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Iran’s Revolutionary Guard seizes tanker in Strait of Hormuz

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:55 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard seized a Panamanian-flagged oil tanker in the strategic Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, the second-such capture by Tehran in under a week amid heightened tensions over its nuclear program. The taking of the oil tanker Niovi renewed concerns about Iran threatening maritime traffic in the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all crude passes. It also comes amid the disappearance of a crude oil tanker in southeast Asia believed to be carrying Iranian crude oil amid reports it may have been seized by the U.S. The U.S. Navy published surveillance footage shot by an aerial drone of about dozen Guard vessels swarming the tanker around 6:20 a.m. The drone had been on a routine patrol in the area and saw the seizure, though the Navy did not receive a distress call from the Niovi itself, 5th Fleet spokesman Cmdr. Timothy Hawkins said. Those Guard ships “forced the oil tanker to rev...

EU wants to ramp up ammunition production to help Ukraine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:55 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union announced fresh plans to ramp up the large-scale production of ammunition, seeking to both benefit Ukraine while the country is at war with Russia and to improve the bloc’s geopolitical credentials.Ukraine is poised to launch a planned spring counteroffensive to recover Russian-occupied territory, but the country has burned through ammunition at a furious rate, according to analysts. Western allies have provided ammunition, and the government in Kyiv has asked them to supply much more.“Let’s give first, let’s deliver first, what Ukraine needs immediately. Because again, we know exactly what’s happening on the ground,” Thierry Breton, the EU’s internal market commissioner, said. He wants to use at least 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) to fund the Act in Support of Ammunition Production, or ASAP, with the goal of providing Ukraine with ammunition and replenishing the stocks in member countries. EU funds would provide half of the money, with the ...

Teenage shooter kills 8 children, guard at school in Serbia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:55 GMT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — A teenager opened fire at his school in Serbia’s capital Wednesday, killing eight children and a school guard before being arrested in the school yard, police said. Six more children and a teacher were hospitalized.A father of a student at the school in central Belgrade said the shooter entered his daughter’s classroom, firing at her teacher and then her classmates as they ducked under their desks. Most students were able to flee through a back door, according to a local official.Police said the shooter, whom they identified by his initials, K.K., was a student at the Vladislav Ribnikar school and was born in 2009. They said he used his father’s gun.Local media footage showed a commotion as police removed the suspect, whose head was covered as officers led him to a car. Police sealed off the blocks around Vladislav Ribnikar, which is what’s known as a primary school, whose students would typically range in age from 6 to 15. Authorities later carried body bags...

Mother, 3 children fatally shot in Florida; suspect sought

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:55 GMT

LAKE WALES, Fla. (AP) — Police in central Florida tried early Wednesday to arrest a man suspected of fatally shooting a 40-year-old woman and her three children, ages 21, 17 and 11. “We know exactly where he’s at right now, and we’re working to take him into custody in as safe a way as we can,” Lake Wales Police Chief Chris Velasquez said during a news conference outside the apartment complex where the victims lived, east of Tampa.Police are working to arrest Al Stenson, 38, on four counts of first-degree murder. A motive was not yet known, but Velasquez said Stenson is known to the family and may have lived at the apartment. There was no immediate threat to the public.Investigators believe the victims, whose names have not been released, were shot around 5 a.m. Tuesday. Police were called to the scene just before 9 p.m., when someone found their bodies in the apartment.“Our hearts are broken” for the family, he said.The Associated Press

Zelenskyy seeks more firepower for Ukraine in Finland visit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:55 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Helsinki for talks with the prime ministers of four Nordic countries Wednesday as part of his effort to secure greater firepower for his country’s armed forces as they figure out how to dislodge Russian troops from occupied areas of Ukraine.The Nordic countries — Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark — have been among Kyiv’s strongest backers since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Before the meeting with Zelenskyy in Finland’s capital, Nordic officials appeared ready to provide more aid as the war stretches into its 15th month.“There is still an urgent need for military support to ensure that the Ukrainians stand as strong as possible in the fight against Russia,” Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen said in a statement.Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, another of the summit attendees, said: “Here in the north, we have a more unpredictable and aggressive Russian ne...

Floods amid heavy rainfall kill more than 100 in Rwanda

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:55 GMT

A public broadcaster in Rwanda says 109 people have been killed in flooding amid torrential rain in the western and northern provinces of the country.The death toll “continues to rise,” the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency said Wednesday. “This could be the highest disaster-induced death toll to be recorded in the country in the shortest period according to available records from recent years,” the government-backed New Times newspaper reported Wednesday. Parts of East Africa, including Uganda’s southwest, are seeing heavy rainfall. At least three people drowned in floods last week after a river burst its banks in the remote Ugandan district of Rukungiri. Rodney Muhumuza, The Associated Press

Loblaw Companies reports $418M Q1 profit, raises quarterly dividend 10%

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:55 GMT

BRAMPTON, Ont. — Loblaw Companies Ltd. raised its dividend 10 per cent as it reported a profit available to common shareholders of $418 million for its first quarter.The parent company of Loblaws and Shoppers Drug Mart says it will now pay a quarterly dividend of 44.6 cents per share, up from 40.5 cents per share.The increase for shareholders came as Loblaw reported its profit amounted to $1.29 per diluted share for the quarter ended March 25, down from $437 million or $1.30 per diluted share in the same quarter last year when the company saw a one-time gain from a favourable court ruling.Revenue for the 12-week period totalled nearly $13 billion, up from nearly $12.3 billion a year earlier. Food retail same-stores sales were up 3.1 per cent, while drug retail same-store sales increased by 7.4 per cent.On adjusted basis, Loblaw says it earned $1.55 per diluted share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of $1.36 per diluted share a year ago.Analysts on average had expect...

Woman is 2nd accused of throwing drink at US Rep. Matt Gaetz

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:55 GMT

MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Two women have now been accused of throwing drinks at U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz. The most recent was Saturday, when Selena Chambers, 41, of Tallahassee, threw a glass of wine at the Republican congressman during an event in Miramar Beach and shouted obscenities at him, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.“We cannot allow an environment where you can throw things at elected officials because you don’t like them,” Sheriff Michael Adkinson said in a statement. “No matter your political affiliation, this is not the way to conduct yourself and will not be tolerated in Walton County.”Miramar Beach is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Pensacola and is part of Gaetz’s Florida Panhandle congressional district.Chambers was charged with battery and released Sunday on $1,000 bail.Defense attorney Matthew A. Karp said in an email that his own investigation has revealed that Gaetz and his group were engaged in a verbal altercation with a gro...

How to have a fun summer when your finances fall short

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:55 GMT

With layoffs, bank closures and inflation, financial tensions remain high for many Americans heading into the summer. In a fall 2022 survey conducted by The Harris Poll for the American Psychological Association, 83% of adults said inflation was a source of stress, and 56% said they and/or their family had to make different choices in the last month because they didn’t have enough money. Making tough money choices is stressful, and sacrificing “wants” to afford the “needs” can be disappointing. But, if you’re questioning the financial impact of your summer plans or they have suddenly become out of reach, there are still ways to have fun, save money and put yourself in a better place for next year.PIVOT TO A POSITIVE MINDSETIn the face of canceled summer plans, Rob Bertman, a family budgeting expert and certified financial planner in Missouri, suggests flipping your mindset from disappointment to opportunity. Use the moment to talk about money decisions with your partner or kids.“I t...

Wednesday Forecast: Temp in upper 50s with partly cloudy conditions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:55 GMT

CHICAGO — Warmer with partly cloudy conditions Wednesday, cooler lakeside. High: 58, Lakeside: 50. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Clearing skies tonight. Low:  40.THURSDAY FORECAST: Mostly sunny conditions. High: 69, Lakeside: 57.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog