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Behind massive seaweed belt headed for some Atlantic beaches

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:21 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A 5,000-mile seaweed belt lurking in the Atlantic Ocean is expected in the next few months to wash onto beaches in the Caribbean Sea, South Florida, and the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico.The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt — as the biomass stretching from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico is called — contains scattered patches of seaweed on the open sea, rather than one continuous blob of sargassum. It’s not a new occurrence, but satellite images captured in February showed an earlier start than usual for such a large accumulation in the open ocean.Once it washes ashore, sargassum is a nuisance — a thick, brown algae that carpets beaches, releasing a pungent smell as it decays and ensnares humans and animals who step into it. For hotels and resorts, clearing the stuff off beaches can amount to a round-the-clock operation.Here’s a look at this year’s sargassum seaweed bloom:WHAT IS SARGASSUM? A leafy brown seaweed festooned with what look like berries....

Israeli, Polish foreign ministers meet, seeking to mend ties

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:21 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The Israeli and Polish foreign ministers are meeting Wednesday as the two nations work to resolve a dispute that has led to a cancellation of Israeli youth trips to Poland, one of several issues behind a years-long chill between the two countries.The visit by Foreign Minister Eli Cohen is the first at that level since 2018, and Poland’s Foreign Ministry says it will be followed by Israeli President Isaac Herzog attending observances next month for the 80th anniversary of the World War II Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Herzog’s office had no comment.Wednesday’s meeting, particularly if followed by a visit from Herzog, would signal a thawing in ties after years of tensions marked by a withdrawal of ambassadors and Poland’s prime minister canceling a planned visit to Israel in 2019. Israel has since returned an ambassador to Poland, but there is still no Polish ambassador in Israel.The two allies have seen ties deteriorate in recent years due to d...

World Bank approves $7 billion loan to support Egypt reforms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:21 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — The World Bank said Wednesday it approved a $7 billion loan to support Egypt’s push to empower the private sector and enhance its efforts to combat the impacts of climate change.The loan, approved Tuesday by the World Bank’s board of executive directors, is separate from a bailout loan from the International Monetary Fund, which Egypt secured in December.In a statement, the World Bank said funds will be delivered over the next five years and would help Egypt generate “more and better” private sector jobs. It will also improve Egypt’s health and education services and social protection programs, it said.“We are proud to continue our strategic partnership with Egypt and we are committed to supporting ongoing efforts dedicated to improving the quality of life for Egyptians,” said Marina Wes, the bank’s country director for Egypt, Yemen and Djibouti.Wes said the World Bank’s partnership with Egypt supports the country’s efforts “to build back better by creating ...

UK opens inquiry into unlawful killing claims in Afghanistan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:21 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A senior judge launched an independent inquiry Wednesday to investigate whether U.K. military police covered up or did not properly probe allegations of unlawful killings by British armed forces in Afghanistan from 2010 to 2013.Britain’s government ordered the inquiry after lawyers brought legal challenges on behalf of the families of eight Afghans who were allegedly killed by British special forces during nighttime raids in in 2011 and 2012.Senior judge Charles Haddon-Cave said his team would “get to the bottom” of whether investigations carried out by the Royal Military Police were adequate. “It is clearly important that anyone who has broken the law is referred to the relevant authorities for investigation. Equally, those who have done nothing wrong should rightly have the cloud of suspicion lifted from them,” Haddon-Cave said Wednesday. “This is critical, both for the reputation of the armed forces and the country.” The inquiry into tw...

Once a TV show, ‘Smash’ to make its Broadway bow in 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:21 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The glitzy, fictional Broadway musical about the life of Marilyn Monroe that formed the heart of the TV show “Smash” will make the leap to an actual Broadway stage next season.Producers said Wednesday that “Smash” is slated for Broadway in the 2024-25 season, welcome news to many of the show’s fans and the Broadway community who embraced its look at the inner workings of their industry.“’Smash’ is near and dear to my heart, and it was always my hope that a musical inspired by the show would eventually come to the stage,” said lead producer Steven Spielberg in a statement.The new book for “Smash” will be co-written Tony-nominated Rick Elice, who penned “Jersey Boys,” and Tony-winner Bob Martin, who won for “The Drowsy Chaperone.” No casting for the Broadway version was revealed. The series on NBC lasted two seasons starting in 2012 and starred Megan Hilty, Jeremy Jordan, Katharine McPhee, Leslie Odom Jr., Krysta Rodriguez, Christian Borle and Debra M...

