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The US will provide cluster munitions to Ukraine as part of a new military aid package: AP sources

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:58 GMT

By NOMAAN MERCHANT, LOLITA C. BALDOR and ELLEN KNICKMEYER (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has decided to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine and is expected to announce on Friday that the Pentagon will send thousands as part of the latest military aid package for the war effort against Russia, according to people familiar with the decision.The decision comes despite widespread concerns that the controversial bombs can cause civilian casualties. The Pentagon will provide munitions that have a reduced “dud rate,” meaning there will be far fewer unexploded rounds that can result in unintended civilian deaths.U.S. officials said Thursday that the cluster munitions would be part of about $800 million in new military assistance to Ukraine.Long sought by Ukraine, cluster bombs are weapons that open in the air, releasing submunitions, or “bomblets,” that are dispersed over a large area and are intended to wreak destruction on multi...

Recipe: Have a lot of summer squash? Try making this salad

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:58 GMT

This time of year, summer gardens and farmers markets yield an abundance of squash, primarily yellow crookneck, and zucchini. Here’s a delicious salad that uses both varieties raw, cut into 3/8-inch dice.Olives make a great garnish for this colorful mix. Their salty brininess adds an appealing contrast. Olives with their pits still in place taste better than pitted, but if using the unpitted beauties, be sure to put them off to the side rather than atop each serving so guests have a better visual clue that they aren’t pitted.For a vegetarian version, omit the salami.Summer Squash Orzo SaladYield: 6 servings1 teaspoon salt8 ounces orzo (rice-shaped pasta)2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil2 medium yellow crookneck squash, trimmed, cut in 3/8-inch dice2 medium zucchini squash, trimmed, cut in 3/8-inch dice1/2 large red onion, cut in 1/4inch dice1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, cut into 3/8-inch dice1 cup grape tomatoes or cherry, halved lengthwiseMinced zest of 1 lemon (colored portio...

4 vacation destinations for music lovers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:58 GMT

Ebony Williams | (TNS) The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionWhy not plan your next vacation around your love of music?Plenty of vacation destinations cater to specific interests, from national parks and museums, to food tours. For music lovers, part of a great vacation is finding the local hotspot or hidden gem where you can enjoy some live music. That’s a whole lot easier if you choose a destination where music is king.Here are four vacation destinations that are perfect for music lovers:Kansas City, MissouriKansas City has many intimate concerts venues spread throughout the city, from small mom-and-pop restaurants to large concert halls.The city has a rich jazz history, and it’s jazz district, centered around 18th and Vine, is still home to some legendary venues, including The Blue Room at the American Jazz Museum, which offers free jazz jam sessions many times throughout the week.People gather at the annual Africa in April festival in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. (Dreamstime/TNS)Memph...

East Boston apartment scam: Cape Cod man accused of stealing $32,000 from potential renters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:58 GMT

Police have nabbed an alleged apartment scammer who’s accused of stealing more than $30,000 from potential tenants who wanted to rent in East Boston.Timothy Andreev, 40, of Mashpee, has been arrested on eight outstanding warrants for larceny by scheme, according to Boston Police.This arrest stems from eight reports of apartment fraud in Eastie over the last month, police said.The alleged victims told police that they were looking for an apartment to rent in East Boston using Facebook Messenger, and they contacted Andreev who was showing the apartment.He’s accused of showing the residence, and then the alleged victim would send him a deposit to secure the apartment. Andreev promised the person that they would receive the keys at a later date.Afterwards, Andreev would not return any of the victims’ calls and would block the victims, police said.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | Mass and Cass arrest: Weymouth man allegedly assaults State Police li...

Misinformation obscures standards guiding gender-affirming care for trans youth

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:58 GMT

Helen Santoro | (TNS) KFF Health NewsAlmost three weeks after Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, signed a bill making it a felony for doctors to provide gender-affirming care to transgender minors, a judge issued a preliminary injunction preventing enforcement of the law for three children whose parents are part of an ongoing lawsuit.Florida is one of at least 20 states that have limited gender-affirming treatment for minors. The legislators sponsoring some of these bills say their intent is to protect children and families from pressure “to receive harmful, experimental puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones and to undergo irreversible, life-altering surgical procedures,” as a new Montana law puts it.“Gender transitions involving major surgeries not only result in sterility, but other irreversible negative biological effects,” said Montana state Sen. John Fuller, the Republican who introduced the bill.Such laws and policies, and statements — such as Fuller’s — used to ju...

