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Luxembourg leader champions LGBTQ rights, chastises Hungary

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:16:42 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The gay prime minister of Luxembourg used the dais of the European Union’s parliament Wednesday to stand up for LGBTQ rights in the 27-nation bloc and to chastise member state Hungary, which wants to curtail discussions of homosexuality in schools and the media. “If there’s anyone in this house who thinks that you’ve become a homosexual by watching the television or listening to a song, then you’ve not understood anything,” Prime Minister Xavier Bettel told legislators at the European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg, France. “The most difficult (thing) for a homosexual is to accept themselves.” Bettel, 50, became prime minister of his small European country in December 2013 and married his husband eight years ago. He has often spoken about his sexual orientation and for two years, he has been especially critical of Hungary.A 2021 law prohibited sharing content on homosexuality or gender transition in films, advertisements and other media ...

US-made Patriot guided missile systems arrive in Ukraine

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:16:42 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s defense minister said Wednesday his country has received the U.S-made Patriot surface-to-air guided missile systems it has long craved and which Kyiv hopes will help shield it from Russian airstrikes during the war. “Today, our beautiful Ukrainian sky becomes more secure because Patriot air defense systems have arrived in Ukraine,” Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in a tweet.Ukrainian officials have previously said the arrival of Patriot systems, which Washington agreed to send last October, would be a major boost and a milestone in the war against Moscow’s full-scale invasion. It’s the latest contribution from Kyiv’s Western allies, who have also pledged tanks, artillery and some types of fighter jets as Ukraine gears up for an expected counteroffensive.China, on the other hand, insists it won’t help arm Russia, one of its key allies, and on Wednesday denied recent reports that Chinese drones have been found on Ukraine battlefields.B...

Stock market today: Wall Street follows global markets down

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:16:42 GMT

TOKYO — Wall Street is slipping Wednesday following some mixed earnings reports from big U.S. companies and another signal that inflation remains hot around the world. The S&P 500 was 0.4% lower in early trading, threatening to erase the gain it’s built so far this week. The Dow and Nasdaq are also falling. High-growth and tech stocks are being hurt in part by higher yields in the bond market, which rose after a report showed U.K. inflation remains above 10%. Tesla is falling after announcing the fourth U.S. price cut on its vehicles this year. Travelers shares notched their biggest gain in over three years after it reported strong first-quarter results.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story appears below. Wall Street is following global markets lower early Wednesday ahead of another trove of corporate earnings reports and potentially new maneuvers by central banks. Futures for the S&P fell 0.6% before the bell and the Dow were slipped 0.3%.Surprisingly str...

Age of airman in leaks case not the issue: defense chief

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:16:42 GMT

MUSKO NAVAL BASE, Sweden (AP) — The age of the airman charged in one of the most significant U.S. intelligence leaks in recent memory — just 21 years old — has been the focus of a growing question: Why would the nation give someone so young access to some of its most important secrets?But the airman’s age has not come up as a focus of the Pentagon’s investigation into how the documents were leaked. That investigation instead is targeting what security lapses took place that allowed Airman 1st Class Jack Teixeira to allegedly remove the top secret level documents from the Massachusetts National Guard base where he worked. For the Pentagon’s leaders, who have seen 17- and 18-year-olds serve, age isn’t the issue. “The vast majority of our military is young,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters traveling with him in Sweden on Wednesday. “It’s not exceptional that young people are doing important things in our military. That’s that’s really not the...

CMHC reports annual pace of housing starts in Canada slowed in March

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:16:42 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says the annual pace of housing starts in March fell 11 per cent compared with February.The national housing agency says the seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts in March came in at 213,865 units, down from 240,927 in February.The drop came as the annual rate of urban starts in the month fell 12 per cent with 192,545 units.The annual rate of multi-unit urban starts fell 11 per cent to 151,769 for March, while the pace of single-detached urban starts fell 16 per cent to 40,776.The annual rate of rural starts was estimated at 21,320 units for the month.The six-month moving average of the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rate was 240,669 in March, down six per cent from 254,658 in February. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2023.The Canadian Press

‘Somebody Somewhere’ finds more joy, acceptance in season 2

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:16:42 GMT

There are no flying dragons, zombies or media moguls in the HBO series “ Somebody Somewhere, ” making it different in tone and scope from the network’s larger, flashier shows. But the Bridget Everett-starring series is unique in its own right for its themes of representation, acceptance and also normalcy in middle America.In the comedy-drama, Everett plays Sam, a single middle-aged woman living in Manhattan, Kansas, who when we first meet her, is grieving the death of her sister and distant from those around her. It’s like someone turns the lights on in her world when she befriends Joel (Jeff Hiller), a religious, gay man with a big heart who laughs at all of Sam’s jokes and loves her for who she is. Joel invites Sam to sing with his gay choir and she finds the acceptance and community she was looking for. Their circle also includes Sam’s sister (Mary Catherine Garrison) and Fred, a trans scientist played by Murray Hill. In season two, premiering Sunday...

