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Greece’s conservative government survives a no-confidence motion called over deadly rail disaster

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s center-right government survived a motion of no-confidence late Thursday that was brought by opposition parties over its handling of the country’s deadliest rail disaster a year ago.

Four left-wing opposition parties accused the government of hindering an investigation into the rail crash that left 57 people dead, many of them university students returning from a spring break.

Parliament voted 159-141 against the motion following an acrimonious three-day debate. The government also rejected opposition calls to hold a snap election.

The Feb. 28, 2023 crash occurred when a passenger train smashed into an oncoming freight train which had been mistakenly placed on the same track.

Conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis vowed to respect the results of an ongoing judicial investigation into the crash, and denied any wrongdoing.

“There was no cover up,” he told lawmakers ahead of the vote. “What exactly has all this debate (in parliament) contributed to the investigation?”

Opinion polls suggest that a majority of the public believe the government had not honestly addressed its responsibilities regarding the crash.

Despite its defeat, the no-confidence motion was the result of a rare collaboration between Greece’s center-left and left-wing parties ahead of European Parliament elections in June.


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Hezbollah fires heavy rockets at northern Israel after deadliest day of Israeli strikes on Lebanon

BEIRUT (AP) — The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired rockets with heavy warheads at towns in northern Israel, saying it used the weapons against civilian targets for the first time Thursday in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes the night before that killed nine, including what the group said were several paramedics.

There were no reports of Israelis hurt in the rocket attack, local media said. The Israeli military did not immediately offer comment on the rocket attack.

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza on Oct. 7, concerns have grown that near-daily clashes along the border between Israel and Lebanon could escalate into a full-scale war. Airstrikes and rocket fire Wednesday killed 16 Lebanese and one Israeli, making it the deadliest day of the current conflict.

Israel’s chief military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said Israel had killed 30 Hezbollah militants in the past week and had destroyed dozens of Hezbollah military sites in an effort to push the Iran-backed group away from the border.

The recent increase in violence has raised alarm in Washington and at the United Nations.

“Restoring calm along that border remains a top priority for President Biden and for the administration,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters, saying the U.S. is closely monitoring developments. “We’ve also been very, very clear: We do not support a war in Lebanon.”

Kirby said the U.S. is working to halt the fighting through diplomatic efforts. This needs to be a top priority for Israel and Lebanon, he said, and would allow displaced civilians to return home. Tens of thousands of people on both sides have fled the fighting.

At around sunset Thursday, a barrage of Katyusha and Burkan rockets was fired toward the Israeli village of Goren and Shlomi, a statement from Hezbollah said. Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV said the group had not previously fired Burkan rockets at civilian targets, but was now responding to the recent spate of Israeli airstrikes.

Lebanon’s state media reported that 10 paramedics were among those killed Wednesday. The Israeli military said it struck targets for Hezbollah and an allied Sunni Muslim group.

Hezbollah has frequently used Russian-made portable anti-tank Kornet missiles in recent months. More rarely, it has launched Burkan rockets which, according to the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, can carry a warhead that weighs between 300 kilograms (660 pounds) and 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds).

Hezbollah says its attacks aim to keep some Israeli divisions busy and away from Gaza, and Nasrallah says attacks on the border will only stop when Israel halts its offensive in Gaza.

The U.N. peacekeeping force in south Lebanon known as UNIFIL said it was imperative that “this escalation cease immediately.”

“We urge all sides to put down their weapons and begin the process toward a sustainable political and diplomatic solution,” UNIFIL said. It added that the peacekeeping force remains ready to support that process in any way it can.

The fighting has killed nine civilians and 11 soldiers in Israel. More than 240 Hezbollah fighters and about 50 civilians have died in Lebanon.

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Associated Press writer Seung Min Kim in Washington and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.


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Central and Eastern European countries mark 20 years in NATO with focus on war in Ukraine

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Several central and Eastern European countries began marking on Thursday the 20th anniversary of the largest expansion of the NATO military alliance when formerly socialist countries became members of the bloc.

Military aircraft roared over the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. At the main airbase hosting Spanish and Portuguese fighter jets tasked with NATO air policing missions in the Baltic region, officials gathered to commemorate the event.

“Russia’s new bloody terror in Europe is contributing to the growth of instability and threats around the world. However, we in Lithuania are calm because we know that we will never be alone again,” said President Gitanas Nauseda, standing near the runway where the first NATO jets landed back in 2004. “We will always have a strong, supportive Alliance family by our side, and we will face any challenges together.”

Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia joined NATO on March 29 in 2004, bringing the total membership of the Alliance to 26. The seven nations started accession negotiations soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union and eventually were invited to join at the Prague Summit in November 2002. Another group of former Soviet satellites including Poland and the Czech Republic had been admitted several years earlier.

Since joining the alliance, these countries often warned about the threat of Russia, using their national trauma of Soviet occupation as proof of credibility. While Western nations often dismissed their sometimes hawkish attitude, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is seen as a vindication of those fears. They have given some of the most robust responses, helping Ukraine with equipment and money, and pushing for even greater sanctions on Russia.

Most of the former Soviet Republics that joined NATO at the turn of the millennium spend more than the required 2% of gross domestic product on defense. When Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis announced his bid earlier this month to become the next leader of the alliance, he emphasized the threat from Russia and said the alliance needs a “renewal of perspectives” that Eastern Europe could provide.

“Russia is proving to be a serious and long-term threat to our continent, to our Euro-Atlantic security,” the 65-year-old said when he announced his bid. “NATO’s borders become of paramount importance, and the strengthening of the eastern flank … will remain a long-term priority.”

The seven countries are marking the anniversary with solemn events and shows of force, but also some levity, with open-air concerts and exhibitions.

“Twenty years ago the Bulgarian people made the right choice for our country to join NATO,” the country’s defense chief Adm. Emil Eftimov said. “Given today’s security situation, this is the most appropriate decision we have made in our recent history.”

NATO was established in the aftermath of World War II.

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Associated Press writers Stephen McGrath in Sighisoara, Romania, and Veselin Toshkov in Sofia, Bulgaria contributed to this report.


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Activists sue US National Park Service over plan to remove Puerto Rico’s famous stray cats

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A nonprofit organization said Thursday that it sued the U.S. National Park Service over a plan to remove Puerto Rico’s famous stray cats from a historic district in the U.S. territory.

The lawsuit filed by Maryland-based Alley Cat Allies comes four months after the federal agency announced it would contract an animal welfare organization to remove an estimated 200 cats that live in an area surrounding a historic seaside fortress in Old San Juan.

The organization would decide whether the trapped cats would be adopted, placed in foster homes, kept in a shelter or face other options. It wasn’t immediately clear if an organization has been hired.

At the time, the National Park Service said it would hire a removal agency if the organization it contracted failed to remove the cats within six months.

The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tourists and locals have long considered the cats both a delight and a nuisance, with the National Park Service stating in 2022 that the population had grown too much as it noted the smell of urine and feces in the area.

Activists have decried the plan, saying six months is insufficient time to remove so many cats and worried they would be killed.

In its lawsuit, Alley Cat Allies requested additional environmental statements from the federal agency and asked that a judge finds its actions allegedly violate acts including the National Environmental Protection Act.

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Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america


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Nigeria to free 313 suspected Boko Haram insurgents for lack of evidence

ABUJA (Reuters) – Nigeria’s military will free more than 300 people suspected of being part of the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency after a court ruled there was no evidence they committed any crimes, a defence spokesperson said on Thursday.

In 2009 jihadist group Boko Haram launched an insurgency seeking to overthrow the government and establish an Islamic state.

The insurgency has killed tens of thousands and forced more than 2 million people to flee their homes, spawning one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

The 313 people, who had been suspected of being members of Boko Haram, will be released after a ruling by a court in northeastern Borno state, the heartland of the insurgency, according to defence spokesperson Major General Edward Buba.

“The court ordered their release for want of evidence after the conclusion of investigations and other ancillary matters,” Buba said during a media briefing in the capital Abuja.

The cases were prosecuted by the Department of Prosecution, part of the Federal Ministry of Justice, and the people will be handed over to the Borno State Government for further action, he added.

Buba would not say where the suspects were being held or how long they had been in custody.

Nigeria has been running an amnesty programme for jihadists who willingly surrender. The fighters go through a rehabilitation before being reintegrated into society, which is creating tensions in some communities.

Boko Haram grabbed headlines worldwide with its 2014 kidnapping of more than 270 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok, sparking a global campaign for their return dubbed #BringBackOurGirls.

Next month is the tenth anniversary of the kidnapping and dozens of the girls have not been found.

(Reporting by Camillus Eboh; editing by Costas Pitas)


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US FDA extends review of Applied Therapeutics’ genetic disease drug

(Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has extended its review of Applied Therapeutics’ experimental drug to treat galactosemia, a rare genetic metabolic disease, the company said on Thursday.

The health regulator will now give its decision by Nov. 28, 2024, compared with its previous action date of Aug. 28.

(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)


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Bristol Myers’ bowel disease drug fails to meet main goal in late-stage study

(Reuters) – Bristol Myers Squibb said on Thursday its experimental drug to treat Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel condition, failed to meet the main goal in a late-stage study.

Crohn’s disease, which results in the swelling or inflammation of the intestines, affects over one million people in the U.S., according to government data.

The drug, ozanimod, did not help patients achieve clinical remission after 12 weeks of treatment, the company said.

Bristol Myers said it will evaluate the trial data and work with investigators to share the results with the scientific community.

(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)


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Egypt population growth continues slowing to 1.4%, government says

CAIRO (Reuters) – Population growth in Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country, slowed to 1.4% in 2023, its lowest rate in decades, the planning ministry said on Thursday.

The need to limit population growth is a favourite theme of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who blames a recent high birth rate for straining services and the government budget.

The current population stands at just over 106 million, according to Egypt’s official statistics agency.

