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Poland’s newly elected prime minister is to present his government and face a confidence vote

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:35:41 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s newly elected prime minister, Donald Tusk, is scheduled to deliver his inaugural speech to parliament on Tuesday morning and present a Cabinet that will then face a confidence vote later in the day.Tusk, a centrist leader who was previously prime minister from 2007-2014, returns as the head of a broad alliance that spans the ideological spectrum from left-wing via his own centrist Civic Platform party to more conservative parties.He was elected by parliament on Monday and faces many challenges, from restoring democratic standards in his own country, working for the release of European Union funding frozen due to democratic backsliding by his predecessors and facing the implications of a war just across Poland’s eastern border in Ukraine. One of his easier challengers will be restoring ties with the EU, which were badly strained during the past eight years of rule by a national conservative government.Tusk, who served as European Council pre...

Live updates | Israel plans to keep fighting as other countries call for a cease-fire in Gaza

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:35:41 GMT

Israel pressed ahead Tuesday with an offensive against Gaza’s Hamas rulers that it says could go on for weeks or months. Ahead of a non-binding vote at the United Nations later Tuesday, Israel and the United States faced global calls for a cease-fire in Gaza.More than 17,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory. About 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced within the besieged territory, where United Nations agencies say there is no safe place to flee. With only a trickle of humanitarian aid reaching a small portion of Gaza, residents face severe shortages of food, water and other basic goods. Israel says 97 of its soldiers have died in its ground offensive after Hamas raided southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 240 hostages. Qatar, which has played a key mediating role, says efforts to stop the war and h...

Israel and the US face growing isolation over Gaza as offensive grinds on with no end in sight

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:35:41 GMT

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel and the United States were increasingly isolated as they faced global calls for a cease-fire in Gaza, including a non-binding vote expected to pass at the United Nations later on Tuesday. Israel has pressed ahead with an offensive against Gaza’s Hamas rulers that it says could go on for weeks or months. The war ignited by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel has already brought unprecedented death and destruction to the impoverished coastal enclave, with more than 18,000 Palestinians killed, mostly women and minors, and over 80% of the population of 2.3 million having fled their homes.Much of northern Gaza has been obliterated, and hundreds of thousands have fled to ever-shrinking so-called safe zones in the south. The health care system and humanitarian aid operations have collapsed in large parts of Gaza, and aid workers have warned of starvation and the spread of disease among displaced people in overcrowded shelters and tent camps...

Suicide bomber attacks police station in northwest Pakistan, killing 13 officers and wounding 28

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:35:41 GMT

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden vehicle at a police station’s main gate in northwest Pakistan early Tuesday, killing at least 13 officers and wounding 28 others, and causing a part of the building to collapse upon impact, officials said. Some militants also opened fire and a shootout ensued for hours between them and security forces before three attackers were gunned down, local police officer Kamal Khan said.The death toll from the attack was likely to rise as at least 10 officers were in critical condition, authorities said. The bodies of the 13 security forces killed were transferred to a hospital. Police launched a search operation in the surrounding area to apprehend the militants who got away, officials said. The attack happened in Dera Ismail Khan, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, Khan said. The province is a former stronghold of the militant Pakistani Taliban group, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pak...

Commission proposes new rules to improve animal welfare

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:35:41 GMT

As announced by the Farm to Fork Strategy, the European Green Deal's agenda for sustainable agriculture and food production, the Commission has today proposed the biggest reform of EU animal welfare rules during transport in 20 years. The Commission is also proposing, for the first time ever, new EU rules on the welfare and traceability of dogs and cats, which are bred, kept and traded, as companion animals, for economic purposes.The package includes an overhaul of the current EU rules for animals in transport, which will improve the wellbeing of the 1.6 billion animals transported in and from the EU each year. The new rules reflect the latest scientific evidence and insights as well as technological developments.The new rules on the welfare and traceability of dogs and cats, will establish, for the first time, uniform EU standards for the breeding, housing and handling of dogs and cats in breeding establishments and pet shops as well as shelters. The traceability of dogs and cats w...

