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Dud Russian general dies after ‘long illness’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:32 GMT

Russian General Gennady Zhidko, who was ousted after briefly commanding the Kremlin’s troops in Ukraine, died in Moscow on Wednesday aged 57 after a “long illness,” a regional leader announced Wednesday.Zhidko led Russian troops invading Ukraine from May 2022 until he was pushed out last summer for “for failures during military operations,” the BBC reported at the time. The commander was eventually replaced by Sergey Surovikin, also known as “General Armageddon.” Surovikin — allegedly an ally of Wagner chief and mutineer Yevgeny Prigozhin — was later also removed from military leadership and is now under house arrest. The EU, the U.S. and the U.K. had sanctioned Zhidko for his role in the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, where he deployed troops — including minors — to wage Russia’s war of aggression. Zhidko is the second Russian general to die this week. On Tuesday, Gennady Lopyrev died in jail of an unspecified illness, a pr...

Socialist wins key Spanish parliament vote that could pave way for new center-left government

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:32 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s newly elected Parliament voted Thursday by a majority to elect a Socialist candidate as chamber speaker, breathing some life into acting Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez´s aspirations of forming another leftist government. The crucial vote was won by Francina Armengol with 178 votes in the 350-lower house of parliament, against 139 for the main conservative Popular Party’s candidate.It was the first parliamentary vote since inconclusive national elections on July 23 left no group with an easy path to form government. Parties on the left and right have almost an equal number of seats. It remains to be seen if Sánchez can round up the same support should he be called on by the king to try to form a government. If not, a new election could be around the corner.The parliament was also to vote on eight members of the speaker’s presiding council, a body that sets the agenda for parliamentary sessions. Armengol won with the support of 14 votes from two sep...

Italian police scour northern woods for Dutchman suspected of fatally stabbing dad and family friend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:32 GMT

ROME (AP) — Italian police on Thursday were scouring a wooded area in the country’s north for a young Dutchman suspected of stabbing to death his father and a family friend a day earlier.According to Italian news reports, the 21-year-old suspect is believed to suffer from psychiatric problems. Authorities launched the search after the knifing attack Wednesday afternoon in the countryside in Cuneo province.The family friend was reportedly hosting the father and son for a visit at his home when the attack occurred.Local people were issuing pleas in their community for neighbors to alert police if they spot the suspect and cautioning people to avoid excursions in the woods, the LaPresse news agency said. The motive for the stabbings wasn’t immediately clear.The Associated Press

Renowned British talk show host Michael Parkinson dies at age 88

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:32 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Michael Parkinson, the renowned British broadcaster who interviewed some of the world’s most famous celebrities of the 20th century from Muhammad Ali to Miss Piggy, has died. He was 88.His family said in a statement to the BBC on Thursday that Parkinson died “peacefully at home last night” after a brief illness.After training and working as a journalist, Parkinson got his big television break in 1971 when the BBC offered him his own eponymous talk show. Hosting “Parkinson” over three spells through to 2007, he earned his status as Britain’s talk show king by putting his guests at ease, drawing out insights others could not. Flirty, funny and serious by turns, he would spar with his guests, rather than seeking anecdotes, although those were welcome when they came. Over four animated interviews with the great heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, Parkinson knew he had met his match. “I’m not going to argue with you,” Parky told him during one animat...

‘What a special place to be in.’ Triathletes swim in the Seine ahead of Paris Olympics

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:32 GMT

PARIS (AP) — The world’s top female triathletes rushed forward into the Seine on Thursday as the famous river’s improved water quality allowed a race to take place in a key test event ahead of next year’s Paris Olympics.It comes after a previous test had to be canceled this month because of poor water quality.Paris Olympic organizers, the city’s authorities and World Triathlon praised the victory of British competitor Beth Potter in the women’s race.“She thus becomes the first athlete to win a sporting competition after swimming in the Seine since 2012,” they said in a joint statement.The triathlon event takes place through Sunday in the heart of the French capital, with the swimming portion of the race starting from the bottom of the spectacular 19th century Alexandre III bridge and its golden statues. The bike and run laps go through some of the most prestigious neighborhoods of the capital city, including down the Champs-Elysees. Fans can attend the event for fr...

