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Ukraine sends Georgian ambassador home amid warnings ex-President Saakashvili could die in jail

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:22 GMT

Mikheil Saakashvili must not be allowed to die behind bars, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned, as new photographs reveal the toll the former Georgian leader’s long-running hunger strike is having on his health.In a statement issued late Tuesday, Zelenskyy said Saakashvili, who is serving a six-year prison sentence in Georgia, is now at risk of being “killed by Russia at the hands of Georgian authorities.” Saakashvili was the president of Georgia from 2004 to 2007 and from 2008 to 2013. He was stripped of his Georgian passport in 2015 after becoming a Ukrainian citizen — and the governor of Odesa.Kyiv has summoned the Georgian ambassador and asked him to leave Ukraine within 48 hours for talks with his own government. Zelenskyy’s intervention came after pictures emerged from a court hearing in Tbilisi that showed Saakashvili looking emaciated and gravely ill.Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the move was “extremely harsh...

Turkey and Egypt reappoint ambassadors, ending years of tensions between the regional powers

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:22 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Egypt and Turkey took a further step toward restoring full diplomatic ties on Tuesday by dispatching ambassadors for the first time in years, the latest step in the reconciliation between the two regional powers.In a joint statement, the two countries announced the appointment of Salih Mutlu Sen as Turkish ambassador to Cairo and of Amr Elhamamy as the Egyptian ambassador to Ankara.“This step aims to establish normal relations between the two countries once again and demonstrates their mutual determination to work towards enhancing their bilateral relations for the best interest of both the Turkish and Egyptian peoples,” the statement said.Egypt and Turkey withdrew their ambassadors as tensions between them flared following the Egyptian military’s 2013 ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi amid mass protests against his divisive one year of rule. Morsi hailed from the Muslim Brotherhood group, which Turkey supported. Egypt has designated the group a terro...

Polish climber dies after scaling Pakistan’s ‘killer mountain,’ Nanga Parbat

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:22 GMT

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A Polish climber has died after scaling Pakistan’s Nanga Parbat, known as “killer mountain” for its dangerous conditions, local police and a mountaineering official said Tuesday.Pawel Tomasz Kopec had suffered breathing problems while descending the 8,126-meter (26,660-foot) mountain with two other climbers in harsh weather conditions, a local police official Zahid Hussain said. It was unclear whether any operation will be launched to bring down the climber’s body. Authorities said the other two mountainers were safe and returning to their base camp.Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said he had also received a report from an expedition company about the Kopec’s death. He said any decision to bring down the body of the climber will be made after consulting his family. Haidri said a Pakistani mountaineer, Asif Bhatti, was stranded on Nanga Parbat because of snow blindness, and efforts were underway to rescue him.Every ...

Business travel for Indonesians to Australia will be made easier in a deal between national leaders

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:22 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Business travel for Indonesians to Australia will be made easier in a bid to boost the economic partnership between the two countries following a deal struck on Tuesday between their leaders. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indonesian President Joko Widodo agreed on visa changes, climate initiative funding and education partnerships during talks at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo. Albanese announced Indonesians will be able to access extended business visas for Australia, increasing from three to five years, while Indonesian e-passport holders will be prioritised. Indonesians will also be able to access a frequent traveler visa.“This offers a 10-year visa validity making an enormous difference and removing bureaucratic impediments to our closer relationship,” Albanese said. “Today our relationship shifts up another gear, our countries continue to choose to draw closer together.”Albanese said Indonesia would play a critical role in boosting the su...

France returns 35 citizens from camp in Syria housing thousands linked to Islamic State extremists

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:22 GMT

PARIS (AP) — France has returned 35 people — 10 women and 25 minors — from a sprawling camp in northeast Syria housing thousands of people linked to Islamic State extremists. Al-Hol Camp — named after a town near the Iraqi border — holds about 51,000 people, including many widows, wives and children of Islamic State fighters. Iraqis make up nearly half the population, but a sizeable minority are from outside the Middle East. Part of the camp called the Annex holds around 8,000 women and children from 60 nationalities who are considered the most die-hard among the residents, and experts have warned for years that the camp’s wretched conditions and confined spaces risk creating another generation of Islamic State fighters. French citizens made up the largest European contingent of people who joined the Islamic State at the height of the extremist group’s reach. With its territorial defeat in 2019, France has brought home women and children in successive waves. All 10 of the adul...

