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$6 billion in Iranian assets once frozen in South Korea now in Qatar, key for prisoner swap with US

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:06 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Some $6 billion of Iranian assets once frozen in South Korea is in Qatar, a key element for a planned prisoner swap between Tehran and the United States, an Iranian official said Monday. Nasser Kanaani made the comment during a news conference aired on state television, but the feed cut immediately after his remarks without explanation. “The issue of swap of prisoners will be done on this day and five prisoners, citizens of the Islamic Republic, will be released from the prisons in the U.S.,” Kanaani said. “Five imprisoned citizens who were in Iran will be given to the U.S. side reciprocally, based on their will. We expect these two issues fully take place based on agreement.”He said two of the Iranian prisoners will stay in the U.S.Iranian news agencies immediately afterward reported, quoting Kanaani, that the prisoner swap would be done on Monday. There was no other information immediately released by the agencies and U.S. officials did not ackno...

Indian lawmakers attend the last session before moving to a new Parliament building

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:06 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian lawmakers sat in the last session before moving to a new Parliament building and even the opposition parties responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call Monday that saw him lauding India’s parliamentary history and the recently concluded Group of 20 summit.Major opposition parties in May boycotted the inauguration of the new Parliament, calling it extravagant, in a rare show of unity against Modi’s Hindu nationalist ruling party, which has ruled for nine years and is seeking a third term in next year’s elections.The new triangular-shaped building was built at an estimated cost of $120 million. It’s part of a $2.8 billion revamp of British-era offices and residences in central New Delhi that will also include blocks of buildings for government ministries and departments, and Modi’s new private residence. The entire project, called the “Central Vista,” is spread over 3.2 kilometers (1.9 miles).The lawmakers will move into the new building on Tu...

Single family residence sells in San Jose for $2 million

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:06 GMT

5251 Rucker Drive – Google Street ViewThe property located in the 5200 block of Rucker Drive in San Jose was sold on Aug. 16, 2023 for $1,960,000, or $1,313 per square foot. The house, built in 1969, has an interior space of 1,493 square feet. The layout of this single-story home includes three bedrooms and two bathrooms. On the exterior, the house is characterized by the use of wood shake roofing / shingles. Inside, a fireplace enhances the ambiance of the living area. The property is equipped with a heating system and a wall unit cooling system. In addition, the house is equipped with a one-car garage, allowing for convenient vehicle storage. The property’s backyard showcases both a spa and a pool.Additional houses that have recently been purchased close by include:On Rucker Drive, San Jose, in June 2023, a 1,531-square-foot home was sold for $2,175,000, a price per square foot of $1,421. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.In October 2022, a 1,553-square-foot home on Los Gato...

2 years ago, the Taliban banned girls from school. It’s a worsening crisis for all Afghans

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:06 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Two years after the Taliban banned girls from school beyond sixth grade, Afghanistan is the only country in the world with restrictions on female education. Now, the rights of Afghan women and children are on the agenda of the United Nations General Assembly Monday in New York. The U.N. children’s agency says more than 1 million girls are affected by the ban, although it estimates 5 million were out of school before the Taliban takeover due to a lack of facilities and other reasons.The ban triggered global condemnation and remains the Taliban’s biggest obstacle to gaining recognition as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan. But the Taliban defied the backlash and went further, excluding women and girls from higher education, public spaces like parks, and most jobs.Here’s a look at the ban on girls’ education:WHY DID THE TALIBAN EXCLUDE GIRLS FROM HIGH SCHOOL?The Taliban stopped girls’ education beyond sixth grade because they said it didn’t comply with their i...

I will renegotiate Brexit deal, UK Labour’s Keir Starmer says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:06 GMT

LONDON — Keir Starmer will seek a major renegotiation of Britain’s relationship with the European Union if his opposition Labour Party wins the next election.In an interview with the Financial Times, the Labour leader — who polls suggest is on course to become Britain’s next prime minister — committed to pursuing a significant rewrite of the U.K.-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA).That deal, struck by ex-PM Boris Johnson, is up for review in 2025.“Almost everyone recognizes the deal Johnson struck is not a good deal. It’s far too thin,” Starmer said. “As we go into 2025 we will attempt to get a much better deal for the U.K..”“I think there’s more that can be achieved across the board,” he added. Starmer cited security, innovation and research as areas where closer ties could be sought, the FT reported.Starmer was viewed as a key pro-Remain figure in his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet. Since becoming leader, he has stressed that he acce...

