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Azerbaijan and Armenian forces reach cease-fire deal for breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh, officials say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:34 GMT

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — A cease-fire agreement with Azerbaijan was reached on Wednesday to end two days of fighting in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region, local authorities and Azerbaijani officials said. The agreement was to go into effect at 1 p.m. local time (0900 GMT), and talks between Azerbaijani officials and the breakaway region’s ethnic Armenian authorities on its “re-integration” into Azerbaijan were scheduled to take place on Thursday in the Azerbaijani city of Yevlakh. The deal was reached through negotiations with the Russian peacekeeping contingent in the region, local officials said. It envisions the withdrawal of Armenian military units and equipment from Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as disarming the local defense forces, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry confirmed. It comes a day after Azerbaijan launched military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh and used heavy artillery fire on Armenian positions there, an attack that local officials said killed or wounded sc...

Denmark’s Novo Nordisk and South Africa’s Aspen sign a deal to produce insulin for African patients

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:34 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk signed a deal with South Africa’s Aspen Pharmacare to produce human insulin for diabetes patients in Africa, where there is a dire need for the life-saving treatment.The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention welcomed the move Wednesday, saying it would “greatly impact the fight against diabetes” in Africa.Novo Nordisk has contracted Aspen to convert insulin into finished doses at its plant in Gqeberha, South Africa, the companies said when announcing the partnership in separate statements on Tuesday.They project the production of 16 million vials in 2024, the yearly amount needed to treat 1.1 million patients in Africa, and an increase to enough insulin to treat 4.1 million diabetes patients on the continent annually by 2026. Production will start at the beginning of next year.The insulin will be distributed to national health authorities and non-governmental organizations through a “low-cost...

Six Palestinians are killed in latest fighting with Israel, at least 3 of them militants

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:34 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank and unrest in the Gaza Strip have killed six Palestinians, Palestinian health officials said Wednesday, the latest spike in a wave of violence that has roiled the region for more than a year. At least three of those killed were claimed as militant fighters.The death toll from the most recent flare-up stood at four late Tuesday. But on Wednesday the Palestinian Health Ministry raised it, saying an Israeli raid into the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank killed four people and wounded some 30 others, while a raid in a separate refugee camp killed another Palestinian. A sixth Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire in unrest in the Gaza Strip, officials said.The deadly violence between Israel and the Palestinians over the last year and a half has surged to levels unseen in the West Bank in some two decades. Israel has stepped up its raids on Palestinian areas and Palestinian attacks against Israelis ...

Japanese crown prince visits Vietnam to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:34 GMT

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Japanese Crown Prince Akishino, the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, arrived in Vietnam on Wednesday for a five-day visit marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, as Tokyo pushes to deepen ties with Southeast Asia and other developing and emerging nations to tackle regional and global challenges.Akishino, at a news conference last week, stressed the importance of deepening relations between Japan and Vietnam, noting their long history of cultural and economic exchanges dating back to the 16th century.“Japan and Vietnam have a very close relationship,” Akishino said. “I hope we can contribute as part of an effort to promote friendly relations between the two countries.” He said it is particularly important for younger people to develop mutual understanding and respect for each other’s cultures through exchanges.During the Sept. 20-25 trip, Akishino and his wife, Crown Princess Kiko, are visiting Hanoi, Vietnam’s c...

Scarborough crash leaves motorcyclist in critical condition

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:34 GMT

A motorcyclist is fighting for his life in hospital after a two-vehicle crash in Scarborough on Tuesday night.Emergency crews responded to the area of Kingston and Brimley roads around 11 p.m.Police say a man riding a motorcycle was travelling eastbound on Kingston and attempted to make a left turn northbound onto Brimley when he collided with a westbound car.Paramedics confirmed a man in his 30s was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries. No other injuries were reported.The intersection of Kingston and Brimley was closed for the investigation. The roads have since reopened.

