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Tunisia rounds up migrants at sea in unprecedented numbers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:18:37 GMT

OFF THE COAST OF SFAX, Tunisia (AP) — A young man wearing a baseball cap emblazoned with “Dior,” women clutching babies wrapped in blankets, children bundled in winter coats. All gingerly stepped from rickety boats into the sturdy craft of the Tunisian Maritime National Guard — and away from their dreams of life in Europe. Cold, wet and heartbroken, they are among hundreds caught daily in overnight sweeps for migrant boats on the Mediterranean Sea.“Sit down! Sit down! Sit down!” The shouted order confirmed the group was no longer in charge of their destiny. A woman sobbed.On an overnight expedition with the National Guard last week, The Associated Press witnessed migrants pleading to continue their journeys to Italy in unseaworthy vessels, some taking on water. Over 14 hours, 372 people were plucked from the fragile boats.Migrants, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, are undertaking the perilous journey in unprecedented numbers. In the first three months of this year, 13,000 migra...

2 killed in fire on passenger train in southern Pakistan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:18:37 GMT

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — At least two people were killed and four children were missing after a car on a moving passenger train caught fire overnight in southern Pakistan, officials said Thursday. Railways spokesperson Komal Rashid said the train caught fire in Khairpur, a district about 500 kilometers (300 miles) north of Karachi, the capital of Sindh province. The blaze also badly damaged several other cars in the train, she said, and the cause remained unclear. TV footage showed several burned sections of the train, which was on its way from Karachi to the eastern city of Lahore, when a car caught fire. Local media reported that the flames roared through the train Wednesday night, engulfing several cars. In Pakistan, poor passengers often bring their own small gas stoves on the trains to cook their meals, despite rules barring the practice. Safety regulations are often ignored in overcrowded trains. Train accidents in Pakistan are often the result of poor railway infrastructure a...

Stock market today: Asian shares rise despite banking fears

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:18:37 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly rose Thursday, despite lingering worries about the U.S. banking sector and inflationary pressures that weighed on investor sentiment. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 recouped morning losses to inch up nearly 0.1% to 28,436.84. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.3% to 7,292.70. South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.4% to 2,495.29. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.4% to 19,827.02, while the Shanghai Composite added 0.6% to 3,282.94. Some benchmarks fell in morning trading but rebounded later as a wait-and-see mood prevailed ahead of the release of U.S. first quarter economic growth data later in the day. On Wall Street on Wednesday, the S&P 500 dropped 0.4% to 4,055.99. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.7%, to 33,301.87, while the Nasdaq composite led the market with a gain 0.5%, to 11,854.35.U.S. stocks were coming off their worst day in a month, hurt by concerns about the strength of U.S. banks. The spotlight has been harshest on ...

Poland probes parts of aerial military object found in woods

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:18:37 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Prosecutors and security service personnel in Poland are investigating the remains of an aerial military object that was found in woods in the center of the country, the justice minister reported Thursday. Poland’s security services are on high alert due to Russia’s war in neighboring Ukraine. However, the Defense Ministry said on Twitter that the object found near Zamosc, a town near the city of Bydgoszcz which is located some 265 kilometers (164 miles) northwest of Warsaw, did not pose a danger to residents.Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro said the military department of the district prosecutor’s office in the city of Gdańsk is leading the investigation, with military experts, police and military counterintelligence agents also involved. Authorities have not said what kind of equipment they think it is. The Associated Press

2 Chinese navy ships head to Singapore for joint drills

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:18:37 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China’s military has dispatched a pair of navy ships to take part in joint drills with Singapore’s navy and join in a regional maritime security exhibition.The exercises starting Friday in the Southeast Asian city state come amid China’s growing presence in the South China Sea, which it claims sovereignty over virtually in its entirety. Concerns are especially pronounced in the U.S., which on Wednesday joined with forces from the Philippines in major exercises in Philippine waters facing the South China Sea that are likely to anger China. Beijing’s more assertive stance comes as its relations with the U.S. and its allies have hit historic lows.State television’s military channel identified the ships being sent as the guided missile frigate Yulin and the minesweeper hunter Chibi. They will also be present for the May 3-5 IMDEX Asia National Defense and Maritime Security Show, which will feature 25 warships and attendees from 62 countries.Amid China’s effort...

