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Barcelona says it remains on track to reduce its debt without the use of financial levers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:05:37 GMT

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona is on track to reducing its debt without having to resort to new financial levers, the club said Wednesday while announcing a higher-than-expected net profit of 304 million euros ($320.5 million) for the 2022-23 season.Barcelona said the club’s operating income was 1.26 billion euros ($1.33 billion), with expenses at 1.16 billion euros ($1.22 billion), which enabled the reduction of the net debt for a second consecutive season. The debt dropped from 680 million euros ($717 million) in June 2021 to 552 million euros ($582 million) in June this year, the club said.“We have managed to seal the hole, but work must continue to reduce the debt to a sustainable amount,” said Eduard Romeu, vice president of the club’s economic department. “We are returning to ordinary current income. That means without extraordinary operations, without levers or sales.”Barcelona recently resorted to a series of financial operations to help reduce its debt, including the adv...

Drone attack on base hosting US troops intercepted in Iraq, heightening fears of a broader conflict

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:05:37 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Two drones launched at a base hosting U.S. troops in western Iraq were intercepted Wednesday, a U.S. defense official said.Hours later, an Iranian-backed militia in Iraq announced it had launched another drone attack on a second base. No injuries were reported in either incident.The salvos came at a time of increasing tension and fears of a broader regional conflict in the wake of the latest Hamas-Israel war.Since the beginning of the war on Oct. 7, much attention has been focused on Hezbollah, the powerful Hamas ally across Israel’s northern border in Lebanon, and its formidable arsenal. The group has traded so-far limited strikes with Israel on the border in recent days.But Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have also threatened to attack U.S. facilities over American support for Israel.“Our missiles, drones, and special forces are ready to direct qualitative strikes at the American enemy in its bases and disrupt its interests if it intervenes in this battle,” Ahmad “Ab...

US vetoes UN resolution condemning Hamas’ attacks on Israel and all violence against civilians

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:05:37 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States vetoed a U.N. resolution Wednesday that would have condemned Hamas’ attacks against Israel and all violence against civilians and urged humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 12 votes in favor, the United States against and two abstentions.U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after the vote that President Joe Biden is in the region engaging in diplomacy “and we need that diplomacy to play out.” She also criticized the resolution for not saying anything about Israel’s right to self-defense.Before the vote on the resolution sponsored by Brazil, council members rejected two Russian amendments, one calling for a “humanitarian cease-fire” and the other condemning indiscriminate attacks on civilians and “civilian objects” in Gaza, which include hospitals and schools.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council scheduled a Wedn...

‘Casualties everywhere’: Canadian in Gaza describes chaos, hopes for evacuation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:05:37 GMT

Mahmoud Nasser said he could feel the ground shake as he watched two missiles land in the distance in Gaza, where essential supplies are running short and living conditions are becoming more desperate as he and other Canadians hope for an opportunity to evacuate. The 30-year-old is sheltering at a relative’s house at the southern end of the Palestinian territory and said homes in the area are “wall-to-wall” with people who have fled northern Gaza ever since Israel ordered a mass evacuation of about half of the enclave’s population ahead of an expected ground invasion.“There’s casualties everywhere and everyone is so accustomed to death,” he said in a phone interview Tuesday from the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis.“Every day that passes, we just hope that we’re not another statistic. There’s nothing we can do. It’s a very strange feeling.”Some people have been venturing outdoors, even as Israel’s retaliat...

Widow of prominent Pakistani journalist sues Kenyan police over his killing a year ago

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:05:37 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The widow of a prominent Pakistani journalist who was killed a year ago in Kenya filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against an elite Kenyan police unit she accuses of the wrongful death of her husband.Javeria Siddique said she filed the lawsuit in Nairobi to get justice for her husband Arshad Sharif, a well-known journalist in his home country Pakistan. Sharif was shot dead on October 23, 2022 by officers from Kenya’s General Service Unit, according to Pakistani authorities. The officers involved in the incident later claimed it was a case of mistaken identity.In court papers seen by The Associated Press, Siddique wants Kenya’s Attorney General, the National Police Service and the Director of Public Prosecutions “to punish and prosecute the police officers who killed Arshad Sharif.”The lawsuit also wants the court to direct the Attorney General “to issue a public apology, including an acknowledgement of the facts, and acceptance of responsibility to the family ...

