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Flying Russian flags, more Wagner troops roll into Belarus as part of deal that ended their mutiny

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:33:28 GMT

More mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner military contractor rolled into Belarus Monday, a monitoring group said, continuing their relocation to the ex-Soviet nation following last month’s short-lived mutiny.Belaruski Hajun, a Belarusian activist group that monitors troops movements in Belarus, said that a convoy of about 20 vehicles carrying Russian flags and Wagner insignia entered the country Monday heading toward a field camp that Belarusian authorities had offered to the company.The group said it was a third Wagner convoy entering the country since last week.Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who brokered a deal that ended last month’s rebellion launched by Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, has said that his country’s military could benefit from the mercenaries’ combat experience. On Friday, Belarusian state TV broadcast video of Wagner instructors training Belarusian territorial defense forces at a firing range in the Asipovichy region, where a...

A 5-story apartment building collapses in Cairo and kills at least 9 people

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:33:28 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — A five-story apartment building collapsed Monday in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, leaving at least nine people dead, authorities said, as rescuers searched through the rubble.Building collapses are common in Egypt, where shoddy construction and a lack of maintenance are widespread in shantytowns, poor city neighborhoods and rural areas.The state-run MENA news agency reported that rescue teams recovered at least nine bodies from under the rubble of the building in Cairo’s neighborhood of Hadaeq el-Qubbah, roughly 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the city’s center.Four survivors were also taken to a hospital and authorities evacuated a neighboring apartment building, MENA said.Following an initial inspection, Cairo’s deputy governor, Hossam Fawzi, said the collapse was caused by one of the ground floor residents who removed a number of walls during earlier maintenance work. The man has been detained and will be investigated, he said.Egypt’s Ministry of Social So...

Turkish President Erdogan heads to Persian Gulf states seeking funds for ailing economy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:33:28 GMT

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan travels to Saudi Arabia on Monday in a three-stop tour of Persian Gulf states to seek trade and investment opportunities for Turkey’s floundering economy.Erdogan will arrive in Jeddah accompanied by an entourage of some 200 businesspeople, according to the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey. He is expected to meet King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Business forums have been arranged in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates during Erdogan’s three-day trip.“We are hoping to improve our relations and cooperation in many fields. We will focus on joint investment and commercial initiatives to be realised in the upcoming period,” Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul before leaving.The visit comes as Turks are hit with sales and fuel tax hikes that Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek has said are necessary to restore fiscal discipline and bring inflation down.The official annual inflation rate stood at 38% la...

The pope’s Ukraine peace envoy heads to Washington with the plight of children top of his agenda

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:33:28 GMT

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis’ peace envoy was traveling to Washington on Monday as part of the Holy See’s peace initiatives for Ukraine, hoping to support humanitarian operations especially concerning children, the Vatican said Monday.Cardinal Matteo Zuppi’s visit, which lasts through Wednesday, follows his recent mission to Moscow and an earlier stop in Kyiv, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.Zuppi is a veteran of the Catholic Church’s peace initiatives and has been tasked by Francis to try to find “paths of peace” between the warring sides.In Moscow, Zuppi met with Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, as well as Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, who has strongly supported the war.Francis has taken up Ukraine’s request to intervene where possible to return Ukrainian children transported to Russia following Moscow’s invasion. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Lvova-Belova and Russi...

G20 finance chiefs meeting in India address global challenges like climate change and rising debt

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:33:28 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Finance ministers from the Group of 20 nations meeting in India on Monday are poised to address critical global economic challenges, including the threats posed by climate change and rising debt among low-income countries.The finance minister of India, which is hosting the global grouping, said the G20 will focus on strengthening the global economy as growth remains uneven and below average.“What we need are coordinated international efforts to navigate this challenging period,” Nirmala Sitharaman said in her opening remarks ahead of the meetings being held in Gandhinagar, a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. Earlier on Monday, Sitharaman and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the two countries were working together to further the group’s agenda. They spoke after holding talks on the sidelines of the G20 meetings, a sign of the importance of their countries’ relationship at a time of tension with China.“The world is looking to the G20 to...

