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Bluffing or not, Putin’s declared deployment of nuclear weapons to Belarus raises tensions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:44 GMT

Sometime this summer, if President Vladimir Putin can be believed, Russia moved some of its short-range nuclear weapons into Belarus, closer to Ukraine and onto NATO’s doorstep.The declared deployment of the Russian weapons on the territory of its neighbor and loyal ally marks a new stage in the Kremlin’s nuclear saber-rattling over its invasion of Ukraine and another bid to discourage the West from increasing military support to Kyiv.Neither Putin nor his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, said how many were moved — only that Soviet-era facilities in the country were readied to accommodate them, and that Belarusian pilots and missile crews were trained to use them.The U.S. and NATO haven’t confirmed the move. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg denounced Moscow’s rhetoric as “dangerous and reckless,” but said earlier this month the alliance hasn’t seen any change in Russia’s nuclear posture.While some experts doubt the claims by Putin and Lukashenko, others not...

How the attempted coup in Niger could expand the reach of extremism, and Wagner, in West Africa

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:44 GMT

Niger is not to be confused with Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country. Niger lies just to the north, part of the sprawling region directly below the Sahara Desert that for years has faced a growing threat from various groups of Islamic extremists.Until Wednesday’s coup attempt in Niger, the United States’ security ally had avoided the military takeovers that destabilized West African neighbors in recent years, and it was seen as the last major partner standing in a Francophone region where anti-French sentiment had grown.Here’s what to know:What does this mean for regional security?Signaling Niger’s importance in the region where the Russian private military group Wagner also operates, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the country in March to strengthen ties and announce $150 million in direct assistance, calling the country “a model of democracy.”Now a critical question is whether Niger will pivot and engage Wagner as a counterterrorism partner like its ...

EU investigates Microsoft over concerns bundling Teams with Office eliminates competition

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:44 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union said Thursday that it has opened an antitrust investigation into Microsoft over concerns that bundling its Teams messaging and videoconferencing app with its Office productivity software gives it an unfair edge over competitors. The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s top competition enforcer, said it would carry out its in-depth investigation “as a matter of priority.”The investigation stems from a complaint filed in 2020 by Slack Technologies, which makes popular workplace messaging software. Slack, owned by business software maker Salesforce, alleged that Microsoft was abusing its market dominance to eliminate competition — in violation of EU laws — by illegally combining Teams with its Office suite, which includes Word, Excel and Outlook.“Remote communication and collaboration tools like Teams have become indispensable for many businesses in Europe. We must therefore ensure that the markets for these products remain competitive,” sa...

Thursday Forecast: Heat Advisory issued for parts of area, isolated storms possible tonight

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:44 GMT

CHICAGO — Mostly sunny and humid conditions Thursday, cooler lakeside. Winds: E 5-10 G15. High: 92/85.A Excessive Heat Advisory has been issued for parts of the area until 9 p.m. Friday. Hot temperatures both Thursday and Friday will top out in the 90s, with heat indices between 100° to 110° away from the lake. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Partly cloudy tonight with isolated shower/storms possible. Winds: NNE 5-10. Low: 74.Friday Forecast: Partly cloudy, 40% storm chance, humid, SSW 5-10 G15. High: 94.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Community meeting held as city considers Broadway Armory as migrant shelter site

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:44 GMT

CHICAGO -- A community meeting will be held Thursday evening to discuss the possibility of turning the Broadway Armory into a migrant shelter.This will be the second meeting held to discuss the possibility of opening the shelter for newly arrived migrants residing at police stations. The alderwoman who serves the ward is hosting the meeting and said she can host 300 migrants for an undetermined amount of time. The park district is looking at ways to change programs at the Armory including summer camps for kids as well as seniors. The latest meeting follows Wednesday's immigrant and refugee rights meeting at city hall where concerns were raised. One person is in the hospital after a building exploded in Oak Park early Wednesday evening. "I think that it's clear that our institutions at the city level are overwhelmed," Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez said.More than 11,000 migrants, many from Texas, have been bussed to Chicago since last year. The city has 14 shelters running, and the ...

