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Erdogan says no change in Turkey’s stance on Sweden’s NATO membership

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:33 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that NATO should not bet on his country approving Sweden’s application to join the Western military alliance before a July summit because the Nordic nation has not fully addressed his security concerns. Sweden and Finland applied for membership together following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. Finland became NATO’s 31st member in April after the Turkish parliament ratified its request, but Turkey has held off approving Sweden’s bid.NATO wants to bring Sweden into the fold by the time the leaders of member nations meet for a summit in Lithuania’s capital on July 11-12. Speaking to journalists on his way back from a state visit to Azerbaijan on Tuesday, Erdogan said Turkey’s attitude to the accession was not “positive.”Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency and other media reported Erdogan’s comments as senior officials from NATO, Sweden, Finland and Turkey met in Ankara on Wednesday. The...

Stock market today: Wall Street futures mixed with Fed rate call imminent

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:33 GMT

BEIJING — Wall Street futures are mixed Wednesday ahead of an interest rate policy decision by the U.S. Federal Reserve and new inflation data.Futures for the Dow fell about 0.1% before the bell and the S&P 500 ticked up 0.2%.A cooler reading on U.S. inflation on Tuesday buoyed hopes the Federal Reserve will announce that it is skipping an interest rate hike after its meeting Wednesday.Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index hit a 14-month high after official data Tuesday showed U.S. consumer inflation eased to 4% over a year earlier in May from the previous month’s 4.9%. It was less than half last June’s peak of 9.1% but still double the Fed’s 2% target.Two Fed board members have said the U.S. central bank should put off a hike while it studies the impact of previous increases.“The Fed will see this as a window of opportunity to pause,” Clifford Bennett of ACY Securities said in a report.It is hoped that the U.S. economy can avoid a recession even after the Fed raised its ben...

Pope expected to be released soon from hospital after abdominal surgery: Vatican

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:33 GMT

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis is expected to be released from the hospital “in the coming days,” as he recovers well and without complications from abdominal surgery last week, the Vatican said Wednesday.In his daily medical update, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Francis again rested well overnight, was at work during the day and had received the Eucharist during a moment of prayer in the chapel of his hospital suite.The 86-year-old pope was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on June 7 for surgery to repair a hernia in his abdominal wall and remove intestinal scar tissue that had caused intestinal blockages. Francis in 2021 had 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his colon removed at Gemelli because of a narrowing of the intestine, and had at least two prior abdominal surgeries in Argentina.Citing Francis’ doctors, Bruni said the pope’s recovery “is proceeding regularly, without complications, and as such his discharge is planned for the coming days.”Daily Il Fatto Quotidiano quote...

Taiwanese foreign minister asks for support from European countries to maintain peace, stability

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:33 GMT

PRAGUE (AP) — Taiwan needs support from European countries to help maintain peace in the self-governed island and in the Indo-Pacific region, its foreign minister said Wednesday.Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said China has ambitions to expand its power in the region and may not limit them to Taiwan.“I think we need to unite with each other to curb this Chinese ambition, to ensure peace and stability over the Taiwan Strait,” Wu told reporters in the Czech capital of Prague.Wu declined to say what other European countries he is planning to visit on his trip.Ahead of Wu’s trip, China’s Foreign Ministry urged European countries to refrain from supporting Taiwanese separatist activities. Beijing claims Taiwan is part of its territory, to be united by force if necessary. The Czech Republic, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan and recognizes the “one China” principle, but maintains robust informal contacts. Taiwan’s high-tech companies are also significant investors...

Public safety minister’s staff reportedly knew of Bernardo’s prison transfer for months

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:33 GMT

Staff in the Public Safety Minister’s office reportedly knew for three months that Paul Bernardo would be transferred to a medium-security prison, but the minister himself wasn’t told until after it happened.Marco Mendicino’s office has confirmed to multiple news outlets that it did not tell the minister about the convicted serial killer and rapist’s transfer until May 30, the day after it happened.The Correctional Service of Canada first emailed Mendicino’s office on March 2 to inform them that Bernardo would be moved out of a maximum to medium-security facility at some point. A second email was sent on May 25, informing them that Bernardo would be transferred four days later.Bernardo is serving a life sentence for the murders, kidnapping and torture of 15-year-old French and 14-year-old Leslie Mahaffy in the early 1990s. He has admitted to sexually assaulting 14 other women and was convicted of manslaughter in the death of Tammy Homolka, who died afte...

