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European Union to rush more than $2 billion to disaster-hit Greece, using untapped funds

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:20:29 GMT

STRASBOURG, France (AP) — The European Union is promising Greece more than 2 billion euros ($2.15 billion) in financial support in the wake of massive summer wildfires and ongoing floods that have caused extensive damage across central Greece.“Never, ever before has such a vast area been destroyed by wildfires. Then, floods devastated large regions of Greece,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a meeting Tuesday with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.Von der Leyen said 2.25 billion euros could be made available in the short term, with much of the money coming from unclaimed funds for development and agriculture projects mostly earmarked for Greece.“We should use unspent cohesion money from the last (funding) period which would otherwise be lost,” she told reporters at the meeting in Strasbourg, France.Much of the central Greek farming belt remains flooded a week after storms killed at least 15 people, while large sections of the country’s main highway and ra...

Stage adaptation of ‘The Diviners’ novel to get world premiere at Stratford Festival

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:20:29 GMT

TORONTO — The stage adaptation of the CanLit classic “The Diviners” will get its world premiere at the Stratford Festival in its 2024 season.Vern Thiessen and Yvette Nolan wrote the play based on Margaret Laurence’s 1974 novel, and it will be directed by Krista Jackson with Geneviève Pelletier.The season at Stratford will also feature some Shakespeare classics, including a production of “Twelfth Night” directed by veteran actress Seana McKenna, who has previously played both Viola and Olivia.The festival will also mount productions of “Romeo and Juliet” and “Cymbeline.”It will present two musicals: “Something Rotten!” and “La Cage aux Folles.”The festival’s artistic director, Antoni Cimolino, says the collection of 12 productions will reflect on the idea of “a world elsewhere” and a journey into the unknown.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2023.The Canadian ...

Top Hamas leader in Beirut in a bid to stop clashes at Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:20:29 GMT

SIDON, Lebanon (AP) — A top Hamas leader arrived in Beirut Tuesday to push for an end to clashes in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp that resumed despite multiple cease-fire agreements.Days of fighting in the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp near the southern port city of Sidon left at least six people dead and over 50 others wounded, according to medical officials and state media. Stray bullets and shells hit residential areas in the country’s third-largest city, wounding five Lebanese soldiers at checkpoints near the camp on Monday.A cease-fire declared late Monday, after Lebanon’s head of the country’s General Security Directorate met with officials from rival Palestinian factions, lasted just hours before fighting erupted again.Senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk will meet with Lebanese officials and representatives from the Palestinian factions to try and reach a settlement to end the clashes, the militant group said in a statement. Hamas has not take...

Spain’s Andalusia region will expand the Doñana wetlands park. Critics applaud but want more action

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:20:29 GMT

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The government of Spain’s southern Andalusia region plans to expand a prized national park that is home to one of Europe’s largest wetlands but is in danger of drying up. Andalusia’s regional president Juan Moreno announced his administration’s plan to allow the Doñana park to annex some 7,500 hectares (18,500 acres) that it plans to purchase from a private owner for 70 million euros ($75 million).Doñana currently covers 74,000 hectares (182,000 acres) on an estuary where the Guadalquivir River meets the Atlantic Ocean on Spain’s southern coast. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve, Doñana is a wintering site for half a million waterfowl and a stopover spot for millions more birds that migrate from Africa to northern Europe.Ecologists working in and near the park have alerted that its ecosystem made up of marshes and lagoons is at risk due to the strain on its underlying aquifer caused by agriculture and tourism. That has been made worse by clim...

AJ Freund death, DCFS workers trial day 2

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:20:29 GMT

MCHENRY COUNTY, Ill. — The trial for two former Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) workers accused of child endangerment enters its second day Tuesday.The multiple felony charges filed in Sept. 2020 against Andrew Polovin and Carlos Acosta stem from the April 2019 death of five-year-old Andrew "AJ" Freund of Crystal Lake. They are accused of having known Freund's life was in danger four months earlier yet not taking action. Previous Coverage: Nearly 20 police reports can be used in AJ Freund DCFS trial The bench trial began on Monday with the McHenry County State's Attorney providing an opening statement for the prosecution, and separate attorneys providing statements for each of the defendants.Following the opening statements, the prosecution began calling its witnesses. They included a Crystal Lake police officer, a doctor who examined Freund in Dec. 2018, a man who knew Freund's father through Alcoholics Anonymous, and a retired DCFS supervisor.The trial is expec...