Dear Abby: I let a drunk guy stay on my couch, and he won’t leave

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:35:41 GMT

DEAR ABBY: I let a friend who was going through a hard time stay on my couch when he would get too drunk to drive. Eleven years later, he’s still here.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: I skipped the wedding because of what the bride’s mother demanded Advice | Dear Abby: My kids want the inheritance but I’m scared to give it to them Advice | Dear Abby: Do I need to be honest about what happened to their gift? Advice | Dear Abby: If my friend dies without revealing the truth, should I tell what I know? Advice | Dear Abby: The grandkids were upset by the fight, and now my husband is barred from their home I told him from the beginning not to get hooked or fall in love with me, because I knew I would never feel the same.He has taken over my home with his collections but won’t sell anything. He also doesn’t pay any bills. I do not like his drinking. I am sober.He yells and scre...

Single family residence sells in Danville for $1.5 million

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:35:41 GMT

305 Sun Stream Court – Google Street ViewA 2,660-square-foot house built in 1990 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 300 block of Sun Stream Court in Danville was sold on Nov. 15, 2023, for $1,510,000, or $568 per square foot. This single-story home offers a roomy layout with four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Additionally, the house features an attached two-car garage, providing ample room for vehicles and storage needs.Additional houses have recently been sold nearby:In July 2023, a 3,281-square-foot home on Gold Lake Court in Danville sold for $2,300,000, a price per square foot of $701. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Gold Lake Court, Danville, in August 2023, a 3,281-square-foot home was sold for $2,150,000, a price per square foot of $655. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 3,278-square-foot home on the 3400 block of Blackhawk Meadow Drive in Danville sold in March 2023, for $2,110,000, a price per square foot of $644. The home has 4 bedroom...

Suicide bomber attacks police station in northwest Pakistan, killing 13 officers and wounding 28

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:35:41 GMT

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden vehicle at a police station’s main gate in northwest Pakistan early Tuesday, killing at least 13 officers and wounding 28 others, and causing a part of the building to collapse upon impact, officials said. Some militants also opened fire and a shootout ensued for hours between them and security forces before three attackers were gunned down, local police officer Kamal Khan said.The death toll from the attack was likely to rise as at least 10 officers were in critical condition, authorities said. The bodies of the 13 security forces killed were transferred to a hospital. Police launched a search operation in the surrounding area to apprehend the militants who got away, officials said. The attack happened in Dera Ismail Khan, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, Khan said. The province is a former stronghold of the militant Pakistani Taliban group, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pak...

Appalachian State visits Queens following Ashby’s 21-point showing

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:35:41 GMT

Appalachian State Mountaineers (7-2) at Queens Royals (6-5)Charlotte, North Carolina; Wednesday, 7 p.m. ESTBOTTOM LINE: Queens takes on the Appalachian State Mountaineers after Chris Ashby scored 21 points in Queens’ 112-64 win against the Carolina University Bruins.The Royals have gone 5-0 at home. Queens is 3-4 in games decided by 10 points or more.The Mountaineers are 0-2 in road games. Appalachian State is fourth in the Sun Belt scoring 79.9 points per game and is shooting 46.9%.Queens makes 43.4% of its shots from the field this season, which is 9.4 percentage points higher than Appalachian State has allowed to its opponents (34.0%). Appalachian State averages 8.1 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.8 more made shots on average than the 6.3 per game Queens allows.TOP PERFORMERS: AJ McKee is shooting 41.5% and averaging 17.1 points for the Royals. Ashby is averaging 3.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Queens.Donovan Gregory is averaging 13 points for the Mou...

Withers leads Bryant against Cincinnati

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:35:41 GMT

Bryant Bulldogs (6-5) at Cincinnati Bearcats (7-1)Cincinnati; Tuesday, 7 p.m. ESTFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Bearcats -19; over/under is 152BOTTOM LINE: Bryant plays the Cincinnati Bearcats after Connor Withers scored 32 points in Bryant’s 86-75 loss to the Stony Brook Seawolves.The Bearcats are 6-0 on their home court. Cincinnati ranks second in the Big 12 with 12.4 offensive rebounds per game led by Viktor Lakhin averaging 3.4.The Bulldogs are 3-4 in road games. Bryant ranks third in the America East shooting 34.4% from 3-point range.Cincinnati averages 9.0 made 3-pointers per game, 1.4 more made shots than the 7.6 per game Bryant gives up. Bryant averages 9.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 3.6 more made shots on average than the 5.9 per game Cincinnati allows.TOP PERFORMERS: Lakhin is scoring 15.6 points per game and averaging 8.4 rebounds for the Bearcats. CJ Fredrick is averaging 2.0 made 3-pointers for Cincinnati.Sherif Kenney is scoring 16.7 points per game and ave...