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UK wants Sudan cease-fire to get British nationals out

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:39:28 GMT

LONDON — A cease-fire between the two military factions fighting for supremacy in Sudan is the best way to guarantee the safety of British nationals in the northern African country, a Foreign Office minister said, as the U.K. readies a mass evacuation.U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is on Monday chairing an urgent meeting with ministers on the government’s response to the situation in Sudan, where about 2,000 British citizens remain trapped. The figure could be around 4,000 counting British and dual nationals, according to Andrew Mitchell, the U.K. minister for development and Africa.“We are looking at every single possible option for extracting them,” Mitchell told the House of Commons during an urgent question Monday afternoon. “Movement around the capital remains extremely dangerous and no evacuation option comes without grave risk to life.”British troops have reportedly already flown to Port Sudan, on the Red Sea, to carry out reconnaissance work, but Mitchell refused to co...

‘Dozens’ of Americans have expressed interest in leaving Sudan, Blinken says

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:39:28 GMT

(CNN) — “Dozens” of Americans have expressed interest in leaving Sudan, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday.Although a number of nations are evacuating their citizens, US officials have repeatedly said they do not plan to evacuate Americans from the country due to conditions on the ground.National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told CNN’s “This Morning” Monday the situation in Sudan “is not conducive and not safe to try to conduct some kind of a larger military evacuation of American citizens.”The United States does not have specific counts of how many Americans are in Sudan, the top US diplomat said, “because Americans are not required to register” with the US State Department.“We do know of course the number of Americans who have registered with us, and with whom we’re in very active touch, communication. Of those, I would say some dozens have expressed an interest in leaving,”...

Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo set to return for Game 4; Nikola Jovic back in Heat mix

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:39:28 GMT

The news was major for the Milwaukee Bucks and relatively minor for the Miami Heat on the injury front for the two teams ahead of Monday night’s Game 4 in their opening-round Eastern Conference playoff series at Kaseya Center.Bucks All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to the court Monday morning for the Bucks’ shootaround, the latest step in his recovery from the lower-back contusion sustained in the Heat’s Game 1 victory a week ago Sunday in Milwaukee.The teams then split the two games in his absence, with the Heat taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series into Monday night.Antetokounmpo had been slowly working his way back from the injury, doing individual work at Kaseya Center with Bucks coaches Sunday prior to his team’s video session.The Heat went into Monday 3-0 this season at Kaseya Center in Bucks games that Antetokounmpo had missed, with the MVP finalist having missed both of Milwaukee’s games on the Heat court during the regular...

Can therapy help make you richer?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:39:28 GMT

Therapy can help improve your mental health, your stress levels and maybe even your relationship with your mom. It may also help improve your financial situation — a benefit many may not be aware of.According to 2018 data featured in the European Economic Review, men may expect a 12.4% increase in income from consulting a psychotherapist, while women may expect to see an 8.1% increase in income.How therapy can increase incomeHow exactly can therapy help increase your income? Therapy is a tool for healing your mental health, the same way visiting a doctor can heal your physical health.If you’re struggling with your mental health, you may not be able to fully focus on or even prioritize your work. This can make it more difficult to perform well, receive raises or get promoted.It won’t happen overnight, but if you can use therapy to address the root causes of why you struggle financially, or what’s making it difficult for you to prioritize your work, you might find yourself making more...

Pennsylvania state police issue warrant for ‘Jackass’ star Bam Margera after alleged assault

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:39:28 GMT

Pennsylvania State Police are asking for the public’s assistance in searching for former “Jackass” star and skateboarding legend Brandon “Bam” Margera after an altercation at his home in Pocopson, Chester County.State police at Avondale on Sunday issued a news release saying that an arrest warrant was issued for Margera from the District Court in Kennett Square, charging him with terroristic threats and simple assault.According to his mother, April Margera, the target of Margera’s ire was his younger brother, Jess.“We don’t know where he is,” April Margera said Monday morning in a telephone interview, referring to Bam. “He is just struggling with so many layers of issues.” She said his brother had gone to the property on Hickory Hill Road — known in the past as “Castle Bam” — because of a recent “episode.”April Margera said the “Viva La Bam” reality television star had dealt for years with alcohol abuse and mental health issues, and had been living in Florida and California before r...