More than 60 Senegalese migrants feared dead on monthlong voyage to Spain

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:32 GMT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — More than 60 migrants are feared dead after a Spanish fishing vessel rescued a boat off the Atlantic archipelago of Cape Verde that originally had more than 100 people aboard, authorities and migrant advocates said Thursday. Seven bodies were found on the boat and an estimated 56 people are missing at sea and presumed dead, said International Organization for Migration spokesperson Safa Msehli. According to Senegal’s foreign affairs ministry, 38 people were rescued earlier in the week near Cape Verde, about 620 kilometers (385 miles) off the coast of West Africa. The Spanish migration advocacy group Walking Borders said the vessel was a large fishing boat, called a pirogue, which had left Senegal on July 10.Families in Fass Boye, a seaside town 145 kilometers (90 miles) north of the capital, Dakar, reached out to Walking Borders on July 20 after 10 days without hearing from loved ones on the boat, group founder Helena Maleno Garzón said.Cheikh Awa Boye, preside...

Russia fines Google $32,000 for videos about the conflict in Ukraine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:32 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian court on Thursday imposed a 3-million-ruble ($32,000) fine on Google for failing to delete allegedly false information about the conflict in Ukraine.The move by a magistrate’s court follows similar actions in early August against Apple and the Wikimedia Foundation that hosts Wikipedia.According to Russian news reports, the court found that the YouTube video service, which is owned by Google, was guilty of not deleting videos with incorrect information about the conflict — which Russia characterizes as a “special military operation”. Google was also found guilty of not removing videos that suggested ways of gaining entry to facilities which are not open to minors, news agencies said, without specifying what kind of facilities were involved. In Russia, a magistrate’s court typically handles administrative violations and low-level criminal cases.Since sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has enacted an array of measures to punish any critic...

What new lending regulations mean for small-business owners

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:32 GMT

The U.S. Small Business Administration and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau each issued new rules earlier this year that aim to expand funding access for small-business owners, especially those in underserved communities.As of Aug. 1, 2023, updates to the SBA’s rules will allow for new, nonbank lenders to offer SBA 7(a) loans, as well as update restrictive lending criteria. And starting in 2024, the CFPB will begin requiring lenders to provide the public with transparent data on small-business owner loan applications. Here’s what this means for business owners.ADDITIONAL NONBANK SBA LENDERSSmall business lending companies, or SBLCs, are nonbank institutions — such as financial technology companies and alternative lenders — that are authorized to fund SBA loans. SBLC licenses have been limited to 14 since the early 1980s, but the SBA has now added three additional licenses.The goal of this change is to encourage more lenders to offer SBA-backed loans and thereby reach more small-...

Man dies after being found shot multiple times in alley on West Side

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:32 GMT

CHICAGO — A man has died after being found unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds on the city's West Side.Police said officers responded to a person shot to the 2700 block of West Wilcox around 10:20 p.m. Wednesday. Upon arrival, a man, believed to be in his 40s, was found unresponsive in an alley.According to police, the man sustained six gunshot wounds to the torso. He was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition where he was pronounced dead. CPD: 2 critical after shooting outside funeral home No one is in custody. Area Four detectives are investigating.

Maui fires: Schools reopening, traffic resuming in signs of recovery

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:32 GMT

LAHAINA, Hawaii (NEXSTAR) — Public schools on Maui started the process of reopening and traffic resumed on a major road in signs of recovery a week after wildfires demolished a historic town and killed at least 111 people, while the head of the island's emergency agency said he had “no regret” that sirens weren't sounded to warn people about the onrushing flames.At least three schools untouched by flames in Lahaina, where entire neighborhoods were reduced to ash, were still being assessed after sustaining wind damage, Hawaii Department of Education superintendent Keith Hayashi said. Maui boat captain details rescue of two children during fire “There’s still a lot of work to do, but overall the campuses and classrooms are in good condition structurally, which is encouraging,” Hayashi said in a video update. “We know the recovery effort is still in the early stages, and we continue to grieve the many lives lost.”Maui County confirmed the death toll increased to 111. T...