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Somali maritime police intensify patrols as fears grow of resurgence of piracy in the Gulf of Aden

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:59:11 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Somalia’s maritime police force on Thursday intensified patrols in the Red Sea following a failed pirate hijacking of a ship in the Gulf of Aden earlier this week.The commander of the maritime force in the semiautonomous region of Puntland, Abdullahi Mohamed Ahmed, told The Associated Press that patrols in the waters had doubled and were on a 24-hour rotation to deter pirates.“Here now we have many challenges. We had initially dealt with the pirates and stopped their activities, but recently on top of al-Shabab and IS we have had to look out for them again,”On Sunday, the U.S. military said it had captured five men who had attempted to hijack an Israeli-linked tanker off the coast of YemenU.S. and British militaries said the armed attackers seized the Liberian-flagged Central Park, managed by Zodiac Maritime, in the Gulf of Aden. The pirates had attempted to escape using speedboats but surrendered after being pursued by American destroyer the USS Mason, a state...

Truce in Gaza extended at last minute as talks over remaining Hamas captives get tougher

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:59:11 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel and Hamas on Thursday agreed to extend their cease-fire by another day, just minutes before it was set to expire. The truce in Gaza appeared increasingly tenuous as most women and children held by the militants have already been released in swaps for Palestinian prisoners.As word of the extension came Thursday morning, gunmen opened fire on people waiting for buses where a main highway from Tel Aviv enters Jerusalem, killing at least two people and wounding seven others, according to police and Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service. Police said the two attackers were killed. It was unclear if the attack was carried out by a Palestinian militant group or individuals acting on their own, or if it would have any impact on the truce in Gaza.International pressure has mounted for the cease-fire to continue as long as possible after nearly eight weeks of Israeli bombardment and a ground campaign in Gaza that have killed thousands of Palestinians, uprooted thr...

Henry Kissinger’s death met with polarized reaction around the world

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:59:11 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Polarized reaction poured in Thursday to the death of former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who managed to galvanize global attention decades after his official service as one of the most powerful diplomats in American history.Kissinger, who died Wednesday at 100, was praised as a skilled defender of U.S. interests by world leaders. On social media he was widely called a war criminal who left lasting damage throughout the world.“America has lost one of the most dependable and distinctive voices” on foreign affairs, said former President George W. Bush, striking a tone that many high-level officials, past and present, tried to convey.“I have long admired the man who fled the Nazis as a young boy from a Jewish family, then fought them in the United States Army,” Bush said in a statement. “When he later became Secretary of State, his appointment as a former refugee said as much about his greatness as it did America’s greatness.”Kissinger served two pr...

Chicago's first 50° temperatures in 10 days ahead Thursday! Also— a more active weather pattern coming together bringing precipitation Friday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:59:11 GMT

A more active weather pattern seems to be coming together over the coming days and the next week.  The first of a series of weather systems likely to bring Chicago precipitation is slated in here early Friday. The form that precip takes will be interesting to monitor. It seems quite likely it will take the form of rain in the city—especially lakeside areas when "NE" winds will blow off the 45-degree waters of southern Lake Michigan. But air chilly enough to support a period of snow or a wintry mix isn't to be all that far away Friday and we continue to see model indications snow or a wintry mix could occur in areas west of Chicago—but with some wet snowflakes possibly mixed in over parts of the city away from the lake and, with a greater probability of occurring—over northern suburbs.A more active weather pattern seems to be coming together over coming days and the next week.  The first of a series of weather systems likely to bring Chicago precipitation is slated in here early...

Commission proposes to extend energy emergency measures by one year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:59:11 GMT

The Commission has proposed to the Council to extend several of the EU emergency measures that were introduced last year to tackle the energy crisis. While the EU is in a much better position this year, and crisis management tools have proved effective to calm the markets and ensure stable supplies, the extension by another 12 months will provide an additional safeguard as global energy markets remain tight.The measures include the so-called Solidarity Regulation, which contains provisions on LNG market transparency and default rules for solidarity in case of shortages, the Market Correction Mechanism, and the emergency rules related to the acceleration of permitting for renewable energy projects.Enhancing market resilience while fast-forwarding the clean energy transition and ensuring secure energy supplies remains a top priority of the Commission as the heating season has now started in most parts of Europe. The proposed prolongation now requires the approval of the Council by qua...

