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EU leaders endorse joint ammo purchases for Ukraine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:54 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders have endorsed a plan for sending Ukraine 1 million rounds of artillery ammunition within the next 12 months to help the country counter Russia’s invasion forces.EU foreign and defense ministers approved the plan for a fast-track purchasing procedure earlier this week, and the leaders of the bloc’s 27 member nations gave it their political blessing at a summit in Brussels Thursday.“Taking into account the security and defense interests of all member states, the European Council welcomes the agreement … to deliver ground-to-ground and artillery ammunition to Ukraine and, if requested, missiles,” the meeting’s conclusions on Ukraine read.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders were poised Thursday to endorse a plan for sending Ukraine 1 million rounds of artillery ammunition within the next 12 months to help the country counter Russia’s invasion forces.EU foreign and defense min...

California may punish oil companies for high gas prices

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:54 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers on Thursday will vote on whether to allow penalties on oil companies for price gouging at the pump, a first-in-the-country proposal aimed at stopping the kind of spikes last summer that caused some drivers pay up to $8 per gallon as the industry reaped super-sized profits.Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat seen as a possible presidential candidate beyond 2024, has used all of his political muscle to get the bill this far by making in-person pleas with state lawmakers in private ahead of Thursday’s first vote in the state Senate.The oil industry has pushed back, paying for a wave of digital ads that have labeled any potential penalty as a tax — an idea more likely to be scorned by voters. But they have failed to stop the bill, which after months of stagnating in the Democratic-controlled Legislature is now racing through the process with the Senate vote followed by a final vote in the state Assembly likely next week.The bill highlights ...

Fetterman expected back ‘soon,’ but no certain timeline yet

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:54 GMT

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman’s office said Thursday that he is expected to return soon to the chamber, although Democratic leaders are giving no timeline five weeks after he sought inpatient treatment for clinical depression.Fetterman, 53, was weeks into his service in Washington and still recovering from the aftereffects of the stroke he had last May during his campaign when he checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Feb. 15.Aides said at the time that Fetterman had not been his usual self for weeks. He was withdrawn, showing a disinterest in talking, eating and the usual banter with aides. Post-stroke depression is common and treatable, doctors say.Asked about when Fetterman might return, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said only that Fetterman is recuperating.“We want to give him the space to recuperate,” Schumer said at a Wednesday news conference. “He needs it, it’s fair, it’s right. There a...

Lawmakers tell ex-CEOs ‘you must answer’ for bank failures

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:54 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Leaders of the Senate’s banking committee on Thursday warned former chief executive officers at the failed Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank that they expect them to testify before the panel, saying in a letter to each: “you must answer for the bank’s downfall.”The committee is examining the events leading up to the closures of the banks, starting with the first congressional hearing on Tuesday. Separate letters were sent Thursday to Gregory Becker, the former head of Silicon Valley Bank, and to Joseph DePaolo, the former head of Signature Bank.Both CEOs had indicated to the committee they would be unable to attend Tuesday’s hearing, according to the letter. But the senators said they believe the CEOs can testify to Congress without disclosing confidential information. Nor would the executives need to hand over bank records and files to provide informative testimony, they said.Attorneys copied in on the letters sent to the CEOs did not immedi...

Josh Segarra is becoming a Hollywood go-to scene-stealer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:54 GMT

Perhaps you know Josh Segarra from his scene-stealing role as Lance on HBO Max’s “The Other Two,” or remember him as a crooked district attorney of Star City in the CW’s “Arrow,” or you caught him on Broadway when he originated the role of Emilio Estevez in “ On Your Feet! ” However you know him, Segarra is becoming more and more recognizable and this month adds two new projects to that list.First, Segarra appears in “ Scream VI ” as Danny, the boyfriend of Melissa Barrera’s character. Segarra says when he auditioned he had two wishes if he got the part: he would either be the new Ghostface killer or he would die a spectacular death on screen. His callback audition scene seemed to grant one of those dreams.“They sent me a whole monologue confessing that I’m the killer. So I’m sitting there and I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m the killer.’ I tell my wife, ‘I’m the killer.’ I tell my team, ‘Yo, I’m the killer.'”After he was cast, he found out everybody auditions with t...

