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Ukraine wins G7 security pledges, but NATO membership remains elusive

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:20 GMT

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed fresh pledges of weapons and ammunition to fight Russia’s invasion along with longer-term security commitments from the West on Wednesday even as he expressed disappointment over the lack of a clear path for his country to join NATO as the alliance wrapped up its annual summit.“The Ukrainian delegation is bringing home a significant security victory for the Ukraine, for our country, for our people, for our children,” he said while flanked by U.S. President Joe Biden and other leaders from the Group of Seven most powerful democratic nations.A joint declaration issued by the G7 lays the groundwork for each nation to negotiate agreements to help Ukraine bolster its military over the long term. Zelenskyy described the initiative as a bridge toward eventual NATO membership and a deterrent against Russia.“We will not waver,” Biden vowed after the summit in Lithuania ended. “I mean that. Our commitment t...

Australian pro-democracy activist thanks supporters for early release from Vietnamese prison

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:20 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Pro-democracy campaigner Chau Van Kham on Thursday thanked his supporters who helped secure his release from a Vietnamese prison this week four years into a 12-year sentence for terrorism offenses.The 73-year-old Australian citizen returned to his family in Sydney on Tuesday after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged that the retired baker be released from prison during a visit to Hanoi last month.Kham thanked a broad array of supporters including the current and former Australian governments, rights groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, community groups, media and lawyers.“The first time in front of you, so I feel so nervous. So nervous, because I’m so happy, and I’m never nervous in front of the Vietnamese officials,” Kham told reporters in Sydney.He thanked his wife and two children “for forever supporting me in my dreams and my beliefs.”“The last thing, can you send a message to the Vietnamese government. I thank yo...

Thailand’s parliament is set to choose a prime minister, but it might not be the election winner

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:20 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Thai lawmakers are gathering Thursday to select a new prime minister, a process whose outcome is far from certain even though the country’s most progressive party won both the popular vote and the most seats in the House of Representatives in the most recent election.Thailand’s May 14 election was regarded as a major political turning point. The reformist Move Forward Party’s victory appeared to spell an end to nine years of unpopular army-supported rule. Two months later, it is unclear if that mandate for change will be honored. Parliament is due to vote on whether to make Move Forward’s leader, 42-year-old businessman Pita Limjaroenrat, the country’s prime minister. His party captured 151 of the 500 House seats but has assembled a coalition government-in-waiting. The eight parties in the coalition won 312 seats combined, a healthy majority.“This is a party leading a coalition, and they’ve won the election,” Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a poli...

‘Potentially life-threatening’: Tornado watches issued for parts of southwestern Ontario

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:20 GMT

Environment Canada has issued a tornado watch for parts of southwestern Ontario, warning for heavy rain and strong wind gusts that could reach 90 km/h overnight.Canada’s weather agency placed Windsor-Essex-Chatham Kent under the tornado watch, noting that conditions are favourable for severe thunderstorms, which may produce a tornado through the evening and into the overnight.“Strong wind gusts and heavy rain are also possible,” Environment Canada said. “Very heavy rainfall may accompany any thunderstorm.”Environment Canada noted in its weather alert that this situation is dangerous and potentially life-threatening. Rainfall amounts of 30 to 50 mm is possible in these southwestern Ontario areas, with isolated amounts of up to 100 mm.“In the event of a tornado, or if a tornado warning is issued for your area, it is recommended you go indoors to a room on the lowest floor, away from outside walls and windows, such as a basement, bathroom, stairwell ...

More people can’t afford nutritious food and 148 million children are stunted by hunger, UN says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:20 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. delivered grim news on global food security Wednesday: 2.4 billion people didn’t have constant access to food last year, as many as 783 million faced hunger, and 148 million children suffered from stunted growth.Five U.N. agencies said in the 2023 State of Food Security and Nutrition report that while global hunger numbers stalled between 2021 and 2022 many places are facing deepening food crises. They pointed to Western Asia, the Caribbean and Africa, where 20% of the continent’s population is experiencing hunger, more than twice the global average.“Recovery from the global pandemic has been uneven, and the war in Ukraine has affected the nutritious food and healthy diets,” Qu Dongyu, director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization said in a statement. “This is the `new normal’ where climate change, conflict, and economic instability are pushing those on the margins even further from safety.”FAO chief economist Maximo Torero said the FAO foo...

