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NATO chief visits Kyiv for first time since Russian invasion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:52 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is visiting Ukraine for the first time since Russia launched its full-scale invasion more than a year ago, an alliance official said Thursday.“The NATO secretary-general is in Ukraine. We will release more information as soon as possible,” said an alliance official, who asked not to be identified in line with NATO procedures.Pictures of Stoltenberg apparently paying tribute to fallen Ukrainian soldiers in Kyiv’s St Michael’s Square were published by local media.Apart from the important symbolism of the visit, the exact purpose of Stoltenberg’s trip wasn’t immediately clear. NATO has no official presence in Ukraine. As an organization of 31 countries, it only provides nonlethal support — generators, medical equipment, tents, military uniforms and other supplies — to the government in Kyiv.Stoltenberg has been the strong voice of the alliance throughout the war and has been instrumental in garnering and coordinating support ...

Stock market today: World shares trading mostly lower

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:52 GMT

Shares were mostly lower in Europe and Asia on Thursday after they barely budged on Wall Street following a mixed batch of earnings reports from big U.S. companies.U.S. futures and oil prices also declined. Germany’s DAX slipped 0.9% to 15,761.62 and the CAC 40 in Paris gave up 0.4% to 7,520.78. Britain’s FTSE 100 shed 0.3% to 7,877.39. The future for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.4% and that for the S&P 500 was 0.5% lower. Japan reported that its trade deficit narrowed in March as exports rose more than expected, helped by a nearly 40% increase in the value of vehicle exports. But exports to China fell, reflecting the slow pace of the recovery from pandemic disruptions. Growth in imports also slowed. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 added 0.2% to 28,657.57 and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was virtually unchanged at 7,362.20. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index was unchanged at 20,365.84. South Korea’s Kospi lost 0.5% to 2,563.11 and the Shanghai Compo...

US plans new forest protections, issues old-growth inventory

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:52 GMT

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Alert: US officials say old growth and mature forests on government lands cover an area larger than California, and the Biden administration plans a new rule to protect them.The Biden administration has identified more than 175,000 square miles (453,000 square kilometers) of old growth and mature forests on U.S. government land and plans to craft a new rule to better protect the nation’s woodlands from fires, insects and other side effects of climate change, federal officials planned to announce Thursday.Results from the government’s first-ever national inventory of mature and old-growth forests on federal land were obtained by The Associated Press in advance of a public release.U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands combined have more than 50,000 square miles (129,000 square kilometers) of old growth forests and about 125,000 square miles (324,000 square kilometers) of mature forests, according to the inventory. That’s more ...

Driver airlifted after head-on crash in Corinth

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:52 GMT

CORINTH, N.Y. (NEWS10) - An unnamed driver is recovering at Albany Medical Center after they were hit head-on by a Jeep on Route 9N in Corinth Wednesday morning. It was no ordinary crash, however. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The Jeep was being towed by a motorhome, south on 9N before the crash. Around 11 a.m., it broke free, crossed into oncoming traffic, and slammed into a car coming the other direction.The victim was airlifted to the hospital. They were not publicly identified, and there has been no update on their wellbeing. Albany police car involved in crash The wreck is under investigation by the Saratoga County Collision Reconstruction unit. As of Thursday morning, no charges had been filed against anyone involved.

Troy man indicted on felony drug charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:52 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) - Miquel Rivera, 38, of Troy has been indicted on five charges by the Rensselaer County District Attorney's Office. The charges stem from a search warrant at Rivera's home, where city police detectives allegedly found Cocaine, Fentanyl, Ketamine, and Heroin, along with over $50,000 in cash. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Four of the charges against Rivera are felonies, of criminal possession of a controlled substance. The last is a misdemeanor count of criminally using drug paraphernalia. "We continue to ask for the community's help as we battle to keep dangerous, illegal drugs off of Troy streets," said Rensselaer County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly. "Rensselaer County will not be a gateway for drug activity." Bethlehem man charged with 10 additional child pornography charges Assistant District Attorney Spencer Lane is prosecuting this case. Rivera's attorney was not publicly named.