About 60% of citizens are estimated to live below or close to the poverty line in a country burdened by water scarcity, lack of job opportunities and overcrowded schools and hospitals.

According to World Bank figures dating back to 1961, population growth in Egypt peaked at 2.8% in 1984-85 before declining to 1.9% in 2006 then surging again to 2.3% in 2014.

Since then it has steadily declined, reaching 1.6% in 2022, the data showed.

Sisi has launched a series of mega-projects that he says provide jobs and infrastructure for a growing population, but that critics say divert resources and weigh on Egypt’s debt burden.

In 2019, Egypt launched “Two Is Enough”, a family-planning campaign aiming to challenge traditions of large families in rural areas.

(Reporting by Farah Saafan; Editing by Aidan Lewis and Alex Richardson)


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‘Oppenheimer’ director Christopher Nolan and wife Emma Thomas to get British knighthood and damehood

LONDON (AP) — The Oscar-winning director of “Oppenheimer,” Christopher Nolan, and his wife and producer Emma Thomas, will receive a knighthood and damehood for their services to film, according to a statement on Thursday from the U.K. government.

Their recognition comes after their biopic about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the “father of the atomic bomb,” swept the awards season, notably at the Academy Awards earlier this month, where the movie won seven Oscars, including best film and best director.

Nolan, 53, had previously been nominated for “Memento,” “Inception” and “Dunkirk.”

News of their honors was a bit of a surprise, because they are usually handed out twice in the year, once to mark the new year and then on the birthday of King Charles III, who confers the honors. They are sometimes awarded after special achievements, often related to sports and the arts.

The honors are formally awarded at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace, often by the U.K. monarch in person. However, the king is currently not undertaking any royal duties, because he is undergoing treatment for cancer.

Born in London to a British father and American mother, Nolan met his future wife, Thomas, 53, while they both attended University College London. They have four children and run a production company, Syncopy, which has been behind many of their blockbusters.

When Nolan was presented with the British Film Institute Fellowship earlier this year for being “one of the world’s most innovative and influential film directors,” he credited his wife.

He said he never felt alone making films as Thomas “always saw things the same way I did in terms of the importance of the medium.”

Addressing the audience at this year’s Academy Awards, Nolan noted cinema is just over a century old.

“Imagine being there 100 years into painting or theater,” said Nolan, who shared the best-picture award with his wife and producer. “We don’t know where this incredible journey is going from here. But to know that you think that I’m a meaningful part of it means the world to me.”


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Dengue is sweeping through the Americas early this year

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Dengue is surging across the Americas early this year from Puerto Rico to Brazil, with 3.5 million cases of the tropical disease reported so far, health officials said Thursday.

That tally is three times the number of cases reported at this point last year, said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, director of the Pan American Health Organization, the regional office of the World Health Organization in the Americas.

Last year, there were a record 4.5 million cases in the region, and PAHO officials said they expect this year will set a new record.

Usually dengue spikes during the wet season, which is still months away. And some areas are reporting dengue for the first time, officials said.

The dengue virus is spread to people when they are bitten by infected mosquitoes. Driving the surge are rising temperatures, rapid urbanization, droughts and floods linked to climate change, and poor sanitation and a lack of robust health systems in some countries, health officials said.

The virus can cause crushing headaches, fever, vomiting, a rash and other symptoms. While most infected people don’t get symptoms, severe cases can lead to death. There’s no specific treatment other than pain medications.

Most of the current cases are in the Southern Hemisphere, with more than 80% in Brazil, followed by Paraguay, Argentina, Peru and Colombia. Some 1,000 deaths have been reported in the Americas so far this year.

In the Caribbean alone, more than 25,000 cases have been reported, with French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic most affected, said Dr. Rhonda Sealey-Thomas, PAHO’s assistant director.

On Monday, Puerto Rico’s health secretary declared an epidemic, with more than 540 cases, with at least 341 people hospitalized. The numbers are concerning because parts of the island are currently under a moderate drought, and the rainiest month isn’t until August.

The surge in cases forced Rio de Janeiro to declare a public health emergency last month ahead of Carnival. Peru did the same for most of its provinces, and others have followed suit.

There are four different dengue viruses circulating in the Americas, said the PAHO’s Dr. Sylvain Aldighieri. “We have to be prepared for this.”

Some countries have released specially bred mosquitoes that contain a bacteria called Wolbachia that fights dengue.

Last month, Josian Bruno, who lives in the San Juan capital of Puerto Rico, developed a fever and body aches. A lab test confirmed that the 38-year-old had kidney failure because of severe dehydration. He spent six days in the hospital, and the day after being released, his test results came back positive for dengue.

“When they tell you it’s renal failure, that’s scary,” he said.

A month has passed, and Bruno still has difficulty moving his arms and walking, and he hasn’t been able to resume his thrice-weekly runs.

While a new dengue vaccine is available in limited supply, it requires two doses with a three-month interval. Barbosa said officials are monitoring how well it actually works. He said a single-shot vaccine won’t be available until next year.


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