Kiszla: Avs star Nathan MacKinnon deserves better than being done dirty by bad officiating in must-win NHL playoff game

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:18:37 GMT

Center Nathan MacKinnon slammed his stick against the glass so hard the magic shattered, and the thrill of being the defending Stanley Cup champs was gone. These Avs — frustrated, hurting, weary and one lousy loss from elimination in the NHL playoffs — have come unglued.But don’t the defending champs deserve better than being done dirty by inept officiating in a must-win game? MacKinnon gets dragged down for all the hockey world to see and a referee turns a blind eye? What the …“It’s not 1975. I think that’s a trip,” MacKinnon groused Wednesday, unable to comprehend how he could be the victim of a takedown worthy of Roddy Piper without a penalty being whistled.Instead of winning, the defending champs are whining. And that’s not only a problem, but an indicator of how deep in the dumpster the Avalanche’s confidence now resides.But in this case, MacKinnon had a legitimate gripe.The key moment Wednesday in a 3-2 loss to Seattle that put the defending champs on the bri...

Roma pilgrims seek just 'one glimpse' of Pope Francis in Hungary

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:18:37 GMT

When Pope Francis visited Hungary two years ago, Roma pilgrim Csaba Kovesi, accompanied by a cross blessed by Francis and Pope John Paul II, drove around the country calling on people to travel to Budapest to see him.Now Kovesi is on a repeat mission, driving a pick-up resembling a "popemobile" with the cross on display, hoping to convince people to attend an open-air Mass led by Francis in front of parliament on Sunday."We (Roma) who live in this faith would really love to get near him, just get ... one glimpse," said Kovesi as he prepared his pick-up, emblazoned with photos of Francis, for the drive."Faith is the greatest thing in the world and we Roma people think that we can prove our belonging by getting near the greatest man on Earth."Hundreds of thousands of Roma in Hungary live in disproportionate poverty and suffer from prejudice in schools and workplaces, rights activists say. During a visit to Romania in 2019, the pope asked for forgiveness in the name of the Roman Cathol...

Time is running out for the current job-killing citrus impasse between EU and South Africa to be resolved  

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:18:37 GMT

As the second largest exporters of citrus in the world, South African growers have become renowned for delivering top quality fruit to markets across the globe. This has included the European Union (EU), with just over 772 000 tons of world-class citrus shipped to the region last year alone, writes Justin Chadwick.  In order to ensure that citrus exported to the European markets is of the highest quality, local growers have invested massively into research, development, phytosanitary and other quality assurance programmes, totalling R150 million a year. Growers have also invested billions of Rands in the establishment of state-of-the-art packhouses and cold storage facilities to process, pack and export citrus and keep it in top condition as it makes it way to consumers in key markets. As a result, the South African citrus industry has a proven track record in protecting European production from the threat of pest or disease, including False Coddling Moth. Our rigorous Ris...

The city of Liège, Belgium, votes a motion to boycott the state of Israel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:18:37 GMT

“The city of Liège follows the good example of cities such as Barcelona and Oslo, which had already taken this decision. Liège is taking a strong stand against Israel’s apartheid policy,” said the leader of the extreme-left party which tabled the motion. “It is regrettable to see how radical forces have managed, through lies, to influence the Liège Municipal Council so that it takes a decision so detached from reality and harmful to the economic interests of Liège, Israel and Palestinians themselves,” reacted Israel’s ambassador to Belgium, writes Yossi Lempkowicz.The city council of Liège, in Eastern Belgium, voted on Monday (24 April) to boycott the state of Israel. A motion tabled by the Party of Workers of Belgium (PTB), an extreme-left wing and Marxist party, calls for a boycott of the Israeli state, to “temporarily suspend relations with the State of Israel and Israeli complicit institutions until the Israeli authorities end the system of violations of the Palestinian people a...

“Don’t worry about it!” Armenia tries to avoid sanctions for sending EU and US chips to Russia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:18:37 GMT

Armenia is trying to play down the importance of a surge in its imports of semiconductor chips and other electronic components from Europe and America. It’s estimated that nearly all the shipments are sent on to Russia for use in missiles and other weapons deployed in the war in Ukraine, writes Political Editor Nick Powell.Armenia cannot deny what it’s been caught doing but it’s certainly doing its best to persuade the European Union and United States that just because it’s helping Russia to evade sanctions, it shouldn’t in turn face secondary sanctions. Information first published in the New York Times has revealed an extraordinary increase in Armenian imports of electronic components, including eight particularly sensitive categories of semiconductor chips.One document seen by the newspaper apparently came from the US Bureau of Industry and Security. It stated that between 2021 and 2022, Armenia’s imports of chips and microprocessors from the US shot up by 515%; from the EU it was...