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Georgia to drop foreign agents bill after massive protests

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:52 GMT

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Georgia’s ruling party said Thursday it would withdraw a bill that opponents warned would stifle dissent and curtail media freedoms, after days of massive protests demanding it be dropped.The bill would have required media and nongovernmental organizations that receive over 20% of their funding from foreign sources to register as “agents of foreign influence.” Its opponents argued that it was inspired by a similar law in Russia that is used by authorities there to silence critics and that it could hinder Georgia’s aspirations to join NATO and the European Union.Protests of the bill began last week, but swelled in recent days to bring tens of thousands of people to the streets of the capital, Tbilisi — and were met with tear gas and water cannons. The Interior Ministry said 133 demonstrators have been arrested.Citing the “controversy in society” the bill triggered, the Georgian Dream party and its allies said they would withdraw the proposed law. But tha...

Maple Leaf Foods reports $41.5M Q4 loss, raises quarterly dividend

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:52 GMT

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Maple Leaf Foods Inc. raised its dividend as it reported a loss of $41.5 million in its latest quarter due in part to weaker pork markets and a cyberattack.The food processing company says it will now pay a quarterly dividend of 21 cents per share, up from 20 cents per share.The increased payment to shareholders came as Maple Leaf says its loss for the quarter ended Dec. 31 amounted to 34 cents per share compared with a profit of $1.9 million or two cents per share in the last three months of 2021.Sales totalled $1.19 billion, up from $1.12 billion a year earlier.The company says its most recent quarter included a $23-million hit related to what it called a cybersecurity incident in November and $25.8 million in startup expenses related to construction projects.On an adjusted basis, Maple Leaf says it lost 28 cents per share in its fourth quarter compared with an adjusted profit of nine cents per share a year earlier.“2022 was clearly a year of unprecedente...

NATO chief in new drive to bring Finland, Sweden in

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:52 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is spearheading a new drive this week to see Finland and Sweden become members of the world’s biggest military organization by the time U.S. President Joe Biden and his counterparts meet for their next summit in July.Fearing that they might be targeted next after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, the Nordic neighbors abandoned their traditional positions of military nonalignment to seek protection under NATO’s security umbrella.All 30 allies signed Finland’s and Sweden’s accession protocols. Almost all have since ratified those texts, but Turkey and, more recently, Hungary have sought guarantees and assurances from the two. NATO must agree unanimously for them to join.Representatives from the Nordic neighbors and Turkey are meeting on Thursday at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Stoltenberg isn’t directly involved in the talks, but he organized them after convincing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last...

COVID-19 pandemic led to largest drop in Canadian life expectancy on record, data shows

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:52 GMT

New data on the life expectancy of Canadians paints a stark picture of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.According to the new Health of People in Canada Dashboard, life expectancy dropped 0.4 years from 2019 going into early 2020 – the largest drop on record. The average life expectancy in Canada as of 2020 was around 82, with women averaging 84 years and men at 80. The average health-adjusted life expectancy – a measure of how many healthy years Canadians have left – averages just 69.7.The data also shows that the virus quickly became a leading cause of death in Canada, behind cancer and heart disease.Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, says the new interactive dashboard will become an integral part of her annual reporting on the overall health of Canadians.

Netanyahu airlifted to airport after protesters block road

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:52 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had to be airlifted on Thursday to the country’s main international airport for an official overseas trip, after throngs of cars and protesters prevented him from driving there. The demonstrations were part of nationwide protests underway for more than two months against his contentious plan to overhaul the judiciary. Protesters had made blocking Netanyahu’s route to the airport a centerpiece of their intensifying efforts to oppose the legal changes, and the optics of the Israeli leader having to make alternate travel plans were a win for the demonstrators. The helicopter ride, far from the snarling traffic triggered by the protest, was also sure to deepen Netanyahu’s reputation as being out of touch with Israelis at a time when the country finds itself torn apart over the government plan and the economy is slowing.Thursday’s disruptions also took a toll on visiting U.S. Secretary of State Lloy...

