General news

• Doubts raised over US travel system during 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics

  19-02-2025 23:58 via theguardian.com
  
  US will host 2026 tournament with Canada and MexicoReport raises concern about visas and infrastructureThe United States is unprepared for the burdens placed on its air travel system when the country hosts the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, according to a report released on Wednesday.The US Travel Association, a non-profit that represents the travel industry, commissioned a report written by former government officials and industry experts. The report raises concerns about visas,
  
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• ‘It’s definitely not moving’: another bear makes evacuated LA home its own

  19-02-2025 23:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Black bear weighing 500lb found in crawlspace in Pasadena, two weeks after Altadena man discovered unfamiliar tenantTwo 500-plus pound black bears have laid claim to homes evacuated during the destructive Eaton fire in southern California.Last month, when Samy Arbid returned to his Altadena home, he found “Barry” – a 525lb black bear – living under the house. This week, another Californian reported a different unexpected visitor living in his house’s crawlspace in n
  
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• Troubled electric vehicle maker Nikola files for bankruptcy protection

  19-02-2025 22:08 via theguardian.com
  
  After becoming embroiled in scandal, formerly hot startup and Wall Street star had said it would likely run out of cashTroubled electric vehicle maker Nikola has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection months after saying that it would likely run out of cash early this year.Nikola was a hot startup and rising star on Wall Street before becoming enmeshed in scandal and its founder was convicted in 2022 for misleading investors about the Arizona company’s technology. Continue reading...
  
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• Department of Education workers brace for Trump to shut agency down: ‘Everybody is distraught’

  19-02-2025 21:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Education department meeting in wake of new Trump policies was ‘incomplete and chaotic’, staff sayWorkers inside the US Department of Education have described a “horrible, intimidating and unnerving” atmosphere among the rank-and-file as Donald Trump vows to shut it down.Widespread panic and confusion over the department’s future led to an “incomplete and chaotic” staff meeting on Wednesday, according to sources, as managers tried to explain new policies
  
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• Two Britons detained in Iran charged with spying, Iranian judiciary says

  19-02-2025 21:49 via foxnews.com
  
  Two British nationals detained in Iran have been charged with espionage after they allegedly gathered information in different parts of the country, the Iranian judiciary's Mizan news agency reported on Tuesday.IRAN EXECUTES OVER 1K PRISONERS IN 2024, HIGHEST TOTAL IN 30 YEARS, REPORT SAYSThe two were named as Craig and Lindsay Foreman, and their family said on Saturday they were engaging with relevant authorities to ensure the pair's well-being and safe return home."The detained individuals ent
  
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• WATCH: Horse and musician strum guitar together

  19-02-2025 21:30
  
  Yupia loves to practice the guitar with musician Mikayla Khramov at the horse rescue farm where he lives.
  
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• Trump and Zelensky’s war of words

  19-02-2025 21:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The US and Ukrainian presidents get into a public row.
  
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• British tourist dies after rescue from mountain trail in Himalayas

  19-02-2025 21:16 via theguardian.com
  
  Man was trekking with another Briton in Dhauladhar range on trail from Dharamkot to Triund in northern India A British tourist has died after seriously injuring himself while trekking in the Himalayas.The man, who had gone on a short hike to the foot of the Dhauladhar mountain range in northern India with another British tourist, fell during his descent on Sunday evening and was taken down the mountain on a stretcher. Continue reading...
  
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• Brazilians hail strength of democracy as Bolsonaro is called to account

  19-02-2025 20:35 via theguardian.com
  
  ‘In Brazil coup-mongers go to jail. In the US they get back into the White House,’ says one leading politicianBrazilian democrats have celebrated the strength of their country’s judiciary and institutions after the former president Jair Bolsonaro was left facing political oblivion and jail time for allegedly plotting a coup, in stark contrast to the US’s failure to bring Donald Trump to justice for his anti-democratic acts.“In Brazil coup-mongers go to jail. In the
  
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• Pope Francis shows slight improvement, receives visit from Italian PM Giorgia Meloni

  19-02-2025 20:25 via foxnews.com
  
  Pope Francis showed a slight improvement while battling pneumonia on Wednesday and received a visit from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who said he was "alert and responsive" and full of good humor as he battles a case of pneumonia.Meloni said she wanted to wish Francis well on behalf of the Italian government and the nation. She spent 20 minutes with the pope, the Vatican said. "We joked around as always. He has not lost his proverbial sense of humor," she said in a statement.POPE
  
