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Iran’s FM says agreement reached with Saudi FM on joint plan

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:37:52 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to jointly pursue economic stability, the Iranian foreign minister said Thursday, as well as reopen missions in their respective countries as the regional rivals stepped toward reconciliation after seven years of tension.Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian made the announcement in a tweet after talks with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, in Beijing. The ministers also agreed Thursday to reopen embassies in the countries’ respective capitals and representative offices in two other major cities.The rapprochement not only lowers the chance of armed conflict between the Mideast rivals – both directly and in proxy conflicts around the region – but also represents a major diplomatic victory for the Chinese as Gulf Arab states perceive the United States slowly withdrawing from the wider region.It comes as diplomats have been trying to end a long war in Yemen, a conflict in which both Iran and Saudi Arabia...

Berlusconi spends 1st night in hospital, said to be stable

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:37:52 GMT

ROME (AP) — Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi is alert and in stable condition on his second day in intensive care at a Milan hospital, a top political aide said Thursday, citing an update from the media mogul’s main doctor.“I spoke this morning with Professor (Alberto) Zangrillo. He told me that Premier Berlusconi spent the night quietly,” said Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who is the coordinator of Forza Italia, the political party that Berlusconi created some 30 years ago. “His condition is stable,” Tajani said, interviewed on Italian state television.A statement from Forza Italia said Berlusconi on Thursday morning had telephoned several party officials about political matters.Zangrillo, Berlusconi’s longtime physician, is a chief anesthesiologist at San Raffaele hospital, where his patient is being treated. Only a week earlier, Berlusconi had left the same hospital, after several days of tests. Meanwhile family members continued to visit Berlusconi. ...

Serious crash closes eastbound 401 collector lanes in Scarborough

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:37:52 GMT

A stretch of Highway 401 is closed in Scarborough following an early morning crash that sent a man to hospital with serious injuries.The collision occurred in the eastbound collector lanes at Markham Road around 3 a.m. Thursday.The closure is snarling traffic for early morning commuters with the collector lanes closed from east of Kennedy Road to Markham Road.#listen-box {box-shadow: 0 0 0 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);animation: pulse 2s infinite;margin:20px;padding:15px;}@keyframes pulse { 0% { box-shadow: 0 0 0 0 rgba(0, 157, 79, 0.7); } 70% { box-shadow: 0 0 0 10px rgba(0, 157, 79, 0); } 100% { box-shadow: 0 0 0 0 rgba(0, 157, 79, 0); }}Listen to CityNews 680 for traffic updates LIVE now!Police tell CityNews a man became trapped as a result of the crash. He was transported to hospital in serious but stable condition.There is no word on what caused the crash.

Japanese army helicopter carrying 10 crew members missing

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:37:52 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s coast guard says it is searching for an army helicopter carrying 10 crew members that went missing off a southern Japanese island.The coast guard said it received information that a Ground Self-Defense Force UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter disappeared from radar on a mission Thursday evening near Miyako island.It said four patrol ships are participating in the search but have not found any traces of the missing aircraft.The Associated Press

Amazon’s $1.7B iRobot purchase faces UK antitrust scrutiny

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:37:52 GMT

LONDON (AP) — British antitrust regulators have started investigating Amazon’s purchase of robot vacuum maker iRobot, adding further scrutiny to the $1.7 billion deal.The Competition and Markets Authority said Thursday that it’s considering whether the deal will result in a “substantial lessening of competition” within the United Kingdom. In an initial step, the U.K. watchdog invited comments on the deal from “any interested party.”The acquisition is already facing a review in the U.S. by the Federal Trade Commission amid worries about Amazon’s growing market power. Consumer groups had voiced concerns after the deal was announced last year that it would further the e-commerce giant’s dominance in the smart home market.Amazon said it’s “working cooperatively with the relevant regulators in their review of the merger.”Bedford, Massachusetts-based iRobot, which makes the popular Roomba robotic vacuum cleaners, said it “continues to work cooperatively with both t...

