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Kyiv removes Hungary bank OTP from blacklist in bid to unlock EU aid

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:59 GMT

The Ukrainian National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) announced on Friday that it temporarily removed Hungary’s OTP Bank from a list of “international sponsors of war,” a move the agency said was aimed at securing Budapest’s support for the latest package of EU military aid to Ukraine. The anti-corruption agency said in a statement that the decision was the result of negotiations with the bank and officials in Budapest. A permanent removal from the blacklist will depend on the bank’s willingness to terminate cooperation with Russia, the agency said.The Hungarian bank was added to the blacklist in May because of the “position of the bank’s management to continue operations in Russia.” The “war sponsors” list was created in the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 in an attempt to deter companies from maintaining their operations in Russia.“The agency hopes that this decisi...

Gloomy weekend start, sun to end it

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:59 GMT

Welcome to our 18th weekend with rain since June 1st! Woof… luckily, the weekend will improve as we go forward. This morning, light showers are falling across western Mass and southeast Mass. Dry air is chewing away at the moisture elsewhere. This rain is part of an area of low pressure to our south that will continue to pinwheel in moisture before it exits into tomorrow.We’ll clear the showers northwest to southeast through the day. Clouds will peel away quicker for areas north and west, and that’s where temperatures will climb a couple more degrees. MetroWest will still hold on to a lot of clouds so temperatures will stay below average in the low 60s. Spotty showers linger through tonight across the Cape and Islands.We’ll continue to clear out overnight. Temperatures inland will fall into the 50s. Towns on the coast and Cape will be near the upper 50s/60 thanks to thicker cloud cover.Tomorrow is our better day of the weekend – hooray!Temperatures warm...

Stopping the Stigma: Local suicide prevention organization advocates 24-hour helplines

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:59 GMT

September is National Suicide Awareness Month, and this local organization provides a service to ensure people can get the help they need.The organization Samaritans is working to create more safe spaces to talk about mental health..CEO and President Kathy Marchi said anyone can help someone in crisis.“People who are struggling have often really felt alone in those struggles and not talked about it and so we try to take advantage of a month like this, an opportunity to talk more about something that needs to be discussed so more people can reach out and get help when they need it,” Marchi said.Samaritans provides suicide prevention services throughout the state. Its volunteers answer the 24-hour helpline: 988. The organization also has a text line called “Hey Sam.”Marchi said the key is listening.“We really need somebody to say, I hear you, I hear how much pain you’re in, I hear how hard this is for you, I hear that you’re struggling, tell me more about that,...

Clinching their division but not their lease: Despite scoreboard announcement, Orioles remain unsigned at Camden Yards beyond end of year

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:59 GMT

It would not be the first time something said in the heat of the night turned out to be less than it seemed in the cold light of the morning.Thursday night’s electric announcement on the scoreboard that there was a deal to keep the Orioles playing at the state-owned Camden Yards for at least “THE NEXT 30 YEARS” was widely interpreted as saying a new lease had been signed. The resulting cheers were quickly followed by everyone, from Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott to the Ravens congratulating the O’s on their new 30-year “lease.”But the morning after, with fans still shaking confetti out of their hair after the team clinched its division, officials from the team and Gov. Wes Moore’s administration clarified: The deal wasn’t a much-anticipated new lease replacing or extending the one that expires Dec. 31, but rather a “memorandum of understanding” between the tenant O’s and their state landlord that was not leg...

Becky G proudly shows her roots in ‘Esquinas,’ inspired by regional Mexican music

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:59 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Growing up on the border between Mexico and the United States, Becky G spoke English, but sang corridos, boleros and mariachi in Spanish. All her life, she dreamed of an album that would honor her family’s roots and delve into those genres that she enjoys so much.“A lot of the times they would tell me that I am too Mexican to be American or too American to be Mexican and that you can’t be in the middle. Why would I have to give up a part of myself to be accepted here and the other way around?” said Becky G from New York in a recent video call interview conducted in English and Spanish.Now, that album is finally here: “Esquinas” was released on Thursday night. Becky described it as “a love letter to my abuelitos, to my younger self and hopefully to the future generations.”“It’s like the cross streets of two flags, two cultures, two languages,” said the singer, who was born in Inglewood, California, and thinks of her identity as 200%: 100% Mexican, 100% American.The...

Germany’s government and Elon Musk spar on X over migrant rescue ships

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:59 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s government rebuked X owner Elon Musk after he criticized the recent work of migrant rescue ships that German humanitarian groups operate in the Mediterranean Sea.Musk late Friday shared a video that showed migrants and aid workers on a boat. The right-wing account that first put the content on X, formerly known as Twitter, praised the populist far-right Alternative for Germany party, which has taken a hard line on migration issues.“Is the German public aware of this?” Musk wrote in his repost. The German Federal Foreign Office replied to Musk directly on X, writing: “Yes. And it’s called saving lives.” Musk responded that he doubted the German public supports the actions of non-governmental organizations that take asylum-seekers from unseaworthy vessels in the Mediterranean. He also asserted it was “surely” a violation of Italy’s sovereignty for German-operated ships to bring rescued migrants to Italian territory. “So you’re actually proud of it. Intere...

3 people in serious condition after Garfield Park shooting

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:59 GMT

CHICAGO -- Three individuals are in serious condition after they were shot in Garfield Park overnight, police said. According to police, the individuals were standing on the sidewalk near the 3600 block of West Flournoy Street around 2:07 a.m. when someone inside a silver sedan fired shots.A 26-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound to the back and was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition. A 25-year-old woman was also transported to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the left leg. She is in serious condition. Chicago man accused of sexual assault, robbery captured in Oregon after manhunt A 53-year-old man was transported to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the right leg. He is in serious condition.There is currently no one in custody and police are investigating the incident.

ATCEMS: 1 taken to hospital with critical injuries after vehicle rescue in south east Austin

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin-Travis County EMS responded to a vehicle rescue call early Saturday morning in southeast Austin.The rollover collision, which caused the patient to become trapped under a vehicle, occurred before 6 a.m. in the 1100 block of Bastrop Highway Service Road, ATCEMS said. The adult patient was unconscious and transported to Dell Seton Medical Center with critical life-threatening injuries.

New pop-up course hopes to prepare Austin residents for the worst

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new pop-up training course is hoping to keep the citizens of Austin safer. The City of Austin Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, or Austin HSEM, held a class on basic emergency preparedness called "Ready Together" on September 28th at the Montopolis Recreation & Community Center. The 2-hour course covered the four steps of emergency preparedness, which Austin HSEM describes as making a plan, building a kit, knowing your neighbors, and staying informed. It was developed in part by organizations like Ascension Seton and the University of Texas Medical Reserve Corps. Austin HSEM Director Ken Snipes said, “Our residents who take this class will be more self-reliant and better prepared.”This was the first time Ready Together was held, but Austin HSEM plans to host more of them in the future. Those upcoming training dates and more information on how to prepare can be found here.

East Austin affordable housing development to begin construction next month

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The City of Austin's Housing Department has officially closed on $74.5 million to help finance affordable, multi-family housing in East Austin. Construction on Phase 1 of the development, referred to as Seabrook Square 1, is meant to start in October. The Housing Department says the 204-unit, multi-family apartment building will be built at 3511 and 3515 Manor Road, now addressed as 2210 Pershing Drive. Construction of Phase 2, which consists of  60 units of permanent supporting housing, is meant to start next year, with the entire project hoping to be completed in 2026. The development is financed mainly through a $40 million bond from the City of Austin. It's named after Dr. John Jarvis Seabrook, a Black educator and pastor, who was the president of Huston-Tillotson University from 1955 to 1965.