Klimt portrait ‘Lady With Fan’ up for sale with $80M estimate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:33 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A late-life masterpiece by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt could become the most expensive painting ever sold in Europe when it is auctioned later this month.Auctioneer Sotheby’s said on Wednesday that “Dame mit Fächer” — Lady with a Fan — will go up for sale June 27 in London, with an estimated price of 65 million pounds ($80 million).The last portrait Klimt completed before his death in 1918, the painting shows an unidentified woman against a resplendent, China-influenced backdrop of dragons and lotus blossoms.Sotheby’s head of impressionist and modern art department, Helena Newman, said the portrait was “a technical tour de force, full of boundary-pushing experimentation, as well as a heartfelt ode to absolute beauty.”Famed for his bold, daring art nouveau paintings, Klimt was a key figure in artistic modernism at the start of the 20th century. His work has fetched some of the highest prices for any artist. Klimt’s “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II” sold at auction in ...

Greece: 59 migrants dead, dozens feared missing after fishing vessel capsizes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:33 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — At least 59 people have died and dozens are feared missing off the coast of southern Greece after a fishing boat carrying migrants capsized and sank, authorities said Wednesday.A large search and rescue operation was launched in the area. Authorities said 104 people have been rescued so far following the nighttime incident some 75 kilometers (46 miles) southwest of Greece’s southern Peloponnese region. Four of the survivors were hospitalized with symptoms of hypothermia. It was unclear how many passengers might remain missing at sea after the 59 bodies were recovered, the Greek coast guard said.Six coast guard vessels, a navy frigate, a military transport plane, an air force helicopter, several private vessels and a drone from the European Union border protection agency, Frontex, were taking part in the ongoing search.The Italy-bound boat is believed to have sailed from the Tobruk area in eastern Libya. The Italian coast guard first alerted Greek authorities an...

What if you can’t afford long-term care?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:33 GMT

As many as 8 in 10 older Americans couldn’t afford more than four years in an assisted living facility or two years in a nursing home, according to a 2023 analysis by the National Council on Aging and the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston.This is particularly hard for people in the monetary middle, defined by Pew Research Center as “those with an annual household income of about $52,000 to $156,000 annually in 2020 dollars for a household of three.” They don’t have enough to pay for long-term care, but they have too many assets to qualify for government assistance. Medicare also doesn’t cover long-term care. What are the options for the 47 million households with older adults who will face this scenario?From reverse mortgages to hybrid insurance policies, here are some avenues available to people who can’t afford the care they need.CONSIDER A REVERSE MORTGAGEIf you have significant equity in your home and you’re at least 62 years old, a reverse mortgage can provide a helpful stre...

China inks ‘strategic partnership’ with Palestinan Authority as it expands Middle East presence

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:33 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China said Wednesday it has established a “strategic partnership” with the Palestinian Authority during a visit to Beijing by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The announcement marks another step in China’s campaign to gain political and economic influence in the Middle East, where it is competing for influence with the United States. China is seeking energy resources and markets for its military and civilian exports, while promoting its version of authoritarian government in a joint challenge with Russia to the Western-led democratic world order. China has appointed a special envoy to meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials, but its experience in the region is mainly limited to construction, manufacturing and other economic projects. Beijing has long maintained diplomatic ties with the Palestinian Authority and Abbas was welcomed with full military honors at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing. “We are good friends and partners,” Chinese president ...

Proposed Plans for Old Famous Barr Warehouse

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:33 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Developers are pitching more entertainment and places to live in midtown St. Louis.These are the plans developers have filed to renovate the former Famous-Barr Warehouse. They want to bring apartments, office space, entertainment, and shops. The building is right next to the armory and across the interstate from City Foundry.  Green Street Real Estate Ventures plans to add hundreds of apartments and create more entertainment options here in midtown. They're wanting to be a part of a boom of restaurants, housing, and entertainment venues that have opened over the past few years. Two more development groups also want to build hundreds of student apartments just west of St. Louis University.Wednesday night, the St. Louis Planning Commission will review both projects. The Green Street Project is just west of the St. Louis developer's Armory Game Hall Entertainment Complex that opened late last year. It's also across I-64 from City Foundry STL. Southwest Airlines offering 4...