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New Zealand, whose pandemic response was closely watched, removes last of COVID-19 restrictions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:37 GMT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand on Monday removed the last of its remaining COVID-19 restrictions, marking the end of a government response to the pandemic that was watched closely around the world.Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said the requirement to wear masks in hospitals and other healthcare facilities would end at midnight, as would a requirement for people who caught the virus to isolate themselves for seven days.New Zealand was initially praised internationally for eliminating the virus entirely after imposing nationwide lockdowns and strict border controls.But as the pandemic wore on and more infectious variants took hold, the nation’s zero-tolerance approach became untenable. It eventually abandoned its elimination strategy. Reflecting on the government’s response to the virus over more than three years, Hipkins said that during the height of the pandemic he had longed for the day he could end all restrictions, but now it felt anticlimactic.He said abo...

Pilot and crew member safely eject before Soviet-era fighter jet crashes at Michigan air show

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:37 GMT

BELLEVILLE, Mich. (AP) — A pilot and crew member escaped serious injury when they ejected from a vintage jet that crashed during a Michigan air show Sunday, officials said.The MiG-23 demonstration plane crashed during the Thunder Over Michigan Air Show shortly after 4 p.m., the Wayne County Airport Authority said in a statement.The Soviet fighter plane crashed into a parking lot and struck unoccupied vehicles at a nearby apartment complex in Belleville, about 30 miles (48.2 kilometers) west of Detroit.No injuries were reported on the ground at the apartments or the air show hosted by the Yankee Air Museum in Belleville.The pilot and “backseater” crew member did not appear to have significant injuries but were transported to an area hospital, the authority said.The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the agency will investigate with the National Transportation Safety Board.The Associated Press

Niger’s coup leaders say they will prosecute deposed President Mohamed Bazoum for ‘high treason’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:37 GMT

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Niger’s mutinous soldiers say they will prosecute deposed President Mohamed Bazoum for “high treason” and undermining state security, hours after they said they were open to dialogue with West African nations to resolve the mounting regional crisis.The announcement on state television on Sunday night, by spokesman Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, said the military regime had “gathered the necessary evidence to prosecute before competent national and international authorities the ousted president and his local and foreign accomplices for high treason and for undermining the internal and external security of Niger.”Bazoum, Niger’s democratically elected president, was ousted by members of his presidential guard on July 26 and has since been under house arrest with his wife and son in the presidential compound in the capital, Niamey. People close to the president as well as those in his ruling party say their electricity and water have been cut off and they’re running o...

Check out the interactive tool ‘Young Europeans’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:37 GMT

On the occasion of International Youth Day, we invite you to visit our interactive tool, Young Europeans, which presents statistics on young Europeans with dynamic quizzes. If you are between 16 and 29 years old, you can compare yourself with other young people in your country. Everyone else, younger or older, can also have fun/play with these tools. You just need to choose the age range you are interested in and start your journey to know more about the young generation in Europe.The fun thing about ‘Young Europeans’, besides the quizzes, is that you can create an avatar, which is used through your journey in the tool. The questions cover four topics: life and well-being; health; work and education; digital world. More informationThematic section on youthDatabase on youthIf you have any queries, please visit our contact us page.

Spain’s turmoil is in the past as La Roja face Sweden in the Women’s World Cup semifinal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:37 GMT

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Spain is just one win away from the Women’s World Cup final, less than a year after more than a dozen players staged a mutiny and stepped away from the team. La Roja will face Sweden in a semifinal match on Tuesday at Auckland’s Eden Park, with the winner advancing to play either England or co-host Australia in the championship match. It is just the third time Spain has played in the tournament and the furthest it has advanced. La Roja reached the knockout round four years ago in France but they were eliminated by the eventual champion U.S. team. The only other time Spain has reached the final four at a major tournament was the 1997 Euros.Spain’s success this time comes despite a turbulent recent history. Last September, 15 players signed letters that said they were withdrawing from the national team to protect their emotional health and called on the Spanish federation to commit to a more professional environment. The players insisted ...

