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Japan to provide 100 military vehicles to Ukraine

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:54 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japan held a ceremony on Wednesday marking its planned donation of about 100 military vehicles to Ukraine, as Tokyo seeks to provide equipment that can be of broader military use than its earlier shipments of helmets and hazmat suits. In a ceremony at the Defense Ministry at which two half-ton trucks were on display, Japanese Vice Defense Minister Toshiro Ino handed a document to Ukrainian Ambassador Sergiy Korsunsky listing the three types of vehicles included in the donation.“We hope the invasion ends as soon as possible and peaceful daily lives return,” Ino said. “We will provide as much support as we can.”The donation, which also includes 30,000 food rations, comes as Japan’s government is seeking to ease its military equipment transfer policy under a new national security policy that allows its military a greater offensive role, in a major break from its post-World War II self-defense-only principle.While other countries have provided Ukraine with tanks, miss...

Polish ruling party wants commission to investigate Russian influence; critics fear witch hunt

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:54 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s ruling party is pushing for the creation of a commission which it says would investigate Russian influence. Critics view it as an attempt to create a powerful and unconstitutional tool that would help the party continue to wield power even if it loses elections this fall.A vote on the bill could come as early as Wednesday.Some fear the ruling party could use the planned commission to eliminate opposition leader Donald Tusk from political life. Tusk is the main opposition leader and the greatest threat to the ruling party, Law and Justice, as it seeks a third consecutive term in the vote expected in October.Opposition senators dubbed it “Lex Tusk,” using the Latin term for “law,” and rejected it earlier this month in the upper house, where they hold a majority. It now returns to the more powerful lower house of parliament, the Sejm, where the ruling party can usually muster a slim majority.The bill foresees the creation of a commission...

Bodies of 18 Afghan migrants who died while being smuggled into Bulgaria returned to Kabul

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:54 GMT

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The bodies of 18 Afghan migrants who died while being smuggled into Bulgaria were returned to Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, on Wednesday, a spokesman for the Taliban government’s Foreign Ministry said. Bulgarian authorities discovered the bodies in a secret compartment below a load of lumber in the back of a truck left on a highway not far from the capital, Sofia, in February.They confirmed all 18 had died of suffocation. A Bulgarian senior police official called the case the country’s deadliest involving smuggled migrants. Bulgarian authorities detained seven people in connection to the deaths.Borislav Sarafov, director of Bulgaria’s National Investigation Service, said the migrants were “pressed against each other like in a tin can” which had caused their slow and painful deaths. He described it as “an extraordinary human tragedy.”The ministry’s deputy spokesman in Kabul, Zia Ahmad Takal, said his government paid for the repatriation of the bo...

Target pulls some LGBTQ+ merchandise from stores ahead of June Pride month after threats to workers

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:54 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Target is removing certain items from its stores and making other changes to its LGBTQ+ merchandise nationwide ahead of Pride month, after an intense backlash from some customers including violent confrontations with its workers.“Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work,” Target said in a statement Tuesday. ”Given these volatile circumstances, we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior.”Target declined to say which items it was removing but among the ones that garnered the most attention were “tuck friendly” women’s swimsuits that allow trans women who have not had gender-affirming operations to conceal their private parts. Designs by Abprallen, a London-based company that designs and sells occult- and satanic-themed LGBTQ+ clothing and accessories, have also...

Editorial Roundup: Pennsylvania

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:54 GMT

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. May 22, 2023. Editorial: Ban handheld devices while drivingPennsylvania is the only state among its neighbors to permit the use of handheld wireless electronic devices while driving. It’s time for the commonwealth to ban this risky habit, too. Sen. Rosemary Brown, R-Monroe, has again introduced legislation to bring Pennsylvania in line with 25 other states — and safety recommendations — by banning driving “while holding or supporting any electronic wireless device.” The Senate Transportation Committee passed the bill, 13-1, setting up a bipartisan push to make the state’s roads safer.Distracted driving kills and maims. Fourteen percent of fatal car crashes involve cell phone usage. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that more than 3,500 people died needlessly in distracted driving incidents in 2021, up more than 20% from 2,800 in 2018. Cell phones are implicated in a smaller number of distracted driving accidents, but the Insurance In...

