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Philippine president suspends 22 land reclamation projects in Manila Bay after US airs concerns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:32 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered an indefinite suspension of 22 major land reclamation projects in Manila Bay to allow a study of their environmental impact and legal compliance, an official said Thursday.Marcos’s order came after the United States expressed public concern over environmental damage from the projects and the involvement of a Chinese company which was blacklisted by Washington for its role in building militarized Chinese island bases in the South China Sea that further stoked tensions in the contested waters.The heavily fortified U.S. Embassy in Manila sits on the edge of the bay, which is popular for its golden sunsets but has long been notorious for pollution.“All of these projects are suspended at this point,” Environment Secretary Antonia Yulo Loyzaga said in a televised news conference. “All are under review.”A team of scientists including oceanographers, geologists and climate change experts is being formed t...

Montgomery Co. unemployment hits lowest level in decades, but there’s still work to be done

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:32 GMT

The unemployment rate across Montgomery County, Maryland, has reached a new 33-year low at 1.5%, according to numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.The steady job growth has outpaced jurisdictions across the region.“Even in the face of the economic trials of the pandemic, we’re seeing indications that our local economy is fairing well and doing better than five years ago,” said County Executive Marc Elrich, during a media briefing.The average rate typically considered full employment sits around 3% to 4%.“We’ve set some notable marks,” he added.Bill Tompkins, president and CEO of the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation, said the numbers suggest anyone looking for work is able to find it.“We think things are going to be pretty good this year, and they’ll be better next year so we’ll just keep on building our momentum,” he added.The county is home to 33,000 businesses, according to Elrich. He pointed to e...

US, UK, and Canada sanction Lebanon’s former central bank governor over corruption allegations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:32 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — The United States, United Kingdom, and Canada slapped sanctions Thursday on Lebanon’s embattled former central bank governor and a handful of close relatives and associates over allegations of corruption, the U.S. Treasury Department said.Riad Salameh, 73, ended his 30-year tenure on July 31 under a cloud of investigation and blame for his country’s historic economic crisis. France, Germany, and Luxembourg are investigating Salameh and close associates over alleged financial crimes, including illicit enrichment and the laundering of $330 million. Paris and Berlin issued Interpol notices on Salameh in May, though Lebanon does not hand over its citizens to foreign countries.“Salameh abused his position of power, likely in violation of Lebanese law, to enrich himself and his associates by funneling hundreds of millions of dollars through layered shell companies to invest in European real estate,” a U.S. Treasury Department statement said. The statement said th...

Biden will ask Congress for $13B to support Ukraine, $12B for disaster fund, an AP source says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:32 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday will ask Congress to provide more than $13 billion in emergency aid to Ukraine, another massive infusion of cash as the Russian invasion wears on and Ukraine pushes a counteroffensive against the Kremlin’s deeply entrenched forces, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.The last such request from the White House, made in November, was met and then some — Congress approved more than what Biden had requested. But there’s a different dynamic this time. A political divide on the issue has grown, with the GOP-led House facing enormous pressure to demonstrate support for the party’s leader Donald Trump, who has been very skeptical of the war. And American support for the effort has been slowly softening.The White House also is expected to ask for $12 billion to replenish federal disaster funds, according to the person, who was not authorized to speak publicly about a request that had not yet been made...

Man arrested for video voyeurism on child at Miami-Dade public library

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:32 GMT

Authorities have arrested a man for secretly recording a child at a Miami-Dade public library. The incident occurred Wednesday afternoon in Miami. Investigators said a mother and her 8-year-old child were inside the library when the mother noticed a male individual using a video recording device to record her daughter beneath a table. She promptly confronted the man, but he fled the area.After speaking with the mother and library staff, detectives were able to identify and track down the suspect, 37-year-old Jonathan Goldenberg. Goldenberg was taken into custody and transported to MDPD’s Kendall District, where he willingly provided a confession.He is now facing several charges including video voyeurism on a child younger than 16.

Porch pirate escape: Suspect hides in storm drain, apprehended in Fayette County pursuit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:32 GMT

FAYETTE COUNTY, Ga. – A suspected porch pirate’s attempt to evade law enforcement took an unexpected twist as he sought refuge within a storm drain, only to be apprehended following a determined effort by officers. Lavern Vereen, 31, found himself in a tight spot after allegedly stealing packages and attempting to hide from pursuing officers in a storm drain located in Fayette County, Georgia.The chain of events led to an encounter that began with a vehicle crash involving Vereen’s car. As responding officers arrived at the scene, Vereen fled on foot and prompted a search operation. Sheriff Barry Babb of Fayette County said authorities had reason to suspect Vereen of package thefts prior to the crash.“It started as a vehicle crash, and as responding officers arrived, the subject fled on foot,” he said.As officers scoured the neighborhood, Vereen managed to enter a storm drain and attempted to make his escape by crawling deep underground. With over 50 ya...

EU condemns assassination of Ecuador presidential candidate 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:32 GMT

Josep Borrell, EU foreign policy chief, denounced on Thursday the assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. “This tragic act of violence is also an attack against the institutions and democracy in Ecuador,” Borrell said, demanding “the perpetrators and organizers of this heinous crime must be brought to justice.” Villavicencio was shot and killed Wednesday during a political rally in Ecuador’s capital Quito. Nine people were injured and the alleged killer was badly injured, local media reported. Villavicencio was a former journalist who had worked at Ecuador’s national oil company Petroecuador. After becoming a political adviser, he was elected to Ecuador’s National Assembly in 2021. Villavicencio was running as a presidential candidate for the Build Ecuador Movement in the upcoming elections on August 20. He was known for speaking up against drug cartels, organized crime and corruption. The upcoming election...

Boston receives permit to reconstruct Long Island Bridge, part of effort to restore recovery facilities on island

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:32 GMT

The City of Boston has received a state permit vital to its efforts to restore addiction recovery services on Long Island in Boston Harbor.Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced on Thursday that a Chapter 91 License had been granted by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), allowing for the reconstruction of the Long Island Bridge.The bridge’s reconstruction, a project Wu’s administration hopes to complete within four years, is one of several hurdles the city faced as it looks to restore a 35-acre campus on the island that would provide long-term addiction treatment services and housing to those in need.The bridge once connected the Boston-owned island with Quincy and was closed in 2014 due to safety reasons, ending access to the island where transitional housing and drug addiction treatment programs were offered.With a new permit to rebuild the structure, Wu said the city was ready to move ahead.“This is about people and the opportunity for an...

Financial adviser who stole from client with dementia, others, sent to prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:32 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — A financial adviser who stole about $1.2 million from the retirement accounts of his mostly older victims, one of whom had dementia and another of whom had a traumatic brain injury, has been sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison.Paul McGonigle, 67, of Middleborough, starting in 2015 pretended to be his clients on calls with their annuity companies and signed their names on forms requesting withdrawals from their annuities, the U.S. attorney’s office in Boston said Wednesday.He also induced victims to give him money to invest on their behalf, which he used for personal and business expenses, prosecutors said.When clients began to ask questions, McGonigle concealed his fraud by assuring clients that their investments were growing, prosecutors said.“What Paul McGonigle did is despicable,” Christopher DiMenna, acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston office said in a statement. “He preyed on his elderly and vulnerable clients, betrayed their trust,...

Maui launches mass evacuation effort for people stranded north of wildfire. Follow live updates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:32 GMT

By REBECCA BOONE (Associated Press)Follow live updates about wildfires racing across part of Maui in Hawaii, destroying sections of a historic town on the island and forcing some to flee to the relative safety of the ocean, where the Coast Guard rescued them. The fires forced evacuations in some areas, including the popular tourist spot of Lahaina. The National Weather Service says Hurricane Dora, which is passing south of the island chain at a safe distance, was partly to blame for strong winds driving the flames, knocking out power and grounding firefighting helicopters.A mass evacuation effort will resume Thursday morning for visitors and residents stranded just north of a historic town in Maui that was destroyed by a wildfire this week, officials said. Buses will pick up people in Kaanapali, north of Lahaina, taking visitors directly to the Kahului Airport and residents to a shelter in central Maui, the county of Maui announced on Facebook.The wildfires, driven by strong winds f...