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George Soros’ Open Society Foundations intend to cut programs in Europe, worrying grantees

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:54 GMT

Open Society Foundations plan to significantly curtail their work in Europe and lay off much of their staff on the continent, the foundations’ leaders told staff in Berlin, according to an internal email and several current employees, who say the decision is painful and perplexing.The planned European cuts, as described in an internal email viewed by The Associated Press, would represent a historic break with the roots of billionaire philanthropist George Soros’ support for civil society through education, human rights work and policy research, which started in his native Hungary more than three decades ago. The strategic change coincides with Alex Soros, George’s son, announcing a shift to a new operating model the board adopted at the end of June, its first major move since he took over as head of OSF’s board of directors in December. Grantees in Europe say OSF has not directly communicated the proposed strategy change to them, contributing to a sense of disbelief. “Th...

ECB’s Lagarde says interest rates to stay high as long as needed to defeat inflation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:54 GMT

JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming (AP) — Interest rates in the European Union will need to stay high “as long as necessary” to slow still-high inflation, Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, said Friday. “While progress is being made,” she said, “the fight against inflation is not yet won.”Lagarde’s remarks, at an annual conference of central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, came against the backdrop of the ECB’s efforts to manage a stagnating economy with still-high inflation. The central bank has raised its benchmark rate from minus 0.5% to 3.75% in one year — the fastest such pace since the euro was launched in 1999.The rate hikes have made it more expensive for consumers to borrow for the purchase a home or a car or for businesses to take out loans to expand and invest. Inflation in the 20 countries that use the euro has dropped from a peak of 10.6% last year to 5.3%, largely reflecting sharp drops in energy prices. But inflation still exceeds the ECB’s 2%...

NORAD scrambles F-16s to intercept civilian aircraft that strayed near Biden vacation spot at Tahoe

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:54 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. air defense scrambled fighter jets Friday to wave off a civilian aircraft that had entered temporarily restricted air space near Lake Tahoe, where President Joe Biden and Jill Biden are vacationing.The crews of two F-16s fired flares to catch the attention of the pilot of the civilian craft and escorted it out of the restricted airspace without further incident, North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, said in a statement.A Coast Guard helicopter also took part in the intercept, which happened Friday morning West Coast time. No information about the civilian aircraft or its pilot was released. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, that the incursion was “not of protective interest” and had no impact on Secret Service operations.White House principal deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton added there also was no impact on the president.Biden is due to fly back to Washington on Saturday after a week of...

Introducing Fort McMurray’s young math champion

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:54 GMT

Our region, and the Fort McMurray Public School Division (FMPSD) are feeling on top of the world when it comes to mathematics.In a release, the FMPSD has announced Grade 3 student, Sniti Shah, has been named Grand Champion at the International ALOHA Math Competition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Shah attends Grade 3 at Walter and Gladys Hill Public School.Representing Canada, she won the Grand Champion trophy, the Grade 3 category medal, and two certificates at the annual event on July 30, 2023.“Sniti’s success at the competition results from her hard work and dedication to learning math, which she has shown since Fall 2020 when she first registered with ALOHA Center in Fort McMurray. Her parents played an essential role in encouraging her interest in math. Her ALOHA mentors and her teachers at school have all assisted her in becoming a champion.”According to the FMPSD, Shah retained the Grand Champion title in each of the previous three years by winning local competitions t...

Former residents of New Hampshire’s youth center demand federal investigation into abuse claims

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:54 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Frustrated former residents of New Hampshire’s only youth detention center are pushing for a federal investigation into allegations of decades of abuse.The Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester, previously called the Youth Development Center, has been under criminal investigation by the state since 2019. Ten former workers and an 11th who worked at a pretrial facility in Concord were arrested in 2021.Close to 1,000 men and women have sued the state alleging physical, sexual or emotional abuse. But the slow pace of the criminal and civil proceedings has some calling for the federal Department of Justice to step in.“Get the state out of it, because they’re not looking to give us real justice,” said Charles Glenn, who spent several years at the facility in the mid-1990s. “They’re complicit to sexual physical violence in this institution for over 40 years because for over 40 years, they’ve done nothing.”Glenn, 42, helped organize a rally Friday afternoon in Con...

Ukraine aid faces a stress test as some GOP 2024 presidential candidates balk at continued support

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:54 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — For President Joe Biden, strong backing for Ukraine’s effort to repel Russia’s invasion has been a rare issue where he’s mustered bipartisan support. But this week’s first GOP presidential debate — and recent comments on Ukraine by the 2024 GOP polling leader and former president, Donald Trump — show that unusual unity will face a stress test as the 2024 presidential campaign intensifies and the leading Republican contenders show antipathy toward the American backing of Ukraine.There long has been an isolationist strain in the United States, particularly in the Republican Party, but rarely has it been shared by so many candidates for president. On the debate stage in Milwaukee, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would make additional U.S. aid “contingent” on European allies increasing contributions. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy called it “disastrous” that the U.S. government was “protecting against an invasion across somebody else’s border” and argued Ukraine ...

Boston announces new plan to rid city of homeless encampment, get residents help

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:54 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Police would be given the power to remove tents and other makeshift shelters at a Boston intersection that’s become home to a sprawling encampment for the homeless, many of whom struggle with mental health issues and substance abuse disorder, Mayor Michelle Wu and other city officials announced Friday.The plan also calls for a new short-term shelter for up to 30 people in the area known as Mass and Cass.The encampment at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard has become a haven for drug use and has become increasingly violent, according to law enforcement.“No one is being served living in a crowded and dangerous encampment, visited by hundreds of people engaged in drug trafficking and violence,” Wu said.The proposal allowing police to remove tents requires city council approval. Wu said she would file an ordinance with the council Monday.No tents would be taken down before the people living in them have been offered adequate hous...

Toronto promising help for refugee claimants sleeping on floor in strip mall units

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:54 GMT

The plight of hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers remains unresolved in Toronto but the city says it is sending some support.Multiple units in a strip mall on Albion Road have been transformed into living quarters where 145 refugees have been sleeping on mattresses on the floor. Pilgrim Feast Tabernacles tells CityNews they’ve spent $200,000, maxing out their personal credit cards to provide basic essentials, like food, shelter and medication to care for asylum seekers, who would otherwise be sleeping on the street.Mayor Olivia Chow expressed her gratitude Friday to the six churches that have taken in and provided shelter to the refugees. Three of the churches have received $50,000 each from the city but she notes “it doesn’t go all the way.”“We are providing some funding to support them so that they can, at least in the short term, manage it,” said Chow. “In two of those churches we are providing six staff to be the liaison with them and we w...

Peacock adored by Las Vegas neighborhood fatally shot by bow and arrow

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:54 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A beloved Las Vegas neighborhood peacock was killed with a hunter’s bow and arrow, and authorities are trying to find who was behind it.Animal Protection Services officers are investigating the death of Pete the peacock, a pet that belonged to a resident in a gated neighborhood, KVVU-TV reported Thursday.Felicity Carter, a neighbor, told the TV station that she found the bird against a fence with an arrow sticking out of him. She then took him to a veterinarian who specializes in exotic pets. She said the staff rushed to treat him, even looking into getting a blood transfusion from another peacock. They found Pete had actually been shot twice.“This was just such a senseless crime, and I don’t understand how anybody can just be so morbid and just shoot a defenseless animal,” Carter said.Several neighbors say they are heartbroken. They loved to feed the bird or just watch him strut. The neighborhood’s homeowners association sent out an email asking residents to ...

Activists furious Democratic leaders haven’t denounced plan to check every ‘Stop Cop City’ signature

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:54 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia activists against a proposed police and firefighting training center have called on Democratic senators to denounce Atlanta’s plan to check every signature on a petition to put the issue to voters. A “line-by-line review” would ensure the signatures match what officials have on file, said officials in the Democratic-led city, drawing praise from the head of the Georgia Republican Party, condemnation from voting rights groups, but silence from the state’s Democratic senators, who for years have railed against GOP-imposed voter restrictions.That silence has enraged “Stop Cop City” activists, who say they’ve collected more than 100,000 signatures. They warned Georgia’s Democratic Party that it is turning its back on some of its most engaged members — people who knocked on doors to help Joe Biden narrowly win the battleground state in 2020 and will be asked to do the same thing next year.“It’s just been crickets,” said Amelia Weltner, a 34-...