3 Palestinian militants killed in Israeli raid in West Bank

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:52 GMT

JABA, West Bank (AP) — Three Palestinian militants were killed in a shootout with Israeli troops on Thursday, the latest deaths in a surge of Israeli arrest raids in the occupied West Bank. Israeli security forces said they raided the village of Jaba in the northern West Bank to arrest suspects wanted for attacks on Israeli soldiers in the area. The suspects opened fire on Israeli troops, who shot back and killed three people, all affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, police said. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the men as Sufyan Fakhoury, 26, Nayef Malaisha, 25 and Ahmed Fashafsha, 22, and said they were shot by Israeli fire during the military operation. It said a fourth man was hospitalized with a bullet wound to the head in stable condition.Israeli police released a photo of assault rifles, pistols, ammunition and explosive devices they said troops confiscated in Jaba, just south of the flashpoint city of Jenin. The militant group said the men ...

Shell CEO pay up 50% as soaring energy prices boosted profit

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:52 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The pay package for Shell’s CEO jumped by half last year to nearly $12 million, the fossil fuel giant said Thursday, as oil and gas companies made record profits from skyrocketing energy costs that have driven a cost-of-living crisis.London-based Shell paid Ben van Beurden a total of 9.7 million pounds ($11.5 million) in 2022 as annual company profits doubled to an all-time high of $40 billion because Russia’s war in Ukraine sent oil and gas prices soaring.Van Beurden’s pay includes a 2.6 million-pound bonus and 4.9 million pounds worth of stock, according to the company’s annual report. Van Beurden stepped down at the end of last year and was replaced by Wael Sawan, who will be paid a base salary of 1.4 million pounds and a bonus that’s expected to be bigger than the salary, the report said.Demands have increased for oil and gas companies raking in huge profits to do more to reduce high energy costs that are hurting consumers and small bu...

3 mine workers die in Spain after being trapped underground

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:52 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Three workers died after becoming trapped deep underground in a potash mine in northeastern Spain on Thursday, firefighters said.The three were working at the Cabanasses de Súria mine around 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Barcelona. Firefighters in Spain’s Catalonia region confirmed the deaths, after police said earlier that land collapsed inside the mine just before 9 a.m. (0800 GMT; 3 a.m. EST).The collapse occurred at a depth of 900 meters (nearly 3,000 feet), according to the firefighters.The mine is operated by the Iberpotash company, and owned by Tel Aviv-based ICL Group, which didn’t immediately comment.Around 20,000 people work in Spain’s mining sector, according to Energy Ministry statistics, a figure that has halved in the last two decades.Between 2016 and 2021, the last year for which statistics were available, an average of four workers died annually in Spain’s mining sector.Catalan regional president Pere Aragonès offered his condolences...

Winter Weather Advisory issued Thursday for Chicago area; significant snowfall expected

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:52 GMT

CHICAGO — A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect Thursday from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. Friday for the Chicago area, Southern Cook is excluded. Most of the day will be quiet, but rain and snow will likely arrive for the evening commute.Accumulating wet snow is expected with 2-7 inches possible. Highest totals near Illinois/Wisconsin line. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Roads could become snow covered and travel is expected to be difficult for the evening rush, especially between 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Allow extra time and drive with caution.Friday Forecast: 50% chance of snow mainly early, cloudy with breezy conditions. High: 35.Full forecast details at the WGN Weather Center

Boy, 7, dead after fire at home of Chicago firefighter ID'd

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:52 GMT

CHICAGO — A 7-year-old boy has died after a house fire that erupted in the home of a Chicago firefighter on the Northwest Side Tuesday evening. The medical examiner's office identified the boy as 7-year-old Ezra Stewart. According to police, the fire broke out at a home in the 2550 block of North Rutherford Avenue in the Montclare neighborhood Tuesday night. Memorial services begin Wednesday for fallen Chicago officer Police said a 34-year-old woman, a 2-year-old girl, 7-year-old girl and boy were transported to the hospital in critical condition due to smoke inhalation. The boy succumbed to his injures Wednesday evening. It is reported that the fire started in the kitchen and was accidental. WGN is actively following this story.