Top Toronto mayoral candidates to debate vision for Scarborough

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:54 GMT

The race for mayor of Toronto will ramp up on Wednesday with three debates scheduled that will tackle issues including the arts, housing, and the future of Scarborough.The six leading Toronto mayoral candidates are set to square off in an evening debate where they’ll get a chance to outline their vision for Scarborough. CityNews political affairs specialist Cynthia Mulligan will moderate the 90-minute debate, which will be broadcast on Citytv and CityNews 24/7 starting at 6:30 p.m.The debate organized by a number of local community groups and is being held at the University of Toronto Scarborough campus. The east-end region of the city is shaping up to be a key battleground in the upcoming byelection.The debate will feature former NDP parliamentarian Olivia Chow, city councillor Josh Matlow, ex-police chief Mark Saunders, former deputy mayor Ana Bailão, councillor Brad Bradford and former Liberal MPP for Scarborough-Guildwood Mitzie Hunter, who resigned her seat at Queen’...

Beitar Jerusalem to get trophy belatedly after fans rush field after soccer tournament win

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:54 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s president said Wednesday he would belatedly present the Beitar Jerusalem soccer team the State Cup at his official residence, after ecstatic fans disrupted the original ceremony and forced him off the field following the club’s victory. Thousands of Beitar Jerusalem supporters charged the pitch after the team’s 3-0 win against Maccabi Netanya on Tuesday evening, before the trophy ceremony. Some participants burned the nets in the goals to take pieces as mementos and made off with medals intended for the players, according to Israeli public radio Kan.Herzog, who was by the stage where Beitar players were to be given the trophy, was rushed off the field, surrounded by his security detail. Herzog expressed dismay in a statement Wednesday, saying that fans “blew up the joyous occasion so that the trophy could not be awarded.” Police said that 18 people were arrested on various charges related to entering the field. It remained to be seen...

3 ways to pay for your summer vacation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:54 GMT

A summer vacation can feel like a seasonal rite of passage — a sacred time to break away from the demands of everyday life in favor of fun and relaxation.But summer can also be an expensive time to travel, which makes it hard to budget enough money for your vacation.Though it’s best to pay in cash for nonessential travel, there are financing options available, including credit cards, “buy now, pay later” plans and vacation loans. Consider the interest rate and how long you’ll be in debt when deciding which to choose.THE CHALLENGES OF BUDGETING FOR SUMMER TRAVELTravel demand is in “near-record territory” with all indicators pointing to a “very robust summer leisure travel season,” the U.S. Travel Association , a nonprofit that monitors the U.S. travel industry, said in an email. According to the association, demand has driven up prices in sectors like airfare and lodging.Even without higher prices, travel is tough to budget for, says Jake Northrup, a certified financial planner in Br...

Retired Chicago officer shot while attempting to stop carjacking on West Side

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:54 GMT

CHICAGO — A retired Chicago police officer was shot while attempting to stop a carjacking on the city's West Side.The incident happened around 1:45 a.m. Wednesday in the 300 block of North Mayfield.Police said the 78-year-old former officer witnessed a 52-year-old neighbor being carjacked and attempted to intervene. The offender fired at the retired CPD officer, who then returned fire. Police said the 78-year-old suffered a graze wound to the thumb.The offender attempted to flee in the neighbor's Jeep but crashed into a parked vehicle in the 600 block of North Waller, according to police. The suspect then fled the scene. ‘He was the best in all of us:’ Family to establish foundation in memory of son who drowned in Alaska mud flats A weapon was recovered on the 300 block of North Mayfield, police said.The former officer was transported to a local area hospital in good condition. The 52-year-old neighbor was not injured.No one is in custody. Area Four detectives are investigating.

Wednesday Forecast: Temps in upper 60s with mostly sunny conditions

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:54 GMT

CHICAGO — Temperatures in upper 60s with mostly sunny conditions, cooler lakeside. Winds: NE 10-15 G30. High: 67/60. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Partly cloudy tonight. Winds: ENE 10-15 G30. Low: 47.Thursday Forecast: Partly cloudy, cooler lakeside. Winds: NE 10-15 G20. High: 62/57.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog