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France breathes sigh of relief as Mercosur trade talks stall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:44 GMT

PARIS — French officials are relieved that the free-trade deal between the EU and countries of the South American Mercosur bloc is unlikely to land anytime soon. Brussels was hoping to push talks over the controversial trade deal over the finish line during a meeting in Rio de Janeiro this week. But negotiations faced a setback as Brazil — the rotating president of Mercosur bloc — signaled that the agreement will need the nod of the new Argentinian government led by anarcho-capitalist Javier Milei. The news prompted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Trade Commisisoner Valdis Dombrovskis to ditch a visit to Rio de Janeiro at the last minute. What sounds like bad news for EU negotiators is music to French ears. “It’s good news,” said Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, a French MEP and trade specialist from President Emmanuel Macron’s Renew group, echoing the view of other French officials. France has been a long-time opponent of the EU-Mercosur deal,&n...

Israel, Turkey and South Korea big winners in the Ukraine war arms race

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:44 GMT

The West has pledged to do whatever it takes to support Ukraine while also returning militaries to a war-ready status, but it is defense contractors in South Korea, Turkey and Israel which are reaping many of the early deals.Arms makers in those countries, where governments sustain military investment and production pipelines to maintain their own security, made early gains in the months following the February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, according to the latest analysis of weapon sales and military services revenue from the world’s top 100 contractors carried out by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).“South Korea, Israel, Turkey are countries that stand out as being able to respond to the increased expenditure,” said Lucie Béraud-Sudreau, who helped compile the data for SIPRI as part of an annual update that’s been ongoing since the end of the Cold War.Turkey’s four largest defense companies saw their 2022 revenues rise by 22 percen...

Doug Burgum announces he’s suspending his 2024 presidential campaign

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:44 GMT

(CNN) — North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum announced Monday he’s suspending his campaign for president.“Our decision to run for President came from a place of caring deeply about every American and a mission to re-establish trust in America’s leadership and our institutions of democracy,” he said in a statement. “While this primary process has shaken my trust in many media organizations and political party institutions, it has only strengthened my trust in America.”The conservative second-term governor, who launched his 2024 bid in June, focused his campaign on the economy, energy and national security, and warned of China being the “No. 1 threat” to the United States. Burgum leaned into his small-town roots and his business background as a former software firm CEO and Microsoft executive.Burgum poured millions of his own dollars into his campaign to boost his candidacy.But he lacked the national name recognition compared with his rivals, and his appearances at t...

US Supreme Court scrutinizes controversial opioid crisis settlement that would give Sackler family immunity

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:44 GMT

(CNN) — The Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments Monday morning in one of the highest-profile bankruptcy cases in recent memory: Whether or not to approve OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma’s controversial agreement that would give billions of dollars to victims of the opioid epidemic while protecting members of the Sackler family, who owned the company, from current and future opioid-related civil lawsuits.While the up-to-$6 billion deal was initially approved by a New York court in May, it was blocked from moving forward after the US Trustee Program, a division of the US Justice Department, requested that the highest court review the settlement. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on Monday.Purdue Pharma, which was owned and operated by the families of the late brothers Mortimer and Raymond Sackler, has said there will be no $6 billion settlement without releasing family members from liability, but the US Trustee has argued that such an arrangement i...

US kills 5 Iran-backed militia members in drone strike in Iraq

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:44 GMT

(CNN) — US forces killed at least five Iran-backed militia members in a drone strike after the US “identified an imminent attack” was likely to be launched by militia forces in Kirkuk, Iraq, on Sunday, a US official said.It wasn’t immediately clear which group the forces killed on Sunday belonged to.The number of attacks by Iran-backed proxy groups on US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria has risen to 76 since October 17, a defense official told CNN.The latest attack occurred on Sunday morning, when a multi-rocket attack was launched against US and coalition forces at Rumalyn Landing Zone, Syria; no infrastructure damage or injuries were reported.The near-daily attacks on US and coalition forces by Iranian-backed groups began in the weeks following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7.The US has responded to these near-daily attacks in recent months by launching strikes in eastern Syria and Iraq, targeting weapons depots and storage facilities being used by Iran’s...

