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Russia acknowledges Vatican peace initiative, says no steps yet for a mission to Moscow

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:02 GMT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Russia on Friday indicated that it views Pope Francis’ Ukraine peace initiative positively, but stressed that there are no immediate plans for a Vatican mission to Moscow.The statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry to the state RIA Novosti agency was the first public acknowledgment by Moscow of the pope’s move. It followed the Vatican’s weekend announcement that a veteran of the Catholic Church’s peace mediation initiatives, Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, had been tapped by Francis as his envoy.“We acknowledge the Holy See’s sincere desire to promote the peace process,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said, according to RIA Novosti. “At the same time, no practical steps have been taken by the Vatican side to organize the trip to Moscow.”Zuppi told reporters Thursday that the scope of the mission was to “help ease the tensions of the conflict” in hopes it could contribute to “paths of peace.” He drew a parallel to his efforts in the 1990s, alongside the Rom...

What to know about Texas’ extraordinary move to impeach GOP Attorney General Ken Paxton

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:02 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — After years of legal and ethical scandals swirling around Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, the state’s GOP-controlled House of Representatives has moved toward an impeachment vote that could quickly throw him from office.The extraordinary and rarely-used maneuver comes in the final days of the state’s legislative session and sets up a bruising political fight. It pits Paxton, who has aligned himself closely with former President Donald Trump and the state’s hard-right conservatives, against House Republican leadership, who appear to have suddenly had enough of the allegations of wrongdoing that have long dogged Texas’ top lawyer.Paxton has said the charges are based on “hearsay and gossip, parroting long-disproven claims.”Here is how the impeachment process works in Texas, and how the 60-year-old Republican came to face the prospect of becoming just the third official to be impeached in the state’s nearly 200-year history:THE PROCESSUnder the Texas ...

Russia says Ukraine attacks border regions; Moscow’s forces strike Dnipro clinic

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:02 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia’s southern Belgorod region bordering Ukraine came under attack from Ukrainian artillery fire, mortar shells and drones Friday, authorities said, hours after two drones struck a Russian city in a region next to the annexed Crimea Peninsula.The Kremlin’s forces, meanwhile, struck a clinic in Dnipro, in central Ukraine, killing a 69-year-old passerby and wounding 23 other people, including two children, Ukrainian officials said. Also, a Russian S-300 missile hit a dam in the Karlivka district of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk province, placing nearby settlements under threat of severe flooding.The Belgorod town of Graivoron, about seven kilometers (more than four miles) from the Ukrainian border, was under fire for several hours, with four houses, a store, a car, a gas pipeline and a power line damaged, Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov reported.Closer to the border, a recreation center, a shop and an uninhabited house sustained damage in the village of Glotovo. There were...

Court says Hugh Grant’s lawsuit alleging illegal snooping by The Sun tabloid can go to trial

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:02 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A London court on Friday rejected an attempt by the publisher of The Sun tabloid to throw out a lawsuit by actor Hugh Grant alleging that journalists and investigators it hired illegally snooped on him. Justice Timothy Fancourt said a trial in January will have to determine whether The Sun had carried out unlawful information gathering that included tapping his landline and bugging his car and breaking into his home. News Group Newspapers, which owns The Sun, had argued that Grant didn’t bring his claims within a six-year time limit. The judge dismissed Grant’s phone hacking claims on time limitation grounds, but said the case could proceed on the other allegations.“It was only on seeing invoices disclosed … in 2021 that Mr. Grant believed that private investigators (PIs) had been instructed by The Sun to target him in various ways, particularly in 2011,” Fancourt wrote.The case was argued during a hearing last month that also included phone hac...

Teck Resources promotes Ian Anderson to chief commercial officer

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:02 GMT

VANCOUVER — Teck Resources Ltd. has promoted Ian Anderson to the post of chief commercial officer as the company continues work on a plan to separate its base metal and steelmaking coal operations.Anderson assumed the role effective May 16, succeeding Réal Foley, who is expected to help with the transition until his retirement in late November.Anderson was most recently Teck’s vice-president, logistics.The Vancouver-based mining company also announced that André Stark has been appointed vice-president, marketing and logistics for base metals, while Michael O’Shaughnessy has been appointed vice-president, marketing and logistics for coal.Teck cancelled a key shareholder vote last month after it became apparent it did not have enough support for its proposal to spin out its steelmaking coal businesses into a separate company. Instead, the company has said it will pursue what it is says will be “a simpler and more direct separation.” Swiss company Glencore, which made an un...

Police in Florida say they fatally shot armed woman who ‘ambushed’ them in park

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:02 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Police in a Florida park fatally shot an armed woman who “ambushed” them as they were searching for a drug investigation suspect, officials said.The shooting happened at Tom Brown Park in Tallahassee about 10:30 p.m. Thursday. Police responded to the park after receiving a report that the person they were looking for, a man, was seen there, according to a department news release Friday.Officers and a deputy with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office were in the park when the woman “ambushed law enforcement and opened fire on them,” the department said. The officers and deputy returned fire and she was struck. She was taken to a hospital, where she died.No police officers were injured and there is no threat to public safety, the news release said. A police department spokesperson said the drug investigation suspect was taken into custody at the park, the Tallahassee Democrat reported. It wasn’t immediately clear if there was a connection between the ma...

Strong earthquake shakes eastern Japan; no tsunami warning

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:02 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — A strong earthquake shook Tokyo and other areas of eastern Japan on Friday, but no tsunami warning was issued.The magnitude 6.2 quake was centered off the east coast of Chiba Peninsula at a depth of 44.2 kilometers (28 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said.Strong shaking was reported in Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures, but the USGS said there was little chance of serious damage or fatalities.Kyodo News service said no problems were reported at the Tokai No. 2 nuclear power plant in Ibaraki.A strong earthquake hit central Japan on May 5, killing at least one person and injuring more than 20 others.Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone nations. A massive 2011 quake in the country’s northeast caused a devastating tsunami and nuclear plant meltdown.The Associated Press

Credit Suisse owes millions to Georgia’s billionaire ex-prime minister, court says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:02 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Credit Suisse owes former Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili hundreds of millions of dollars for failing to protect the billionaire’s money held in a trust pilfered by a manager, a Singapore court ruled Friday, the latest scandal for the Swiss bank whose yearslong problems forced its takeover by a rival.Ivanishvili in 2004 put more than $1.1 billion into a trust overseen by the bank’s Singapore subsidiary, Credit Suisse Trust Limited, and the employee managing the trust “misappropriated many millions of dollars” over nine years before being caught and sent to prison, the Singapore International Commercial Court said. Bidzina, who amassed a fortune in Russia as a businessman before serving as Georgia’s prime minister from 2012 to 2013, sued the Swiss bank for about $1.2 billion, saying it failed to properly administer the trust and keep its assets safe.“The judgment published today is wrong and poses very significant legal issues,” Credit Suis...

2 teens critical after shooting on Near West Side

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:02 GMT

CHICAGO — Two teenagers are in critical condition after a shooting on the city's Near West Side.The shooting happened around 6:17 a.m. Friday in the 1800 block of West Maypole. Police said a 17-year-old boy and 18-year-old were getting into a vehicle when the another person approached them.According to police, the offender pulled out a gun and fired shots at both teens. Chicago’s new leaders’ Memorial Day weekend public safety plan The 17-year-old was shot in the head and transported to Stroger Hospital in critical condition. The 18-year-old was shot in the chest and also transported to Stroger Hospital in critical condition.No one is in custody. Area Three detectives are investigating.

Friday Forecast: Temps near 70 with abundant sun, cooler lakeside

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:02 GMT

CHICAGO — Temperatures near 70 with sunny conditions and cooler lakeside. High: 69; Lakeside: 59. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Clear skies tonight. Low: 49.Saturday Forecast:  Mostly sunny conditions. High: 73; Lakeside: 59.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog