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Ukraine grain export deal extended for 120 days

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:11:48 GMT

A deal allowing Ukrainian grain exports to pass through the blockaded Black Sea has been extended for 120 days, Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov announced Saturday.Kubrakov thanked “all our partners for sticking to the agreements,” said in a tweet Saturday afternoon. The announcement comes after a week of wrangling following Moscow’s announcement Monday that it had agreed to extend the Black Sea grain initiative but only for 60 days — which drew immediate objections from Kyiv and reminders from the United Nations and Turkey that the original agreement foresees a minimum 120-day extension.  The deal — described by aid groups as a lifeline for food insecure countries — was due to expire on Saturday. Initially brokered by the U.N. and Turkey last July after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 fueled a global food crisis, the pact was extended in November for 120 days. Some 24 million tons of Ukrainian produce have ...

Germany, Japan pledge to boost cooperation on economic security

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:11:48 GMT

Germany and Japan agreed on Saturday to strengthen cooperation on economic security in the aftermath of tensions over global supply chains and the economic impact of the war in Ukraine.In the first high-ministerial government consultations held between the two countries, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reached out to Tokyo to seek to reduce Germany’s dependence on China for imports of raw materials.“The current challenges of our time make it clear: It is important to expand cooperation with close partners and acquire new partners. We want to reduce dependencies and increase the resilience of our economies.” the German chancellor said in a tweet.Scholz and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said they believe the agreement will allow both countries to diversify value chains in order to be able to reduce economic risks.In a joint statement, the two countries said they will work on establishing “a legal framework for bilateral defense and security cooperation activities,” including way...

Woman found dead after hit-and-run in Carlsbad

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:11:48 GMT

CARLSBAD, Calif. — A woman died Wednesday after she was found lying in the road after what was believed to be a hit-and-run, the Carlsbad Police Department announced.Around 7:20 p.m., police responded to a report of a woman lying in the roadway near the intersection of Palomar Airport Road at the southbound Interstate 5 onramp, Lt. Alonso DeVelasco said in a news release.Officers found a woman with serious injuries in the roadway and attempted life-saving measures but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene, DeVelasco said. Bluff collapses in North County The circumstances that led to the woman's death have not yet been determined, but the incident is being investigated as a hit-and-run, according to police.The identity of the woman has not yet been publicly released, pending family notifications.Carlsbad Police have asked anyone with information regarding this incident to contact Traffic Accident Investigator Corporal Matt Bowen at 442-339-2282 or [email protected]...

Trump says he expects to be arrested, calls for protest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:11:48 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump said he expects to be arrested Tuesday and called on supporters to protest as a New York grand jury investigates hush money payments to women who alleged sexual encounters with the former president. There is no evidence, however, that prosecutors have made any formal outreach to him. In a Saturday morning post on his social media platform, Trump said he expected to be taken into custody as the Manhattan district attorney eyes charges in the investigation. Trump would be the first former president ever to be charged with a crime.Trump’s post said “illegal leaks” from the office of prosecutor Alvin Bragg indicate that “THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK.”Should Trump be indicted, he would be arrested only if he refused to surrender. Trump’s lawyers have previously said he would follow normal procedure, meaning he would likely agree to s...

Russia, Ukraine extend grain deal to aid world’s poor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:11:48 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ukrainian officials said Saturday that an unprecedented wartime deal that allows grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where hunger is a growing threat and high food prices are pushing more people into poverty has been extended.Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov tweeted that the deal had been extended for 120 days, but Erdogan did not confirm the length. Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations had been pushing for a 120-day extension while Russia wanted to renew for 60 days. This is the second renewal of separate agreements that Ukraine and Russia signed with the United Nations and Turkey to allow food to leave the Black Sea region after Russia invaded its neighbor more than a year ago. The warring nations are both major global suppliers of wheat, barley, sunflower oil and other affordable food products that developing nations depend on.Russia has complained that ship...