Meet ‘Cuyahoga,’ a harbor seal weanling now recovering after rescue in Essex, Mass.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:44 GMT

A small harbor seal weanling is on the mend after a marine mammal rescue team found her struggling in Essex, Massachusetts.The Seacoast Science Center’s Marine Mammal Rescue team said they were first alerted to the animal on Monday, Nov. 27, when they learned that a female harbor seal had been making its way onto the decking of the Essex Marina boat ramp.Officials initially found small wounds on the seal’s mouth and other minor maladies, but opted to monitor the seal for the time being, noting that she would continue to come and go over the following days.It was on Wednesday when the rescue team noticed the seal was struggling with breathing and congestion, leading to personnel taking her in.“Her blood values and examination showed that she’s fighting an infection and her size and weight are small for this time of year,” the SSC Marine Mammal Rescue page stated on Facebook. “Our team triaged and held her overnight to allow her some time to de-stre...

Chicago Bears rookie report: How draft picks — including Darnell Wright and Gervon Dexter — have fared through 12 games

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:44 GMT

Chicago Bears rookie running back Roschon Johnson had one of the biggest games of his NFL career last week in a 12-10 win against the Minnesota Vikings.With D’Onta Foreman out with ankle and shin injuries and Khalil Herbert still getting back to his old self after an ankle issue, Johnson received more work than he had all season. The 2023 fourth-round pick out of Texas played 74% of the offensive snaps — his previous high was 45% — and logged a career-high 10 carries for 35 yards and five catches for 40 yards as the Bears utilized their screen and short passing game.There was plenty of good to see from Johnson’s performance. A clip of him taking out two Vikings defenders while protecting quarterback Justin Fields went viral after the game. But coach Matt Eberflus also noted there were “a couple of hiccups” in pass protection against the high-pressure defense.Johnson played a part in two of the Vikings’ three sacks of Fields. He whiffed again...

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum ends 2024 Republican presidential bid days before the fourth debate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:44 GMT

By JACK DURA (Associated Press)BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum ended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination on Monday despite a stronger-than-expected showing fueled by a gift card-for-campaign donation gimmick that helped get him on the debate stage.Burgum, a second-term governor and wealthy software entrepreneur, was little known nationally when he launched his 2024 presidential campaign in June, touting his priorities of energy, the economy and national security, as well as his small-town roots and leadership of the sparsely populated state.He participated in the first two Republican debates, meeting donor requirements of the Republican National Committee by offering $20 Biden Relief Cards — a jab at rising inflation rates during President Joe Biden’s term — in exchange for $1 donations. The tactic drew skepticism over its legality, though Burgum’s campaign said its legal advisers had reviewed and approved the method.He failed to qualify for t...

3.2 magnitude earthquake strikes near San Diego County after series last week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:44 GMT

SAN DIEGO — Another earthquake shook near eastern San Diego County Sunday night, several days after the U.S. Geological Survey reported a series of quakes in the region.The 3.1 magnitude earthquake struck near Ocotillo, a census-designated place in Imperial County, just before 11 p.m. The tremor had a depth of about 4.5 miles, according to USGS.As of 7:30 a.m. Monday, no residents reported feeling the quake to the USGS's "Did You Feel It?" survey. There were also no immediate reports of damage or injuries.The quake comes after four back-to-back shocks rattled the same area late Thursday to Friday in a likely event that scientists refer to as a "swarm," which is a series of smaller earthquakes within the span of a few days to a couple weeks.The largest of the quakes recorded with the swarm reached a 4.8 magnitude at a depth of almost 6 miles in the area east of Ocotillo. This one was felt much farther than others in the series, with some feeling shaking as far west as the San Diego c...

The World Food Program will end its main assistance program in Syria in January, affecting millions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:44 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — The U.N. World Food Program said Monday it will end in January its main assistance program across war-torn Syria, where over 12 million people lack regular access to sufficient food.WFP in recent years has scaled down its support in Syria and neighboring countries that host millions of Syrians who fled the conflict, now in its 13th year. Humanitarian agencies have struggled to draw the world’s attention back to Syria as they face donor fatigue and shrinking budgets.In July, WFP said it had to cut assistance to almost half of the 5.5 million Syrians it supported in the country due to budget constraints.A month later, the agency slashed cash aid to Syrian refugees in Jordan. In November, it and the U.N. refugee agency said they will reduce the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon receiving cash assistance by a third next year.WFP in its latest statement said the cuts come as food insecurity is “worse than ever before” and that millions will be affected.The agency’s...