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EU set to slap Russia with new sanctions on diamonds, tighten oil price cap

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:55:16 GMT

The European Commission has suggested new sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine, introducing a ban on Russian diamonds and tightening other measures, such as the oil price cap, according to documents seen by POLITICO. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Brussels has adopted 11 sanctions packages against Moscow — covering everything from energy to banking — in a bid to empty President Vladimir Putin’s war chest. The latest sanctions packages have been more focused on measures to tackle sanctions circumvention, as other measures are either politically sensitive or could hurt the EU more than they would hurt Russia. The heart of this proposal, which still has to be signed off on by EU countries, is a ban on Russian diamonds. Washington has already banned Russian diamonds, but the EU hasn’t yet — in large part due to Belgium’s bid to protect the Antwerp diamond trade. Belgium has now worked with the European Commission ...

Howie Carr: Hate is finding a home on college campuses

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:55:16 GMT

I’m always interested in learning more about the backgrounds of the pampered-puke foreign Ivy Leaguers who are getting lugged at the daily anti-Jewish hate fests on every college campus.Most of what I’m really interested in – their immigration status, their SAT scores, whether they blew into the Great Satan as “asylees” like earlier Muslim terrorists such as the Tsarnaevs – is never mentioned in the stories, but I still read them.The other day, I saw this headline in the New York Post:“UPenn student who praised ‘glorious’ Hamas terror attack later arrested for stealing Israeli flag.”The Muslim perp was identified as Tara Tarawneh, and the paper described as her as “a 2020 graduate of King’s Academy in Madaba, Jordan.”King’s Academy! Now there was a school I knew a little something about.It was started by King Abdullah of Jordan in 2007. He’s a graduate of Deerfield Academy, as I am. The first headmaster at King’s was Eric Widmer, who was just retiring as the headmaster of Deerfield....

Tuesday’s state tournament scoreboard and highlights

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:55:16 GMT

ROUNDUPBOYS SOCCERRonan Blake and Brett Amorosino scored for third-seeded Norwell (19-2-2) in a 2-0 Div. 3 state semifinal win over No. 26 Dighton-Rehoboth. … Colin Blake and Matt McAuliffe found the net as No. 4 Pembroke (18-2-1) defeated No. 1 Oakmont, 2-1.Dylan Riley scored twice as No. 2 Lynnfield (18-2-2) held off third-seeded Hampshire 2-1 in a Div. 4 state semifinal. … Ryan Laramee scored the game’s only goal as No. 9 Monomoy (16-3-3) edged fifth-seeded Gardner, 1-0.Matt Brayer and Zander Laidlaw hit the back of the net, propelling No. 2 Needham (18-2-2) to a 2-0 Div. 1 state semifinal win over No. 11 Winchester.Craig Churchill scored off a corner kick from Joey Carney to give No. 6 Oliver Ames (18-3-1) a thrilling 2-1 Div. 2 state semifinal overtime victory against No. 7 Melrose.GIRLS SOCCERNo. 4 Notre Dame (Hingham) (15-6-3) advanced to the Div. 2 state final with a 3-2 victory over No. 1 Masconomet in a shootout. Sydney Comeau scored twice for Notre Dame, who led 2-0 befor...

Minibus taxi crashes head on with truck in Zimbabwe, leaving 22 dead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:55:16 GMT

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — A minibus taxi crashed head on with a truck in southwestern Zimbabwe, killing 22 people, police said Wednesday.Two others were injured and taken to a hospital after the accident on Tuesday night, police spokesman Paul Nyathi said. The accident occurred on a highway linking the country’s second-largest city, Bulawayo, with Beitbridge, a town bordering neighboring South Africa, Nyathi said in a statement.Many people in Zimbabwe, a country of 15 million whose economy has been battered by a yearslong currency crisis and high inflation, frequently travel to South Africa to buy goods for resale or personal use. Many also travel to visit family or for work. Road accidents are common in Zimbabwe, where some drivers overload their vehicles and exceed the speed limit. The poor condition of Zimbabwe’s roads has also been blamed for contributing to crashes, despite government efforts to pave some major highways in recent years.Farai Mutsaka, The Associated Press

China’s state media take a new tone toward the US ahead of meeting between their leaders

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:55:16 GMT

Ahead of the highly anticipated meeting on Wednesday between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Chinese state media have taken a new tone toward the U.S. with less negative coverage, calls for a return to warmer ties and stories of Americans with positive connections to the country. The messaging follows several years of unprecedented tensions between the two countries over issues including trade and technology, the status of Taiwan and Hong Kong and the origins of COVID-19.Chinese media have focused on a recent visit by members of the Philadelphia Orchestra marking the 50th anniversary of its history-making trip to China that helped build then-fledgling U.S.-China ties, and on another visit by members of the Flying Tigers, a group of American military pilots who helped China fight Japan in World War II.“The Chinese people will never forget an old friend, and that’s an important message we want to send to the American people,” the official Communist Party newspa...

