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Putin rules out rejoining Black Sea grain deal, despite famine fears

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:15 GMT

Russia will not rejoin a U.N.-brokered pact designed to prevent famines across the developing world as a result of the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.Speaking at the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum in St. Petersburg, Putin again said his government would “refuse to extend” the Black Sea grain deal, which has allowed 32.9 million tons of agricultural products to leave Ukraine’s blockaded ports and reach the global market.Putin, who accused Western nations of receiving the bulk of the deliveries and refusing to lift sanctions on Russia, insisted Moscow would instead move toward “a more just system of resource distribution.”“In the coming three or four months we would be ready to provide to Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, the Central African Republic and Eritrea up to 50,000 tons of grain each. We will ensure free shipping of these cargo,” he went on.Investigations have shown Russia h...

Heat emergency declared in Boston amid persistent high temps

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:15 GMT

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu declared a heat emergency in the city Thursday and Friday, when high temperatures will reach into the 90s and the heat index is expected to reach the mid-90s to 100 degrees. A heat advisory has been issued through Saturday.“This summer is an opportunity for Boston residents to have fun and stay active together—but this is only possible when our community comes together to take necessary precautions to stay safe from extreme heat,” Wu said in a statement. “Heat waves can endanger anyone, regardless of age or health, and it is critical for everyone to stay hydrated, limit outdoor activity when possible and wear plenty of sunscreen. The City is here to support residents through a variety of programming, and I urge anyone with questions to call 311 for assistance in keeping protected against the heat.”Cooling centers will be open at 15 Boston Centers for Youth & Families community centers from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today a...

Heat Advisory & Storm Threat Today

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:15 GMT

Today will be an active weather day across southern New England. We’re starting off this morning with heat, humidity and a heat advisory in place. That heat and humidity will help fuel strong to severe storms later on today.HEAT:Temperatures under-performed a bit yesterday with nobody hitting 90°, but lots of 88s on the map. Today we have a better shot at 90° but it will also be more humid. Humidity yesterday was sticky but today and the next couple of days it will be tropical. So factor the two together and it will feel closer to 100° for today, tomorrow, and Saturday.I want to specifically point out the wind because that’s a huge range and not one we typically use. This morning we’ll start out on the lower end of the range and increase to the higher end of it as the storms get closer this afternoon. While nobody hit 90° yesterday, our chances of a heat wave are not over. We still have the potential of three 90° days starting today through Saturday.If you’re...

Battenfeld: Kelly Ayotte making Massachusetts poster child for failed, liberal policies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:15 GMT

Whether it’s a winning strategy for Kelly Ayotte to attack Massachusetts in her New Hampshire gubernatorial campaign remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: she’s already putting Gov. Maura Healey on the defensive.The superficial, knee-jerk analysis is that the former U.S. senator is positioning her Granite State against Massachusetts, but in fact she’s using the Bay State as a poster child for failed, ultra-liberal policies.If you asked most people in New Hampshire if they would rather live in Massachusetts, they’d come back with a resounding no.The only people defending Massachusetts are the politicians and their apologists in the press corps.As Healey desperately tries to position herself nationally by putting up billboards and attacking Gov. Ron DeSantis in Florida, she still must defend the direction Massachusetts is heading, and that’s increasingly difficult.While it’s true some New Hampshire residents commute to jobs in Massachusetts, they choose to call the Granite State...

Wind-tossed boat with dozens of people aboard overturns in Philippines, search and rescue underway

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:15 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine passenger boat carrying dozens of people, including children, overturned Thursday after being lashed by strong wind in a town southeast of Manila and search and rescue efforts were underway, the Coast Guard said.The MBCA Aya capsized when its passengers moved to one side of the boat when it was battered by fierce wind about 46 meters (151 feet) from Kalinawan village in Binangonan town in Rizal province, the coast guard said.The Coast Guard said it was trying to validate social media reports of dozens of passengers being rescued or drowning.Typhoon Doksuri moved on Thursday after battering the northern Philippines and enhancing seasonal monsoon rains in a large swath of the archipelago. At least nine people were killed, mostly due to landslides, flooding and toppled trees and thousands were displaced, disaster response officials said.Sea travel was suspended in many ports during Doksuri’s onslaught from Tuesday to Wednesday, stranding th...