European leaders commit to more wind energy production

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:39:28 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — A group of Western European nations led by Germany and France on Monday committed to massively ramp up the production of clean energy from wind turbines in the North Sea, to both meet climate targets and reduce their strategic energy dependence on Russia.Their leaders also vowed to improve security around the growing underwater electricity grid so it cannot fall victim to hybrid threats. Fears of such attacks have increased since the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year.“The offshore windmills, but also the cables and the pipes on the ground, are prone to sabotage or espionage,” Belgian Prime Minister and summit host Alexander De Croo said.Energy independence was also high on the leaders’ priorities.“We’ve seen over the past months what the impact is if you are too dependent on outsiders for the supply of energy,” De Croo said, referring to the energy supply crunch over the winter when EU nations decided to start sidestepping Russian fossil fuels followi...

Head of Alberta Energy Regulator declines to say when province told of oilsands leak

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:39:28 GMT

OTTAWA — The head of the Alberta Energy Regulator has declined to tell a parliamentary committee when the provincial government was informed of releases from an oilsands tailings pond.Laurie Pushor told the environment and sustainable development committee he doesn’t want to jeopardize a probe by a third-party contractor hired by the regulator’s board.Pushor was facing questions from Edmonton New Democrat MP Heather McPherson.Before Pushor spoke, McPherson requested that he testify under oath, the only witness to do so in three days of hearings.The committee is looking into why governments and area First Nations weren’t kept updated on seepage from a tailings pond at Imperial Oil’s Kearl oilsands mine.Pushor has apologized for that delay and pledged improvement. Representatives from two of those First Nations told the committee they don’t trust the Alberta regulator and called for a stronger role in managing the industry’s environmental impacts. T...

Pakistani police say 2 blasts at facility in NW kill 7

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:39:28 GMT

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Two explosions Monday at a counterterrorism police facility in northwest Pakistan killed at least seven people and wounded 45, police said.Senior police officer Ataullah Khan said an initial blast at the facility in the Swat Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was followed by a larger, more intense one.No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but in recent months, the Pakistani Taliban have claimed similar attacks after ending a cease-fire with the government.Khan said part of the building collapsed and rescue workers retrieved three bodies and the 30 wounded people. He said the death toll could increase.The police complex also houses the Kabal district police station and headquarters of a reserve police force but the main damage was done at the counterterrorism department building. The picturesque Swat valley once had been the stronghold of Islamic militants who imposed strict Sharia rule there until the army carried out a massive operati...

Israeli police: 5 wounded in ramming near Jerusalem market

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:39:28 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — A car ramming attack Monday near a popular Jerusalem market wounded five people and the Palestinian driver was shot and killed, Israeli police said, as the country memorialized its fallen soldiers. The statement said the driver of the car was shot and killed at the scene near the bustling, open-air Mahane Yehuda market. A 70-year-old man was in serious condition, police said. It was the latest bloodshed in a yearlong wave of near-daily violence that has gripped the region.The Magen David Adom medical service said five injured people in Jerusalem were transferred from the scene of the car ramming to a hospital. Israeli media identified the attacker as Hatem Nejima, 39, a married father of five from a Palestinian section of east Jerusalem, who may have suffered from mental illness.Police said the attacker “deliberately hit several pedestrians, some of whom were crossing the road,” and attempted to drive backwards before a bystander shot and killed him. The police stat...

Toronto dog left abandoned with note from owner gets adopted by new family

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:39:28 GMT

Max, a three-year-old dog that was abandoned and left with a note from his owner pleading to help him find a good home, was adopted last week, the Toronto Humane Society says.Max, described in the note as a “very smart” dog who is “good with kids,” was found at the Primrose Avenue Parkette near an off-leash dog park on Monday, April 3.The note revealed that the owner lost their job and apartment and couldn’t afford to care for Max.“He’s a good boy,” the note concluded.A handwritten note was left with four-year-old pet dog Max, found abandoned on Monday. Credit: Toronto Humane Society.Fortunately, this story has a happy ending. The Toronto Humane Society confirmed that Max was adopted on Friday, April 21.“His new family already loves him so much, and he has a new dog sibling too!” the humane society mentioned in a news release.Toronto Humane Society offers urgent care program for familiesBefore Max’s adoption, staff at...