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• US adds Mexican cartels to list of foreign terrorist organisations

  19-02-2025 20:20 via theguardian.com
  
  Six cartels added to list as part of Trump’s plan to ‘wage war’ on drug trafficking groups to address fentanyl crisis in USThe US has added six Mexican cartels to its list of foreign terrorist organisations (FTOs), as it calls for the “total elimination” of the criminal groups trafficking drugs to the US.Mexico’s two biggest organised crime groups, the Jalisco New Generation and Sinaloa cartels, were among those added, as were Tren de Aragua and Mara Salvatruc
  
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• Trump’s media group sues Brazil justice weighing Bolsonaro indictment

  19-02-2025 20:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Florida lawsuit accuses Alexandre de Moraes of violating free speech rights of far-right Brazilian influencerDonald Trump’s media group and the video platform Rumble have jointly filed a lawsuit against a Brazilian supreme court justice, alleging that he violated the right to free speech of a far-right Brazilian influencer residing in the US.The suit against justice Alexandre de Moraes was filed in a federal court in Tampa, Florida, on Wednesday morning, just hours after he received the in
  
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• Woman, 74, arrested for alleged breach of exclusion zone around Glasgow abortion clinic

  19-02-2025 19:52 via theguardian.com
  
  Anti-abortion protesters gathered at clinic days after JD Vance made inaccurate claims about Scotland’s rulesPolice in Scotland have made the first arrest of a protester who allegedly breached an exclusion zone around an abortion clinic, days after the US vice-president, JD Vance, spread inaccurate claims about Scotland’s rules.The arrest of the 74-year-old woman took place as anti-abortion campaigners funded by the Texas-based group 40 Days for Life announced a fresh wave of protest
  
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• Hamas to turn over bodies of Shiri Bibas and 2 young children

  19-02-2025 19:48 via foxnews.com
  
  The Israeli government has received confirmation on the identities of the deceased hostages due to be released from Gaza on Thursday.The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters confirmed the names of Shiri Bibas and her two children, as well as Oded Lifshitz, a journalist and peace activist. All four were murdered while in Hamas custody."We received the heart-shattering news that Shiri Bibas, her children Ariel and Kfir, and Oded Lifshitz are no longer with us. This news cuts like a kni
  
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• Four seals die on Norfolk coast after contracting bird flu

  19-02-2025 19:37 via theguardian.com
  Experts raise fears for England’s largest colony at Blakeney Point as they conduct tests to identify source of infectionExperts have raised fears for the seals at England’s largest colony after four were found to have died after having been infected with bird flu.Government scientists are investigating to find out whether the seals died after scavenging from the corpses of infected birds. Continue reading...
  
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• Sellafield nuclear site taken out of special measures for physical security

  19-02-2025 19:06 via theguardian.com
  
  Site in Cumbria can now return to routine inspections but concerns remain over cybersecurityThe UK nuclear industry regulator has taken Sellafield, the world’s largest store of plutonium, out of special measures for its physical security – but said concerns remained over its cybersecurity.Guarding arrangements at the vast nuclear waste dump in Cumbria have improved enough to allow for routine inspections from the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), rather than requiring “enhan
  
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• Italian Prime Minister Meloni visits Pope Francis in hospital, says he's in good spirits

  19-02-2025 18:56 via foxnews.com
  
  Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni visited Pope Francis in hospital Wednesday and reported he was "alert and responsive" and full of good humor, despite his diagnosis of pneumonia and a complicated bronchial infection that has sidelined the 88-year-old pontiff for six days.Meloni said she wanted to bring get-well wishes to the pope on behalf of the government and the entire nation. "We joked around as always. He has not lost his proverbial sense of humor," she said in a statement issued by her offic
  
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• Burglar jailed after being caught out by Home Alone-style bucket trap

  19-02-2025 18:46 via theguardian.com
  
  Police arrested prolific criminal after homeowners showed CCTV footage of him tripping on string tied to pail of waterA bungling burglar has been jailed after he was caught out by a Home Alone-style bucket trap.The homeowners in Northumberland had set the snare after several recent reports of attempted break-ins in the local area. Continue reading...
  
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• Israeli hostage vowed to return to his family – only to find they had been killed

  19-02-2025 18:28 via theguardian.com
  
  Eli Sharabi learned his wife and daughters had been killed after his release from captivity in Gaza but is ‘mentally strong’, says British brother-in-law“Don’t worry, I will be back. Whatever they do to me, I will be back,” was one of the last things Eli Sharabi told his wife and daughters before he was abducted by Hamas. And when the 52-year-old was freed after 16 months in captivity in Gaza, he was desperate to know if his family were waiting for him.It was only t
  
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• Workshop producing fake Picassos and Rembrandts found in Rome

  19-02-2025 18:18 via theguardian.com
  
  Prosecutors seize 71 canvases and say evidence suggests an art restorer was behind fraudsA clandestine workshop has been discovered in Rome where fakes of paintings by some of the world’s most famous artists, including Pablo Picasso and Rembrandt, were produced before being sold online.The discovery was made in a house in a district in the north of the city by a team from Rome’s public prosecutors’ office and the forgeries unit of Italy’s art squad, which they said has ga
  
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• President Trump can stop Iran's march to nuclear weapons: 're-establish credible military threat', report says

  19-02-2025 18:17 via foxnews.com
  
  EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump’s second term in office presents a historic chance to reverse the Biden administration’s failed Iran policies and prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, a new report from the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD) argues.The report, titled "Detecting and Halting an Iranian Weaponization Effort," argues that the president should immediately muster the full weight of the U.S. national security establishment to confront this urgent thr
  
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• EU warns Trump against letting Putin divide the US and Europe: 'Let’s not do him the favor'

  19-02-2025 18:11 via foxnews.com
  
  A top European Union official is warning President Donald Trump against letting Russian President Vladimir Putin succeed in dividing a decades-old alliance between the U.S. and Europe as Trump seeks to bring an end to the war in Ukraine. "It is clear that any deal on Ukraine that doesn’t involve Europe will fail," EU policy chief Kaja Kallas told Fox News Digital from South Africa. "Europe and the U.S. are stronger together, this is exactly why Putin is trying to divide us. "Let'
  
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• UK use of predictive policing is racist and should be banned, says Amnesty

  19-02-2025 18:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: rights group says use of algorithms and data is unfair, dangerous and reinforces discrimination in policingBritish policing’s use of algorithms and data to predict where crime will happen is racist and picks on the poor, a report from Amnesty International says.The human rights group says predictive policing tools, used by most police forces in the UK, are so unfair, dangerous and discriminatory that they should be banned. Continue reading...
  
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• Journalists launch legal action against Italian government over spyware claims

  19-02-2025 17:59 via theguardian.com
  
  Union submits criminal complaint to prosecutors as ministers refuse to answer questions about alleged hacksItaly’s national union for journalists has submitted a criminal complaint to prosecutors in Rome after Giorgia Meloni’s government shut down questions in parliament over suspicions it had illegally used spyware technology to hack the phones of critics instead of criminals.The legal action on Wednesday was triggered by the absence of clarity from the government since revelations
  
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• Trump's labor secretary nominee draws some GOP skepticism as she faces her confirmation hearing

  19-02-2025 17:39 via nbcnews.com
  
  A Republican-led Senate committee is slated to hold a hearing Wednesday on President Donald Trump's nominee for labor secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
  
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• Bolsonaro indictment leaves Brazil’s tropical Trump staring at prospect of jail

  19-02-2025 17:36 via theguardian.com
  
  The ex-president faces charges of a murderous conspiracy while his US counterpart has surged back to powerAt the height of Jair Bolsonaro’s haywire presidency, Brazilian activists projected their deepest desire on to the Tower of London, where Guy Fawkes once languished after plotting to blow up parliament and assassinate the king.“Jail Bolsonaro,” their wordplay read. Continue reading...
  
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• WATCH: Baby seal rescued after being found on Connecticut street

  19-02-2025 17:31
  
  A young seal has a new home at the Mystic Aquarium after it was discovered on the snowy streets of New Haven.
  
