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Japan hopes to resolve China’s seafood ban over Fukushima’s wastewater release within WTO’s scope

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:06:56 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Japan hopes to resolve China’s ban on its seafood following the release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant within the World Trade Organization’s scope, Agriculture Minister Ichiro Miyashita said Wednesday. Despite repeated assurances, China banned seafood from Japan immediately after the plant began its treated radioactive wastewater release in August. Seafood accounts for a small portion of Japan’s overall trade but the ban has hit exporters hard as China was the top destination for Japanese seafood exports.The Japanese government approved a 20.7-billion-yen ($141-million) emergency fund in September to help seafood exporters find new markets and to fund government purchases of seafood for temporary freezing and storage. The country is also stepping up efforts to ease safety concerns as a second round of wastewater discharge is set to begin Thursday.Miyashita said Japan’s vigorous monitoring since the...

A bus plummeted 15 meters from an elevated road in Venice, killing 21 people in a fiery crash

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:06:56 GMT

VENICE (AP) — A bus carrying dozens of people plummeted 15 meters (50 feet) from an elevated road in Venice, Italy, causing a fiery crash that killed 21 people and injured at least 15, mostly foreign tourists returning to a nearby campsite. Those who died in the Tuesday night crash included at least five Ukrainians, one German citizen and the man who was driving the bus, according to Venice prefecture. At least two of the dead were children, Venice prefect Michele Di Bari said, adding that many of the people involved in the accident were “young.” Nine people were in critical condition, hospital officials said late Wednesday morning, including a 3-year-old girl from Ukraine.Firefighters worked until dawn Wednesday to clear the wreckage. Later in the morning, traffic was slowly passing the spot where the bus burst through a guardrail and a rusted fence.Passersby stopped to contemplate the accident. A couple of locals said that the overpass was more than 60 years old and that nothing s...

Suspect in Bangkok mall shooting that killed 2 used a modified blank-firing handgun, police say

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:06:56 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — The teenage boy who allegedly shot two people dead and wounded five others inside a major shopping mall in the center of Thailand’s capital used a blank-firing handgun that had been modified to fire real bullets, police said Wednesday.The suspect was taken into custody less than an hour after the first gunshots Tuesday afternoon at the Siam Paragon Mall, one of Bangkok’s biggest and most upscale shopping destinations.Video on social media showed a long-haired teenage boy in the custody of police. Major Thai media reported he was 14 years old and a student at a Bangkok private school. Recently appointed Police Chief Torsak Sukvimol said the suspect had a record of being treated for mental illness and gave an incoherent account of his actions to police after his arrest, claiming that voices told him what to do.Police on Wednesday declined to provide more personal details about the boy, citing privacy laws and legal procedures covering children aged 15 years or you...

GO Transit rail service resumes following network outage; some delays expected

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:06:56 GMT

Metrolinx says GO train service has mostly resumed after a network outage caused major problems for commuters on Tuesday.GO, VIA and the UP Express were all expected to return to their regular schedules on Wednesday morning, with some possible delays, after an internet crash at CN Rail shut down the track signal system during the afternoon and evening rush.“We intend to run our full and regular train service,” reads a statement from Metrolinx. “However, there could still be some residual delays and modifications as we move our trains and crews back into place.”Despite the message from the crown agency, some trips were modified or cancelled during the Wednesday morning rush. On the Stouffville line, the 8:16 a.m. train from Old Elm GO to Union Station was cancelled. The 6:18 a.m. train leaving from Hamilton GO Centre to Union on the Lakeshore West line was also cancelled.The 5:11 a.m. London VIA train connecting to Kitchener was also cancelled, with shuttle bu...

FIFA set to approve letting Russian youth soccer national teams return to competition

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:06:56 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — FIFA is set to approve the reintegration of Russian youth teams into under-17 competitions and ease a total international ban on the country amid the war in Ukraine.The FIFA Council, which is chaired by president Gianni Infantino, will hold an online meeting Wednesday afternoon and the Russian issue will be discussed, people involved in the meeting told The Associated Press.They spoke on condition of anonymity because FIFA has not published any details about the meeting.No news conference is scheduled to explain any decisions. Setting bid rules for potential hosts of the men’s World Cup in 2030 and also potentially the 2034 edition should also be discussed. Saudi Arabia has been targeting the 2034 tournament.FIFA’s 37-member ruling body, including nine from UEFA, will be meeting eight days after the European soccer body provoked a rare split among its own executive committee and member federations by welcoming back Russian national teams for boys and girls ...

Edmunds: Big country, big wheels, small budget. Here are 5 five new off-roaders easy on the wallet

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:06:56 GMT

Getting away and into America’s outdoor spaces can go a long way to making life more enjoyable. But what if you need to drive on some off-road trails to get to your destination? Luckily, there are some new vehicles that can serve as relatively inexpensive daily transportation as well as a means for in-the-dirt recreation. While there’s understandable value in using an inexpensive used vehicle for going off-road, a newer model will get you more of the latest technology features and the added comfort of a warranty. Edmunds’ experts put the spotlight on five ready-to-roll off-roaders that cost less than the average price of a new vehicle and are highly rated. All prices below include the destination charge. 2024 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER ACTIV The Trailblazer is Chevy’s smallest and least expensive crossover SUV. This budget-oriented model might not seem like an obvious place to start, but Edmunds has found it to be pleasingly comfortable and well equipped for i...

Slovakia reintroduces checks on the border with Hungary to curb migration

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:06:56 GMT

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovakia said Wednesday it will resume checks at the border with Hungary to reduce growing numbers of migrants entering the country.The measure, which will become effective on Thursday, came the day that the country’s neighbours, including Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland, reintroduced controls at their borders with Slovakia for at least 10 days to curb migration.Slovak Prime Minister Ludovit Odor criticized the neighbors’ border controls, saying it’s necessary to find a Europe-wide solution to the problem of migrants. All four countries belong to the European Union’s visa-fee Schengen zone.The migrants mostly use Slovakia as a transit country on the way to western Europe. The border controls will take place along the 655-kilometer (407-mile) frontier with Hungary. According to the Interior Minister, Slovakia registered 39.688 migrants from the beginning of the year until Oct 1 — 11 times more than a year ago.___Follow AP’s global migration co...

The federal government will conduct a nationwide emergency alert test via mobile phones and cable TV

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:06:56 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — “THIS IS A TEST”: If you have a cellphone or are watching television Wednesday, that message will flash across your screen as the federal government tests its emergency alert system used to tell people about emergencies.The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System sends out messages via the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts. The Emergency Alert System is a national public warning system that’s designed to allow the president to speak to the American people within 10 minutes during a national emergency via specific outlets such as radio and television. And Wireless Emergency Alerts are short messages — 360 characters or less — that go to mobile phones to alert their owner to important information.While these types of alerts are frequently used in targeted areas to alert people in the area to thing like tornadoes, Wednesday’s test is being done across the country.The test is slated to start at 2:20 p.m. Eastern Time Wednesday. W...

Former Russian state TV journalist gets 8 1/2-year sentence in absentia for Ukraine war criticism

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:06:56 GMT

A court in Moscow on Wednesday handed a former state TV journalist a 8 1/2-year prison term in absentia for protesting Russia’s war in Ukraine, the latest in a months-long crackdown against dissent that has intensified since Moscow’s invasion 20 months ago. Marina Ovsyannikova was charged with spreading false information about the Russian army, a criminal offense under a law adopted shortly after the Kremlin sent troops to Ukraine. She held a picket in the Russian capital in July 2022, and held a poster that said “(Russian President Vladimir) Putin is a killer. His soldiers are fascists. 352 children have been killed (in Ukraine). How many more children need to die for you to stop?”Ovsyannikova, who until March 2022 worked at for Russia’s state-run Channel One, was detained and placed under house arrest, but managed to escape to France with her daughter. Russian authorities put her on a wanted list and prosecuted and tried her in absentia. In March, 2022 Ovsyanniko...

Biden forgiving another $9 billion in student loans

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:06:56 GMT

(The Hill) - The Biden administration announced on Wednesday it is forgiving another $9 billion in student loans for borrowers who have been on an income-driven repayment (IDR) and Public Service Loan Forgiveness plan. The $9 billion will forgive the debt of 125,000 borrowers, with 53,000 getting relief under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, 51,000 through an IDR plan and 22,000 who have a total or permanent disability. Those on the IDR plan have been making payments for more than 20 years but never got the student debt relief they were promised, according to the White House. The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program includes those who have been working in a government position or nonprofit for more than ten years. The relief helps only a small portion of student loan borrowers as more than 45 million people still hold $1.75 trillion in student loans, while college prices continue to increase.“For years, millions of eligible borrowers were unable to access th...