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Poland set to get more than 5 billion euros in EU money after commission approves recovery plan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:52 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — Poland is set to receive more than 5 billion euros ($5.5 billion) in EU funds after the European Commission gave a positive assessment Tuesday of the country’s revised recovery plan that includes green reforms and investments. The 5.1 billion euros pre-financing is part of the bloc’s REPowerEU program aimed at helping the 27 EU nations recover from the energy crisis that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, and reduce their dependance to Russian fossil fuels.The announcement came a month after an election in Poland secured a parliamentary majority to pro-EU parties aligned with Donald Tusk.A former EU Council president, Tusk is expected to become Poland’s next prime minister. He traveled to Brussels last month to meet with top officials and repair Warsaw’s ties with the bloc, aiming to unlock billions of euros in funds that have been frozen due to democratic backsliding under the outgoing nationalist government. The EU previously blocked to €3...

Ontario elementary teachers reach tentative deal with province

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:52 GMT

Ontario’s education minister says public elementary teachers in the province have reached a tentative contract deal with the government.“This agreement brings us one step closer to ensuring there will be no province-wide job actions or strikes in all English-language public schools for the next three years,” Stephen Lecce said in a post on X.Members of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) had previously voted 95 per cent in favour of a strike, with union leadership saying it would help to put pressure on the government to reach a deal at the bargaining table.ETFO represents around 80,000 public elementary teachers and occasional teachers and 3,500 early childhood educators and support staff.“After 14 months of central bargaining, we’re pleased to be able to bring forward a tentative agreement to our teacher and occasional teacher members that protects their collective agreement entitlements and also addresses key bar...

EU will continue to fund the Palestinians as probe shows no money is reaching Hamas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:52 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union will continue to provide substantial amounts of financial aid to the Palestinians after an investigation found that no money has been diverted to the militant group Hamas, the EU’s executive branch said Tuesday.The review of the use of hundreds of millions of euros’ worth of development assistance meant to help the Palestinians fight poverty was announced on Oct. 9, two days after Hamas rampaged into southern Israel.EU nations have long been split in their approach to Israel and the Palestinians but the war in Gaza has entrenched those divisions. Some countries unilaterally suspended aid over the brutal nature of the attack, in which Hamas killed up to 1,200 people in Israel and took around 240 captive.The joint EU funds provided an opportunity for political grandstanding, even though the money was never destined for Hamas, and pressure quickly built for a probe. Hamas was put on the EU’s list of terrorist groups almost two decades ago and fu...

Transgender women have been barred from playing in international women’s cricket

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:52 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Transgender women will not be allowed to compete in international women’s cricket, the sport’s governing body said Tuesday.The International Cricket Council said the “new gender eligibility regulation,” which was approved by board members, had been imposed to protect the integrity of women’s cricket and was also made on safety grounds.“Male-to-female participants who have undergone male puberty will not be eligible to compete in the international women’s game,” the ICC said.It added that the regulations would apply “irrespective of any surgical or gender reassignment treatment” players may have undertaken.“The changes to the gender eligibility regulations resulted from an extensive consultation process and are founded in science, aligning with the core principles developed during the review,” ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice said. “Inclusivity is incredibly important to us as a sport, but our priority was to protect...

Home sales slumped to slowest pace in more than 13 years in October as prices, borrowing costs, soar

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:52 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes slumped in October to their slowest pace in more than 13 years as surging mortgage rates and rising prices kept many prospective homebuyers on the sidelines.Existing home sales fell 4.1% last month from September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.79 million, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday. That’s weaker than the 3.90 million sales pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet.The last time sales slumped this hard was in August 2010, when the housing market was in recovery from a severe crash.Sales sank 14.6% compared with the same month last year. They have fallen five months in a row, held back by climbing mortgage rates and a thin supply of properties on the market.Despite the decline in sales, home prices keep climbing compared with this time last year. The national median sales price rose 3.4% from October last year to $391,800. “Lack of inventory along with higher mortgage rates (are) r...

UK took action too late against COVID-19 during first wave of pandemic, top medical officer says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:52 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s government was too late in taking action against the coronavirus during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020, the U.K.’s chief medical adviser said Tuesday. Responding to questions about the U.K.’s actions in handling the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chris Whitty told a public inquiry he felt he was more wary than others about the negative impacts of “shielding,” or isolation policies, school closures and lockdowns.Whitty said he was concerned in particular about the longer-term impact such policies would have on the poorest people and those living alone, and described the difficulties in balancing the risks of introducing decisive measures “too early” or “too late.”But he rejected suggestions by the inquiry’s lawyer, Huge Keith, that he had warned the government against “overreacting.” Rather, he said he made it clear to policymakers that “without action, very serious things would occur.”“With the benefit of hindsight,...

Do your research for Black Friday, because not every deal is a good one, experts warn

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:52 GMT

The barrage of Black Friday advertisements might have many tempted to whip out their wallets, but experts caution against unnecessary discretionary purchases this year amid inflation and the skyrocketing cost of living.But reigning in spending is much easier said than done. Bruce Winder, a retail analyst with over two decades of experience, recommends consumers approach this year’s season of super sales with two strategies in mind: preparation and research.“Most people see Black Friday as the kick off to the holiday spending season, and it’s true that it can be a great way to save money with some of those intense bargains,” he said. “But it’s also important to know that not every deal is a good one.”Many retailers prepare for the sale months in advance by bulking up manufacturing of selected sale items so they can be sold at heavily discounted prices, or marking down excess inventory. However, retailers’ main source of Black Friday revenue rarely comes from their most dramatically d...

Justice Minister Arif Virani says online harms bill ‘an absolute priority’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:52 GMT

OTTAWA — Justice Minister Arif Virani says legislation that will try to tackle online hate is coming soon.The Liberals first promised in the 2019 election campaign to bring in a bill to combat hate speech, terrorist content and sexual abuse material.The latest Israel-Hamas war has led to a sharp rise in hateful rhetoric online in recent weeks and Virani says that has also manifested in violent attacks on religious and community groups.Jewish and Muslim organizations say it is crucial the Liberals get it right when it comes to defining what constitutes online harm.The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and the National Council of Canadian Muslims say they have been talking with the government about the bill.Virani says the legislation is an “absolute priority” for him and other members of cabinet, but he also says it’s complex and there is no definite timeline for it to be finished.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2023. The Canadian P...

Hamas officials say hostage agreement could be reached soon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:52 GMT

Senior Hamas officials said Tuesday that an agreement could be reached soon in which the militant group would release hostages and Israel would free Palestinian prisoners.Israel, the United States and Qatar, which mediates with Hamas, have been negotiating for weeks over a hostage release that would be paired with a temporary cease-fire in Gaza and the entry of more humanitarian aid. Similar predictions of a hostage agreement in recent weeks have proven premature.Israel's army is widening its operations across northern Gaza, where they battled Palestinian militants on Tuesday in the densely populated Jabaliya refugee camp, the territory's largest.The military said forces are “preparing the battlefield” in the Jabaliya area, just north of Gaza City, and have killed dozens of militants in recent days. Troops discovered three tunnel shafts where fighters were hiding and destroyed rocket launchers, it said. It wasn't possible to independently confirm details of the fighting. A strike on...

Hotter summers, warmer winters in Illinois? New climate report offers scalding outlooks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:52 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — It might be hard to think of warmer days — especially with a strong El Niño likely to bring more snow this year and a cold Thanksgiving on tap for Chicago — but a new federal climate report shows the U.S. could face dire heat in the coming decades at the hands of global warming.The Fifth National Climate Assessment, released earlier this month, shows the planet will likely heat up by an average of between 4.5 and 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit compared to pre-industrial times — outpacing goals of both the U.S. and international community, The Hill reports.The U.S. is likely to see significant temperature changes: at 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit of global warming, the average temperature here could rise between 4.4 and 5.6 degrees, the report explains. Goodbye, snowy Illinois winters? New climate report offers dry projections Alaska is expected to be the hardest hit, with some areas seeing the average temperature jump by as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit in the coming d...