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Saudi Arabia, Syria may restore ties as Mideast reshuffles

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:57:24 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Saudi Arabia is in talks with Syria to reopen its embassy in the war-torn nation for the first time in a decade, state television in the kingdom reported late Thursday, the latest diplomatic reshuffling in the region. The announcement on state TV comes after Chinese-mediated talks in Beijing saw Saudi Arabia and Iran agree to reopen embassies in each others’ nations after years of tensions. Syrian President Bashar Assad has maintained his grip on power in the Mediterranean nation rocked by the 2011 Arab Spring only with the help of Iran and Russia, which made a historic call earlier in the day to Oman. Saudi Arabian state television aired a report late Thursday, quoting an anonymous official in the country’s Foreign Ministry, acknowledging the talks between the kingdom and Damascus. “A source in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed to Al-Ekhbariyah that ongoing discussions have begun with the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, commenting on what was ci...

Scattered protests continue as Paris reels from violence

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:57:24 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Protesters angry at French President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms continued with scattered actions on Friday amid slowed train traffic, rows of trucks blocking access to Marseille’s commercial port and debris still littering the Paris streets following the previous day’s mass demonstrations. Over 450 protesters were arrested in Paris and beyond on Thursday as some 300 demonstrations drew more than a million people nationwide to protest against unpopular pension reforms.Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Friday that some 441 police and gendarmes were injured as violence marred some marches. He added that 1,000 trash bins were set on fire in the French capital during the previous day’s action. Amid a weeks-long refuse collectors strike, trash bins have become a symbol of the protest.Polls say most French oppose Macron’s bill to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64, which he says is necessary to keep the system afloat.The supply of fuel to P...

World shares fall on banking turmoil, recession worries

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:57:24 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares fell Friday in Europe and Asia as worries over turmoil in the banking sector and recession risks overshadowed gains on Wall Street. Benchmarks declined in most major markets, while U.S. futures were higher. Oil prices fell.Investors are worried that more banks might suffer a debilitating exodus of customers following the second- and third-largest U.S. bank failures in history. That turmoil is clouding the outlook for what the Federal Reserve will do with interest rates after hiking them to market-rattling heights over the last year. The fear is that all the turmoil in the banking industry could cause a sharp pullback in lending to small and midsized businesses around the country. That could put more pressure on the economy, raising the risk for a recession that many economists already saw as likely. Germany’s DAX lost 1% to 15,055.96 and the CAC 40 in Paris also fell 1%, to 7,065.83. Britain’s FTSE 100 declined 1.1% to 7,418.52. The future for the S...

Serbia: 9 migrants found among aluminum rolls in truck

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:57:24 GMT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia’s customs authorities said Friday they discovered nine migrants hiding among aluminum rolls in a truck headed to Poland from Greece.Customs officers on Serbia’s border with North Macedonia spotted the migrants on Wednesday during a scan that showed human silhouettes in the back of the truck, a statement said.The migrants were young men from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria, the statement added.Serbia lies at the heart of the so-called Balkan land route that refugees and migrants use to try to reach Western Europe and start new lives there. Migrants go from Turkey to Greece or Bulgaria, then to North Macedonia and Serbia. From Serbia they move on toward European Union member states Hungary, Croatia or Romania, or they go to Bosnia first and then on to Croatia.Thousands of people fleeing violence or poverty pass through the Balkan region every year. They often face dangers in the hands of people-smugglers who help them cross borders undetected...

Nearly half of parents with adult children still pay their bills

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:57:24 GMT

(The Hill) - Nearly half of American parents with adult children continue to support them financially — to the tune of $1,442 a month on average, according to a new survey. Parents who pay bills for an adult child are most likely to cover relatively modest expenses such as groceries and cellphone plans, according to a poll by Savings.com, the personal finance site. Yet, more than half help pay a child’s mortgage or rent, a monthly expense that averages more than $800.  The survey, taken in February, found that 45 percent of parents with adult children provide financial support to at least one grown offspring.  Most of the children receiving parental aid fell between the ages of 18 and 24, years that coincide with college and the transition to full-time work. But more than one-third were 25 or older, and 1 in 10 was 35 or older.  This is the second year of the survey launched during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 and 2023 surveys reached similar conclus...