Japan court finds consultant guilty of taking bribes in sprawling Tokyo Olympics trial

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:22 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — One of several Japanese officials charged in a widespread bribery scandal involving Tokyo Olympic organizers was found guilty Tuesday but avoided jail time.The verdict in Tokyo District Court for Joji Matsui, the former head of Amuse consulting company, was the first for someone on the receiving end of the bribes from companies seeking sponsorships and licensing for the 2020 Games.Matsui was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for four years. Presiding Judge Kenji Yasunaga said the facts showed Matsui had allowed his company bank account to be used to disguise the transfer of funds to Haruyuki Takahashi, who, as an executive on the Japanese Olympic and Paralympic organizing committee, wielded considerable influence in selecting sponsors. Yasunaga said the bribes involved, totaling about 27 million yen ($186,000), were significant and “the damage to public trust has been great.”Matsui, who acknowledged guilt during the trial, remained silent and nodded.His defens...

Dear Abby: His first wife was a ‘fox,’ and I am apparently not

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:22 GMT

DEAR ABBY: On my first date with my husband, he told me his first wife was a “fox.” I thought, “How would I compete?”Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: My husband does whatever he wants and lies all the time. Should I stay? Advice | Dear Abby: I’m mortified that my husband hung a Green Book by our phone Advice | Dear Abby: I just found out what happens at home when I’m on the night shift Advice | Dear Abby: I can’t even play with cats correctly Advice | Dear Abby: I prevailed in the dispute but it split our friend group We are married now, but he has never told me I was pretty or anything close. He’s a great husband, but these things are not in his wheelhouse.Tonight, I was watching a game show and the winner introduced his “beautiful wife.” The woman had a facial deformity, but you could tell he meant what he said. It is hurtful that my husban...

Nearly 1 in 4 girls and young women have iron deficiency, study shows

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:22 GMT

Iron deficiency is a relatively common problem, but a new study suggests it may be particularly common for girls and young women in the United States.New research from the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at the iron levels of about 3,500 females aged 12 to 21, who were part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.The survey was carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to monitor the health status of adults and children across the country through interviews and physical exams.Researchers discovered that nearly 40% of participants in that group were deficient in iron, according to the study.The problem is detected through a simple blood test, but it can be overlooked as doctors often test only for anemia, a group of conditions impacting red blood cells or their ability to carry oxygen throughout the body.Iron is a critical mineral that helps red blood...

Francia suma siete noches con disturbios: baja la violencia y solo detienen a 72 personas

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:22 GMT

PARÍS – Al menos 72 personas fueron detenidas en la séptima noche consecutiva de disturbios en Francia, que registró menos episodios de violencia, en una tendencia que viene confirmándose desde el fin de semana.Las cifras de arrestos de la noche del lunes al martes comunicadas por el gobierno, que no ha señalado por el momento incidentes de gravedad, son netamente inferiores a los 157 de la precedente y a los 400 en la del sábado al domingo.También se contabilizaron 159 coches incendiados, 24 edificios públicos dañados por ataques de alborotadores, así como cuatro comisarías o cuarteles de las fuerzas del orden, que siguieron al mismo nivel de movilización, con 45,000 policías y gendarmes desplegados.El presidente Emmanuel Macron recibe esta mañana en el Palacio del Elíseo a más de 200 alcaldes de localidades que han registrado disturbios que, según la patronal Medef, ya han tenido un coste estimado en más de 1,000 millones de euros, con más de 200 comercios totalmente saquead...

Stewart leads New York against Phoenix after 20-point performance

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:22 GMT

Phoenix Mercury (3-12, 1-9 Western Conference) at New York Liberty (11-4, 7-3 Eastern Conference)New York; Wednesday, 7 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: New York plays the Phoenix Mercury after Breanna Stewart scored 20 points in the New York Liberty’s 81-66 win over the Seattle Storm.The Liberty have gone 5-2 in home games. New York ranks seventh in the WNBA with 36.3 points in the paint led by Stewart averaging 8.3.The Mercury are 1-6 on the road. Phoenix is sixth in the Western Conference scoring 76.6 points per game and is shooting 44.9%.The teams square off for the second time this season. The Liberty won 89-71 in the last meeting on June 18. Stewart led the Liberty with 28 points, and Sophie Cunningham led the Mercury with 27 points.TOP PERFORMERS: Stewart is averaging 22 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.5 blocks for the Liberty.Brittney Griner is scoring 19.8 points per game and averaging 6.1 rebounds for the Mercury.LAST 10 GAMES: Liberty: 7-3, averaging 90.8 po...