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Tesla’s Musk meets Chinese foreign minister, who calls for ‘mutual respect’ in US-China relations

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:00:10 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China’s foreign minister met Tesla Ltd. CEO Elon Musk on Tuesday and said strained U.S.-Chinese relations require “mutual respect,” while delivering a message of reassurance that foreign companies are welcome.U.S.-Chinese relations are especially tense after Washington shot down a Chinese balloon believed to be gathering intelligence and warned Beijing against supplying arms to Russia for its war against Ukraine. The Wall Street Journal reported China has rejected a request for its defense minister to meet the U.S. defense secretary when both are in Singapore this weekend.“We need to keep the steering wheel in the right direction of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation,” Qin Gang told Musk, according to a ministry statement.The two sides should “avoid ‘dangerous driving,’ ” Qin said. He gave no details of steps to improve relations.Musk’s visit comes at a time when the ruling Communist Party is trying to revive investor interest in China&...

Resolute Forest Products signs deal to sell pulp and paper mill in Thunder Bay, Ont.

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:00:10 GMT

MONTREAL — Resolute Forest Products Inc., a subsidiary of Domtar Corp. and a part of the Paper Excellence Group, has signed a deal to sell its pulp and paper mill in Thunder Bay, Ont., to an affiliate of U.S. company Atlas Holdings.Financial terms of the deal were not immediately available.The sale of the mill is a requirement under an agreement between Domtar and the Competition Bureau in connection to the company’s acquisition of Resolute, which will continue to operate its sawmills and woodlands operations in northwestern Ontario. Resolute says once the sale of the mill is complete it expects to enter into a long-term wood chip and biomass supply deal that will see it continue to provide chips and biomass to the operation.The agreement is expected to close in the second half of the year and is subject to closing conditions, including required regulatory approvals.Paper Excellence completed its acquisition of Resolute through its Domtar subsidiary on March 1.This report by T...

Norway says Beluga whale with apparent Russian-made harness swims south to Sweden

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:00:10 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norwegian authorities said Tuesday that a beluga whale, which was first spotted in Arctic Norway four years ago with an apparent Russian-made harness and alleged to have come from a Russian military facility, has been seen off Sweden’s coast nearly 2,000 kilometers (around 1,250 miles) to the south.“During the last few weeks, it has moved quickly and swam several hundred kilometers” before reaching waters off Sweden’s west coast, Olav Lekve of the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries said.He said it has been reported off Lysekill, which sits north of Goteborg, Sweden’s second-largest city. There was no immediate comment from Swedish authorities.Last week, the white mammal was spotted in the inner Oslo fjord where the directorate urged people to avoid contact with the animal to ensure its safety and wellbeing. Whale-watchers in Norway have nicknamed it Hvaldimir, combining the Norwegian word for whale — hval — and the Russian first nam...

Overnight fire at Austrian hospital kills 3 patients, cause unclear

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:00:10 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Three patients died in a fire that broke out overnight at a hospital in a town just outside Vienna, Austrian authorities said Tuesday.The blaze started in a fourth-floor room at the hospital in Moedling, and rescuers were unable to save three men who were in that room, Matthias Hofer, a spokesman for Lower Austria province’s health agency, told the Austria Press Agency.It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the fire, which authorities were alerted to shortly before 1 a.m. and that filled the internal medicine ward with smoke. Around 90 patients were evacuated, with some being moved to other parts of the hospital and others transferred to a clinic in nearby Baden.The fire was extinguished by 3 a.m.The Associated Press

One in hospital after TTC bus collision in Scarborough

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:00:10 GMT

One person has been transported to hospital after a collision between a TTC bus and a vehicle on Tuesday morning.COLLISION:Lawrence Ave E & Ling Rd6:57 am-TTC bus and vehicle involved-all e/b lanes blocked at Lawrence and Ling Rd–@Toronto_Fire & @TorontoMedics enroute–@TTCnotices advised-police o/s-unknown injuries#GO1218534^sc— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) May 30, 2023Toronto police arrived on scene just before 7:00 a.m. after a TTC bus collided with a vehicle in the Lawrence Avenue East and Ling Road area.Emergency services tell CityNews they have transported one female to local hospital with relatively minor injuries.All eastbound lanes are blocked at Lawrence Avenue and Ling Road.

At least 17 civilians killed by extremist rebels in eastern Congo

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:00:10 GMT

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — At least 17 people were killed by extremist rebels in eastern Congo’s North Kivu province, local authorities said. Civilians were killed by fighters with the Allied Democratic Forces — believed to be linked with the Islamic State group — in the Bambuba-kisiki area in Beni territory, said Sabiti Njiamoja, a deputy to the local governor, on Monday. “We buried 10 bodies on Sunday. The victims are civilians killed by ADF between Thursday and Friday in Kainana. Seven others were found on Monday,” he said. Conflict has been simmering for decades in eastern Congo, where more than 120 armed groups are fighting. Most are vying for land and control of mines with valuable minerals, while some groups are trying to protect their communities.Since last April, ADF attacks have killed at least 370 civilians and several hundred people have been abducted, including a significant number of children, according to the UN. The group also extended its area of operations to Gom...

Humanitarian group MSF calls for support for refugees in Kenya affected by cholera crisis

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:00:10 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Hundreds of refugees in Kenya’s Dadaab camps have been affected by a cholera outbreak as the population in the facilities grows rapidly, a humanitarian charity said Tuesday.Doctors Without Borders, known by French acronym MSF, said that 2,786 refugees have been affected so far “and there is an imminent risk of outbreaks of other gastro-intestinal diseases.”The Dadaab camps host more than 300,000 people and with the biting drought in neighboring Somalia, the numbers are on the rise, consequently straining water and sanitation services.There are plans to open another camp in the complex to accommodate new arrivals and ease overcrowding.“All efforts to ease the overcrowding must include significant investment in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector to ensure a minimum standard of living for refugees in all the camps,” said Hassan Maiyaki, MSF country director in Kenya.MSF has urged stakeholders to respond urgently to the crisis in Dadaab and address sanitary c...

US, EU criticize Polish plans for law that could keep opposition from holding office

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:00:10 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The United States and the European Union’s top justice official on Tuesday criticized Polish plans for a law that could keep political opponents from holding public office without full legal recourse, and the EU threatened to take measures if it became fully clear such a law would undermine democratic standards. Polish President Andrzej Duda said early this week he would sign a bill that critics view as a tool to remove from political life the opponents of the ruling party — mostly notably opposition leader Donald Tusk, the former EU Council president. Parliament last Friday already approved the bill, which was proposed by the ruling conservative Law and Justice party as the country heads toward a parliamentary election in the autumn.Experts say the law violates the Polish Constitution and the opposition has called on Duda to reject it.“The U.S. Government is concerned by the Polish government’s passage of new legislation that could be misused to interfere with...

Over 50 shot, 9 killed over holiday weekend in Chicago

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:00:10 GMT

CHICAGO — Over 50 people were shot over the Memorial Day Weekend in Chicago. Nine of those have died from their injuries.Two 2-year-olds were among those who were wounded. Police said both of the toddlers shot themselves. One shot herself on the 1500 block of West Jonquil Terrace Sunday around 6 p.m. Two hours later, officers responded to a call of a 2-year-old boy who shot himself in the forearm in the 7900 block of South Hermitage. Chicago Ridge festival canceled over safety concerns The weekend violence began Friday evening with shots fired at North Avenue Beach. Chicago police are expected to release official number of shootings Tuesday.

Chicago Ridge festival canceled over safety concerns

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 01:00:10 GMT

CHICAGO RIDGE, Ill. — Chicago Ridge's RidgeFest has been canceled due to safety concerns.Organizers announced over the weekend on social media that the village board canceled the annual festival due to safety concerns. A statement on Facebook reads in part, "...the Village Board made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s RidgeFest due to safety concerns. This was not an easy decision to make, but the safety of everyone is and always will be first priority of our town."The festival was scheduled for the end of July and Ted Nugent was the headliner. Related: Tinley Park police cancel carnival after flash mob involving 400 teens The announcement follows the cancelation of other Chicago area festivals. Last week, leaders from Most Holy Redeemer Church in Evergreen Park canceled their annual carnival in mid-June over safety concerns. And earlier in May, Tinley Park police canceled the final day of The Armed Forces Weekend Carnival due to safety concerns stemming from a crowd inc...