$20,000 reward offered after man gunned down in Compton

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:59:11 GMT

A $20,000 reward is being offered for information after a man was shot to death on a sidewalk in Compton.On Dec. 30, 2018, Cymundi Demetrius Bracken, 46, was standing on a sidewalk on the 2000 block of North Parmelee Avenue at around 1:37 a.m.Shots were fired by an unknown suspect, striking Bracken, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.He was transported to the hospital where he later died.The suspected shooter was seen fleeing the area in a dark-colored SUV. A surveillance image of the vehicle was released in hopes someone may recognize the suspects.A dark-colored SUV containing suspects in the fatal shooting of Cymundi Demetrius Bracken, 46, on a Compton sidewalk on Dec. 30, 2018. (Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department)Cymundi Demetrius Bracken, 46, in a photo from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.It’s unclear how many people were inside the SUV at the time. Loved ones mourn Hollywood exec killed by homeless woman A $20,000 reward is being offer...

Estonia could close Russian border in face of ‘hybrid attack’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:59:11 GMT

A dramatic surge in the number of migrants from Africa and the Middle East arriving on the EU’s eastern frontier are part of a “blatant hybrid attack” orchestrated by Moscow, Estonia’s foreign minister said, warning that crossings from Russia could be banned altogether.In a statement Wednesday, Margus Tsahkna said the Baltic nation is “prepared to close its border with Russia” if the situation continues. The growing crisis, he added, “is yet more proof that Russia is not fighting only in Ukraine; instead it poses a threat to other countries.”At the same time, Estonian Interior Minister Lauri Läänemets said the government was planning to deal with a potential rise in the number of crossings after Finland closed all of its checkpoints with Russia on Tuesday, accusing the Kremlin of attempting to stoke a migrant crisis. Helsinki argues Moscow’s “influence activity” is intended as retribution for the Nordic country&#...

Un gendarme chez la grande conso

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:59:11 GMT

Notre newsletter quotidienne sur les enjeux de lobbying et de transparence en France.Par OCÉANE HERREROAvec AURORE GORIUS, ALEXANDRE LÉCHENET et PAUL DE VILLEPINInfos, tuyaux et mini-drames à partager ? Ecrivez à Océane Herrero, Aurore Gorius, Alexandre Léchenet et Paul de Villepin | Voir dans votre navigateurLE MENU DU JOUR— INFO Influ : Le lobby des marques de la grande conso dans le viseur de l’Autorité de la concurrence.— La COP28 débute aujourd’hui, voici votre pense-bête. — NumSpot, nouveau champion français de l’IA ?Bonjour à toutes et à tous, si vous avez la chance de textoter un ministre, préparez-vous à installer les applications françaises Tchap ou Olvid. Les membres du gouvernement ont eu ordre, selon Le Point, de désinstaller WhatsApp, Signal et Telegram, applications dont l’exécutif était, jusqu’au sommet, particulièrement friand. En bon élève, le ministre délégué chargé du Numérique, Jean-Noël Barrot, assurait, hier soir sur X, être déjà à fo...

Elton John addresses Britain’s Parliament, urging lawmakers to do more to fight HIV/AIDS

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:59:11 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Elton John has urged British lawmakers to do more to fight HIV and AIDS, saying the U.K. can be the first country in the world “to defeat this awful virus.”The British star spoke to lawmakers and campaigners in the grand Speaker’s House of Parliament on Wednesday evening at an event honoring his dedication to fighting HIV in the U.K. and beyond.“I implore you not to waste your allotted time as political leaders,” John urged dozens of lawmakers packed into the ornate gold-trimmed room. “Take action and push things a little further than might feel comfortable. And as you do, I can promise you this: I will be there with you.”John set up his AIDS Foundation in 1992 and has helped raise millions of dollars to prevent HIV infections and reduce stigma. “This evening I was privileged to welcome Sir Elton John and acknowledge his exceptional contribution to the global fight against HIV and AIDS — personally and through the Elton John AIDS Foundation,” Commons ...

86 million fake items worth over €2 billion detained last year in the EU internal market and at borders

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:59:11 GMT

Approximately 86 million fake items were detained in the European Union in 2022 (at the EU external border and in the internal market), according to a joint report published today by the European Commission and the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). The estimated value of fake items detained in the EU amounted to over €2 billion overall, an increase of approximately 3% compared to 2021.The report also shows that the five most detained products, in terms of the number of items detained across the EU, were games, packaging material, toys, cigarettes and recorded CDs/DVDs. These items accounted for more than 72% of the products recorded. While the number of items detained at the EU border in 2022 went down by 43% compared to 2021, their value increased by 11%, because more items with a higher domestic retail value were detained. When it comes to internal market detentions, more fake goods were stopped by police and market surveillance authorities than in 2021 (an increase of almo...