Indigenous communities are embraced at the Women’s World Cup, but will the legacy live on?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:37 GMT

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — More than any previous tournament, the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand has leaned into both including and showcasing the Indigenous cultures of both nations.For some Indigenous groups, though, there’s not enough commitment to a more lasting legacy. This Women’s World Cup was the first hosted by two countries. FIFA, led by a panel of six Indigenous women, worked with both countries to make sure the Australia’s First Nations and New Zealand’s Maori cultures were included. For the first time at a World Cup, all of the nine host cities were referred to in both English and Indigenous terms in the FIFA materials surrounding the event, including website content, signage and broadcasts.Soccer organizers in Australia and New Zealand successfully pushed to have Indigenous flags flying at stadiums. In New Zealand a traditional karanga call was performed ahead of each match, while in Australia the pre-game ceremonies incl...

Heavy rains trigger floods and landslides in India’s Himalayan region, leaving at least 16 dead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:37 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Heavy monsoon rains triggered floods and landslides in India’s Himalayan region, leaving at least 16 people dead and many others trapped, officials said Monday. A cloudburst in the mountainous Himachal Pradesh state’s Solan district on Sunday night killed seven people, and nine more bodies were pulled out from under mud and debris after two landslides in Shimla, the state’s capital, said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on X, the social media platform formerly known as X.State authorities were assisting impacted families and rescuers were working to clear the debris and help those still trapped, he added.Cloudbursts are a common occurrence in Himalayan regions, but experts say they are alarmed by the increase in extreme weather-related events in the area. Cloudbursts occur when more than 10 centimeters (3.94 inches) of rainfall occurs within 10 square kilometers (3.86 square miles) within an hour. They have the potential to cause intense flood...

Pakistan’s caretaker premier is to be sworn in as people celebrate Independence Day

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:37 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar is to be sworn in Monday as Pakistan’s prime minister to head a caretaker national government that will oversee parliamentary elections.Kakar, who is comparatively new to politics, has been representing his Baluchistan province in the Senate since 2018.On Sunday, Kakar quit as the head of his small Baluchistan Awami Party and quit as a senator after being named by outgoing premier Shehbaz Sharif and opposition leader Raza Riaz to oversee the vote and run the day-to-day affairs of the government until the people elect a new government. It is normal practice in Pakistan to appoint a caretaker administration for the election period.Under the constitution, the election should take place in the next 90 days.The swearing-in is taking place as Pakistanis celebrate the country’s 76th Independence Day. But the day comes amid a deepening political turmoil, which started after the removal of former premier Imran Khan from power last year. Pakistan gai...

Chinese Defense Minister Li to visit Russia and Belarus in show of support despite West’s objections

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:37 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu is visiting Russia and Belarus in a show of support for those nations which the West has sought to isolate over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Li departed Monday on the six-day trip, during which he will deliver an address at the Moscow Conference on International Security and meet with defense leaders from Russia and other nations, the Defense Ministry said on its social media account, citing spokesperson Col. Wu Qian. Russian Foreign Ministry Sergey Lavrov is due to speak at the conference on the topic of the “Majority World countries’ search for ways to development outside Western mechanisms, including strengthening multilateral associations of a new type,” Russia’s official TASS news agency reported. It said representatives from about 100 countries and eight international organizations had been invited to attend. The would “discuss various aspects of security in the conditions of the establishment of a mul...

South Africa’s unemployment is a ‘ticking time bomb.’ Anger rises with millions jobless

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:37 GMT

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — As Lebohang Mphuthi works amid the chaos of boisterous children during a lunch break at the Omar H.S. Ebrahim elementary school in South Africa — the kids are pushing, shoving and spilling food everywhere — she can’t help but think how this is as far from her dream job as it can get.Four years after graduating with a degree in analytical chemistry, the only work the 26-year-old has found is as a student assistant at a public school in Pretoria. Her responsibilities include handing out meals to the children and limiting the chaos as best she can.Mphuthi’s story mirrors those of so many young South African graduates sitting at home jobless or trying to make ends meet doing fairly menial jobs in a country with a 33% official unemployment rate. It’s a figure badly at odds with the status of a nation meant to embody the aspirations of Africa and the developing world.“It is demotivating and frustrating,” Mphuthi said of her battle to make progress. “Y...