Bulgaria temporarily bans imports of Ukrainian farm produce

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:16:42 GMT

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria on Wednesday became the latest European country to temporarily ban the import of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural produce following protests from local farmers, excluding goods in transit destined for export.The measure will be in place until the end of June. Officials said it will protect Bulgarian farmers’ competitiveness amid a market glut of Ukrainian grain that has lowered prices, and help them sell their own grain that has piled up, unsold, in warehouses.Agriculture Minister Yavor Gechev told reporters that Sofia is following the example of fellow European Union members Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia, adding that Bulgaria’s market was “really saturated enough with crops.”“Our own production is worth billions, and we believe it will be difficult to sell, so we will suffer serious losses unless we take measures” Gechev said.Similar moves by other countries in the region drew the anger of the EU’s executive branch, the European Commissio...

Madagascar faces ‘catastrophic’ hunger after 3 cyclones

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:16:42 GMT

MANANJARY, Madagascar (AP) — Battered by three intense cyclones in the space of a year, southeast Madagascar is experiencing the knock-on effect of those climatic disasters: “catastrophic” hunger in remote, inaccessible areas that is gaining little international attention, humanitarian groups say.Cyclone Batsirai hit in February 2022, followed two weeks later by Cyclone Emnati. Then, Cyclone Freddy made landfall on the Indian Ocean island in February of this year. The combined impact left 60%-90% of farming areas in the southeast badly damaged and food crops largely destroyed, according to a report by UNICEF and Madagascar’s National Office for Nutrition.The suffering is felt by people like Iavosoa, a desperate young mother whose 10-month-old daughter, Soaravo, was at risk of not living to see her first birthday because of acute malnutrition. Iavosoa, who only gave her first name to protect her privacy, also has a 3-year-old son suffering from moderate malnutrition.A team from...

Video shows Cook County correctional officer beating inmate 'more than 30 times'

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:16:42 GMT

Note: Viewer discretion is advised in the video above.CHICAGO — Surveillance footage obtained by WGN News shows an inmate being beaten for nearly a minute at Cook County Jail last year. The correctional officer accused of the beating has been charged.Richard Smith, 44, is charged with official misconduct and aggravated battery following the incident at Cook County Jail on Sept. 20, 2022.In the video, an inmate, a 24-year-old man, is seen speaking with two guards for about 40 seconds in the jail's residential treatment unit.Video shows the confrontation turn violent with a correctional officer seeming to throw the first punch. After a few seconds of the man defending himself with some punches back, Smith allegedly started to knee him while throwing uppercuts as the other correctional officer, who has not been identified, held him.The inmate then falls to the ground as Smith is shown continuing to beat the man.Richard SmithMultiple correctional officers then move in to try to break up...

Marcus Stroman's outstanding start to 2023 continues in Cubs' win

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:16:42 GMT

OAKLAND — The word that fits the Cubs' Opening Day starter in 2023 is quality, because every outing he's had so far this season has been just that.For the third time in four starts, its helped the Cubs to a victory. Marcus Stroman pushed his ERA under one on Tuesday night in Oakland with six shutout innings against the Athletics, nearly matching the exact output of his previous three starts. While the offense didn't awaken in time to get him the win, a four-run eighth inning helped the Cubs to a 4-0 victory and a fourth-straight series win. Their record is up to 10-6 on the season as they look to sweep their first series of the year Wednesday at 2:37 p.m. at Oakland Coliseum. Stroman threw 100 pitches in the six innings, surrendering just two hits while striking out five batters compared to two walks. The outing lowers his ERA to 0.75 on the season, the second-lowest in all of Major League Baseball.Only Seattle's Luis Castillo is lower as he has a 0.73 ERA early in the season. In 24...