Suspected Iranian drone kills US worker in Syria; US retaliates with air strikes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:57:24 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A strike Thursday by a suspected Iranian-made drone killed a U.S. contractor and wounded five American troops and another contractor in northeast Syria, the Pentagon said. American forces said they retaliated soon after with “precision airstrikes” in Syria targeting facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard, with one activist group reporting the U.S. strikes killed fighters on the ground.The attack and the U.S. response threaten to upend recent efforts to deescalate tensions across the wider Middle East, whose rival powers have made steps toward détente in recent days, after years of turmoil.U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement that the American intelligence community had determined the drone was of Iranian origin, but offered no other immediate evidence to support the claim.“The airstrikes were conducted in response to today’s attack as well as a series of recent attacks against coalition forces in Syria" by groups aff...

Pittsfield ambulance service distributing free Narcan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:57:24 GMT

PITTSFIELD, Mass. (NEWS10) — A spokesperson for County Ambulance Service in Pittsfield said someone in Berkshire County overdoses on opioids every day. 374 overdose deaths and over 386 overdose-related EMS calls were reported countywide in 2022, they said. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! "Fatal overdoses almost always involve opioids, more than one substance, and the synthetic and very deadly opioid fentanyl," noted the spokesperson in an emailed statement. County Ambulance Service is a member of the HEALing Communities study in Pittsfield and is ramping up efforts to distribute Narcan nasal spray as part of it. The service plans to use an easy pickup system of Narcan kits, which will be provided to residents free of charge. North Adams closes Brown Street Bridge “No one should die from an overdose, and naloxone is one of the most effective tools we have to save lives. But sadly, today, people with substance use disorde...

Man dies after being arrested by Bennington Police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:57:24 GMT

BENNINGTON, Vt. (NEWS10) — According to a press release from Vermont State Police, a man died Thursday afternoon after he was arrested by the Bennington Police Department. Troopers say there is no indication that Bennington Police used physical force on the man. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The unnamed man was taken into custody around 3:50 p.m., as Bennington officers served a search warrant at the Apple Valley Inn on U.S. Route 7. He was taken to the Bennington Police Department and placed in a holding cell, where officers found him unresponsive at about 4:40 p.m. Officers did all they could to save the man's life, to no avail. He was pronounced dead at 5:19 p.m. His name will not be released until his family learns what happened, police said. Schenectady official arrested on drug charge Following standard procedure, the Bennington Police Department notified the Vermont State Police of the death at 5:30 p.m., and d...

Burrowing badgers threaten to undermine Dutch rail system

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:57:24 GMT

Badgers have built a home under a major Dutch rail line, causing delays for tens to thousands of passengers.Due to concerns that the tunnels of badgers could have caused damage to the ground beneath the tracks, train traffic between Den Bosch and Eindhoven has been stopped.The company that maintains the country’s rail network said the badgers were protected under law and had to be removed before any repairs could begin.Aldert Baas, spokesperson for ProRail, stated that "Badgers" are beautiful animals but they pose a danger to our safety on the railways.On Wednesday, the Dutch government stated that the affected train line is used by 50,000 people daily. The affected train line is being used by approximately 50,000 people per day.To get things on track again, create a new habitat for the badgers nearby and then put a metal barrier along their tracks to stop them returning.Baas stated that it wasn't clear how long this will take.Although not endangered, Badgers almost died in the Neth...

Police officer shot during raids in German Reichsbuerger probe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:57:24 GMT

A German officer in police was wounded and shot during raids of properties across Germany. The raids were part of investigations into the far-right Reichsbuerger group, which is accused by plotting to overthrow government, prosecutors said on Wednesday (22 March).According to the prosecutors, Markus L. was taken into custody on suspicion of multiple counts of attempted murder, grievous bodily injury, and attempted murder after shots were fired in Reutlingen (south of Stuttgart).These raids follow raids that were conducted in December by German police to stop a plot organized by members of Reichsbuerger to stage a violent coup. They also wanted to install Heinrich XIII Grund Reuss national leader.Reichsbuerger (Citizens of Reich) don't recognize modern-day Germany to be a legitimate country.Five people were targeted in raids in Germany and Switzerland for being part of a terrorist organization. A further 14 people were not suspected but could have useful material.Spiegel Online repor...