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US company signs agreement to enter retail fuel market in crisis-hit Sri Lanka

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:08:56 GMT

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A U.S. petroleum company signed an agreement with Sri Lanka on Thursday allowing it to import and sell fuel in the country, less than a month after Chinese petroleum giant Sinopec also acquired rights to enter the retail market, as the Indian Ocean nation grapples with an economic and energy crisis.RM Parks Inc. signed the agreement in collaboration with Shell and will be able to import, distribute and sell petroleum products for 20 years, the Power and Energy Ministry said. It can sell petroleum products through 150 fuel stations currently operated by state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corp., and also invest in 50 new fuel stations, the ministry said.The agreement will help “address the foreign exchange crisis in Sri Lanka and ensure a steady supply of fuel,” the president’s office said in a statement.RM Parks says it has supplied a variety of fuel brands to stations in California for almost 50 years. Sri Lankan authorities have opened the retail fuel ...

Idina Menzel, Debbie Gibson, Shanice headline Capital Pride Concert

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:08:56 GMT

Idina Menzel performs on stage during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Los Angeles. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP)(John Shearer/Invision/AP/John Shearer) Idina Menzel performs on stage during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Los Angeles. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP)(John Shearer/Invision/AP/John Shearer) toggle audio on and off change volume download audio W...

Lionel Messi’s signing sparks sharp rise in Inter Miami ticket prices

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:08:56 GMT

New York (CNN) — “Messi mania” has reached the United States, if ticket prices are any indication.On Wednesday, soccer superstar Lionel Messi said he’s going to join the Major League Soccer club Inter Miami, a blockbuster announcement that shocked the sporting world — more so since it followed rumors of a lucrative deal in Saudi Arabia and reports of a move back to Barcelona, the team that made him famous.Ticket prices have soared nearly 1,000% for some games, with extraordinary prices rarely seen for MLS games, VividSeats told CNN.It’s unclear when Messi will make his debut, but sources told the Athletic that his first fixture could be on July 21 during the Leagues Cup between Inter Miami and Mexican team Cruz Azul. A ticket on average costs $1,248 as of Thursday — a 922% increase compared to Monday’s price of $120, according to data from VividSeats.Prices for in-league MLS games skyrocketed, too. For example, a ticket for the Inter Miami match with New York Red Bulls on ...

Florida woman who fatally shot neighbor appears in court, sheriff releases details of racist threats

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:08:56 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A white Florida woman accused of shooting and killing her Black neighbor told investigators she had been threatened by the victim in the months before the slaying, according an arrest report released Thursday that detailed allegations of racist threats and physical threats to the victim’s young children.The report from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office came out shortly before Susan Louise Lorincz made her initial appearance in court Thursday by video on manslaughter and other charges.Lorincz appeared wearing a dark protective vest, answered the judge’s questions about her finances but did not enter a plea. A public defender was appointed to represent her at an upcoming bond hearing.In a statement to investigators after the shooting of Ajike Owens, a 35-year-old Black mother of four, Lorincz was quoted as saying she had problems for two years with children in the neighborhood not respecting her — including the victim’s children, wh...

Restaurant review: Brasserie La Terrasse

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:08:56 GMT

Avenue des Celtes 1What’s good? La Terrasse is a classic Belgian brasserie where you can get a slew of local favorites, ranging from carbonnade flamande to moules; there’s also a fine selection of grilled beef if you’re seeking to dig into some red meat. Beer-lovers will be delighted by the extensive offering which is sure to cheer anyone wanting to sample the best of Belgium while enjoying some time on the eponymous terrasse, which is truly a great spot to enjoy a leisurely lunch or relaxed dinner on a clear summer night.What’s not? The food at La Terrasse won’t change your life, but that hardly matters: The service staff is lovely, and the restaurant makes up for some uninspiring cuisine with its charming ambiance and perfect location. Vibe: With its glass-encased terrace and plentiful greenery on the outside and charming wooden interior, the place feels unassumingly continental. It’s also clearly a neighborhood haunt, which adds an air of t...