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• Hamas offers handover of all hostages to Israel if next phase of ceasefire agreed

  19-02-2025 17:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Benjamin Netanyahu signals readiness for talks on second phase by appointing adviser Ron Dermer to lead delegationHamas has said it is ready to release all its remaining hostages in a single exchange if the ceasefire agreement with Israel moves forward to a second phase next month.The offer came as the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, signalled his readiness to talk about a second phase of the Gaza ceasefire after an extended delay, by appointing one of his closest advisers, Ron Derme
  
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• British journalist missing in Brazil for 11 days

  19-02-2025 17:26 via theguardian.com
  
  Foreign correspondents’ association urges authorities to step up search for Charlotte Alice Peet, 32A British journalist has been missing in Brazil for 11 days, a foreign correspondents’ association in the country said on Tuesday, urging authorities to step up their search efforts.Charlotte Alice Peet, 32, last communicated with a friend on 8 February, according to a statement from the Rio de Janeiro-based Association of Foreign Press Correspondents (ACIE). Continue reading...
  
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• Blake Lively amends complaint alleging Justin Baldoni made other women uncomfortable on set

  19-02-2025 17:26 via nbcnews.com
  
  Blake Lively’s attorneys filed an amended complaint Tuesday against “It Ends With Us” director and actor Justin Baldoni alleging other unnamed witnesses had raised allegations of misconduct on set, support her claims of a retaliation campaign and are willing to testify about it.
  
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• mRNA vaccines show promise against pancreatic cancer in early trial  

  19-02-2025 17:22 via nbcnews.com
  
  Personalized mRNA vaccines show promise as a pancreatic cancer treatment, according to a small, early stage trial published Wednesday.
  
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• Nigeria sues crypto giant Binance for $81.5bn in economic losses and back tax

  19-02-2025 17:19 via theguardian.com
  
  Authorities blame crypto exchange, already facing four counts of tax evasion in the country, for currency woesNigeria has filed a lawsuit seeking to compel Binance to pay $79.5bn for economic losses the country’s government says were caused by the cryptocurrency exchange’s operations there and $2bn in back taxes, court documents showed on Wednesday.Authorities blame Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, for Nigeria’s currency woes and detained two of its executive
  
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• EU overhaul of farming strategy ignores vital green proposals, campaigners warn

  19-02-2025 17:19 via theguardian.com
  
  The report promises better pay and protections for farmers, but environmentalists say it will not help restore nature or assure food securityEuropean farmers will face fewer rules and less foreign competition, a new vision for agriculture promises, as environmental campaigners warn that key green proposals have been ignored.The EU’s new farming strategy will overhaul the sector with targeted financial support, stricter import standards and a shift from “conditions to incentives&rdquo
  
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• Trump endorses House GOP budget strategy and takes a swipe at Graham's Senate plan

  19-02-2025 17:15 via nbcnews.com
  
  President Donald Trump gave his most emphatic endorsement yet of the House’s strategy of one massive bill to advance his legislative agenda and urged the Senate to pump the brakes on its rival two-bill plan.
  
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• Virginia man arrested in connection to 2017 disappearance of mom and her infant

  19-02-2025 17:10 via nbcnews.com
  
  Police arrested a Virginia man in connection to the disappearance — and presumed slayings — of a young mother and their infant daughter nearly eight years ago, authorities said Tuesday.
  
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• Millions under winter alerts as major snowstorm and dangerous cold freeze U.S.

  19-02-2025 16:49 via nbcnews.com
  
  Millions of people are under winter alerts ahead of a major storm expected to dump snow across portions of the country, including Tennessee, Virginia, Mississippi and Kentucky.
  
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• Iranian crown prince calls for global action against Khamenei's regime

  19-02-2025 16:00 via foxnews.com
  
  Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi is calling for global action to defeat the Islamic Republic’s regime. Pahlavi says the regime is "weaker than it has ever been" and the people of Iran are ready to take back their "stolen country."Pahlavi spoke at the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on Tuesday, highlighting the plight of the Iranian people, calling the country a "nation in chains," and the oppressive nature of the Islamic Republic regime headed by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.IRAN W
  
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• Experts give up hope for 157 false killer whales stranded on remote Australian beach

  19-02-2025 15:47 via foxnews.com
  
  Marine experts have given up hope of rescuing more than 150 false killer whales that stranded on a remote beach on Australia’s island state of Tasmania, officials said on Wednesday.Experts including veterinarians were at the scene near the Arthur River on Tasmania’s northwestern coast where 157 whales were discovered on an exposed surf beach on Tuesday afternoon, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment said.Unfavorable ocean and weather conditions, which prevented the wha
  
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• 'Fixated' tennis fan ejected from match after leaving Emma Raducanu in tears

  19-02-2025 15:46 via nbcnews.com
  
  A man was ejected from the Dubai Tennis Championships on Tuesday after exhibiting "fixated behavior" towards British tennis star Emma Raducanu, the Women's Tennis Association said in a statement.
  
