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Blinken says ‘far too many’ Palestinians have died as Israel wages relentless war on Hamas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:47 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that “far too many” Palestinians have died and suffered as Israel wages a relentless war against the militant Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. He urged Israel to minimize harm to civilians and maximize humanitarian assistance that reaches them.Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Blinken said recent Israeli moves to improve dire conditions in Gaza as its military pushes deeper into the strip — including pauses in military operations to allow Palestinians to move from northern to southern Gaza and the creation of a second safe corridor — are positive but they are not nearly enough.“Much more needs to be done to protect civilians and to make sure that humanitarian assistance reaches them,” he said. “Far too many Palestinians have been killed, far too many have suffered these past weeks, and we want to do everything possible to prevent harm to them and to maximize the assistance that gets to them.”Blinken spok...

NATO member Romania pushes to buy 54 Abrams battle tanks from US

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:47 GMT

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania is pushing to buy 54 Abrams main battle tanks and related equipment from the United States in a deal worth at least a billion dollars, the defense ministry said Friday.The ministry said the latest-model tanks would help its military meet regional security challenges. Romania, a NATO member since 2004, shares a long border with war-torn Ukraine.The sale would include ammunition and training simulators, the ministry said. It said Romania has estimated the contract as worth about $1 billion, but that Congress was notified of a higher value of $2.5 billion after it was approved by the U.S. State Department on Thursday. No timeframe for the purchase was specified. Romanian Minister of Defense Angel Tilvar said the strategic partnership between his country and the U.S. “represents one of the pillars of national security and an essential contribution to strengthening the defense of the allied eastern flank in the Black Sea region.”On Friday, Romania’s defe...

‘Security issue’ causes delays at Pearson’s Terminal 1 for second day in a row

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:47 GMT

It appears to be a second straight day of travel chaos for people flying out of Toronto Pearson International Airport on Friday morning.Airport officials confirmed a security problem caused delays at Terminal 1 and several travellers are reported that the issue is impacting flights headed to the U.S.“There is a non-urgent security issue causing longer than usual wait times at T1 security,” said Toronto Pearson on X at 7:18 a.m. “We will update as more information becomes available.”A short time later, Pearson said the issue had been resolved and normal operations were resuming. Passengers are being advised to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport. The airport’s departure list shows several delayed flights to the U.S.The security issue has been resolved, and normal operations will resume shortly. As always, please check the status of your flight before coming to the airport: https://t.co/b2onT4RS3b https://t.co/QywDxAd1Ke— ...

AtkinsRéalis reports Q3 profit up from year ago, raises revenue guidance

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:47 GMT

MONTREAL — AtkinsRéalis reported its third-quarter profit more than doubled compared with a year ago and raised its outlook for revenue growth.The company formerly known as SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. says its net income from continuing operations amounted to $105 million or 60 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up from a profit from continuing operations of $44.7 million or 25 cents per share in the same quarter last year.Revenue for the quarter totalled $2.20 billion, up from $1.89 billion a year earlier.The total included professional services and project management revenue of $2.17 billion, up from $1.86 billion a year earlier, while revenue from the company’s capital investments totalled $28.9 million, down from $29.5 million a year ago.On an adjusted basis, the company’s professional services and project management business earned 38 cents per diluted share for the quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 30 cents per share a year earlier.In its outlo...

Texas judge rules against GOP lawsuit seeking to toss 2022 election result in Houston area

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:47 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas judge has denied a Republican effort to overturn election results in the nation’s third-most populous county, a Democratic stronghold that’s been beset by GOP efforts to dictate how ballots are cast. A losing GOP candidate in a November judicial race had filed a lawsuit calling for a new election in her contest in Harris County, where Houston is located. Republican Erin Lunceford blamed her defeat on ballot shortages and allegations that illegal votes were cast.But visiting Judge David Peeples ruled Thursday against the lawsuit’s request for a new election. His decision came months after a two-week trial in August in which no GOP voters came forward to testify they were unable to vote because of the problems.The ruling is a blow to efforts by GOP leaders in Harris County to overturn November 2022 election results in 17 other local contests. It follows similar court challenges that have become more common around the country following baseless conspiracy theorie...