OceanGate, owner of the submersible that imploded during a dive to the Titanic, suspends operations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:58 GMT

By PATRICK WHITTLE (Associated Press)The company that owned a submersible that imploded on its way to explore the wreck of the Titanic, killing all five onboard, said Thursday it has suspended operations.Investigators believe the Titan imploded as it made its descent into deep North Atlantic waters on June 18. Among those killed was Stockton Rush, the submersible’s pilot and chief executive officer of the company, OceanGate.The Coast Guard said last week that human remains have likely been recovered from the wreckage of the submersible and are being examined by medical officials in the U.S. Remote operated vehicles, known as ROVs, were used to retrieve the debris from the ocean floor about 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) underwater.The U.S. Coast Guard has convened a Marine Board of Investigation, its highest level of investigation, into the implosion, and plans to hold a public hearing in the future. The statement on OceanGate’s website says the Everett, Washington-based com...

CP NewsAlert: Nunavut signs agreement in principle with Ottawa on health funding

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:58 GMT

OTTAWA — Nunavut has signed on to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s health funding offer, which would see $381 million in federal funding delivered to the territory over 10 years.The announcement comes after Northwest Territories and Yukon confirmed deals with Ottawa earlier today.More coming. The Canadian Press

Roommate charged in elderly man’s death following Brampton house fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:58 GMT

A 26-year-old man is facing a second-degree murder and arson charge after his 80-year-old roommate died following what investigators called a suspicious fire at their Brampton residence.Peel Regional Police and first responders were called to a property in the Pennyroyal Crescent area around 1:30 p.m. on July 2 for reports of a basement fire.Police said Brampton firefighters and Emergency Services located an elderly male within the unit suffering from obvious signs of trauma.Despite life-saving measures performed on the victim, police said 80-year-old Anthony Ambrose died from his injuries.Police arrested the victim’s roommate, 26-year-old Julius Adigun, on Wednesday. The accused was charged with second-degree murder and arson endangering life.The investigation remains ongoing.One person is dead following an early morning two-alarm blaze at a Brampton home. CITYNEWS/Arthur Pressick

Biden makes his economic case in deep-red South Carolina, says his policies add jobs in GOP states

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:58 GMT

WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Making his case for 2024, President Joe Biden declared in deep-red South Carolina on Thursday that Republican-led states are gaining factory jobs because of economic measures he pushed through Congress despite stiff GOP opposition.In a nod toward next year’s elections, Biden argued that government investments in computer chips, batteries and electric vehicles will help the U.S. out-compete China and that his agenda has delivered in ways that former President Donald Trump could not. “I didn’t get much help from the other team, but that didn’t stop us from getting it done,” the president said, speaking in a state that he lost by nearly 12 percentage points in 2020. “Every Republican member of Congress voted against the Inflation Reduction Act.”White House officials maintain that if Republicans had their way, South Carolina, like many other Republican-controlled states, would have lost out on billions of dollars in investments and thousands ...

Andrew Tate loses appeal against house arrest in Romania as human trafficking case continues

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:58 GMT

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Andrew Tate, the divisive social media personality and former professional kickboxer who is charged in Romania with rape, human trafficking, and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, lost an appeal on Thursday against a court’s earlier decision to keep him under house arrest, his spokesperson said.The Bucharest Court of Appeal ruled against Tate’s appeal, which challenged a court’s June 23 decision to extend the house arrest measure for 30 more days as the criminal case continues. That decision was made days after Romania’s anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, formally indicted the 36-year-old social media star along with his brother Tristan, and two Romanian women in the same case. All four were initially arrested near Romania’s capital in late December, and have denied the allegations against them.Before the appeal court’s final ruling on Thursday, two judges had disagreed on whether or not to uphold the house arrest measure, so a third...