Biden announces humanitarian aid deal for Gaza

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:05:37 GMT

President Biden announced an agreement Wednesday to allow humanitarian aid to move from Egypt to Gaza and confirmed $100 million in U.S. funding for assistance to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.Biden, speaking in Tel Aviv as part of a trip to Israel in the wake of terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas, said he asked the Israeli Cabinet during a meeting to agree to the delivery of humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza “based on understanding that there will be inspections, and aid should go to civilians, not to Hamas.”“Israel agreed the humanitarian assistance can begin to move from Egypt to Gaza,” Biden said.Biden said the $100 million in U.S. funding would support more than 1 million displaced and conflict-affected Palestinians, including emergency needs in Gaza.The announcement came amid heightened pressure from world leaders about a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has been repeatedly hit with retaliatory Israeli strikes and lacks access to food, water and medicine...

Watch live: House holds second vote on Jordan as Speaker

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:05:37 GMT

The House is slated to hold a second vote for Speaker on Wednesday after Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) lost 20 GOP votes on his first attempt Tuesday.It's unclear how much support Jordan will pick up on a second ballot, which was postponed Tuesday evening. Multiple lawmakers have signaled they do not plan to back Jordan in a sound round.At the same time, a push to expand the power of Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) is heating up as the GOP conference struggles to see a way forward.The second Speaker vote is scheduled for 11 a.m. EDT.Watch the live video above.

It's only the 7th week, and already the Bears' outlook seems bleak

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:05:37 GMT

Brendan Sugrue of The Bears Wire and Bear Down Chicago Podcast talks about the Bears' struggles early in the 2023 season on "9 Good Minutes" on WGN News Now.CHICAGO — Remember back in early September when some around the Bears had big goals about the potential of the 2023 team?Even with 11 games to go, it's safe to say those hopes for the "Monsters of the Midway" are quite tempered. After all, it's mid-October, and people are beginning to talk about the possibility of the team once again getting the No. 1 pick.That's what happens when the Bears lose five of their first six games, including to the 1-4 Vikings on Sunday. Justin Fields injured his thumb, and it's unknown when he might be ready, and like the rest of the offense, he's endured an up-and-down year. Meanwhile, the defense is taking quite a bit of time to find its own identity despite a few additions, with the departure of coordinator Alan Williams in September not helping things out. Their best game was this past Sunday wit...

Dean shares recipe for Marinara-Poached Seafood

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:05:37 GMT

WGN Entertainment Reporter Dean Richards shares delicious recipe for Marinara-Poached Seafood.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too! MARINARA-POACHED SEAFOODINGREDIENTS:4-6 ounces cod fillet  (you can use any kind of firm, white fish)1 tablespoon olive oil1 small onion chopped3 garlic cloves minced28 ounces can crushed or diced tomatoes1 teaspoon salt divided½ teaspoon black pepper divided½ teaspoon oregano¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper¼ cup black olives pitted2 tablespoons capers drainedDIRECTIONS:Pat the cod dry with a paper towel.Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper on both sides; set aside.In a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minut...

Body of missing Round Rock shooting victim found in Milam County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:05:37 GMT

The above video shows KXAN Live's morning headlines for Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) -- The body of a missing Round Rock shooting victim has been located, 12 days after he was shot, according to the Round Rock Police Department. RRPD said in a social media post the body of Cedar Park resident Shawn Joseph, 30, was found in rural Milam County on Tuesday, Oct. 17. PREVIOUS: Round Rock police look for missing shooting victim; suspect in custody Joseph had been shot in the parking lot of the Walmart on East Palm Valley Boulevard the evening of Thursday, Oct. 5, police said. After he was shot, Joseph was transported from the scene by the suspect Royce Loggins, 31, who was later arrested and charged with aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping, according to Round Rock police. RRPD said additional charges are pending for Loggins.