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• An ice rink to fight the opioid crisis? Some regrets over settlement cash spending

  19-02-2025 15:40 via nbcnews.com
  
  A decision about how to spend settlement funds in a Kentucky country hard hit by the opioid epidemic, offers a window into the choices that surround this windfall.
  
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• The Ugandan arts centre bringing harmony to Africa’s biggest refugee camp

  19-02-2025 14:30 via theguardian.com
  
  The Bidi Bidi performing arts venue offers more than 250,000 refugees the chance to sing, play, dance – and dream of a peaceful futureThe sound of a flute floats towards five young men in the 1,000-seat Bidi Bidi Performing Arts Centre theatre in Uganda – the country that hosts the highest number of refugees in Africa. The music carries past them to the shrubs that surround the circular majestic building and the neighbours going about their lives, the more than 250,000 refugees who l
  
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• A$AP Rocky leaps into Rihanna's arms as not guilty verdict is read

  19-02-2025 14:29 via today.com
  Rapper A$AP Rocky was found not guilty Tuesday in the 2021 shooting of his former friend. The rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, was charged with two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. Upon hearing the verdict, he is seen leaping into the arms of his partner, Rihanna.
  
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• New details emerge on Delta plane that flipped upside down

  19-02-2025 13:32 via today.com
  Investigators are focusing on why the landing gear blew off a Delta passenger jet, sending it tumbling and flipping upside down during a crash landing at Toronto's Pearson International Airport on Monday. They will also be looking at the flight data and cockpit voice recorders as well as what role the wind may have played in the incident. NBC’s Stephanie Gosk reports for TODAY.
  
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• Trump says Ukraine 'should have never started' war in Ukraine

  19-02-2025 13:28 via today.com
  President Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that Ukraine was responsible for Russia's invasion of the country three years ago. "You never should have never started it," he said. It comes as Russia launched a new wave of drone and missile attacks just hours after opening talks with U.S. officials aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Reporting for TODAY, NBC's Richard Engel speaks to soldiers from the 127 Brigade Tank Unit.
  
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• Trump and Musk speak out in joint interview over mass firings

  19-02-2025 13:17 via today.com
  President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are speaking out in a joint interview and defending their efforts to radically remake the federal government. It comes after a federal judge on Tuesday declined to block Musk's government efficiency department from firing federal workers and accessing data systems. NBC’s Garrett Haake reports for TODAY.
  
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• Record-breaking cold impacts millions as new storm develops

  19-02-2025 13:11 via today.com
  Millions of Americans are facing record-breaking cold with temperatures plunging into the single digits and below zero. It comes as a new dangerous winter storm is making its way across the United States. NBC’s Kathy Park reports and TODAY’s Al Roker tracks the forecast.
  
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• Attacks by Sudan's RSF leave many dead as force prepares political charter

  19-02-2025 12:47 via nbcnews.com
  
  Attacks by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces have killed more than 200 people over the past three days, activists said Tuesday, as the paramilitary group delayed signing a political charter that could pave the way for a breakaway government.
  
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• U.S. condemns 'dangerous' Chinese maneuvers after close encounter with Philippine plane

  19-02-2025 12:46 via nbcnews.com
  
  The U.S. condemned Wednesday "dangerous maneuvers" by China after a Chinese navy helicopter flew within 10 feet of a Philippine plane in the South China Sea.
  
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• Sweden's top court rejects Greta Thunberg lawsuit on climate action

  19-02-2025 12:41 via nbcnews.com
  
  Sweden’s Supreme Court ruled that Greta Thunberg and other activists cannot proceed with a lawsuit that sought to force the state to take stronger action against climate change.
  
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• Pope Francis slept peacefully, ate breakfast following diagnosis of pneumonia in both lungs

  19-02-2025 11:06 via foxnews.com
  
  Pope Francis slept well and ate breakfast on Wednesday morning after he was diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs, according to the Vatican.Matteo Bruni, a spokesperson for the Vatican, said Francis had a peaceful fifth night in Rome's Gemelli hospital."He had a tranquil night, woke up and had breakfast," the spokesperson said.The Vatican said Tuesday that Francis, who had the upper lobe of his right lung removed when he was young, had been diagnosed with pneumonia in both his lungs and that la
  
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