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Ex-Treasury Secretary Lew, Biden’s pick to be US envoy to Israel, faces Senate confirmation hearing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:24 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is moving quickly to confirm Jacob Lew as ambassador to Israel, holding a hearing on his nomination Wednesday as President Joe Biden visits the region to reinforce U.S. support for Israel and try to ease tensions in its new war with Hamas. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing comes as the White House has told lawmakers that it is considering a request of between $90 billion and $100 billion for the wars in Israel and Ukraine and for Taiwan as it faces threats from China, according to four people familiar with the conversations. The request to Congress would cover a year, according to another person familiar with the Biden administration’s expected request. They were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter because the amount of the funding request is not final and they spoke on condition of anonymity.Lew, a treasury secretary under President Barack Obama, was nominated by Biden last month after Tom Nides left as ambassador in July. Democra...

CMHC reports annual pace of housing starts up in September

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:24 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says the annual pace of housing starts in September rose eight per cent compared with August.The housing agency says the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts in September came in at 270,466 units, up from 250,383 in August.The increase came as the annual pace of urban housing starts rose nine per cent to 250,766 in September. The annual pace of multi-unit urban starts gained 10 per cent at 207,689, while the rate of single-detached urban starts increased three per cent to 43,077 in September.The annual rate of rural starts was estimated at 19,700 units.The six-month moving average of the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts in September was 254,006, up 3.9 per cent from 244,511 in August.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2023.The Canadian Press

German soccer club Mainz suspends player for ‘unacceptable’ social media post about Israel-Hamas war

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:24 GMT

MAINZ, Germany (AP) — Bundesliga soccer club Mainz has suspended Dutch forward Anwar El Ghazi for what it called an “unacceptable” social media post about the Israel-Hamas war.The club said on its website that it has “relieved Anwar El Ghazi of his training and matchday related duties” because of a post he shared Sunday that he since deleted. It does not say what the post contained, nor whether the player will return to play for the club.Mainz spokesperson Silke Bannick declined Wednesday to give further details, saying only that El Ghazi was “released from training and matchday activities. Please understand that we will not comment further beyond the official statement.”On its website, Mainz said: “In the post, El Ghazi stated an opinion on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East that was deemed unacceptable by the club. Prior to making this decision, the club and the player had engaged in an in-depth discussion.”The 28-year-old El Ghazi, who previously played for PSV Eindhoven, As...

Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh plans to expand with a $45 million event venue

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:24 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh has announced plans to expand with a $45 million events venue.The entertainment project is part of the museum’s ‘Pop District’ initiative and would be built on an existing museum parking lot, according to Dan Law, the museum’s associate director. Museum officials presented plans for the project to the city’s Planning Commission on Tuesday.The proposed site would be around 58,000 square feet (17,500 square meters), including a first-floor concert venue with standing room for up to 1,000 people, a second-floor mezzanine, and an events space that could hold up to 360 people on the fourth floor. The third floor would be used for offices and support spaces.Rick Armstrong, a museum spokesman, said work on the project could begin as soon as spring 2024, but the timelines are “still flexible” as the project moves through the planning and design processes.The Associated Press

Deadly attack in Belgium ignites fierce debate on failures of deportation policy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:24 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The alleged attacker who killed two Swedish soccer fans in Brussels this week before he was shot dead by police resided in Belgium illegally and should have left Belgium three years ago.He never did.In a country that has been repeatedly rocked by extremist attacks, the government’s inability to deport the 45-year-old Tunisian national and prevent him from carrying out the attack is sparking a fierce political debate.Many questions remained unanswered as Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson traveled to Brussels on Wednesday to attend a ceremony paying tribute to the victims and meet his Belgian counterpart Alexander De Croo. How was a man who was on police files, thought to be radicalized and being sought for deportation, able to remain on Belgian soil? How did he obtain a semiautomatic rifle and launch such an attack?Investigators are still trying to determine the motive for Monday night’s attack, which happened not far from where Belgium’s men’s soccer team was h...

