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Ukraine’s occupied nuke plant faces possible staffing crunch

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:09 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia plans to relocate around 2,700 Ukrainian staff from Europe’s largest nuclear plant, Ukraine’s atomic energy company claimed Wednesday, warning of a potential “catastrophic lack of qualified personnel” at the Zaporizhzhia facility in Russia-occupied southern Ukraine.Workers who signed employment contracts with Russia’s nuclear agency Rosatom following Moscow’s capture of the Zaporizhzhia plant early in the war are set to be taken to Russia along with their families, Energoatom said in a Telegram post. Energoatom did not specify whether the employees would be forcibly moved out of the plant nor was it immediately possible to verify Energoatom’s claims about Moscow’s plan. Removing staff would “exacerbate the already extremely urgent issue” of staff shortages, Energoatom said.The Moscow-installed governor of the region ordered civilian evacuations from the area last Saturday, including from the nearby city of Enerhodar where most plant workers live. The full...

Israel: Rocket attack underway from Gaza on southern Israel

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:09 GMT

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday fired several barrages of rocket fire into southern Israel, in their first response to a series of Israeli airstrikes that have killed a total of 16 Palestinians, including three senior militants and at least 10 civilians.The rocket fire set off air-raid sirens throughout southern Israel, where residents had been bracing for an attack since Israel carried out its first airstrikes early Tueday. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.Earlier Wednesday, Israeli aircraft struck targets in Gaza a second straight day on Wednesday, killing at least one Palestinian and pushing the region closer toward a new round of heavy fighting.Tuesday’s strikes killed three senior Islamic Jihad militants and at least 10 civilians — most of them women and children. Palestinian militants have pledged to retaliate while Israel says it is prepared for a further escalation of hostilities.The Israeli militar...

Swiss villagers told to evacuate over Alpine rockslide alert

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:09 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — Authorities in eastern Switzerland have ordered residents of the tiny village of Brienz to evacuate by Friday evening because geology experts say a mass of 2 million cubic meters of Alpine rock looming overhead could break loose and spill down in coming weeks. Local leaders told a town hall and press event on Tuesday that residents would have to leave by 6 p.m. on Friday, but could return to the village from time to time starting Saturday, depending on the risk level, but not stay overnight. Officials say measurements indicated a “strong acceleration over a large area” in recent days, and “up to 2 million cubic meters of rock material will collapse or slide in the coming seven to 24 days.”The centuries-old village straddles German- and Romansch-speaking parts of the eastern Graubunden region, sitting southwest of Davos at an altitude of about 1,150 meters (about 3,800 feet). Today it has under 100 residents. Locals say the mountain and the rocks on it have been m...

Catholic, Orthodox Coptic popes offer joint Vatican blessing

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:09 GMT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis and the Orthodox Coptic pope, Tawadros II, delivered a joint blessing Wednesday from St. Peter’s Square in a significant ecumenical gesture to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a historic meeting of their predecessors.Tawadros, the Orthodox Coptic patriarch of Alexandria, in Egypt, joined Francis on the stage for the entirety of Francis’ weekly general audience. He delivered a lengthy speech at the start in Arabic and then joined Francis in blessing the crowd at the end on a rainy Wednesday morning.In welcoming Tawadros to the Vatican, Francis recalled that Wednesday marked the 50th anniversary of the meeting of St. Paul VI and Pope Shenouda III, a first between a Catholic and Orthodox Coptic pope. During that May 10, 1973, encounter, the two popes signed a joint statement on their shared faith in Christ and their rejection of proselytism, while also voicing concern for the plight of the Palestinian people and calling for peace in the Middle East.S...

Edmunds compares: Honda Pilot vs. Hyundai Palisade

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:09 GMT

The Honda Pilot first joined the automaker’s lineup for the 2003 model year and it’s been a popular choice for midsize crossover SUV shoppers ever since. Twenty years later, the 2023 Pilot enters its fourth generation with updated front and rear styling for a more truck-like shape than its predecessor. This more rugged design is highlighted by the new-for-2023 off-road-themed TrailSport trim.In comparison, the Hyundai Palisade is a relative newcomer among midsize three-row SUVs. Introduced in 2020, the Palisade made a name for itself thanks to its spacious cabin and many standard features. For 2023, the Palisade gets an exterior makeover along with a tougher-looking trim called XRT, an upgraded touchscreen interface and more available features.The experts at Edmunds put these practical three-row SUVs in a head-to-head comparison to see which is the better choice.PERFORMANCE AND DRIVING The Honda Pilot’s 3.5-liter V6 delivers 285 horsepower to the wheels courtesy of a 10-speed automa...

