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UN lifts last restriction on arms for Central African Republic government, but not for mercenaries

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:57 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council lifted a requirement that the Central African Republic get advance U.N. approval for arms purchases and transfers for its security forces, but kept an arms embargo on mercenaries and all other armed groups despite vehement opposition from the country’s government.The resolution ending all restrictions on arms for the government was approved by a vote of 13-0 with Russia and China abstaining.Mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner Group have been working in the Central African Republic, known as CAR, at the government’s request, and until the vote was taken most diplomats were uncertain whether Russia would veto the resolution or abstain.CAR’s Foreign Minister Sylvie Baïpo-Temon told the council after the vote that the arms embargo, which was imposed in 2013, should have been lifted in its entirety. She called the resolution “one of flagrant double standards,” intimating it was the work of Western power blocs.“This injustice is feeding n...

Montreal police find suspect drowned after mother, daughter found dead in home

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:57 GMT

Montreal police say they’ve found the body of a man sought in connection with a double homicide early Thursday after the bodies of a mother and daughter were found dead in a home.The bodies of the 56-year-old mother and her 12-year-old daughter were found inside a property in a residential area of the southwest borough of Lachine.Late Thursday, police confirmed a body taken out of the water was that of the 59-year-old husband of the female victim and the father of the preteen girl and that he had been sought in connection with the deaths –the city’s 17th and 18th homicides of the year.Const. Mariane Allaire Morin said police received a call around 12:15 a.m. Thursday about missing people, adding that a short investigation led officers to the residence about 75 minutes later.“At the beginning, we were talking about multiple people reported missing, we weren’t talking about one, two, or three people,” Allaire Morin said.“There is a suspect in ...

Japan raises alarm over China’s military, its Russia ties and Taiwan tensions in new defense paper

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:57 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japan stepped up its alarm over China’s assertiveness in the region, its growing military ties to Russia and its claims on Taiwan in an annual defense paper released Friday that is the first under Tokyo’s new security strategy calling for a major military buildup.The current security environment is the worst since the end of World War II, according to the 2023 edition of Japan’s defense white paper approved by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet. It is the first under the National Security Strategy the government adopted in December, stating the need to bolster strike capability with long-range missiles like Tomahawks, a controversial plan seen as a break from Japan’s self-defense-only postwar principle.China, Russia and North Korea contribute to “the most severe and complex security environment since the end of World War II,” according to the 510-page report. It says China’s external stance and military activities have become a “serious concern for...

Bolivia is the latest South American nation to use China’s yuan for trade in challenge to the dollar

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:57 GMT

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivia is now using the yuan to pay for imports and exports, becoming the latest country in South America to regularly use the Chinese currency in a small but growing challenge to the hegemony of the U.S. dollar for international financial transactions in the region.Between May and July of this year, Bolivia conducted financial operations amounting to 278 million Chinese yuan ($38.7 million), which accounts for 10% of its foreign trade during that period, Economy Minister Marcelo Montenegro said on Thursday.“We’re already using the yuan. It’s a reality and a good start,” Montenegro said during a news conference. “Banana, zinc, and wood manufacturing exporters are conducting transactions in yuan, as well as importers of vehicles and capital goods.” These electronic transactions are carried out through the state-owned Banco Unión.“The amount being used in yuan is still relatively small, but it will increase over time,” Montenegro said.With these transactions, B...

US Senate votes to expand radiation-exposure compensation, from Guam to original A-bomb test site

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:57 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Senate has endorsed a major expansion of a compensation program for people sickened by exposure to radiation during nuclear weapons testing and the mining of uranium during the Cold War, with a vote Thursday on a massive defense spending bill.Advancing on a 86-11 Senate vote, the provisions would extend health care coverage and compensation to so-called downwinders exposed to radiation during weapons testing to several new regions stretching from Guam to the New Mexico site where the world’s first atomic bomb was tested in 1945.The Senate-backed plan also would extend compensation to more former uranium industry workers. The proposed changes to the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act are not yet included in a House-approved defense bill, amid negotiations toward final legislation.The hit summer film “Oppenheimer” about the top-secret Manhattan Project and the dawn of the nuclear age during World War II has brought new attention to a decades-long effort...