Germany’s central bank says the economy apparently returned to growth in the 2nd quarter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:33:28 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — The German economy appears to have returned to slight growth in the April-June period after shrinking for two consecutive quarters, the country’s central bank said Monday.Germany’s national statistics office said in late May that Europe’s biggest economy contracted by 0.3% in the first three months of this year, marking the second consecutive decline that is one definition of a recession. Gross domestic product declined by 0.5% in last year’s fourth quarter.In its monthly report, the Bundesbank said economic output appears to have “increased slightly” in the second quarter, without quantifying the expected gain.It said private consumption apparently stabilized, thanks to a solid labor market, pay increases and the lack of a further significant increase in inflation. It added that supply bottlenecks declined, which together with a solid cushion of orders prevented a worse showing in the industry and construction sectors. The central bank did, however, ...

Kimberly Palmer: What to consider before budgeting with the cash-stuffing method

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:33:28 GMT

When Giovanna “Gigi” Gonzalez wanted to cut back on her food spending, the finance expert and money coach applied what is known as the “cash-stuffing” method of budgeting. She put the cash she allotted to food for the week into an envelope and limited her spending to that amount.“I could see when I had just 20 bucks left for the week, so it was really helpful,” she says.Popularized through TikTok videos, cash stuffing has brought back the old-fashioned envelope system of budgeting: You divide up your cash into different envelopes, each dedicated to a category of spending or saving. “It’s a tried and true method,” says Gonzalez, who also founded The First Gen Mentor, a money course where she promotes financial literacy.If you’re considering joining the cash-stuffing movement yourself, here are some guideposts:SET ASIDE PLANNING TIMECash stuffing requires an upfront time commitment because you need to plan your spending, withdraw your cash and then “stuff” it into labeled envelopes. T...

Child thrown from carnival ride in Antioch, airlifted to hospital

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:33:28 GMT

ANTIOCH, Ill. — A 10-year-old child was thrown from a carnival ride on Sunday in Antioch, according to police.Around 2:40 p.m., police said the child was thrown from a ride at the Taste of Antioch festival.Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesThe child was airlifted to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. Their condition hasn't been released.Another kid who was on the ride said the bar for his seat on the Moby Dick ride was coming over his head several times and he had to resecure it."My bar was coming up over my head, so every time I went up because it was going up and I was almost about to fall out, I would slam down to close it so that way I would not fall out," Elliott Johnson said. "Then as soon as it started slowing down and it was about maybe rocking on the floor, I was able to push it up and slide out."Johnson said he then ran to find help for the child. Mayor Scott Gartner used his executive authority to close the rides while a safety review of each ride is ...

Monday Forecast: Air Quality Alert in effect, hazy with temps near 80

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:33:28 GMT

CHICAGO — Air Quality Alert in effect Monday. Decreasing smoke and haze this afternoon. Winds: WNW 5-15 mph. High near 80, cooler near the lake.Mostly clear skies tonight and a bit cooler. Winds: WNW 5-10 mph; Low 63 in the city, upper 50s outlying areas. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here TUESDAY FORECAST: Mostly sunny and warmer conditions. Winds: WNW 5-10 mph. Highs mid to low 80s, upper 70s lakeside. Extended outlook calls for a few more clouds on Wednesday with temps in the mid 80s and very slight chance of showers/t'storms in the late afternoon and early evening. Thursday again in the seasonal mid 80s-- a bit muggier-- and a chance of showers/t'storms in the afternoon. Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Fire burns two homes near Lake Travis; fireworks blamed

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:33:28 GMT

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – Lake Travis Fire Rescue said fireworks likely started a two-alarm brush fire that burned two homes early Monday morning near Steiner Ranch. According to LTFR, crews from the department and Austin Fire Department firefighters were at the scene of the fire at 1:20 a.m. on Mansfield View Court, which is just north of RM 620 and Quinlan Park Road. At 1:35, LTFR said two homes had minimal fire damage. One had roof damage and the second had balcony damage. Crews were able to stop the fire from going inside the homes. Lake Travis Fire Rescue said the fire was under control as of 3:10 a.m. and was out as of 4:16 a.m. LTFR told KXAN crews would be checking the area for any flare ups Monday morning.At 6:09 a.m. LTFR tweeted the "Fire is believed to be started by fireworks. Conditions are very dry. We encourage everyone to take precautions when it comes to fireworks, outdoor burning, equipment usage, and BBQing. Anything that can cause a spark can start a wildland...