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EU and Thailand revive trade talks after yearslong hiatus

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:11:52 GMT

The European Union and Thailand are relaunching negotiations on a free trade deal, the European Commission said Wednesday.The announcement, which confirmed an earlier report by POLITICO, follows a virtual meeting between EU trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis and Jurin Laksanawisit, Thailand’s deputy prime minister and minister of commerce.“A modern, dynamic EU-Thailand [free trade agreement] would benefit both sides & strengthen/diversify EU trade ties with Indo-Pacific,” Dombrovskis said on Twitter.With such an agreement, the two sides want to boost trade and investment, the Commission said in a press release, aiming to enhance market access for goods, for example, align food safety standards and deal with intellectual property rights.“Sustainability will also be at the heart of this agreement,” the Commission said.Trade in goods between the EU and Thailand is worth some €42 billion.Brussels froze trade talks with Bangkok following a military...

France’s interior minister to force Paris garbage collectors back to work

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:11:52 GMT

The French government is stepping up its game in order to tackle the mounds of uncollected garbage littered across the City of Lights.As politicians battle it out over who was to blame for the tons of trash piled up in the streets of the French capital, where garbage collectors have been on strike for 10 days, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin intervened Tuesday evening saying he would force garbage collectors back to their jobs.Darmanin warned Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo that, “given the sanitary conditions,” he intended to “requisition employees on strike” and force them to get back to work, the interior ministry told POLITICO’s Paris Playbook.Should the mayor fail to act, the government “will step in in the next few hours,” the minister said.Paris Deputy Mayor Colombe Brossel called the minister’s request “a new proof of the government’s contempt” for popular dissent, and said it interfered with workers’ constit...

What’s known — and not — about US drone and Russia jet crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:11:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — When a Russian fighter jet collided with a large U.S. surveillance drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday, it was a rare but serious incident that triggered a U.S. diplomatic protest and raised concerns about the possibility Russia could recover sensitive technology.U.S. and Russian officials had conflicting accounts of the collision between the MQ-9 Reaper drone and the Russian Su-27 fighter jet — each blaming the other. But a Pentagon spokesman raised the possibility that the Defense Department could eventually declassify and release video it has of the collision.Defense officials said the drone has not been recovered. But the Pentagon declined to say whether any effort was underway to gather debris or pieces of the Reaper.Here’s what’s known — and uncertain — about the crash.WHAT THE US SAYS HAPPENEDThe Pentagon and U.S. European Command said that two Russian Su-27 aircraft dumped fuel on the MQ-9, which was conducting a routine surv...

Boston EMTs plan protest at court hearing regarding violent attack on paramedics

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:11:52 GMT

Boston EMTs are planning a protest Wednesday at a court hearing regarding a violent attack on paramedics.EMTs were transporting a female patient in 2019 when police say she stabbed one EMT repeatedly and used chemical spray on both of them.The patient, Julie Tejeda of East Boston, was committed for mental health treatment and faces multiple assault charges. Tejeda has a mental health status hearing Wednesday and could be released if the judge determines she is unfit to stand trial. The union representing Boston first responders says it plans to attend the hearing to ask the judge to keep her in custody.

Storm Exits

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:11:52 GMT

A long duration storm that lashed New England over the last 36hours is finally on it’s way out. After dropping 2-3″ of rain across eastern Mass and 2-3 FEET of snow across the higher terrain, we’ll dry out today, allowing for the clean-up to continue across the interior. In fact, with temps running near or above 40 and some peeks of sun, roads should improve quickly today. Although, where 2 feet of snow fell, it’ll take some time to clean up and widen some of the roads again. Minor coastal flooding this morning is just that, very minor, and as the tide goes back out, the splashover ends. A coastal flood advisory expires at 8am. We were fortunate that the tide cycle was astronomically on the low side with this storm. As the storm exits, the wind remains, gusting 35-50mph at times today. While a lot of snow will start falling off the trees across the interior today, the gusty wind does add more force/stress to the trees, so pockets of addition power outages ...

Man critically injured after being struck by a vehicle in Etobicoke

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:11:52 GMT

A man is in hospital with life-threatening injuries after he was struck by a vehicle in Etobicoke on Tuesday night.Emergency crews responded to the scene near Islington Avenue and Irwin Road, south of Albion Road, around 8:30 p.m.Police say the man was cutting across the road when he was hit by the vehicle.The driver remained at the scene.

Two transported to hospital after fire in Jarvis and Wellesley area

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:11:52 GMT

Two people have been transported to hospital after a fire in the Jarvis and Wellesley streets area on Wednesday morning.TFS crews remain on scene at a 2-alarm residential highrise fire on Jarvis St. (@ Wellesley St) – 2 occupants were rescued from a 10th floor unit, transferred to care of TEMS and transported to hospital. ^dv #Toronto— Toronto Fire Services (@Toronto_Fire) March 15, 2023Emergency services responded to calls at approximately 6:27 a.m. of reports of a fire at a residential building.The two-alarm fire had been put out and no evacuation was needed, but two residents from the building’s 10th floor were rescued.Both were transported to hospital by paramedics with non life-threatening smoke inhalation.

UN official says world body committed to Cyprus peace deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:11:52 GMT

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The United Nations remains committed to helping rival Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots reach an agreement remedying the island nation’s ethnic cleave that has been the source of instability in the east Mediterranean for decades, a senior U.N. official said Wednesday.U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo said that she reiterated to new Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides the “commitment of the Secretary-General to supporting a resolution on the Cyprus issue.” She is scheduled to speak with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar later in the day as well as addressing peace activists in the U.N. controlled buffer zone that divides the capital Nicosia.The U.N. has been facilitating numerous failed rounds of talks between the two sides since 1974 when a Turkish invasion triggered by a coup aimed at a union with Greece split the island into a breakaway Turkish Cypriot north and a Greek Cypriot south where the island...

Videos show scattered protests during Iran’s fire festival

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:11:52 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranians have held scattered anti-government protests during an annual fire festival with ancient roots, according to videos circulating online.The videos appeared to show protesters in different cities chanting against the country’s ruling clerics and hurling firecrackers at security forces during celebrations of Chaharshanbe Soori, which took place on Tuesday. Hard-liners have long condemned the festival, which dates back to 1700 B.C., as un-Islamic.Iran has seen waves of anti-government protests since September, when a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, died after being detained by the morality police for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict Islamic dress code. At their height, the protests saw thousands of people across the country calling for the overthrow of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.The protests have largely died down in over the past few months following a fierce security crackdown. More than 1...

Three-alarm fire in Queen Street West and Ryerson Avenue area

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:11:52 GMT

A three-alarm fire has broken out in the Queen Street West and Ryerson Avenue area.TFS crews are actively dealing with a 3-alarm residential fire on Queen St. W (W. of Augusta Ave). Thankfully, there are no reports of injuries at this time. ^dv #Toronto— Toronto Fire Services (@Toronto_Fire) March 15, 2023Toronto police responded to a call at approximately 6:25 a.m. about a fire at a residential building.The fire was originally reported as a two-alarm fire, but was later re-classified.No injuries have been reported, but Queen Street West is closed from Portland Street to Augusta Avenue.