Woman killed in early morning Etobicoke shooting; male suspect fled on foot

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:09 GMT

A woman is dead and police are searching for a suspect after an early morning shooting in Etobicoke.Toronto police responded to the area of Manitoba Street and Legion Road around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday for reports of “unknown trouble.”Upon arrival, officers located a woman suffering from gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene.Police say a male suspect was seen fleeing the area on foot. No suspect description has been released.The homicide unit has taken over the investigation.UNKNOWN TROUBLE:Manitoba St & Legion Rd N4:32 am-woman has succumbed to her injuries-pronounced deceased-injuries consistent with a shooting-male suspect was seen fleeing from the scene-Homicide now investigating#GO1041455^sc— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) May 10, 2023  

Fire danger continues to be ‘extreme’ in most parts of Alberta

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:09 GMT

Firefighters from Ontario are on their way to Alberta to help battle the raging wildfires that have forced thousands from their homes, and sent smoke as far away as the GTA.As of early Wednesday morning, Alberta’s wildfire status dashboard was reporting 81 active wildfires in the province, including 27 listed as out of control.Firefighters from Yukon, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec have arrived in the province to help, and the government said late Tuesday that crews were also expected from New Brunswick, Oregon and Alaska.The province says fire danger continues to be extreme in most of the province except the Rockies, where lower danger levels were expected.Some areas have experienced cooler temperatures and some rain, but the government says a return to hot and windy conditions is expected in the coming days.Indigenous Services Canada said Tuesday that nine First Nations were under threat by active wildfires.One of them was Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, about 360 kilometre...

Ukrainian singer Jamala to perform new album for Eurovision

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:09 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Jamala and the orchestra were supposed be on stage, but they are sheltering in a basement.Warnings of shelling and missile attacks had them below ground at the Kyiv Opera House instead of getting ready to perform for an audience.The Ukrainian singer was at the venue to debut a selection of songs from her new album “Qirim” — a collection of Crimean Tatar tracks that was years in the making.Musicians, sound engineers and lighting technicians were sheltering with her, waiting for the air raid threat to pass.“It’s not normal, but, you know, it’s our life. It’s our everyday life in Kyiv,” Jamala said, speaking in the U.K. the following week.And the show did go on, if a little late. “For me, it was really important sign for the whole world that despite of everything, we are fighting our front-line war, (for) our culture, our heritage, for our history,” she said of the concert in Kyiv last Friday.“Qirim” expands on the connection Jamala felt with her heritage when she perform...

Five challenges educators face amid Teacher Appreciation Week

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:09 GMT

(The Hill) - Educators across the country are celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week amid a bevy of challenges facing their profession, some long-standing and others lingering from recent struggles with COVID-19.While teachers take advantage of the discounts and deals from companies and occasional gifts from students this week, they are also using the extra attention to highlight problems in their field. Here are five challenges educators are currently facing:Fights for pay increases Teachers have long called for higher salaries, arguing they are underpaid for the amount of work they do and in some cases can't afford to live in the communities they serve.A report released last year by the National Education Association found that in the past decade, adjusting for inflation, a classroom teacher’s salary decreased by 3.8 percent. “There is no better way to appreciate teachers than to pay them appropriately,” Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teach...

Trump to appear at CNN town hall day after sex assault verdict

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:09 GMT

Former President Donald Trump will return to CNN's airwaves on Wednesday, joining the network for a two-hour town hall event in early-voting New Hampshire a day after a civil jury found him liable for sexually assaulting an advice columnist nearly three decades ago.The forum, which was publicly announced last week, was expected to be notable because it would be bringing together a network and a candidate who have long sparred with each other. But the stakes raised considerably Tuesday after jurors in New York found Trump had sexually abused and defamed E. Jean Carroll, though it rejected her claim that he raped her. The jury awarded her $5 million in damages. Trump’s 2024 bid faces fresh uncertainty after E. Jean Carroll verdict While the civil trial verdict carries no criminal penalties, it nonetheless revives attention on the myriad investigations facing Trump, who was indicted in New York in March for hush money payments made to women who had accused him of sexual enc...