Stock market today: Global shares mixed ahead of Fed decision on rates

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:34 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Global shares were mixed Wednesday as markets awaited a decision on interest rates by the Federal Reserve.France’s CAC 40 inched down less than 0.1% to 7,281.23 and Germany’s DAX added 0.3% to 15,715.93. Britain’s FTSE 100 gained 0.6% to 7,704.97 after the government reported inflation fell unexpectedly in August to its lowest level since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has led to sharp rises in energy and food costs.The Office for National Statistics said the consumer prices index was up 6.7% in August from the year before, down from 6.8% in July. U.S. futures were little changed, with contracts for both the S&P 500 and the Dow industrials up less than 0.1%. The Fed began a meeting on interest rates Tuesday, with an announcement scheduled for later Wednesday. Traders are split on whether the Fed may raise rates again this year, but they’re largely expecting the Fed to begin cutting rates next year. Such cuts can act like steroids ...

Biden and Brazil’s Lula meeting in New York to discuss labor, climate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:34 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden will meet his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday in New York as the leaders of the Western Hemisphere’s largest democracies seek areas of common ground despite some recent differences on the war in Ukraine and other matters.The two are expected to discuss labor and the environment. And senior U.S. administration officials who previewed the meeting said the two nations are rolling out a partnership on workers’ rights.Initial hopes that Lula would prove a staunch ally for Biden have been tempered in recent months, with the Brazilian leader voicing opposition on some issues and at times even seeming to thumb his nose at Washington. That has included dismissing allegations of Venezuela’s authoritarianism, calling for decreased dependence on the dollar for global trade and accusing the U.S. of fueling bloodshed in Ukraine by providing military aid. In his speech at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, Lula c...

Attorney General Garland set to face his GOP critics as Justice Department is under heavy scrutiny

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:34 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday is set to come face-to-face with his most ardent critics as House Republicans prepare to use a routine oversight hearing to interrogate him about what they claim is the “weaponization” of the Justice Department under President Joe Biden.Garland is appearing before the House Judiciary Committee for the first time in two years and at an unprecedented moment in the Justice Department’s history: He’s overseeing two cases against Donald Trump, the first former president to face criminal charges, and another against the sitting president’s son, Hunter Biden.“Our job is not to take orders from the president, from Congress, or from anyone else, about who or what to criminally investigate,” Garland will say, according to prepared remarks. Republicans on the committee were tight-lipped about what they planned to ask Garland, telling The Associated Press on Tuesday that they wanted to keep that under wraps until the hearing....

LeVar Burton leads dozens of celebs in open letter against book bans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:34 GMT

(The Hill) - A coalition of Hollywood entertainers, led by actor LeVar Burton, signed an open letter petitioning against the recent wave of book bans in the U.S. “As artists, creators, entertainers, and activists, we recognize and are horrified by the threat of censorship in the form of book bans,” the coalition wrote in its letter sent on Tuesday, adding that the latest wave of book bans “is not just antithetical to free speech and expression but has a chilling effect on the broader creative field.” LeVar Burton arrives at the premiere of "Blindspotting," Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at NeueHouse in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)It continues, “The government cannot and should not create any interference or dictate what people can produce, write, generate, read, listen to, or consume.”The coalition also warned that it won't be long until those with regressive, suppressive ideologues shift their focus to restricting the art and entertainment industry, noting those g...

Union hockey teams prepare for 2023-2024 campaign

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:34 GMT

SCHENECTADY, NY (NEWS10) -- Hockey season is approaching. Both the Union men's and women's hockey teams are getting ready for the 2023-2024 campaign. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! For the men, it will be year two under head coach Josh Hauge. The now Garnet Chargers went 14-19-2 in Hauge's first season. They fell to Princeton 6-4 in the first round of the ECAC playoffs. The Garnet Chargers are expecting to be a deep team this season with plenty of returners. Hauge and his players can now lean on the familiarity they've built heading into this season. "I definitely think there's a level of comfort now," said Hauge. "First year you kind of feel like a substitute teacher. You're trying to come in and get everybody comfortable with you but also you're trying to make everybody happy where in year two it's just 'Hey this is how it's going to be,' and we're ready to go." "Obviously last year was a bit of a learning curve," said seni...