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Court annuls EU approval of $140 million of COVID-19 aid for Italian airlines

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:24:09 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — A top European Union court ruled Wednesday that the European Commission was wrong to approve millions of euros (dollars) in aid to help Italian airlines cope with the impact of COVID-19 restrictions.The EU general court said the European Commission — the bloc’s executive arm — failed to provide “a statement of reasons for its finding that the measure at issue was not contrary to EU law provisions other than those governing state aid.”The 27 EU member countries must seek approval from the bloc’s executive branch when granting financial support to companies. Many countries across Europe did so in 2020 to help keep their airlines afloat during the pandemic.In October 2020, Italian authorities informed the European Commission of their plans to provide 130 million euros ($140 million) to airlines holding an Italian license under certain conditions, and the commission did not raise objections.To benefit from the aid, airlines were required to pay their Italy-based em...

Half of US public approves of Washington’s arms deliveries to Ukraine in 2nd year of Russia’s war

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:24:09 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Like the blue and yellow flags that popped up around the U.S. when Russia invaded Ukraine 15 months ago, U.S. popular support for Washington’s backing of Ukraine has faded a little but remains widespread, a survey by the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy and NORC shows.It found that half of the people in the U.S. support the Pentagon’s ongoing supply of weapons to Ukraine for its defense against Russian forces. That level is nearly unchanged in the past year, while about a quarter are opposed to sustaining the military lifeline that has now topped $37 billion. Big majorities among both Democrats and Republicans believe Russia’s attack on Ukraine was unjustified, according to the poll, taken last month.And about three out of four people in the U.S. support the United States playing at least some role in the conflict, the survey found.The findings are in line with what Ukraine’s ambassador says she sees when she make...

German police conduct raids on climate activists as impatience mounts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:24:09 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Authorities raided 15 properties across Germany on Wednesday and seized assets in an investigation into the financing of protests by the Last Generation climate activist group, prosecutors said — a move that comes as impatience with the organization’s tactics mounts.Munich prosecutors said they were investigating seven people, ranging in age from 22 to 38, on suspicion of forming or supporting a criminal organization. They launched the inquiry following numerous criminal complaints from the public that they received since mid-2022.Members of Last Generation have repeatedly blocked roads across Germany in an effort to pressure the government to take more drastic action against climate change.In recent weeks, they have brought traffic to a halt on an almost daily basis in Berlin, gluing themselves to busy intersections and highways. Over the past year, they have also targeted various art works and exhibits. Their tactics have drawn sharp criticism. On Monday, Chanc...

Woman dies from injuries after being struck by police escort for UK royal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:24:09 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The Duchess of Edinburgh expressed her condolences Wednesday after the death of an 81-year-old woman who was struck by a motorcycle that was part of the U.K. royal’s police escort. Sophie, the wife of Prince Edward, expressed her sympathies for the death of Helen Holland, who was struck at a West London intersection on May 10.“The Duchess of Edinburgh is deeply saddened to hear that Helen Holland has passed away,’’ Buckingham Palace said. “Her Royal Highness’s deepest condolences and sympathies go to all of Ms Holland’s family.”Holland’s son, Martin, told the BBC that his mother died after sustaining “multiple broken bones and massive internal injuries.” Holland, who is from Essex, had reportedly been visiting her older sister in London.Her son said she fought “for her life for nearly two weeks … but irreversible damage to her brain finally ended the battle today.”The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the crash.The Associated Press

Ready for a digital euro? At 25, European Central Bank preps for future of money

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:24:09 GMT

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — As it marks its 25th anniversary Wednesday, the European Central Bank is readying a proposed design for a digital version of the euro, responding to pressure from developing technology that could change how money is used over the bank’s next decades. ECB President Christine Lagarde says a digital euro could offer a way for people to buy things without depending on payment service providers controlled by non-European companies. Those could include Mastercard, Visa, Apple Pay and Google Pay. The European Union’s executive Commission is expected to come up with proposed legislation on the idea in the next several weeks, ECB officials say, while the central bank will publish a detailed proposal for the design of a digital currency in October.Central banks worldwide, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, are cautiously studying digital currencies as cash increasingly gives way to electronic payments. Some smaller economies such as Nigeria, the Bahamas ...

After AP report, Iran’s nuclear chief says Tehran to cooperate with inspectors on ‘new activities’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:24:09 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The head of Iran’s nuclear program insisted Wednesday that his government would cooperate with international inspectors on any “new activities.” His statement followed an exclusive Associated Press report about Tehran’s new underground system near a nuclear enrichment facility.The AP outlined this week how deep inside a mountain, the new tunnels near the Natanz facility are likely beyond the range of a last-ditch U.S. weapon designed to destroy such sites. The report sparked wider conversation across the Middle East about the construction, with Israel’s national security adviser saying Tuesday the site would not be immune from attack even if its depth put it out of range of American airstrikes. Speaking to journalists Wednesday after a Cabinet meeting, Mohammad Eslami of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran sought to describe the interest in the site as a case of Israel feeling pressured. “The Islamic Republic of Iran is working...

Turkish anti-migrant party backs Erdogan’s rival in presidential runoff

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:24:09 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A hard-line anti-migrant party on Wednesday threw its weight behind the opposition candidate who is running against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in this weekend’s runoff presidential race.Umit Ozdag, the leader of the far-right Victory Party, announced his support for main opposition party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who will be facing off against Erdogan on Sunday. He said he decided to back Kilicdaroglu over his promises to repatriate millions of migrants.Ozdag’s announcement came just days after Sinan Ogan, the third-placed contender in the first round of the presidential election on May 14, endorsed Erdogan in the upcoming runoff. Ogan was the joint candidate of an alliance of small conservative parties, led by Ozdag’s Victory Party.Erdogan received 49.5% of the votes in the first round of the presidential race — just short of the majority needed for an outright victory — compared to Kilicdaroglu’s 44.9%.Erdogan’s ruling party and its nationalist and...

Stock market today: World stocks slide as US debt worries mount

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:24:09 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets and Wall Street futures fell Wednesday as the U.S. government crept closer to a potentially disruptive default on its debt.London and Paris both opened down 1.5%. Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong also declined.Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index fell 1.1% on Tuesday after Speaker Kevin McCarthy of the House of Representatives said, “We’re not there yet” on a deal. That followed a meeting Monday with President Joe Biden that ended with no agreement.“McCarthy’s comments have thrown cold water” on sentiment, Vishnu Varathan of Mizuho Bank said in a report. He said the slide in prices is “paying back for premature optimism around a debt deal.” In early trading, London’s FTSE 100 sank to 7,649.97. The CAC 40 in Paris retreated to 7,264.36 and the DAX in Frankfurt lost 1.3% to 15,936.54.On Wall Street, futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were off 0.3%.On Tuesday, the Dow dropped 0.7% and the Nasdaq composite l...

Amanda Gorman says her inaugural poem has been banned by school

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:24:09 GMT

(The Hill) - American poet Amanda Gorman said on Tuesday that the poem she recited during President Biden’s inauguration has been banned by a school in Miami-Dade County. “I’m gutted. Because of one’s parent’s complaint, my inaugural poem, The Hill We Climb, has been banned from an elementary school in Miami-Dade County, Florida,” Gorman said in a statement posted to Twitter. Gorman noted in her statement that, while not new, book bans have been on the rise in recent years. The American Library Association found nearly 2,600 titles were targeted for censorship in 2022, an almost 40 percent increase from the previous year. "What's more, often all it takes to remove these works from our libraries and schools is a single objection," Gorman said.“And let’s be clear: most of the forbidden works are by authors who have struggled for generations to get on bookshelves,” Gorman said. “The majority of these censored works are by queer and non-whit voices.” Gorman also said the reaso...

Former teacher sentenced for sexual abuse

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:24:09 GMT

BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A former Ballston Spa High School teacher was sentenced to four to 10 years in prison on Tuesday for first-degree sexual abuse. Crim Trerise, 57, pleaded guilty in March. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The former math teacher had sexual contact with four children under the age of 14. The crimes took place in the Town of Greenfield, and the victims were known to Trerise.