Polish protests — Hungary’s EU role — Sleeper train journey

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:08:56 GMT

Listen on Spotify Apple Music Google Play EN_Google_Podcasts_Badge Created with Sketch. Stitcher .st0{fill:#EB8A23;} .st1{fill:#FAC617;} .st2{fill:#612368;} .st3{fill:#3792C4;} .st4{fill:#C33727;} Acast In this bumper edition, we explain what’s behind recent large protests in Poland, why some in Brussels want to stymie Hungary in the EU decision-making process and we take you along on a new night tra...

Italy is the final barrier to a major EU migration deal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:08:56 GMT

LUXEMBOURG — It’s all come down to Italy. Rome is now effectively the final obstacle preventing the EU from clinching a deal to overhaul its asylum procedures for the first time in years, according to multiple people involved in the negotiations.The possible accord would change both how asylum seekers are processed at the border and how they are relocated across Europe. And while negotiations have been tense, enough countries — including Germany and France — had come on board by Thursday so diplomats and officials were hoping a deal might be possible during a gathering of home affairs ministers in Luxembourg.But Italy ultimately didn’t come around, leading a coalition of about 10 countries that refused to back the deal Thursday night.The final sticking point for Italy is the deal’s process for returning rejected asylum seekers, said Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi. Rome wants to broaden the number of countries the EU considers safe enough for denied...

USAID suspends all food assistance to Ethiopia after uncovering scheme diverting aid

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:08:56 GMT

(CNN) — The US government’s humanitarian agency has suspended food aid to Ethiopia after determining “that a widespread and coordinated campaign is diverting food assistance from the people of Ethiopia” – a nation where more than 20 million people require food support.In a statement Thursday, a spokesperson for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) said the determination was made “after a country-wide review” and “in coordination with the Government of Ethiopia.”“As a result, we made the difficult but necessary decision that we cannot move forward with distribution of food assistance until reforms are in place,” the spokesperson said.On Thursday, USAID and the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a joint statement that their “two governments are conducting investigations so that perpetrators of such diversions are held to account,” calling the revelations of the diversion “deeply disturbing.”The Washington Post first reported on the suspens...

Republicans set to push mail ballots, voting methods they previously blasted as recipes for fraud

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:08:56 GMT

By CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY (Associated Press)ATLANTA (AP) — After years of criticizing mail voting and so-called ballot harvesting as ripe for fraud, Republicans at the top of the party want to change course.They are poised to launch aggressive get-out-the-vote campaigns for 2024 that employ just those strategies, attempting to match the emphasis on early voting Democrats have used for years to lock in many of their supporters well ahead of Election Day. The goal is to persuade voters who support GOP candidates that early voting techniques are secure and to make sure they are able to return their ballots in time to be counted, thus putting less pressure on Election Day turnout efforts. It marks a notable shift from the party’s rhetoric since 2020, when then-President Donald Trump was routinely sowing doubt about mail voting and encouraging his voters to wait and vote in-person on Election Day. As recently as last year, Republican activists peddling the stolen election narra...

MBTA board of directors unanimously approves $2.7B budget, 7% increase

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:08:56 GMT

The MBTA’s board of directors unanimously approved the agency’s $2.7 billion fiscal 2024 budget Thursday, a significantly increased spending plan which acknowledges that revenues will be down while employee costs continue to climb.Next year’s budget comes in at about 7%, or $174 million higher than this fiscal year and the spending plan calls for growing the T’s workforce from 6,679 employees to 7,743, an addition of 964 employees not included in this year’s costs.Most of those new hires and the mass of that new spending is safety driven, according to MBTA Chief Financial Officer Mary Ann O’Hara“This budget is very different than the budgets we’ve done in the last three years. It’s unique from prior years just due to the historical investment of state resources into safety and training initiatives,” O’Hara told the Board of Directors ahead of their vote. “The FY2024 budget includes a major investment for safety and training which quadruples prior year efforts...