An ethnic resistance group in northern Myanmar says an entire army battalion surrendered to it

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:55:16 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — An entire Myanmar army battalion based near the Chinese border surrendered to an alliance of ethnic armed groups that launched a surprise offensive last month against the military, a spokesperson for one of the armed groups said Wednesday.The surrender of 261 people — 127 soldiers and 134 of their family members — from the infantry battalion in northeastern Shan state appears to be the biggest by regular army forces since widespread armed conflict in Myanmar broke out in 2021 after the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February that year.The alliance expects to soon capture Laukkaing, the area’s major city, the spokesperson said.The surrender — which has not been announced by the military government and could not be independently confirmed by The Associated Press — came two weeks after the Arakan Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, calling themselves the Three Brotherhood A...

European Commission lowers growth outlook and says economy has lost momentum during a difficult year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:55:16 GMT

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Union’s executive commission lowered its growth forecast for this year and next, saying the economy “has lost momentum” in 2023 as inflation weighs on consumer spending and higher central bank interest rates deter borrowing for purchases and investment. The outlook for this year was lowered to 0.6% from 0.8% for the 20 countries that use the euro currency, and to 1.2% from 1.3% for next year, the commission said Wednesday in its autumn economic forecast, which revised figures from its previous forecast in September.Even that modest growth outlook is exposed to risk from Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. So far, the conflict has not interfered with oil supplies from Mideast producers such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, “but there is a risk of disruptions to energy supplies that could potentially have a significant impact” on prices and global growth.While growth remains weak, unempl...

Germany’s highest court annuls a decision to repurpose COVID relief funding for climate measures

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:55:16 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s highest court on Wednesday annulled a government decision to repurpose 60 billion euros ($65 billion) originally meant to cushion the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic for measures to help combat climate change and modernize the country. The ruling created a significant new problem for Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s quarrelsome coalition.The money at stake was added retrospectively to the 2021 budget in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, under rules that allow new borrowing in emergencies despite Germany’s strict restrictions on running up debt. But it eventually wasn’t needed for that purpose, and the center-left Scholz’s three-party coalition decided in 2022 to put the money into the “climate and transformation fund,” arguing that investment in measures to protect the climate would help the economy recover from the pandemic. Lawmakers with the main conservative opposition bloc contended that it was a trick to get around Germany̵...

Spain leader defends amnesty deal for Catalan in parliament ahead of vote to form new government

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:55:16 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will defend his controversial amnesty deal for Catalonia’s separatists in parliament by midday Wednesday as part of a debate a day before the Socialist leader seeks the endorsement of the chamber to form a new government.Sánchez has tied up the public support of six smaller parties to ensure that he can reach the absolute majority of 176 deputies voting in favor of reestablishing his minority coalition government with the left-wing Sumar (Joining Forces) party. Controversy arose after deals were signed with two Catalan separatist parties which included a commitment to pass an amnesty law that would wipe the slate clean for hundreds of Catalan separatists who had run afoul of the law for their roles in the wealthy northeast region’s failed 2017 secession bid. The deals include former Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont, who is a fugitive from Spanish law after he fled to Belgium six years ago.If, however, Sánchez, who...

Bus accident leaves at least 37 dead and 18 injured on Himalayan road in Indian-controlled Kashmir

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:55:16 GMT

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — A passenger bus slid off a Himalayan highway killing at least 37 people and injuring 18 others after rolling down a steep slope onto another road in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Wednesday, officials said.The 42-seater bus was on the way to southern Jammu city from Kishtwar town when it veered off the road and fell down about 660 feet (200 meters) on an older road in the mountainous region, said Harvinder Singh, a civil administrator.Residents and authorities rushed to the scene and a rescue operation was launched. Singh said the injured were taken to nearby health facilities while at least four in critical condition were transported to hospital in Jammu.The exact cause of the crash was not immediately known but police officer Sunil Gupta said the bus was overcrowded and speeding. He said a formal investigation has been ordered. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the accident “distressing,” on X, formerly known as Twitter, and offered condolences to the...