Liberals win pair of seats in Ontario provincial byelections

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:57 GMT

The Ontario Liberals won a pair of provincial byelections Thursday, including snagging a previously Progressive Conservative seat.The party has no leader at the moment, though five people are vying for the title, and has severely diminished resources following two successive electoral routs, but it finished the evening with its highest seat count since 2018.Liberal candidate Andrea Hazell won the riding of Scarborough-Guildwood, which former cabinet minister Mitzie Hunter held for 10 years until she resigned in May to run in the mayoral byelection.The Progressive Conservatives ran local councillor Gary Crawford as a candidate, but he finished more than 1,000 votes behind Hazell.In the Ottawa-area riding of Kanata-Carleton, Karen McCrimmon — the former Liberal MP for the riding — won the seat for the Liberals over Progressive Conservative candidate Sean Webster.Kanata-Carleton has been without a representative since Merrilee Fullerton abruptly resigned her post as ministe...

Mortgage scam victims still waiting for justice

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:57 GMT

CHICAGO — It's a story WGN Investigates has been following for years. Mark Diamond is facing federal charges accused of scamming elderly homeowners and leaving families on the verge of losing their most valuable assets.  "This was devastating to generations. This is generational wealth being robbed," said Rev. Robin Hood, who witnessed the impact of the scheme on his own family. In April, Diamond's co-defendant Cynthia Wallace struck a plea deal indicating she will cooperate with federal authorities. In this WGN-TV Cover Story, reporter Gaynor Hall and photojournalist Vince Tagle talk with families who are still waiting for justice.For more information on fraud prevention and education resources for homeowners visit: https://homeowner-education.law.northwestern.edu/

Austin Energy helps small businesses, nonprofits and houses of worship save energy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:57 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Energy is helping small businesses, nonprofits and houses of worship save energy and money this summer with rebates and discounts on improvements, according to a news release from Austin Energy.These promotions highlight Austin Energy's assistance in upgrading appliances and equipment, installing energy-efficient lighting and smart thermostats, replacing insulation and windows, and more, according to Austin Energy.Qualifying small businesses get a 30% bonus over the agency's standard commercial rebates, the release said. Those incentives help lower the upfront cost of improvements that can help save on utility bills, as well as maintenance costs down the road, according to Austin Energy.HVAC tune-upsBusinesses, nonprofits and houses of worship can earn rebates when an Austin Energy participating contractor performs an HVAC system tune-up.Customers can get back from $228 to $715 per unit serviced, plus rebates on auxiliary equipment.Regular tune-ups help keep ...

Heavy thunderstorms prompt overnight flood watch in Twin Cities

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:57 GMT

Brace yourselves for potentially severe thunderstorms and flash flooding late Thursday and early Friday.A flood watch is in effect until 4 a.m. for portions of east-central Minnesota along with west-central Wisconsin, the National Weather Service says.The watch includes the Twin Cities metro area.Heavy thunderstorms that were exhibiting “training” characteristics were setting up north of the Twin Cities on Thursday evening.Such training thunderstorms across eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin have the potential to produce 3 to 5 inches of rainovernight.According to the NWS, the east-to-west line will slowly sag south through the evening while continuing to back-build to the west, leading to the possibility of flash flooding.Excessive runoff may result in flooding of creeks, streams, urban areas and other low-lying and flood-prone locations.Related ArticlesLocal News | Dangerous heat for Twin Cities and beyond on Thursday, with severe storms also possible ...

Jurors begin deliberations in federal lawsuit over 29-year-old’s fatal shooting by St. Paul officers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:57 GMT

An attorney for Cordale Handy’s mother asked jurors in a civil case Thursday to find that two St. Paul police officers used excessive force and wrongfully caused his death when they shot the 29-year-old in 2017. The city’s attorney requested the opposite from jurors.Jurors began deliberations Thursday in the federal lawsuit filed by Kimberly Handy-Jones and are scheduled to resume on Monday.After a 2017 investigation, no criminal charges were filed against officers Mikko Norman and Nathaniel Younce, who reported Handy pointed a gun at Norman. The trial, which began Monday, is a rare occasion of a lawsuit against the city of St. Paul in a shooting by an officer being heard by a jury.Cordale Handy (Courtesy of Kimberly Handy-Jones)On March 15, 2017, about 2:20 a.m., Norman and Younce responded to a 911 call in St. Paul’s Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood. They encountered Handy outside. He was on the ground when the officers said Handy pointed a gun at Norman.“...