Where in Texas is Alzheimer's most prevalent? First-of-its-kind county-level data released

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:44 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – New research shows a more complete picture of how many people in each county in the United States have Alzheimer's or dementia, allowing KXAN to analyze how it affects those living in Texas. According to the Alzheimer's Association, it marks the first time researchers have estimated the prevalence of the disease at the county-level -- rather than estimating statewide numbers.Using cognitive data, along with population and demographic statistics, researchers were able to produce estimates for all 3,142 U.S. counties. They found the highest rates of prevalence in the east and southeastern parts of the country. MORE: Families of Alzheimer’s patients call on lawmakers for better care In Texas, the southern and western parts of the state saw higher rates of prevalence. Presidio, a border county with a population of just over 6,000 and Marfa as its county seat, topped the list at 18.4% prevalence of Alzheimer’s and dementia.The researchers found a 10.7% prevalence in Tra...

Highs slightly lower for a few days

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:44 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Another day, another triple-digit high adding to our string of consecutive days with highs of 100° and higher. Wednesday's high was 103°, the lowest high temperature since July 8th (102°).oday's normal high is 98°It's the 19th in a row and the 34th of the season. The sky was hazy yesterday and will be again today. A combination of the Saharan dust along with residual smoke from the Canadian wildfires will lead to the hazy sky today and again Friday into the weekend.Expect hazy sunshine with cumulus clouds todayThus, the Air Quality Forecast for today, tomorrow, and Saturday will be moderate for fine particulate matter. 2023 AUSTIN WEATHER DATA The upper-level high is over New Mexico today. The inverted trough will be moving from the Gulf across south Texas into northern Mexico during the next 48 hours. The only thing that trough will do for our weather is to aid in those lower highs. The trough south of Austin only gives Central Texas more afternoon cloudsThe hig...

Texas AG's office gets $10.76 million judgement against COVID "pyramid scheme"

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:44 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Texas Attorney General's Office (OAG) said Wednesday it secured a $10.76 million "Final Judgment and Permanent Injunction" against a Texas couple and business it said operated an illegal pyramid scheme during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Attorney General said Blessings in No Time (BINT Operations) and its owners, LaShonda and Marlon Moore of Frisco, scammed consumers out of tens of millions of dollars by deceptively marketing themselves as a faith-based wealth building organization. According to the OAG, the Moores promised to “bless” participants with large sums of money during the pandemic in exchange for up-front monetary contributions. The scam falsely promised investment returns as high as 800 percent. The AG's office said the couple, who had appeared on a reality show on the Oprah Winfrey Network, invoked the affiliation to enhance the appearance of credibility. The Moores scammed nearly 8,000 consumers in Texas and across the country, according to the announ...

Forest Rangers rescue two injured hikers in Essex County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:44 GMT

KEENE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Forest Rangers helped in rescuing two hikers in two separate instances on Saturday in Essex County. One hiker was rescued with a knee injury on Basin Mountain, and the other with an ankle injury on Mount Colden. New York State Police Aviation was called in to assist with both rescues. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! On July 22, around 4:15 p.m., rescue personnel received a call for a hiker with a knee injury on Basin Mountain. New York State Police (NYSP) Aviation was called in to assist as well. According to the DEC, AFR Jackson assisted in the rescue that involved a 20-year-old from Binghamton. The hiker was taken to the Lake Colden outpost where NYSP Pilot Oropallo had landed. The hiker was then taken to the hospital around 5:20 p.m.Later, at 6 p.m., Pilot Oropallo flew with Forest Rangers Lewis and O'Connor to Basin Mountain to assist a 35-year-old with...

Dozens of crews respond to laundromat fire in Ferguson

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:50:44 GMT

FERGUSON, Mo. - Dozens of firefighters are on the scene of a fire at a laundromat in Ferguson Thursday morning.The fire broke out on South Florissant Road, not far from the Ferguson Police Department and fire department headquarters. Extreme damage was done to the 'Laundry Basket' laundromat. The flames are out now, but it took a second alarm and about an hour and a half for crews to get the fire here under control.Fire crews got the first call for the fire about 3:15 a.m. Randy Skaggs, the assistant chief for the Ferguson Fire Department, told FOX 2 that when the first crews got there, heavy smoke was coming from the building. Not long after that flames started shooting through the roof.Skaggs also shared that firefighters went to basically an exterior operation trying to surround and drown the fire. St. Louis police seek to ID man in child sex assault case The heat has been a major issue Thursday morning. One firefighter was taken away on a stretcher after suffering from heat e...