Erdoğan asks Elon Musk to build Tesla factory in Turkey

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:06 GMT

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan asked tech billionaire Elon Musk to build a Tesla electric vehicle factory in Turkey, according to Erdoğan’s office.During their meeting in New York, Erdoğan talked about Turkey’s “breakthroughs” in technology and invited Musk to Teknofest, the aerospace and technology festival that will take place in Izmir later this month.Erdoğan also touted future cooperation on artificial intelligence and between Turkey’s space program and Musk’s SpaceX.Turkish state media Anadolu Agency cited Musk as saying that many Turkish suppliers are already working with Tesla and that Turkey is among the top candidates for its next factory. Musk also reportedly said he wished to work with Turkish authorities to obtain the necessary license to offer Starlink satellite services in Turkey.Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.Tesla currently has six gigafactories — four in the United States, one in China and one in Ge...

On and off the field, top Red Sox prospect Kyle Teel has brought the noise

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:06 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine — Roman Anthony remembers things being somewhat stagnant in the Greenville Drive clubhouse. The Red Sox High-A affiliate was 53-49 and had gone 4-7 in its prior 11 games, and the vibe around the club was kind of low.Then, on Aug. 8, top Red Sox draft pick Kyle Teel was called up from rookie ball, and immediately everything changed.“It seemed like this guy came in and brought the energy that we needed,” said Anthony, one of Boston’s top prospects. “He’s clicked with every guy in every clubhouse, he’s really an awesome dude and he’s the type of guy you want to be around.”A highly regarded catcher out of the University of Virginia, Teel was selected No. 14 overall by the Red Sox in July’s MLB Draft and has made an immediate impression since debuting with the organization last month. The 21-year-old took off like a rocket in Greenville and was promoted again alongside Anthony to Double-A Portland barely three weeks la...

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi heads to Moscow after meeting with US national security adviser

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:06 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China’s top foreign policy official is heading to Russia for security talks after two days of meetings with U.S. President Joe Biden’s national security adviser over the weekend in Malta.Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who simultaneously holds the ruling Communist Party’s top foreign policy post, will be in Russia from Monday to Thursday for a round of China-Russia strategic security consultations, the Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement.The U.S. and China are at odds over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. China has refrained from taking sides in the war, saying that while a country’s territory must be respected, the West needs to consider Russia’s security concerns about NATO expansion. It has accused the U.S. of prolonging the fighting by providing arms to Ukraine, weaponry that the U.S. says is needed to defend against Russian aggression.China and Russia have grown closer in recent years as relations with the West have deteriorated ...

Libya was mired in chaos and corruption. For years, warnings the Derna dams may burst went unheeded

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:06 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — The warnings were clear but went unheeded.Experts had long said that floods posed a significant danger to two dams meant to protect nearly 90,000 people in the northeast of Libya. They repeatedly called for immediate maintenance to the two structures, located just uphill from the coastal city of Derna. But successive governments in the chaos-stricken North African nation did not react. “In the event of a big flood, the consequences will be disastrous for the residents of the valley and the city,” Abdelwanees Ashoor, a professor of civil engineering, wrote in a study published last year in the Sabha University Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences.The warnings came true in the early hours of Sept. 11, when residents of Derna woke up to loud explosions before floodwaters pounded the Mediterranean city. They found that two dams had broken, unleashing a wall of water two stories high that wreaked destruction and swept entire neighborhoods out to sea.The deluge proved deadly ...

Underwater teams search for a helicopter that crashed while fighting a forest fire in western Turkey

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:06 GMT

ISTANBUL (AP) — Underwater teams are searching a lake for a helicopter that crashed over the weekend while fighting a forest fire in western Turkey, state media reported Monday.Four crew members were aboard the firefighting aircraft when it fell into the waters of the Tahtali dam while battling a blaze in Izmir’s Menderes district.One pilot, a national of Kyrgyzstan, swam to safety following the accident late Saturday. Three other crew – a Turk and two Kyrgyz personnel – remain unaccounted for.The search resumed Monday following Sunday’s unsuccessful efforts, state-run Anadolu news agency said. The night vision-equipped helicopter, which was collecting water to drop on the flames when it crashed, is reported to be stuck in mud 12 meters (36 feet) below the surface.The fire was extinguished Sunday. Summer wildfires are common in Turkey, where dry vegetation and high temperatures and winds create ideal conditions for deadly blazes.The Associated Press