Vatican closes embassy in Nicaragua after Ortega’s crackdown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:11:48 GMT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican said Saturday it had closed its embassy in Nicaragua after the country’s government proposed suspending diplomatic relations, the latest episode in a yearslong crackdown on the Catholic Church by the administration of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.The Vatican’s representative to Managua, Monsignor Marcel Diouf, also left the country Friday, bound for Costa Rica, a Vatican official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.The Vatican action came a week after the Nicaraguan government proposed suspending relations with the Holy See, and a year after Nicaragua forced the papal ambassador at the time to leave. It’s not clear what the proposed suspension would entail in diplomatic terms. The care of the Vatican’s embassy, or nunciature, was entrusted to the Italian government, according to diplomatic conventions, Vatican News, the Holy See’s official media outlet, reported. It said diplomats of the European Union, Germany...

Pakistani police storm home of former PM Khan, arrest 61

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:11:48 GMT

LAHORE, Islamabad (AP) — Pakistani police stormed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s residence in the eastern city of Lahore on Saturday and arrested 61 people amid tear gas and clashes between Khan’s supporters and police, officials said.Senior police officer Suhail Sukhera, who led the operation in an upscale Lahore neighborhood, said police acted to remove a barricade erected by members of Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party and his defiant supporters. He said they blocked the lanes around Khan’s residence with concrete blocks, felled trees, tents and a parked truck. Khan was not in the home, having traveled to Islamabad to appear before a judge to face charges he sold state gifts while in office and hid his assets. The judge postponed that hearing until March 30.Sukhera said baton-wielding Khan supporters attempted to resist police by throwing stones and Molotov cocktails and a man on the roof of Khan’s residence opened fire. At least three police officers were ...

Millions of dead fish wash up amid heat wave in Australia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:11:48 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Millions of fish have washed up dead in southeastern Australia in what authorities and scientists say is caused by floods and hot weather.The Department of Primary Industries in New South Wales state said the fish deaths coincided with a heat wave that put stress on a system that has experienced extreme conditions from wide-scale flooding.The deaths were likely caused by low oxygen levels as floods recede, a situation made worse by fish needing more oxygen because of the warmer weather, the department said. Residents of the Outback town of Menindee complained of a terrible smell from the dead fish. “We’ve just sort of started to clean up, and then this has happened, and that’s sort of you’re walking around in a dried-up mess and then you’re smelling this putrid smell. It’s a terrible smell and horrible to see all those dead fish,” said Jan Dening, a local. Nature photographer Geoff Looney found huge clusters of dead fish near the main weir in Menindee on T...

Why did it take so long to phase out a toxic pesticide?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:11:48 GMT

Chlorpyrifos is a pesticide that has been shown to have potential dangers for years— yet it’s still being used in Canada right now.Marc Fawcett-Atkinson is a reporter and writer covering food, climate, plastics and the environment for Canada’s National Observer. He joins us to discuss why the government only banned chlorpyrifos recently, and why its use won’t stop entirely until the end of this year.“Our approach is we’re very permissive. We let stuff go on the market, we let stuff be used, and then if it’s proved to be an issue, we’ve put in risk mitigation measures or bans to reduce the harm, as opposed to even before the product goes out.”So what is chlorpyrifos and what’s the risk? What kind of foods is it used on? And why was Canada behind both Europe and the United States in getting rid of it?https://the-big-story-bb309f15.simplecast.com/episodes/why-did-it-take-so-long-to-phase-out-a-toxic-pesticideYou can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spoti...

Keanu Reeves shares statement on passing of 'John Wick' co-star Lance Reddick

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:11:48 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Keanu Reeves, who shared the screen with late actor Lance Reddick in four installments of the “John Wick” film franchise, said he was “heartbroken” upon learning of Reddick’s passing on Friday, according to a statement obtained by Variety.Reeves, along with “John Wick” director Chad Stahelski, said they are dedicating the upcoming fourth film to Reddick, whom they will “miss dearly.”“We are deeply saddened and heartbroken at the loss of our beloved friend and colleague Lance Reddick,” Reeves and Stahelski wrote, in part, in a joint statement shared with Variety. “He was the consummate professional and a joy to work with. Our love and prayers are with his wife Stephanie, his children, family and friends.”Keanu Reeves and Lance Reddick are photographed after a 2014 screening of "John Wick" in Los Angeles. Reddick, who passed Friday, was perhaps best known for his roles in "The Wire" and the "John Wick" franchise. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) ‘Baffling beyond bel...