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US announces $1.2 billion in military aid for Ukraine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:52 GMT

The United States planned as soon as Tuesday (9 May) to announce a new $1.2 billion military aid package for Ukraine that will include air defense systems, ammunition and funds for training, a US official said.Ukraine will receive 155-mm Howitzer ammunition, counter-drone ammunition, and funding for satellite imagery as well as various types of training, said the official.The package is paid from Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funding which allows President Joe Biden's administration to buy weapons from industry rather than pull from US weapons stocks.The military aid, first reported by the Associated Press, comes as Congress and the White House debate ways to avoid a default on the nation's debt, with many Republicans demanding sharp cuts in domestic spending in exchange for lifting the debt limit.However, members of both parties insist they support continued aid for Ukraine including top Republicans House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell, the top Republica...

Opposition member of Parliament arrested the day after elections

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:52 GMT

Where? The Republic of Moldova, a "fast-tracked" EU accession country.The deputy chairman of the "SHOR" Party, MP Marina Tauber, was detained for 72 hours on May 1st, her birthday. The “present” was administered by the power-controlled police at the Chisinau International Airport. The opposition politician was on her way to Israel for a scheduled medical appointment and was due to return after a few days. The MP informed prosecutors and the court of her intention to leave the country.In the morning, on May 1st, Marina Tauber announced, in a Facebook live, that she was going to Israel, that she had informed the authorities about this and that she had presented the prosecutors with the round-trip tickets. Moreover, she said she could be detained or arrested. This is because the Sandu-PAS government does not agree with the result of the elections for Gagauzia's Bashkan, held on April 30th, in which the candidate of the "SHOR" Party, Evghenia Guțul, gained the most votes and is due to p...

Ask Amy: I know my parenting anxiety isn’t healthy. Any advice?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:52 GMT

Dear Amy: I have trouble insulating myself from the anxiety caused by my young adult sons’ life issues. They are 21 and 26 years old.I’ve done what I could as a mom to raise independent adults. They are doing well for the most part (the younger still in college), but we are close and they confide in me. This can really send me into a tailspin.Our older son has chosen a lifestyle that is built around being outdoors, but his work can be sporadic and he can be very scattered. I believe he may have some depression and doesn’t always take his meds for his ADHD. I’m glad he confides in me, and I prompt him to take care of himself.Our younger son has chosen an extremely competitive academic and professional path. He seems to have built in good options for himself, but recently he had a fender-bender in the car, and I worry about him.My anxiety about my sons really impacts me on a daily basis and is not healthy. (My husband does not worry like this.)Related ArticlesAdvice | Ask A...

UK tabloid group admits it unlawfully gathered info on Harry

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:52 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry scored a victory at the outset of his first phone hacking trial Wednesday with the publisher of the Daily Mirror apologizing for unlawfully gathering information about him in its reporting that warrants some compensation.The admission was made in court filings outlining Mirror Group Newspapers defense, in which it said it was contesting claims of “historic” voicemail interception and continuing to argue at trial that Harry and three less-well-known celebrities brought their claims beyond a time limit.But it also admitted that there was “some evidence of the instruction of third parties to engage in other types of UIG (unlawful information gathering) in respect of each of the claimants,” which includes the Duke. It said it “warrants compensation” but didn’t spell out what form that might take. “MGN unreservedly apologizes for all such instances of UIG, and assures the claimants that such conduct will never be repeated,” the court papers said.THIS IS A BREAK...

Serbia, Montenegro punished for fan slurs at Euro 2024 game

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:52 GMT

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — UEFA has ordered Serbia to host a 2024 European Championship qualifier in an empty stadium because of discriminatory chants by fans at a game against neighboring Montenegro. Fans traded ethnic-based slurs at Serbia’s 2-0 win in Podgorica in March, and UEFA also sanctioned the Montenegrin soccer federation for discriminatory behavior in sanctions announced late Tuesday.Serbia will serve the stadium ban when it hosts Hungary in September, activating a probationary sanction for previous racist conduct by fans at a Nations League game last year, UEFA said. UEFA also fined the Serbian federation 50,000 euros ($55,000) and barred it from selling tickets to fans for the team’s next away game in Group G, in Bulgaria next month.The latest UEFA sanction for Serbia fan misconduct follows a stadium closure for one game in Euro 2020 qualifying. Montenegro was fined 20,000 euros ($22,000) by UEFA and must close a section of its stadium when hosting Bulgaria in September. ...

UK tabloid publisher Mirror Group admits unlawfully gathering info on Prince Harry but denies hacking his phone

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:52 GMT

LONDON (AP) — UK tabloid publisher Mirror Group admits unlawfully gathering info on Prince Harry but denies hacking his phone.Source

What to know about public service student loan forgiveness

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:52 GMT

The U.S. has approved more than $42 billion in federal student loan debt forgiveness for more than 615,000 borrowers in the past 18 months as part of a program aimed at getting more people to work in public service jobs, the U.S. Department of Education said this week.The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program is open to teachers, librarians, nurses, public interest lawyers, military members and other public workers. It cancels a borrower’s remaining student debt after 10 years of public interest work, or 120 monthly payments.The program is separate from President Joe Biden’s student debt relief plan, which would wipe away or reduce loans for millions of borrowers regardless of what field they work in. The U.S. Supreme Court is currently considering whether that plan can go ahead.The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, known as PSLF, was launched in 2007, but stringent rules meant that more than 90% of applicants were rejected, the Department of Education said in 2019.In...

Retakes, accepting late assignments among proposed changes to Arlington schools’ grading policy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:52 GMT

Arlington Public Schools in Virginia is proposing a plan that would enable middle and high school students to retake or redo certain assignments and reduce the weight that homework has on a student’s overall grade.Under proposed changes to school system policies, all teachers would provide “retakes” and “redos” for all students on certain class assignments, and the higher grade would be recorded for the student. The change also calls for a decrease in the percentage of homework in the calculation of a student’s overall grade.And, assignments turned in after the due date but before the end of a teaching unit would have to be accepted for credit, though a student may still be penalized up to 10% for the late submission.The proposed changes, which also include tweaks to the elementary school standards-based grading policy, are part of Arlington’s new approach to grading that emphasizes equity.The Northern Virginia school district has worked to ...

Stock market today: Global shares dip, markets eye inflation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:52 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Global shares declined in muted trading Wednesday as investors awaited an upcoming report on inflation in the United States, an important indicator for where interest rates and global growth might go in the coming months.France’s CAC 40 shed 0.2% in early trading to 7,382.48. Germany’s DAX declined 0.3% to 15,914.55. Britain’s FTSE 100 fell 0.2% to 7,752.65. U.S. shares were set to drift lower with Dow futures down 0.1% at 33,599.00. S&P 500 futures fell 0.1% to 4,128.25.Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 0.4% to finish at 29,122.18. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 inched down 0.1% to 7,255.70. South Korea’s Kospi slipped 0.5% to 2,496.51. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dipped 0.5% to 19,762.20, while the Shanghai Composite shed 1.2% to 3,319.15.Market watchers are also worried about any signs of economic woes in China after recent data showed imports were lagging, even as exports continued to grow, although at a slower pace than before.F...

Mountain Province: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:40:52 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — TORONTO (AP) — Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. (MPVDF) on Tuesday reported net income of $20.9 million in its first quarter.On a per-share basis, the Toronto-based company said it had profit of 10 cents.The diamond mining company posted revenue of $95.2 million in the period._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on MPVDF at https://www.zacks.com/ap/MPVDFSource