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Pentagon Won’t Say Where It’s Sending U.S. Troops — to Avoid Embarrassing Host Nations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:42 GMT

The U.S. military has deployed thousands of troops to the Middle East since Hamas’s surprise October 7 attack on Israel but refuses to disclose the military bases or even host nations of the deployments — not for security reasons, but to spare the host nations embarrassment.One such base, the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, welcomed several new F-15 attack jets last month, the same aircraft used to bomb facilities used by Iranian-backed militias in Syria at least twice since October, following attacks on U.S. troops by groups supported by Iran. “A confluence of factors are driving the U.S. and Iran towards a direct military conflict, including the buildup of forces.”Despite the hostilities, the Pentagon has declined to acknowledge the base or the military buildup taking place on it for political reasons, even as the growing U.S. presence and increasing activities contribute to rising tensions with Iran.“A confluence of factors are driving the U.S. and Iran towards a direct m...

Rain Coming to an End While Winds Whip Up

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:42 GMT

It sure has been a wet and soggy stretch over the past 48 hours since Tuesday as a stalled front has remained draped across South Florida, driving in plenty of moisture and leading to rounds of rain and isolated thunderstorm.The heaviest and most widespread rain occurred Wednesday afternoon into the overnight hours, leading to flooding and ponding on some roadways and dropping several inches of rainfall.Since Tuesday morning, many locations received 5 to almost 10 inches of rainfall across South Florida and the Florida Keys.Miami International Airport received about 7.5 inches of rain on Wednesday, which crushed the old record. Marathon also had record rainfall on Wednesday.As the rain comes to an end this Thursday morning, winds will ramp up. It mainly due to a develop, non-tropical low tracking from the Florida Straits to the northwestern Bahamas today. The National Hurricane Center gives this low just a 10% chance of becoming a tropical or sub-tropical storm.This low is becoming ...

David Cameron’s controversial link with a China-loving ex-MEP

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:42 GMT

LONDON — As Westminster debated the wisdom — or otherwise — of David Cameron’s return to frontline politics this week, one former colleague was in no doubt.“Cameron is in the right place at the right time,” wrote former Tory MEP Nirj Deva of the new U.K. foreign secretary. “There are very few if any international leaders who could lead on so many fronts with knowledge, deep relationships and meticulous attention to detail.”Deva’s glowing appraisal was hardly surprising. The pair are friendly — and picture after picture shows him and Cameron together at events around the world.But Cameron’s association with the ex-MEP raises further questions about his own past involvement with Chinese investment projects which could cause a conflict with Britain’s core strategic interests.During a 20-year career in Brussels, Deva was well known for building links with China, even founding an EU-China friendship group that was later wound up after conce...

Battenfeld: Spineless group governing Massachusetts high school sports needs to protect athletes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:42 GMT

More than a week after a Dighton-Rehoboth field hockey player demanded the state take action to protect athletes after a male player caused a horrific incident on the field, nothing has been done.The spineless Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association only put out a toothless statement defending its decision to allow boys to play in girls’ sports after the Dighton-Rehoboth captain sent a long, thoughtful, articulate letter expressing her outrage at the injury of another player.The severe facial and dental injuries came in a game against Swampscott where a male player took a penalty shot and struck a girl in the face, causing her to scream in agony.“The shrieks and screams of fear and pain that projected from her after being hit filled the stadium,” Dighton-Rehoboth captain Kelsey Bain wrote. “The looks of horror and shock on the faces of the girls surrounding her were also chilling.”She went on, “I understand the MIAA is adhering to the Massachusetts Equal Rights Amendment,...

Man dead after shooting at industrial plaza in Mississauga

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:42 GMT

A man is dead following a late night shooting at an industrial plaza in Mississauga.Emergency crews were called to a business at a strip mall on Royal Windsor Drive west of Winston Churchill Boulevard just before midnight on Wednesday.Paramedics say a male victim was found at the scene without vital signs and rushed to hospital. He was later pronounced dead.Police believe the shooting was targeted. The Homicide Unit has taken over the investigation.With files from Carl Hanstke

Kenya parliament approves deployment of police to Haiti to help deal with gang violence

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:42 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The Kenyan parliament on Thursday approved the deployment of 1000 police officers to Haiti to help deal with rising gang violence in the Caribbean nation.The national assembly backed a motion tabled by parliament’s Committee on Administration and Internal Security approving the government request for sending the security officers as violence escalated in Haiti.The heated debate saw opposition legislators rejecting the government plans for Kenya to lead a multinational policing team in Haiti, saying it violated the country’s constitution. Supporters of the motion said Kenya had a moral obligation and duty to aid Haiti. The planned deployment was blocked by the High Court in Nairobi in October. On Thursday, the court was due to rule on a case by former presidential candidate Ekuru Aukot who said the mission, backed by the United Nations, “was a mistake and a suicide mission.”Burundi, Chad, Senegal, Jamaica and Belize have all pledged troops for the multinat...

Christian democrats, liberals announce 2-party coalition to run Luxembourg

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:42 GMT

LUXEMBOURG (AP) — Luxembourg’s Christian Democrats and free-trade liberals announced a two-party center-right coalition on Thursday that will run the Grand Duchy for the next five years under Prime Minister Luc Frieden. The Christian Democrat CSV of Frieden won 21 seats in the 60-member legislature in October elections and the DP liberals of outgoing Prime Minister Xavier Bettel had 14, giving the two parties a comfortable majority in parliament. Luxembourg’s three-party center-left coalition lost its decade-long hold on power in the elections, mostly because of a poor showing by the Green party. It had only a one-seat majority in government. “We have a solid majority compared to those of the past years,” Frieden said. Bettel will continue in government as foreign minister.Ten years ago, Bettel succeeded Jean-Claude Juncker, the Christian Democrat who was Europe’s longest-serving democratically elected leader at the time. The CSV Christian Democrats were left uncharacteristica...

Spain’s Pedro Sánchez expected to be reelected prime minister despite amnesty controversy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:42 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s acting prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, is expected to be chosen by a majority of legislators to form a new government in a parliamentary vote Thursday. The vote comes at the end of nearly two days of debate among party leaders that centered almost entirely on a highly controversial amnesty deal for Catalonia’s separatists that Sánchez agreed to in return for vital support to get elected prime minister again.Barring any last-minute upsets, Sánchez has the support of six smaller parties, allowing him to reach the absolute majority of 176 lawmakers needed be reelected and form another minority coalition government with the left-wing Sumar (Joining Forces) party. Spain’s inconclusive national elections on July 23 left a highly fractured parliament. The center-right Popular Party received the most votes in the elections but failed to get enough support to form a government because of its alliances with the far-right Vox party.The Socialists finished second with...

EU commission to prolong use of glyphosate for 10 more years after member countries fail to agree

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:42 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Commission will continue the use of the controversial chemical herbicide glyphosate in the European Union for 10 more years after the 27 member countries again failed to find a common position.Representatives of EU states were unable to reach a decision last month, and a new vote by an appeal committee was again unconclusive on Thursday. Because of the deadlock, the EU’s executive arm said it will endorse its own proposal and renew the approval of glyphosate for 10 years, with new conditions attached.“These restrictions include a prohibition of pre-harvest use as a desiccant and the need for certain measures to protect non-target organisms,” it said in a statement.The chemical, which is widely used in the bloc to the great anger of environment groups, had been approved in the EU market until mid-December.The Greens political group of the EU Parliament immediately urged the Commission to backpedal and ban the use of glyphosate.“We should not g...

'Red Cup Rebellion': Thousands of Starbucks workers expected to strike

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:42 GMT

Thousands of workers at more than 200 U.S. Starbucks stores plan to walk off the job Thursday in what organizers say is the largest strike yet in the two-year-old effort to unionize the company’s stores.The Workers United union chose Starbucks' annual Red Cup Day to stage the walkout since it’s usually one of the busiest days of the year. Starbucks expects to give away thousands of reusable cups Thursday to customers who order holiday drinks.Starbucks employees and supporters link arms during a union election watch party Dec. 9, 2021, in Buffalo, N.Y. Thousands of U.S. Starbucks workers plan to walk off the job Thursday -- one of the chain's busiest days of the year -- to protest the company's anti-union stance. (AP Photo/Joshua Bessex, File)The union said it was expecting more than 5,000 workers to take part in its “Red Cup Rebellion.” Around 30 stores also staged walkouts on Wednesday.Neha Cremin, a Starbucks barista in Oklahoma City, said she was striking to protest understaffing...