Erdogan backtracks after siding with court that defied top court’s ruling on lawmaker’s release

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:47 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s president on Friday backpedaled after siding with a top appeals court that defied a Constitutional Court ruling calling for the release of an imprisoned opposition lawmaker.President Recep Tayyip Erdogan adopted a more neutral stance after voicing support for the appeals court and renewed his call for a new constitution to resolve the dispute.This week, the high court of appeals declared that it would not abide by a Constitutional Court ruling that called for the release of Can Atalay, a lawyer and human rights activist who was elected to parliament in May while in prison. The court of appeals also took the unprecedented step of filing a criminal complaint against Constitutional Court justices, accusing them of violating the constitution.The clash between the two high courts heightened concerns over the further erosion of the rule of law in the country where the independence of the courts is frequently questioned.In remarks published Friday, Erdogan ac...

‘Absolutely not’: Ex-official accused of leaking secrets says he didn’t betray RCMP

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:47 GMT

OTTAWA — A former RCMP intelligence official accused of leaking secrets has told a jury he didn’t commit a crime or betray the national police force.Cameron Jay Ortis testified in Ontario Superior Court that he had the authority to do what he did in the name of fighting threats to the security of Canada.Reporters and the general public were excluded from the courtroom for Ortis’s testimony Nov. 2, but a redacted transcript has now been released.The Crown says Ortis anonymously sent classified material in 2015 to people who were of investigative interest to the RCMP.Ortis, 51, has pleaded not guilty to violating the Security of Information Act by revealing secrets to three individuals and trying to do so in a fourth instance. The Crown argues Ortis lacked authority to disclose classified material and that he was not doing so as part of some sort of undercover operation.Mark Ertel, a lawyer for Ortis, has told the jury the former intelligence official was acting largely on...

Imprisoned Algerian journalist remains behind bars despite expected release

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:47 GMT

CONSTANTINE, Algeria (AP) — An Algerian journalist who was expected to be released this week after serving a six-month sentence was kept behind bars in a move that surprised his attorneys and colleagues and underscored ongoing concerns about press freedom in the North African country.Mustapha Bendjama, the editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper Le Provençal, has faced a raft of charges since authorities accused him of helping political activist Amira Bouraoui leave Algeria in the face of criminal charges in February.Authorities’ February raid on Bendjama’s office and subsequent charges against him related to Bouraoui’s escape followed years of problems with the Algerian government, which accused him of writing favorably about pro-democracy street protests that led to the resignation of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in 2019.“Mustapha absolutely must be freed, because he has served his six-month sentence in the so-called ‘Amira Bouraoui affair,’” his lawyer, ...

Invest in Kids Act to expire as Illinois legislative session comes to close

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:47 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Theauntae Jones is one of 9700 students on scholarship because of the Invest in Kids Act. The president of Theauntae's school said he has had the opportunity to thrive because of the scholarship, but after Thursday, the Invest in Kids Act will expire at the end of the year."Theonte is a classic example," said Dan McGrath, President of Leo High School in Chicago's Auburn Gresham neighborhood. "I doubt very much he would be here without a tax credit scholarship and yet he's come here, he has absolutely thrived, got himself set up for college."Hundreds of people rallied in Springfield this week in a last ditch effort to save the program, with Illinois republicans pushing to bring the issue to a vote, but efforts fell short on the last day of the legislative session, and the Invest in Kids Act was officially brought to an end."I, myself, was an underpriviledged kid that got a scholarship to a high school. That changed my life and the lives of four of my best friends,...

Friday Forecast: Temps in upper 40s with cooler than normal conditions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:47 GMT

CHICAGO — Temperatures in the upper 40s and increasing clouds. Winds: WNW 5-15 G25. Winds: 48. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storms here Partly cloudy tonight with calm conditions. Winds: NW 0-5. Low: 31.Saturday Forecast: Mostly sunny, late day clouds, SE 0-5. High: 50.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog