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Whole families drowned in a Libyan city’s flood. The only warning was the sound of the dams bursting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:50 GMT

DERNA, Libya (AP) — The wall of water several stories high smashed into apartment buildings, drowning entire families in minutes. One man, Fadellalah, believes 13 members of his extended family died. He’s yet to hear about the fate of another 20, several days after two dams burst above the Libyan coastal city of Derna, unleashing epic floods that wiped out neighborhoods and sent some of the dead into sea.Thousands of others like him are frantically trying to find out who survived the rain-swollen rampage.As a powerful storm bore down on his hometown, Fadellalah, an information technology worker in Libya’s capital of Tripoli, called his family Sunday to urge them to move to higher ground. “No one expected this,” said Fadelallah, who asked that his surname not be used because he fears reprisal from government officials and armed groups who could view his story as criticism of their efforts.“Some of them didn’t have cars. They didn’t have a way to get out,” he said Wednesday of his fam...

South Korea expresses ‘concern and regret’ over military cooperation talks between Kim and Putin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:50 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea on Thursday expressed “deep concern and regret” over a meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin that was apparently focused on expanding military cooperation as the two isolated, nuclear-armed leaders align over their escalating confrontations with the United States.Washington has warned that the summit on Wednesday between Kim and Putin could lead to a deal to supply ammunition for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. There’s widespread concern in Seoul that the North in return would receive advanced weapons technologies from Russia, including those related to military spy satellites, which would increase the threat posed by Kim’s military nuclear program.“We express our deep concern and regret that despite repeated warnings from the international community, North Korea and Russia discussed military cooperation issues, including satellite development, during their summit,” said Lim Soo-suk, South Korea’s Foreign ...

Niger’s junta released a French official held for 5 days

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:50 GMT

PARIS (AP) — A French official detained in Niger last week has been released, the French government said Thursday. The arrest heightened tensions between France and Niger, where military officers deposed an elected president last month and ordered French officials to leave.France’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Stephane Jullien, counselor for French citizens abroad, was released Wednesday, five days after he was arrested. It didn’t provide details about the release, or about the reason for his arrest. The French government had urged his liberation.Military officers in Niger overthrew and detained elected President Mohamed Bazoum in July and last month ordered the French ambassador to leave the country. France, Niger’s former colonial ruler, has refused to heed the order, saying that the junta isn’t the country’s legitimate authority.French Ambassador Sylvain Itte was asked to leave Niger in a letter from the Nigerien Foreign Ministry that accused him of...

Taxation: New proposals to simplify tax rules and reduce compliance costs for cross-border businesses

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:50 GMT

The European Commission has adopted a key package of initiatives to reduce tax compliance costs for large, cross-border businesses in the European Union.The proposal, called “Business in Europe: Framework for Income Taxation” (BEFIT), will make life easier for both businesses and tax authorities by introducing a new, single set of rules to determine the tax base of groups of companies. This will reduce compliance costs for large businesses who operate in more than one member state and make it easier for national tax authorities to determine which taxes are rightly due. The new, simpler rules could reduce tax compliance costs for businesses operating in the EU by up to 65%.BEFIT will mean that:Companies that are members of the same group will calculate their tax base in accordance with a common set of rules.The tax bases of all members of the group will be aggregated into one single tax base.Each member of the BEFIT group will have a percentage of the aggregated tax base calculated o...

Dear Abby: I’m afraid if I say anything, my fiance will halt our wedding plan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:50 GMT

DEAR ABBY: My fiance and I are going back and forth about setting a date for our wedding. We have begun arguing lately about normal relationship issues.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: Does my husband’s brother deserve another chance after what he did? Advice | Dear Abby: Her selfish husband acts like he doesn’t remember the hell she went through Advice | Dear Abby: If I wear this T-shirt, people might guess the secret I’ve only told my husband Advice | Dear Abby: Why do I meet so many dumb men? Advice | Dear Abby: The houseguests know my sheet rule but they refuse to comply He calls them fights, when all I’m trying to do is express my feelings so we get on the same page. Then, instead of talking, he shuts down and clams up. It makes me crazy.Now he’s saying he won’t set a date until our relationship is “healthy.” He says we fight too much; I think it&#...

Six-bedroom home in San Jose sells for $1.6 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:50 GMT

5178 Howes Lane – Google Street ViewA spacious house located in the 5100 block of Howes Lane in San Jose has new owners. The 2,057-square-foot property, built in 1961, was sold on Aug. 18, 2023. The $1,640,000 purchase price works out to $797 per square foot. This two-story house offers a capacious living environment with its six bedrooms and three bathrooms. Inside, a fireplace adds character to the home. In addition, the house includes a two-car garage, ensuring ample room for parking and storage.Additional houses that have recently changed hands close by include:A 2,654-square-foot home on the 5200 block of Joseph Lane in San Jose sold in August 2023, for $2,030,000, a price per square foot of $765. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Ballantree Way, San Jose, in May 2023, a 1,734-square-foot home was sold for $1,800,000, a price per square foot of $1,038. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In June 2023, a 1,514-square-foot home on Hawley Court in San Jose sold for $1...

La vacuna más reciente contra el covid-19 ya está aquí. Te contamos dónde y cuándo vacunarte

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:50 GMT

(CNN) —  Ahora que la Administración de Alimentos y Medicamentos y los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades de EE.UU. (FDA y CDC, respectivamente) dieron su visto bueno, no tendrás que esperar mucho para recibir la vacuna contra el covid-19 actualizada. Las principales cadenas de farmacias ya han empezado a ofrecer citas para vacunarse.Los fabricantes afirman que las vacunas de ARNm modificado de Moderna y Pfizer/BioNTech son eficaces contra la cepa EG.5, actualmente dominante en Estados Unidos, así como contra otras variantes emergentes.Las autoridades sanitarias instan a la población a vacunarse lo antes posible. Los casos y hospitalizaciones por covid-19 siguen aumentando y la amenaza de otros virus respiratorios, como la influenza y el VSR, se cierne sobre este otoño boreal. Por primera vez, hay vacunas disponibles contra los tres.Esto es lo que necesitas saber sobre cuándo y dónde vacunarte para mantenerte sano este otoño.Quién debe vacunarseTodas las p...

Lauren Boebert kicked out of a ‘Beetlejuice’ show in Denver

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:50 GMT

DENVER (AP) — U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert was kicked out of a “Beetlejuice” musical play in Denver on Sunday, according to security footage.The theater didn’t name Boebert, but a spokesperson said Wednesday that the video — which showed Boebert and a guest being escorted out of the venue — was of guests who were kicked out after audience members accused them of vaping, singing, using phones and causing a disturbance.Her campaign manager confirmed Boebert was kicked out but denies she was vaping. Boebert and the other guest left.“I can confirm the stunning and salacious rumors: in her personal time, congresswoman Lauren Boebert is indeed a supporter of the performing arts (gasp!),” said Drew Sexton, Boebert’s campaign manager, in a text message, adding that Boebert “pleads guilty to singing along, laughing and enjoying herself.”Boebert is in her second term in Congress and is running for reelection in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, largely covering the state’s wester...

New England has been hit by a likely tornado. Hurricane Lee is up next

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:50 GMT

LEOMINSTER, Mass. (AP) — Hurricane Lee looks poised to wallop New England later this week even as the region still deals with the impact of days of wild weather that produced torrential rain, flooding, sinkholes and a likely tornado.A hurricane watch stretches from Stonington, Maine to the U.S.-Canadian border, where hurricane conditions, heavy rainfall and coastal flooding are possible Friday night and Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday night. Areas from Watch Hill, Rhode Island, to Stonington, Maine — including Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket — are under a tropical storm watch. A storm surge watch has also been issued for Cape Cod Bay and Nantucket with the potential for life-threatening flooding there late Friday and Saturday.The looming arrival of the hurricane threatened to unleash more violent storms on a region that earlier in the week saw 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain that fall over six hours and on Wednesday saw communities in Massachu...

No sign of Kim Jong Un as his Russia visit continues and Seoul expresses concern over Putin meetings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:50 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was to tour a Russian aircraft plant that builds fighter jets and then visit the country’s Pacific Fleet, but his exact whereabouts remained uncertain, as South Korea on Thursday expressed “deep concern and regret” that his visit has focused so far on expanding military cooperation.Washington has warned that the summit on Wednesday between Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin could lead to a deal for North Korea to supply ammunition for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. There’s widespread concern in Seoul that North Korea in return would receive advanced weapons technologies from Russia, including those related to military spy satellites, which would increase the threat posed by Kim’s military nuclear program.“We express our deep concern and regret that despite repeated warnings from the international community, North Korea and Russia discussed military cooperation issues, including satellite development, during their summit...