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Biden and congressional leaders to meet in debt ceiling showdown as McCarthy pushes for faster deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:12 GMT

 WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is ready to discuss the debt ceiling with congressional leaders at the White House in a high-profile session with reverberations across the globe as early outlines of a potential deal begin to emerge from painstakingly slow negotiations.Raising the stakes, the Tuesday afternoon session comes as Biden is preparing to depart for the Group of Seven summit in Japan where the U.S. leadership will be on the world stage later this week. The president and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy are trying to strike a budget deal before the U.S. Treasury runs out of cash to keep paying the nation’s bills, which could occur as soon as June 1.While Biden has remained upbeat that “we’ll be able to do this,” McCarthy is prodding the president to move faster. The Republican speaker says they need an agreement soon to avoid default. Expectations are low that a deal is that close at hand. Instead, it is more likely that staff talks will continue while the president ...

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, set to receive Ms. Foundation’s Woman of Vision Award

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:12 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will be in New York Tuesday night, along with Black Voters Matter co-founder LaTosha Brown, to receive the Ms. Foundation’s Women of Vision Award, as the nation’s oldest women’s foundation marks its 50th anniversary.The appearance is set to be her first public event since she opted to skip the coronation of her father-in-law King Charles III earlier this month in order to stay at home in California for her son Prince Archie’s sixth birthday. Her husband Prince Harry attended the coronation in London and then rushed back to California.Funds raised at the foundation’s annual gala at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan will be used to further the organization’s equity-centered initiatives and its mission of advancing women’s collective power.The foundation will also honor Wanda Irving, co-founder of Dr. Shalon’s Maternal Action Project, and Kimberly Inez McGuire, executive director of URGE, as well as abortion rights activist Olivia Juliann...

Beijing LGBT Center shuttered as crackdown grows in China

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:12 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — An advocacy group that also served as a safe space for the LGBTQ community in Beijing became the latest organization to close under a crackdown by Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government.“We very regretfully announce, due to forces beyond our control, the Beijing LGBT Center will stop operating today,” read a notice posted on the center’s official WeChat account Monday night. Beijing LGBT Center did not respond to an email request for comment. The Ministry of Civil Affairs, which oversees nonprofits in China, also did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment.The group’s shuttering marks a critical blow for advocacy groups that once had been able to be public about their work for LGBTQ+ rights.“They are not the first group, nor are they the largest, but because Beijing LGBT Center was in Beijing, it represented China’s LGBT movement,” said one Chinese activist who requested anonymity out of fear for his safety. “In our political, e...

Canada ‘extremely concerned’ about fate of Line 5 pipeline in Wisconsin, embassy says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:12 GMT

WASHINGTON — Canada’s embassy in Washington says it is “extremely concerned” about the fate of the Line 5 cross-border pipeline. A court hearing Thursday in Wisconsin could determine whether the pipeline, owned and operated by Enbridge Inc., is allowed to continue operating. The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa says spring flooding has heightened the risk of a rupture and it wants a federal judge to shut the line down. A strongly worded statement from the embassy says doing so would endanger more than 33,000 U.S. jobs and US$20 billion in economic activity. Canada argues that Line 5 is a vital energy conduit across the U.S. Midwest and an economic lifeline for Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec. The Indigenous band fears a rupture would foul not only a key watershed on its territory, but also the waters of Lake Superior. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2023.The Canadian Press

Swedish Eurovision winner Loreen returns to native Sweden

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:12 GMT

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish singer Loreen, who won the Eurovision Song Contest with her power ballad “Tattoo,” returned home on Tuesday, saying she was proud to be only the second person in Eurovision history to have won the contest twice.“I’m so incredibly happy,” a smiling Loreen said after landing at Stockholm’s international airport from the English city of Liverpool, where the event was held. “On the plane home, I had my first burst of joy and looked out at the sky. I am so incredibly happy about this. I am so proud that Sweden sent me.” She held the trophy — a handmade glass sculpture in the shape of a microphone from the 1950s — saying it was “brutally heavy.” Later Tuesday, the 39-year-old artist was to perform the winning dance-pop anthem at a downtown Stockholm park — a popular hangout known for its outdoor cafés and open-air concerts. The concert was to be broadcast live on public television. Loreen won the 67th Eurovision Song Contest, billed as the world’s biggest music ev...

Skeletons found in Pompeii ruins reveal deaths by earthquake, not just Vesuvius’ ancient eruption

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:12 GMT

MILAN (AP) — The discovery of two skeletons buried beneath a collapsed wall in the Pompeii archaeological site point to deaths by powerful earthquakes that accompanied the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the first century, experts said Tuesday, in addition to the victims of volcanic ash and gas.The two skeletons believed to be men at least 55 years old were found in the Casti Amanti, or House of Chaste Lovers, beneath a wall that collapsed before the area was covered in volcanic material. The area was likely undergoing reconstruction work at the time of the eruption in A.D. 79, following an earthquake a few days earlier.“In recent years, we have realized there were violent, powerful seismic events that were happening at the time of the eruption,” said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park. New archaeological techniques and methodology “allow us to understand better the inferno that in two days completely destroyed the city of Pompeii,...

Stellantis recalls nearly 220,000 Jeep Cherokee SUVs worldwide due to fire risk

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:12 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Stellantis is telling owners of nearly 220,000 Jeep Cherokee SUVs worldwide to park them outdoors and away from other vehicles because the power liftgates can catch fire even when the engines are off.The company is recalling certain Cherokees from the 2014 through 2016 model years. Water can get into the liftgate control computer, causing an electrical short that can touch off a fire.The company says it hasn’t developed a fix yet. Owners will get notification letters starting June 30. Stellantis says the problem was caught in a routine review of customer data. It’s not clear how many of the small SUVs have caught fire. Stellantis says in documents posted Tuesday by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that it has 50 customer assistance records, 23 warranty claims and 21 field reports due to the issue. The company says it’s not aware of any injuries.The power liftgates may stop working before the SUVs catch fire. Stellantis recalled many ...

Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales rose 0.7 per cent in March

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:12 GMT

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales rose 0.7 per cent to $72.3 billion in March, boosted by gains in the motor vehicle, aerospace product and parts, and primary metal industries.The increase followed a drop of 3.6 per cent in February.The agency says motor vehicle sales gained 8.6 per cent to come in at $4.7 billion in March after a drop of 11.8 per cent in February.The aerospace product and parts sector rose 18.8 per cent to $2.1 billion in March, the highest level since March 2020, while sales of primary metals increased 4.6 per cent to $6.0 billion in March on higher prices and volume.Sales in the petroleum and coal product industry fell 2.0 per cent on lower prices.Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales in constant dollars rose 1.1 per cent in March, indicating that a higher volume of goods was sold in the month.This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2023.The Canadian Press

China says ready to ‘smash’ Taiwan self-rule as US prepares major arms package, sends advisers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:12 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China’ is prepared to “resolutely smash any form of Taiwan independence,” its military said Tuesday, as the U.S. reportedly prepares to accelerate the sale of defensive weapons and other military assistance to the self-governing island democracy. A recent increase in exchanges between the U.S. and Taiwanese militaries is an “extremely wrong and dangerous move,” Defense Ministry spokesperson Col. Tan Kefei said in a statement and video posted online. China’s People’s Liberation Army “continues to strengthen military training and preparations and will resolutely smash any form of Taiwanese independence secession along with attempts at outside interference, and will resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Tan said, in a reference to Taiwan’s closest ally, the United States. China claims the island of 23 million people as its own territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary. With the world’s largest navy, latest-generat...

Amnesty: Executions worldwide increased by 53% in 2022, rose in Iran, Saudi Arabia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:12 GMT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Executions worldwide increased by 53% in 2022 from a year earlier, with a significant rise in Iran and Saudi Arabia, Amnesty International said in an annual report Tuesday that also criticized Indonesia as having one of the highest numbers of new death sentences in Asia. Amnesty said 70% of the executions in the Middle East and North Africa were carried out in Iran, where their numbers rose by 83% from 314 in 2021 to 576 in 2022. The number of executions in Saudi Arabia tripled from 65 in 2021 to 196 in 2022. Notable increases compared to 2021 were also recorded in Kuwait, Myanmar, the Palestinian territories, Singapore and the United States, it said. In all, 20 countries are known to have executed a total of 883 people, compared to 579 in 18 countries in 2021. Secrecy and restrictive state practices continued to impair an accurate assessment of the use of the death penalty in several countries, including China, North Korea and Vietnam, it said. The group s...