Muslims in Asia began marking holy month of Ramadan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:21 GMT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Islamic authorities in Indonesia said the first day of Ramadan will begin Thursday, as millions of faithful in the world’s most-populous Muslim-majority country began marking the holy month with fasting and prayers. Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas on Wednesday evening declared that Islamic astronomy observers teams from several of the country’s regions had sighted the crescent moon, the official start of Ramadan. Shortly after, worshippers flooded mosques to offer evening prayers.Muslim authorities in Saudi Arabia and several other Middle Eastern countries said earlier that Ramadan in their region will begin Thursday based on the expected sighting of the crescent moon.Clerics across the Mideast said the moon was not visible Tuesday night, meaning it will almost certainly appear the following evening. During Ramadan, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, and sexual intercourse from sunrise until sunset. Even a tiny sip of water...

Race issues dog ‘wild card’ prosecutor in Ronald Greene case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:21 GMT

FARMERVILLE, La. (AP) — In this conservative corner of northern Louisiana, where reverence for law enforcement runs deep and Blue Lives Matter flags often fly alongside the Stars and Stripes, the case of five white officers charged in the deadly 2019 arrest of Black motorist Ronald Greene is seen as anything but a slam dunk.So even with explosive body-camera video showing officers stunning, beating and dragging Greene, the Black district attorney in mostly white Union Parish has decided to bring in a hired gun: an experienced white special prosecutor with a folksy law-and-order bravado and a three-decades-long reputation for winning complicated cases across the state.But Hugo Holland’s background is also marked by accusations of racial bias, including new claims uncovered by The Associated Press, that make him an unlikely advocate for racial justice. In fact, he says the concept has no place in the Greene case or anywhere in the justice system.“Justice is justice,” Holland told the ...

Driver critical after crashing into tree on Northwest Side

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:21 GMT

CHICAGO — Investigators are trying to determine what caused a driver to crash into a tree on the city's Northwest Side.The crash happened around 12:05 a.m. Wednesday in the 2400 block of North Central. Police said a 23-year-old man was driving a Ford SUV and traveling northbound on Central, when he lost control and struck a tree.The driver was transported to Loyola Hospital in critical condition. A 26-year-old male passenger was transported to Illinois Masonic Hospital in fair condition. 78-year-old woman killed, 5 family members injured in North Side car crash A third man, who was also a passenger, was not injured.

Suburban man charged in DUI crash that killed elderly woman

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:21 GMT

MORTON GROVE, Ill. — A suburban man is facing multiple DUI charges after an elderly woman was struck and killed Sunday night in Morton Grove.At around 8:05 p.m., authorities were dispatched to the 9200 block of North Harlem Avenue on the report of a pedestrian struck.Police believe a 72-year-old woman, later identified as Bernardita Libot, of Glenview, was in the roadway when she was struck by a 2018 Cadillac sedan driving southbound. Libot was pronounced dead around two hours later.The driver, Christopher Harrington, 63, of Elmwood Park, was allegedly under the influence at the time, police said. Driver wanted after woman critically injured in South Side hit-and-run Harrington was charged with aggravated DUI resulting in death, two counts of DUI and driver to exercise due care.He is due in bond court on Wednesday.

WATCH LIVE | Legal action filed against Little Village Discount Mall owner

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:21 GMT

CHICAGO — Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward) plans to update the public Wednesday on "legal litigation against Novak Construction," according to a press release from his office.The action comes after 80 Little Village Discount Mall vendors were given eviction notices in February. At the time, they were given until Mar. 26 to liquidate their merchandise and be out of the mall. RECAP: Vallas, Johnson face off in WGN’s Chicago Mayoral Debate On Mar. 16, Sigcho-Lopez led a group of vendors and supporters from the mall to Novak Construction in a protest caravan against the company's redevelopment plans.WGN plans to livestream the Wednesday press conference within this story beginning at approximately 9 a.m.