Political novice confirmed victorious in Montenegro election

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:37:52 GMT

PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — Official results published Thursday confirmed a crushing defeat for Montenegro’s long-time leader Milo Djukanovic in a weekend presidential election, signaling his departure from the small Balkan state’s political scene after more than 30 years in power.Economy expert and political novice Jakov Milatovic won the presidential runoff election held on Sunday with around 59% of the vote, to Djukanovic’s 41%, according to the final official results.Djukanovic led Montenegro to independence from much larger Serbia in 2006 and to NATO membership in 2017. Milatovic’s victory reflected voter fatigue with Djukanovic — who has served as president twice and prime minister seven times — as well as disillusionment with established politicians. Although the presidency is largely a ceremonial position in Montenegro, it influences the political trends in the country.Djukanovic meanwhile rendered his resignation as the president of his centrist Democratic Party of S...

European tour wins case with LIV Golf after panel ruling

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:37:52 GMT

LONDON — The European tour was within its rights to sanction members who competed on the Saudi-funded LIV Golf without permission, an independent tribunal ruled Thursday.An appeal panel at Sports Resolutions found that a number of players, including Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood, committed “serious breaches” of the European tour’s code of behavior by playing in LIV Golf events last year despite requests to be released having been refused.The ruling allows the European tour to impose fines of 100,000 pounds ($125,000) on players who competed in the rival league without a conflicting events release.Keith Pelley, the European tour chief executive, welcomed the tribunal’s decision.“We are delighted that the panel recognized we have a responsibility to our full membership to do this and also determined that the process we followed was fair and proportionate,” Pelley said. “In deciding the level of these sanctions last June, we were simply administering the regulations which were created b...

Macron appeals to China’s Xi to ‘bring Russia to its senses’

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:37:52 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron appealed on Thursday to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who received an effusive welcome from Vladimir Putin in Moscow last month, to “bring Russia to its senses” and help make “lasting peace” in Ukraine.Macron pointed to Chinese support for the United Nations Charter, which calls for respect of a country’s territorial integrity, and for nuclear agreements. He said peace and stability based on those were threatened by the Russian president’s invasion of Ukraine.Xi’s government declared it had a “no limits friendship” with Russia ahead of the February 2022 attack but has tried to appear neutral. Beijing has called for peace talks.“I know I can count on you, under the two principles I just mentioned, to bring Russia to its senses and bring everyone back to the negotiating table,” Macron told Xi. “We need to find a lasting peace,” Macron said. “I believe that this is also an important issue for China, as muc...

First Lady keeps 'EGGucation' theme for annual White House Easter Egg Roll

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:37:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jill Biden wants the White House's annual Easter Egg Roll to be about more than just coaxing hard-boiled eggs across the lawn to a finish line.A teacher for 30 years, the first lady is again turning the annual tradition into an “EGGucational” experience. A variety of stations on the South Lawn and Ellipse will help teach thousands of children about farming, healthier eating, exercise and more, the White House announced on Thursday.In a nod to Biden's “EGGucation” theme, NASA sent a souvenir wooden White House Easter egg to the International Space Station for the astronauts to help teach students about gravity. Children roll eggs during the 140th annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House April 2, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Footage by Alex Wong/Getty Images)About 30,000 people, most of them children, are expected to participate in the festivities in nine waves between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday, the White Hous...

Widespread rain over the next 48 hours

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:37:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Grab the rain gear - widespread showers and storms are a good bet across most of Central Texas today (and it's about time!)Live radarLive traffic conditionsPeriodic showers and storms can be expected through the day with coverage leaning slightly heavier east of I-35. Rain could be heavy at times, but no major flooding issues are anticipated at this time.THURSDAY: 2 out of 4 risk (yellow) of flash flooding from Highway 281 eastwardThere is a low risk of hail and damaging winds today, but most storms are expected to stay sub-severe.THURSDAY: 1 out of 5 risk (dark green) for severe storms | concerns: hail & windAdditional showers and storms are expected again Friday leading to widespread totals of 1"-3" by the end of the event. Isolated areas could end up in the 3-5" rain, probably in our eastern counties. Some unfortunate spots may end with two-day rainfall amounts less than 1", which would probably be in the Hill Country.Potential rainfall totals by end-of-the-d...