Church sex abuse revelations are unwelcome distraction as Pope Francis visits scandal-hit Portugal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:15 GMT

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — When a panel of experts read aloud some of the harrowing accounts they had collected from recently discovered victims of child sex abuse in the Portuguese Catholic Church, the country’s senior bishops squirmed in the auditorium’s front-row seats.During a live television broadcast, the experts reported in February that at least 4,815 boys and girls had been abused since 1950, most aged 10-14. Before the stunning findings, senior Portuguese church officials had maintained there had been only a handful of cases of clergy sex abuse. They lost even more credibility with a response so clumsy and hesitant that victims were inspired to form Portugal’s first survivor advocacy group to press for compensation.Pope Francis will wade into the quagmire of Portugal’s reckoning with its legacy of clergy abuse and cover-up when he arrives in Lisbon next Wednesday to participate in World Youth Day, the international Catholic youth rally. While there is no mention o...

Indonesian President Widodo arrives in China and plans talks with Chinese leader Xi

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:15 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Indonesian President Joko Widodo arrived Thursday in China and planned to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.The two will discuss investments and “various strategic projects for Indonesia and China,” including in trade and health, as well as regional and global issues, Widodo said in a statement.During his three-day visit, Widodo will also meet with Chinese businesspeople to discuss possible investments in Indonesia, especially in the petrochemical, renewable energy and health sectors, the statement added.Widodo is to attend the opening of the FISU World University Games in Chengdu in southwestern China. Indonesia is, along with China, a member of the Group of 20 major developed and emerging economies. China is Indonesia’s largest trade and investment partner.Indonesia wants a bigger role as a supplier of nickel and other raw materials to China’s fast-growing electric car brands.The Associated Press

Greek wildfires reach the outskirts of Athens. EU agency records a huge spike in carbon emissions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:15 GMT

RHODES, Greece (AP) — Wildfires reached the outskirts of Athens on Thursday as strong gusts of wind caused flare-ups around Greece, disrupting highway traffic and rail services.The fires have raged across parts of the country during three successive Mediterranean heat waves over two weeks, leaving five people dead, including two firefighting pilots, and triggering a huge evacuation of tourists over the weekend on the island of Rhodes.Water-dropping helicopters and a ground crew scrambled early Thursday to a blaze in Kifissia, just north of Athens, which was quickly put out.Near the central city of Volos, a wildfire burned on two fronts, forcing a section of Greece’s busiest highway to close for several hours, while national rail services passing through the area were delayed.Firefighters also battled flames on Rhodes for a 10th successive day, while flare-ups were reported on the island of Evia.Wildfire carbon emissions for July in Greece were the highest by a huge margin — totaling...

Ukraine eases its sports boycott policy to compete against some Russians ahead of Olympics

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:15 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine has signaled it will no longer bar its athletes from competing against Russians who are taking part in sporting events as “neutral athletes,” a significant easing of its boycott policy a year before the Paris Olympics.A decree dated Wednesday says Ukrainian athletes and teams will only be required to boycott if competitors from Russia or Belarus are competing under their national flags or other symbols, or have signaled allegiance to either of those countries in another way.The change in policy could smooth the way for Ukrainians to compete at next year’s Paris Olympics. Ukrainian athletes previously boycotted events which allowed Russians and Belarusians as “Individual Neutral Athletes,” the preferred term of the International Olympic Committee.It wasn’t immediately clear how the decree would be implemented in practice, but at least one leading Ukrainian athlete competed against a “neutral” Russian competitor on Thursday.Olympic champi...

EU opens antitrust investigation against Microsoft over Office and videoconferencing Teams bundling

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:15 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union announced Thursday that it opened a formal antitrust investigation targeting Microsoft into the software company’s Teams messaging and videoconferencing app over concerns that its bundling with its Office productivity software suites gives it an unfair edge over competitors. The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s top competition enforcer, said that it would carry out its in-depth investigation “as a matter of priority.”The investigation stems from a complaint filed in 2020 by Slack Technologies, which makes popular workplace messaging software. Slack, owned by business software maker Salesforce, alleged that Microsoft was abusing its market dominance to eliminate competition — in violation of EU laws — by illegally combining Teams with its Office productivity software suite.“Remote communication and collaboration tools like Teams have become indispensable for many businesses in Europe. We must therefore ensure that the markets fo...