The chief suspect in the Natalee Holloway case is expected to plead guilty in extortion charge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:24 GMT

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The chief suspect in Natalee Holloway’s 2005 disappearance is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday morning, where he is expected to plead guilty to trying to extort money from her mother as part of a plea deal that her attorney says is contingent on providing new information about the missing teen.Joran van der Sloot, 36, who is charged with extortion and wire fraud, is scheduled to go before a federal judge in Birmingham, Alabama, for a plea and sentencing hearing. Attorney John Q. Kelly, who represented Holloway’s mother during the alleged extortion attempt, said the plea deal was contingent on van der Sloot providing details about what happened to Holloway.Van der Sloot is not charged in Holloway’s death. He is charged with trying to extort $250,000 from Holloway’s mother, Beth Holloway, in 2010 to reveal the location of her daughter’s remains. Holloway went missing during a high school graduation trip to Aruba with classmates fro...

Scotiabank cutting 3% of global workforce, will take $590M Q4 charge after tax

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:24 GMT

TORONTO — Scotiabank is cutting about three per cent of its global workforce as a result of changes at the bank and customers’ day-to-day banking preferences, as well as ongoing efforts to streamline operations, the bank announced Wednesday.It will also take several charges that total $590 million after-tax, or about 49 cents per share, for its fourth quarter related to the cuts and other changes it is making.The charges include $247 million after-tax for restructuring and severance provisions and $63 million after-tax related to the consolidation and exit of certain real estate premises and service contracts.They also include an impairment charge of $280 million after-tax related to its investment in Bank of Xi’an Co. Ltd. as well as the impairment of certain intangible assets including software.Scotiabank noted that the market value of Bank of Xi’an has remained below the bank’s carrying value for a prolonged period.“We expect the savings on the above...

Stock market today: Wall Street slips in early trading and crude oil prices rise

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:24 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is dipping in early trading following a mixed set of profit reports from big U.S. companies. Worries about war in the Middle East are also dragging on the market. The S&P 500 was 0.5% lower in the early going Wednesday. The Dow fell 69 points, and the Nasdaq composite was down 0.7%. Crude oil prices jumped sharply overnight following a deadly explosion at a hospital in the Gaza Strip, which sparked protests across the Middle East. But oil prices pared their gains as the morning progressed. Gold, meanwhile, kept rising as investors have looked for safer investments.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Wall Street headed for losses before the open and oil prices surged Wednesday after an air strike on a hospital in Gaza triggered protests in many parts of the Middle East. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.2% and futures for the S&P 500 fell 0.4% before the bell.Markets have been shaken by worries that co...

French soccer club Nice suspends Youcef Atal for sharing an antisemitic message on social media

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:24 GMT

NICE, France (AP) — French soccer club Nice suspended defender Youcef Atal on Wednesday until further notice after he shared an antisemitic message on social media.Nice said in a statement that it had discussed the issue with Atal and that he apologized.“The player acknowledged his error by quickly withdrawing the sharing of the publication and has offered a written and public apology,” Nice said. “Nevertheless, given the nature of the publication shared, and its seriousness, the club has made the decision to immediately take the first disciplinary measures against the player, prior to any action that may be taken by sporting and legal authorities. To this end, the club has decided to suspend Youcef Atal until further notice.”The suspension comes after the Nice public prosecutor’s office opened a preliminary investigation on Monday targeting Atal on charges “of defending terrorism” for sharing the message online. The prosecutor’s office said Atal is also being investigat...

German government launches a drive to get more Ukrainian and other refugees into jobs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:24 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — The German government on Wednesday announced a drive to get more Ukrainian and other refugees into jobs now that many have a usable knowledge of the German language.The government is trying to address both a shortage of skilled labor and concerns about high levels of migration. Germany has taken in more than 1 million Ukrainians since Russia’s invasion last year, and also is seeing large numbers of refugees and migrants from elsewhere.Unlike others who arrive, Ukrainians immediately receive residency status in Germany and the 26 other European Union countries. Labor Minister Hubertus Heil said 132,000 Ukrainians already have found jobs.“This is a success, but it’s far from sufficient,” he told reporters in Berlin. “It is time now to enter a new phase.”Counting Ukrainians and others who have recently completed or will soon complete integration courses, which include language learning, there is “a potential for our labor market of about 400,000 people” who ar...