FBI: 1 person fatally shot during multiday hostage rescue

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:54 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — One person was fatally shot during a hostage rescue on Thursday in Houston, according to the FBI.FBI agents had been part of a multiday law enforcement operation to rescue a group of hostages, the agency’s Houston office said in a statement.“All the hostages have been safely rescued, no FBI agents are injured, and one individual is deceased,” according to the statement.The shooting took place early Thursday morning in north Houston.The FBI declined to say how many agents were involved or where the shooting took place. A large police presence was seen late Thursday morning at a motel.The FBI said it was assisting the Waller County Sheriff’s Office in the rescue operation but declined to provide more information on the number of hostages or what led to the shooting.“There is no threat to public safety at this time,” the FBI said. The sheriff’s office in Waller County, located northwest of Houston, referred all calls to the county’s district attorney’s office.Waller Coun...

Trudeau mulls response to ‘appalling and abhorrent’ Uganda LGBTQ death-penalty bill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:54 GMT

OTTAWA, Kan. — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling on Uganda to repeal legislation the East African country passed this week to bring in a death penalty targeting members of the LGBTQ community.The legislation prescribes the death penalty for the offence of “aggravated homosexuality,” such as having sex while being HIV positive, and life imprisonment for homosexuality, as well as jail terms of up to 20 years for those promoting LGBTQ rights.Trudeau says he wants to “condemn in the absolute strongest terms the despicable law put forward by the Ugandan government” and that Ottawa “stands against” it.The prime minister says he’s considering options to support the LGBTQ community in Uganda, and that all world leaders — especially fellow members of the Commonwealth — should condemn the “appalling and abhorrent” legislation.Washington has urged Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to block the legislation passed by lawmakers on Tuesd...

No red carpet? French unrest impacts King Charles III’s trip

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:54 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Unrest in France is tarnishing the sheen of King Charles III’s first overseas trip as monarch, with striking workers literally refusing to roll out a red carpet amid pension reform protests and calls for the visit to be canceled altogether.The British king is scheduled to undertake the trip beginning Sunday on behalf of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government, which hoped a glamorous royal tour would underscore efforts to rebuild Anglo-French ties that were frayed by the U.K.’s decision to leave the European Union.But anger over French President Emmanuel Macron’s resolve to increase the retirement age by two years are clouding what was meant to be a show of bonhomie and friendship. Instead, Charles’ visit is being seen as an unnecessary display of hereditary privilege.“It’s very bad timing. Normally the French would welcome a British king. But in this moment, people protesting are on high alert for any sign of privilege and wealth,” Paris-based w...

Here are the countries that have bans on TikTok

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:54 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A growing number of countries in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific have banned the popular video-sharing app TikTok from government devices as privacy and cybersecurity concerns increase. A handful have prohibited the app altogether.The company’s CEO faced a grilling Thursday from U.S. lawmakers. TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese technology company Bytedance, has long maintained that it does not share data with the Chinese government. The company points to a project its carrying out to store U.S. user data in the U.S., which it says will put it out China’s reach. It also disputes accusations it collects more user data than other social media companies, and insists that it is run independently by its own management. But many governments remain cautious about the platform and its ties to China. Here are the places that have implemented partial or total bans on TikTok:AFGHANISTANAfghanistan’s Taliban leadership banned TikTok and the game PUBG in 2022 ...

IL Secretary of State awards law enforcement $21M to combat carjacking

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:54 GMT

CHICAGO — Car thefts and car jackings continue to trend in the wrong direction with its steady rise. Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias awarded law enforcement in Illinois $21 million dollars to help turn that trend around. Car thefts and carjackings continue to be a problem nationwide with its initial peak at the beginning of the pandemic. Earlier this month, using statistics collection by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the Chicago Tribune reported auto thefts in Chicago is up 55 percent in 2022 compared to the year before, making Chicago the top city of car thefts last year. Police: 21-year-old Navy sailor missing in Waukegan Six agencies will split the sum including the Chicago Police Department which will receive $1.5 million. The Illinois State Police are set to receive the largest amount, totaling $10.2 million, which Director Brendan Kelly stated will be used, in part, to purchase mobile plate readers and replace two airplanes.Chicago police have been making progre...