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EU chief diplomat says ‘imperative’ Lebanon isn’t dragged into Israel-Hamas war

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:25 GMT

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Saturday warned against the Israel-Hamas war escalating into a regional conflict as hostilities increased following the killing this week of a top Hamas official. “It is absolutely imperative to ensure Lebanon is not drawn into a regional conflict,” Borrell told a press conference in Beirut, according to Reuters and Agence France-Presse. “I’m also sending this message to Israel: No one will win from a regional conflict,” he said,. Borrell said he agreed with Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati to work on “de-escalation and long-term stability,” during a meeting that touched on southern Lebanon, the Gaza war and Syria. He also sounded the alarm about a “worrying intensification of exchange of fire” at the United Nations demarcation between Lebanon and Israel, known as the Blue Line.“The priority is to avoid regional escalation and to advance diplomatic efforts with a view to...

UK’s Sunak previously questioned controversial Rwanda asylum plan: BBC

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:25 GMT

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak previously expressed doubts on a controversial program to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda, the BBC reported on Saturday.Sunak when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer attempted to convince then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson to scale back a migration scheme before a deal was signed with Rwanda in April 2022, the BBC said, citing documents seen by the media outlet. The Conservative government led by Johnson in 2022 proposed a hardline plan to deport undocumented migrants to Rwanda in a bid to dissuade people from crossing the English Channel. Sunak — who became prime minister in October 2022 — has made the immigration program a top priority, despite it being knocked down in the U.K. Supreme Court on human rights grounds. But the BBC reported it has seen “No. 10 documents” dated March 2022 indicating that Sunak had been uncertain about the plan. Sunak “is refusing to fund any non-detained accommodation, eg Greek-style receptio...

Alaska Airlines flight makes emergency landing in Portland after window blew out

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:25 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- An Alaska Airlines plane headed for Ontario, California had to make an emergency landing after a portion of the aircraft blew out mid-air Friday night. According to Flight Aware flight trackers, the plane originally departed from the Portland International Airport around 5 p.m. and "quickly turned around" after reaching an altitude of 16,000 feet.The plane quickly diverted and landed safely at PDX shortly before 5:30 p.m.Social media video appeared to show that one of the passenger window panels had been blown out.Courtesy: KTLAThe flight included 171 passengers and six crew members, Alaska Airline officials confirmed to KOIN 6.CBS News reported that immediately after the incident, the pilot radioed to the air traffic controller, declaring that the flight had depressurized. Video shows earthquake shake family’s home, spook dog "We're declaring an emergency," the pilot said. "We do need to come down to 10,000."“The oxygen masks dropped down, and I look to m...

What happens if you stop taking weight-loss drugs?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:25 GMT

(WGN Radio) – Recently approved weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound have shown promising results, helping patients lose 15% to 25% of their body weight. But despite that promise, these medications are not a once-and-for-all solution to obesity, experts say.People who stop taking the drugs have noticed a "rebound effect." "The problem is when people stop taking the medication, they'll gain their weight back. We haven't come up with something that is permanent yet," explained Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, chief medical officer of Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital.Wegovy and Zepbound's injections work similarly to Ozempic and Mounjaro, which are also in high demand right now. The drugs imitate the hormones that regulate appetites by communicating fullness between the gut and brain when people eat. FDA warns of fake Ozempic in US drug supply chain But those changes aren't permanent. Once someone stops injecting the drugs, they no longer feel the effects. A study, publis...

Working Strategies: Overcoming the fear of salary negotiation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:25 GMT

Amy LindgrenIs salary negotiation on your mind for the new year? I have good news and bad news. The good news first: A lot has been happening in this area that finally favors the worker. As an example, laws promoting salary transparency and discouraging historical bias are catching on across the country.Here’s what that means: Depending on a particular municipality’s wording, transparency laws might mandate that salaries be included in job postings, or that employees not be disciplined for discussing their salaries openly. In either case, internal workers and candidates can gain key information, letting them negotiate more effectively.Historical bias laws, on the other hand, address the longstanding practice of asking for a candidate’s previous wages, typically on applications or during screening interviews. Among the problems this creates, perhaps the most damaging is the employer’s opportunity (and tendency) to make lower offers to candidates with historically lower wages. Without...

1/6/2024: Winter storm arrives this evening

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:25 GMT

The latest Storm Tracker Forecast from meteorologist Matt Mackie:Get ready! The first big winter storm of the season arrives this evening. Right now the system headed our way is producing rain and wintry mix in the southeast. But by the time it gets to us, our cold air will allow for all snow. The National Weather Service has issued Winter Storm Warnings for the entire News10 area, with difficult travel expected during the storm.Much of the day is cool and cloudy, but quiet. By sunset, snow will be moving in from the southwest. By 8 or 9 pm, it will be coming down across the entire region. Expect heaviest snow overnight, with an inch falling per hour at times.Gradually lighter, more "on and off" snow continues into the day Sunday, finally wrapping up that evening.Much of the Capital District can expect a 6-10 inches of snow. As always, the mountain ranges that cross our area will have big effects on how much we see - winds out of the east will push uphill into the Greens and Berkshi...

Albany man admits to stealing $1M in federal funds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:25 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Asjid Parvez, 37, of Albany, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government property. Parvez faces up to 10 years in prison and three years of post-release supervision. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! In pleading guilty, Parvez admitted to stealing nearly $1 million in federal funds from the United States Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency. The FSA provides financial assistance to struggling farmers trying to pay off loans.Parvez had purchased a Maryland chicken farm in 2014. Instead of using the money to pay off the federally guaranteed farm loan, he used the money for personal expenses and real estate investments. Multiple injured in bus rollover on Interstate-87 Parvez opened a bank account in the name of his lender and deposited the check. He then transferred the funds to other accounts he controlled.Sentencing is scheduled for May 2, 2024. Parvez has agreed to pay $972,564.61 i...

Alaska Airlines 737 lands safely after a window blows out 3 miles over Oregon

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:25 GMT

By AUDREY McAVOY (Associated Press)An Alaska Airlines jetliner blew out a window and a portion of its fuselage shortly after takeoff three miles above Oregon, creating a gaping hole that sucked clothing off a child and forced the pilots to make an emergency landing as its 174 passengers and six crew members donned oxygen masks. No one was seriously hurt as the depressurized plane returned safely Friday night to Portland International Airport about 20 minutes after it had departed, but the airline grounded its 65 Boeing 737-9 aircraft until they can be inspected. The National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday it will also investigate. Passenger Evan Smith said a boy and his mother were sitting in the row where the window blew out and the child’s shirt was sucked off him and out of the plane. “You heard a big loud bang to the left rear. A whooshing sound and all the oxygen masks deployed instantly and everyone got those on,” Smith told KATU-TV.Alaska Airlines...

Alaska Airlines grounding all Boeing 737 MAX-9s after hole blows open in cabin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:25 GMT

Editor’s note: This headline has been edited to specify the model of the grounded jets.Alaska Airlines has announced that it is grounding its entire fleet of Boeing 737 MAX-9 jets after a gaping hole opened in the cabin of a Southern California-bound flight Friday evening.The terrifying incident happened on Alaska Flight 1282, which had just taken off from Portland International Airport in Oregon and was headed for Ontario, California.  Southern California jolted by magnitude 4.2 earthquake Passengers reported hearing a “loud boom” about 20 minutes into the flight, and one woman told KTLA that a mother and her teenage son were seated in that row. “The oxygen masks dropped down, and I look to my left and hear and see wind blasting, with a piece of the wall gone,” passenger Elizabeth Le said. “I looked up and saw that the son’s shirt was completely off, and his skin was very red, most likely due to the cold air. I heard after from the son’s friend that the mom had to drag ...

Are presidential elections good or bad for California’s economy?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:25 GMT

Welcome to another presidential election year in which political theater will, no doubt, impact California’s economy.It’s a given that the quadrennial battle for control of the White House injects uncertainty into spending plans for corporations and consumers alike.Yet, you can also assume that the political parties in power will do what they can to keep the economy humming in an election year – with pocketbook issues usually heavy on the minds of voters.The mystery is what matters more: the uncertainty about future economic policy or economic gifts provided in election years?So I filled my trusty spreadsheet with the annual average performances of eight economic yardsticks, seeking to see how business conditions changed during the past 11 election years dating to 1980. The focus was on how growth rates of certain business metrics fared in election years.Basically, did the economy improve or regress as the national political debate reached its four-year pinnacle?DetailsP...