Motorcyclist dies in north suburban crash

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:20:29 GMT

LAKE COUNTY, Ill. — A motorcyclist died Sunday following a crash in the northern suburbs.At around 2:20 p.m. on Saturday, authorities responded to a report of a crash with injuries near the intersection of Lake and Hillcrest in unincorporated Antioch.Police believe Mark Basil, 60, of Salem, Wisconsin, was driving a Harley-Davidson motorcycle southbound on Lake Avenue.At around the same time, the driver of a Volkswagen Tiguan, a 29-year-old woman, of Antioch, made a left turn onto Hillcrest. The man was unable to avoid a collision and struck the Volkswagen, police said.He was initially transported, along with the woman, with non life-threatening injuries. However, according to authorities, the 60-year-old died the following day at the hospital. Police: Motorcyclist weaving in traffic crashes, dies in suburbs Basil died of blunt force injuries as a result of a crash, according to the coroner's office.

Apple iPhone 15 unveiling expected. Here's what to look for

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:20:29 GMT

Apple is expected to take the wraps off its next iPhone on Tuesday during what has become an annual late summer rite aimed at giving more people more reasons to buy the technology trendsetter’s marquee product.The showcase at Apple's Cupertino California, headquarters comes as the company is mired in a mild slump that has seen its sales drop from last year in three consecutive quarters — with management signaling another downturn is likely during the current quarter that will be capped with the release of its iPhone 15 lineup. The malaise is a key reason Apple's stock price has dipped by nearly 10% since mid-July, dropping the company's market value below the $3 trillion threshold it reached for the first time earlier this summer.As has been the case with Apple and other smartphone makers, the next model isn't expected to make any major leaps in technology. The array of iPhone 15 choices, likely to range from lower-priced basic models to more expensive premium ve...

Bioluminescent algae bloom dazzles beachgoers on Florida island

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:20:29 GMT

Above: Bioluminescent waves at a beach in Southern California.MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — It comes as no surprise to locals that the waters surrounding Anna Maria Island in Florida's Manatee County hold a brilliant bluish-green hue even on a bad day. But not on this night.(Credit: Tammy Fryer, Shunnache Photos)(Credit: Tammy Fryer, Shunnache Photos)(Credit: Tammy Fryer, Shunnache Photos)Astrophotographer Tammy Fryer told Nexstar's WFLA that she recently ventured out to the tip of the island community to capture photos of the Milky Way, something she does whenever the moon doesn't light up the night sky."I've seen some spectacular things here, but this is definitely in the top five," Fryer wrote on Facebook, accompanied by a series of mystifying photos. "No photo or video does it justice. It's breathtakingly beautiful." What’s causing California’s ocean waves to glow? Fryer caught herself in the midst of a bioluminescent algae bloom.According to the Department for Environment and...

Schenectady man accused of possessing child pornography

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:20:29 GMT

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Schenectady man was arrested on Saturday following a child pornography investigation. Tyler Bechand, 34, is charged with possessing a sexual performance by a child. Get the latest news, weather, and sports delivered right to your inbox! An investigation stemming from a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led to law enforcement executing a search warrant at Bechand's home in Schenectady on Saturday.Law enforcement says the search warrant and investigation found Bechand possessed images consistent with child sexual exploitation. The State Police of Saratoga, Troop G Computer Crimes Unit, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, all took part in the investigation. Family of Albany woman convicted of fraud settle claims Bechand was arrested at his home and taken to Princetown State Police for processing. He was issued an appearance ticket to return to the Schenectady City ...

Alias Coffee opens shop on Albany's North Pearl Street

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:20:29 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Alias Coffee has opened its second location at 76 North Pearl Street in Albany. The shop officially opened on September 8. Get the latest news, weather, and sports delivered right to your inbox! The shop serves espresso drinks, cold brew, drip, pour-overs, and specialty beverages including matcha. Alias also has bags of coffee beans for sale and pastries.Owner Hernan Lopez started Alias Coffee Roasters in 2020 as a micro-batch roasting company pop-up in Troy. He opened the Troy storefront in 2022. Joe’s Tavern in Cohoes set to reopen Alias Coffee's first location is at 219 4th Street in Troy. They can also be found at the Troy Waterfront Farmers Market on Saturdays. Both the Troy and Albany locations are open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.