3-7 in games decided by 10 points or more.The Liberty and Lynx face off Friday for the first time this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Stewart is averaging 23.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Liberty. Sabrina Ionescu is averaging 15.9 points over the last 10 games for New York.Kayla McBride is averaging 12 points for the Lynx. Napheesa Collier is averaging 21.7 points and 8.2 rebounds while shooting 47.8% over the last 10 games for Minneso...

Several stars at the Women’s World Cup honed their skills with US collegiate teams

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:10 GMT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Christine Sinclair. Megan Rapinoe. Sarina Bolden. Like many players in the Women’s World Cup, all three stars built their skills at the U.S. collegiate level.Of the 736 players competing at this year’s Women’s World Cup, 137 have roots in American college-level soccer, according to the NCAA. The total includes 16 players who currently compete for Division I schools or lower divisions. Across the 32 teams that qualified for the group stage, more than one in every six players has had a career stop at an American school.Not all the NCAA athletes in the tournament are tied to the United States. Canada has 22 of 23 athletes who played or still play on U.S. college teams, most of any team in the tournament. That includes Sinclair, the the all-time leader in international goals for men and women, who played at the University of Portland. The United States ranks second with 20 players. Rapinoe also played at Portland, but Alyssa Thompson, Trinity Rodman, and L...

EE.UU. ordena abandonar Haití al personal no destinado a emergencias

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:10 GMT

(CNN) — El Departamento de Estado de Estados Unidos ordenó el jueves la salida de Haití del personal que no sea de emergencia, en el marco del deterioro de la situación de seguridad en el país.“El 27 de julio de 2023, el Departamento de Estado ordenó la salida de los familiares de los empleados del Gobierno de EE.UU. y de los empleados del Gobierno de EE.UU. que no sean de emergencia”, dijo la agencia en un aviso de viaje actualizado.“Los ciudadanos estadounidenses en Haití deben salir de Haití tan pronto como sea posible por transporte comercial u otras opciones de transporte privado disponibles, a la luz de la actual situación de seguridad y los desafíos de infraestructura”, insta el aviso de viaje. “Los ciudadanos estadounidenses que deseen salir de Puerto Príncipe deben estar atentos a las noticias locales y hacerlo solo cuando se considere seguro”.La orden sigue a un aviso de viaje emitido el jueves por la embajada de EE.UU. en Haití, e...

Singapore hangs first woman in 19 years after she was convicted of trafficking 31 grams of heroin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:10 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Singapore conducted its first execution of a woman in 19 years on Friday and its second hanging this week for drug trafficking despite calls for the city-state to cease capital punishment for drug-related crimes. Activists said another execution is planned next week.Saridewi Djamani, 45, was sentenced to death in 2018 for trafficking about 31 grams (1 ounce) of diamorphine, or pure heroin, the Central Narcotics Bureau said. It said the amount was “sufficient to feed the addiction of about 370 abusers for a week.”Singapore’s laws mandate the death penalty for anyone convicted of trafficking more than 500 grams (17.6 ounces) of cannabis and 15 grams (0.5 ounces) of heroin. Djamani’s execution came two days after that of a Singaporean man, Mohammed Aziz Hussain, 56, for trafficking around 50 grams (1.7 ounces) of heroin.The narcotics bureau said both prisoners were accorded due process, including appeals of their convictions and sentences and petitions for...

Hong Kong court rejects government-requested ban on protest song ‘Glory to Hong Kong’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:10 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court rejected a ban on broadcasting or distributing the protest song “Glory to Hong Kong,” in a landmark decision that rejected a challenge to freedom of expression in the city.The song was written during mass protests against the government in the Chinese territory in 2019 and its lyrics call for democracy and liberty. The song has since been mistakenly played at several international sporting events instead of China’s national anthem, “March of the Volunteers.”Judge Anthony Chan on Friday refused to grant the ban, which would have targeted anyone who uses the song to advocate for the separation of Hong Kong from China. In seeking the court order, the government also sought to ban actions that use the song to incite others to commit secession and to insult the national anthem, including such acts carried out online. Critics earlier voiced worries that the ban the government asked for would have a far-reaching impact on the city’s freedoms o...

In the news today: Statistics Canada to release latest GDP numbers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:10 GMT

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…Statistics Canada to release GDP figures for MayStatistics Canada is set to release its latest reading on how the economy fared in May, as well as a preliminary glimpse for the second quarter.The federal agency’s early estimate suggests real gross domestic product grew 0.4 per cent in May, driven in part by the manufacturing and wholesale trade sectors.That compares with an April reading that showed the economy was virtually unchanged, while it grew a slight 0.1 per cent in March.The Bank of Canada has been working to slow the economy by raising interest rates in an effort to bring inflation back within its target range.—Here’s what else we’re watching …MP wants Calgary Stampede funding pulledA Liberal member of Parliament says he’s calling on the federal government to halt funding to the Calgary Stampede, saying it has lost ...

Statistics Canada to release GDP figures for May, preliminary Q2 figure

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:10 GMT

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada is set to release today its latest reading on how the economy fared in May, as well as a preliminary glimpse for the second quarter.The federal agency’s early estimate suggests real gross domestic product grew 0.4 per cent in May, driven in part by the manufacturing and wholesale trade sectors.That compares with an April reading that showed the economy was virtually unchanged, while it grew a slight 0.1 per cent in March.The Bank of Canada has been working to slow the economy by raising interest rates in an effort to bring inflation back within its target range.It most recently raised its key rate on July 12 by a quarter of a percentage point to five per cent, the highest it’s been since 2001. The Bank of Canada has said that future rate decisions, including its next one on Sept. 6, will be dependent on what economic data shows.   This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2023.The Canadian Press

Montreal’s new, for-profit light-rail system: national model or cautionary tale?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:10 GMT

Montreal’s new light-rail train network stands out among major transit projects in Canada: it opened within a relatively short time frame and government didn’t get in the way. Eight years after its conception, the first branch of what will become a 67-kilometre electric rail system — called the Réseau express métropolitain, or REM — is entering service this weekend, bucking a trend of faltering transit projects in several Canadian cities. Its proponents point to the REM as a national model, but it’s unclear whether the three main factors that helped push the project forward are palatable elsewhere in the country: the network was built for profit; the province passed a law restricting lawsuits linked to land expropriations; and the train’s path follows existing commuter rail tracks and extends through low-density corridors in the metro area — a route critics say may fail to meet mobility needs.“The REM model is really one of a kind in Canada,” says Matti Siemiatycki...