Top tribunal certifies Guatemala’s election result minutes after another court suspends party

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:20 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemala’s troubled presidential election was thrown into even greater turmoil Wednesday when the country’s top electoral tribunal confirmed the results of the June 25 vote while the Attorney General’s Office announced that the second place party had been suspended.The seemingly contradictory moves fed more than two weeks of rising tensions and suspicions after the first round of voting, which had seemingly sent conservative Sandra Torres and progressive Bernardo Arévalo into a Aug. 20 presidential runoff.There were immediate calls Wednesday for Guatemalans to take to the streets in protest and demonstrators gathered outside the Supreme Electoral Tribunal until heavy rain drove them away.It was not immediately clear how the situation would play out now that yet another court had intervened in Guatemala’s electoral process, but electoral authorities said Torres and Arévalo would face each other on Aug. 20.But Rafael Curruchiche, the special prosecutor aga...

Tornado Watch issued LaPorte County, Indiana

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:20 GMT

The National Weather Service in Chicago has issued a Tornado Watch is in effect for La Porte County, Indiana until 2 a.m. Thursday. According to ComEd, there are about 123 active power outages in Northern Illinois as of 10 p.m. on Wednesday. Click here to see the power outages map.Latest warnings and watches from the National Weather Service.CHICAGO — A Tornado Watch is in effect for the Chicago area as heavy rain and storms moved through the region Wednesday.A Tornado Watch was issued for Cook, De Kalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, La Salle, McHenry and Will counties in Illinois. In Northwest Indiana, Jasper, Lake, Newton and Porter counties were also issued a Tornado Watch.A Flood Watch were issued for Cook County, DuPage County, Will County and some parts of Northwest Indiana. There is a slight risk of severe weather. Severe weather leaves damage around Northern Illinois, Northwest Indiana Mostly cloudy conditions with heavy rain showers ...

Rockford kidnapping, murder suspect with lengthy criminal past, possibly linked to death of woman in Schaumburg

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:20 GMT

ROCKFORD, Ill. — Over last weekend, police announced charges against a 44-year-old man from Blue Island in relation to the death of a 10-year-old Rockford girl. Since then, details on his criminal past and connections to other crimes have continued to unfold.According to the Rockford Police Department, Antonio Monroe is charged with several crimes, including first degree murder in the kidnapping and murder of 10-year-old Destiny Huggins, and the kidnapping of her 6-year-old sister."I think this is just, again, a real-life nightmare, with a real-life monster," said Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara.Monroe is accused of luring the two sisters into the backyard of an abandoned home in Rockford, promising them money, before attacking them.A criminal complaint filed in Winnebago county said Monroe strangled the 6-year-old girl until she lost consciousness. During a press conference Sunday, police said she was able to escape and run to get help.According to police, officers were dispatched arou...

This year's Texas football team is one that will be 'powered by love'

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:20 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Love comes in many forms and shows in many ways. For the Texas Longhorns, the players hope their love for each other shows up via a bunch of trophies by the end of the team's last Big 12 Conference season.During Big 12 Media Days at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, seniors Jordan Whittington and Jaylan Ford both mentioned the chemistry the team has developed over the past few years. They said it's an integral part of how the team has won games and will win more in the future. What Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian said at Big 12 Media Days "I think we're more powered by love than we've ever been," Whittington said. "I think we trust each other more than we ever have and I think we believe in what we're doing more than we ever have. I think when you mix all those it's really hard to stop that mixed with the amount of talent we have."Ford, who was tabbed as the Big 12's preseason defensive player of the year following his terrific 2022 season, added that the t...

'Playing catch-up': New tree trimming crews expected to help with Austin Energy efforts

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:20 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- When the power in Isaac's South Austin neighborhood went out, he was worried. The temperatures had only dropped a few degrees from the triple-digit high; he worried about his eight-month-old baby and two teenagers. While he applauded the crews for their work in ultimately getting the outage restored, he told KXAN that based on the weather events of the past few years, he originally didn't have "any confidence" in the estimated restoration time. "Would we get a hotel room?" he wondered. "What about the breast milk in the fridge?" Tree trouble: Focus on vegetation management after Austin power outages Austin Energy posted on Twitter, explaining a tree had come into contact with power lines in a private yard. The outage affected around 2,300 people in the area Tuesday night. Vice President of Electric System Field Operations, Elton Richards, said its vegetation management efforts would not have prevented the incident. "To prevent it, I would’ve had to cut 60 feet ...