EU prolongs flexibility on auto deals for distribution and repairs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:52 GMT

The European Commission extended for five years the rules that give the auto industry more freedom to enter into agreements with distributors and retailers of spare parts, as well as repair garages. A new focus is placed on vehicle generated data.The EU executive announced on Monday (17 April) that the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation will be in effect until 31 May, 2028. The 2010 regulation was set to expire by the end of this month.Normal circumstances, EU antitrust laws prohibit agreements that limit competition between companies in different levels of production or distribution chains.The MVBER does not allow such agreements unless they meet certain criteria, such as improving distribution and promoting technological progress while sharing some of the financial benefits with consumers.The Commission updated its guidelines to the Regulation, stating that independent repairers must have equal access to vehicle sensor data.Existing rules include the provision of technical d...

Horoscopes April 20, 2023: Jessica Lange, it’s up to you to build your world

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:52 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Felix Mallard, 25; Joey Lawrence, 47; Carmen Electra, 51; Jessica Lange, 74.Happy Birthday: Declutter your home and turn it into a relaxing space. Feeling comfortable will improve your overall performance this year. Reconnect with people, projects and pastimes, and revive what you miss. It’s up to you to build your world to your specifications and to give others the right to do the same. Strive for balance, integrity and being at your best. Your numbers are 4, 10, 19, 23, 34, 39, 47.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Anger is a waste of time. Size up a situation, change what you don’t like and move on to something more entertaining than aggravating. Updating your image may sound inviting, but before you begin, consider your motives. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): You’ll be eager to take charge and do things your way. Set standards, call on people you trust to do things according to your instructions and don’t subject yourself to situat...

Ask Amy: My neighbor’s deceit cost me my dog sitter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:52 GMT

Dear Amy: Several years ago, one of my neighbors asked if I would give her the name of my longtime (about 13 years at that point) dog sitter/walker.This neighbor said that she and her husband never traveled, so she would use the dog sitter only for occasional walks. I gave her the number.Now the neighbor and her husband have begun traveling and have been booking my dog sitter for a week (or longer periods) sometimes a year in advance, so that I can no longer rely on the availability of the dog walker.This neighbor has also given the name and number of the sitter to another neighbor.I asked the neighbors, out of courtesy, to alert me a few weeks before they plan to use my dog sitter and to use another dog sitter if I need mine.They both say they won’t do this. They won’t even allow me to use my dog sitter to walk my dog while they are using the sitter for weeklong stays.What is the etiquette in this situation?Dognapped WomanDear Dognapped: I understand how frustrating this is, but a ...

Harriette Cole: The whole team can see her immodest photo during video calls

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:52 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a manager of a small remote team. One of my new team members calls into meetings from her bedroom, with a large framed photo of herself prominently displayed in the background.I have a concern about this and am unsure of how to proceed.On one hand, I understand that team members are in their own private spaces on video calls and don’t need to follow certain norms. I don’t want to create an environment where everyone has to censor their home decorations in some way.At the same time, the photo in question is quite personal and revealing, and it does have an effect on the environment of the meeting. I feel uncomfortable about it and am concerned about what it conveys to the rest of the team, especially as it comes from a position of power within the team.What is the best way to approach this?Hide the PhotoRelated ArticlesAdvice | Ask Amy: My neighbor’s deceit cost me my dog sitter Advice | Miss Manners: People say unplea...

The Hunt: ISIS poses a global threat again

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:52 GMT

In this week’s edition of “The Hunt with WTOP national security correspondent JJ Green,” there is quite a bit of intelligence suggesting ISIS is trying to regroup.It’s the reason why there have been several U.S. military strikes on ISIS targets in recent weeks. Green sat down with WTOP’s Dimitri Sotis to talk it over. toggle audio on and off change volume download audio ISIS is posing a global threat again. $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); ga('send', 'event', 'Audio', 'play', audio_filename); }); ...