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Will the UK ditch the ECT?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:50 GMT

Presented by SSE By CHARLIE COOPER and ABBY WALLACE PRESENTED BY View in your browser or listen to audioSNEAK PEEK— European countries are racing to leave the Energy Charter Treaty. Is the U.K. next?— A big annual review of world energy consumption dropped overnight and we’ve got the main findings. — Your start-the-week round-up of net zero news from the weekend’s papers.It’s Monday morning. Welcome to the new week and to POLITICO Pro Morning Energy and Climate UK. As always, please send all your thoughts, musings, tips and critique to Team MECUK: [email protected]; [email protected] and [email protected]. Or talk to us on Twitter: @hargraver; @charliecooper8; @abby_wallace3DRIVING THE DAYTREATY TENSIONS: Pressure is growing on the U.K. government to follow Germany, France and many other European countries in ditching a controversial international treaty that MPs and campaigners say has a “chilling effect” on...

SUV overturns near Camp Pendleton leaving at least one dead: CHP

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:50 GMT

OCEANSIDE, Calif. -- At least one person is dead after a fiery crash on the northbound Interstate 5 Sunday afternoon near Camp Pendleton, according to California Highway Patrol.Around 1:29 p.m., an overturned and on fire SUV was reported on the freeway, just north of the San Onofre CHP Inspection Facility.According to CHP logs, the crash resulted in fatal injures. CHP has not yet confirmed how many people were killed or injured in the incident. Skateboarder hit, injured while hanging onto a vehicle window All lanes along the northbound I-5 were temporarily closed while crews cleaned up debris. At 2:46 p.m., all northbound lanes had been reopened.The exact cause of the crash and fire is not known at this time. The incident remains under investigation by CHP.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Warm-up to set in across San Diego; increased fire risk expected

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:50 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- After weeks of gloom, a warm-up is in store for San Diego this week, bringing hot, dry conditions to the region by the weekend.Temperatures will start the week cool, the National Weather Service said, as a upper level trough moving into the region is anticipated to bring cloudy conditions in the morning before clearing up into the afternoon.According to the weather agency, there will be little change in daily highs and lows during this time, with some locations in the region remaining upwards of 10 degrees cooler than normal. How to swim at resorts without the hefty price tag Gusty afternoon and evening winds in the mountains and deserts will follow a similar trend as temperatures peak Monday afternoon and evening before gradually getting weaker each day, NWS said. A wind advisory has been issued by NWS for conditions in the mountain and desert communities late Monday afternoon through early Tuesday morning.With the wind, mountain and desert communities are also like...

The suspect in the attack that killed 5 at Colorado Springs gay nightclub is set to plead guilty

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:50 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Closing arguments are scheduled Monday in the trial of a former Florida sheriff’s deputy accused of failing to confront the shooter who murdered 14 students and three staff members at a Parkland high school five years ago. Prosecutors and the attorney for Broward County Deputy Scot Peterson spent his trial contesting what he heard, saw and knew during the six-minute attack inside a three-story classroom building at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018.Peterson, 60, is charged with felony child neglect and other charges for his alleged failure to confront former student Nikolas Cruz before the gunman reached the 1200 building’s third floor, where six of the victims died. Peterson is not charged in connection with the deaths of 11 people killed on the first floor before he reached the building. It is the first time a U.S. law enforcement officer has been tried in connection with a school shooting. Prosecutors, during their two-week p...

Early vote count for Guatemala’s presidential election indicates 2nd round ahead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:50 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Preliminary and partial results in Guatemala’s presidential election pointed to the likelihood of a second round of voting but did not indicate who the two candidates would be in an Aug. 20 runoff. With about half of the votes counted just past midnight Sunday, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal reported that former first lady Sandra Torres for the conservative UNE party and Bernardo Arévalo for the leftist Seed Movement were in the lead, but both were below 20% of the votes. That is far from the 50% threshold needed to win in the first round. Other candidates were not far enough behind to be ruled out either. Invalid ballots votes from a frustrated electorate led all the candidates early in the tally.Torres, watching the results from a downtown hotel conference room, told reporters that regardless of her opponent in a runoff, she would emerge victorious. She recognized the high number of invalid ballots and said it indicated the citizens’ lack of confidence ...

Russian defense minister makes first public appearance since mercenary revolt demanded his ouster

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:50 GMT

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made his first public appearance since a mercenary uprising demanded his ouster, inspecting troops in Ukraine Monday in a video released by his ministry. He’s the first of three powerful Russian leaders whose diverging interests led to the Wagner Group occupying a Russian city and marching on the capital to be seen since the revolt ended Saturday. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin have made no public statements since then.Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin announced an end to the “counter-terrorism regime” imposed on the capital Saturday, during which troops with machine guns patrolled the streets and tore up roads leading into the city.The Defense Ministry released a video showing Shoigu flying in a helicopter and then attending a meeting with military officers at a military headquarters in Ukraine, showing the minister for the first time since Prigozhin declared a “march of justice” to oust the defense ...

Myanmar burns $446 million worth of seized drugs as illicit trade booms in Southeast Asia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:50 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — The authorities in Myanmar destroyed more than $446 million worth of illegal drugs seized from around the country to mark an annual international anti-drug trafficking day on Monday, police said.The drug burn came as U.N. experts warned of increases in the production of opium, heroin and methamphetamine in Myanmar, with exports threatening to expand markets in South and Southeast Asia.Myanmar has a long history of drug production linked to political and economic insecurity caused by decades of armed conflict. The country is a major producer and exporter of methamphetamine and the world’s second-largest opium and heroin producer after Afghanistan, despite repeated attempts to promote alternative legal crops among poor farmers.In the country’s largest city, Yangon, a pile of seized drugs and precursor chemicals worth $207 million was incinerated. The destroyed drugs included opium, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, kratom, ketamine and crystal meth, also known as ice....

Lightning strikes kill 10 as pre-monsoon rains lash Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:50 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Lightning strikes across Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province killed at least 10 people, officials said Monday as heavy pre-monsoon rains lashed the region. The strikes on Sunday mainly took place in the Sialkot and Sheikhupura districts of Punjab. Lightning strikes are frequent across Pakistan, especially in Punjab’s mountainous areas and plains.The Pakistan Meteorological Department said more rains were expected this week, bringing some respite from the ongoing heatwave. The National Disaster Management Authority warned the ongoing rains could trigger flash flooding. Every year, many areas of Pakistan struggle with the annual monsoons, drawing criticism for poor government planning. The season runs from July through September. Last summer, floods triggered by rains killed 1,739 people across Pakistan. The deluge displaced about 8 million people and caused $30 billion in losses.The Associated Press

Thousands of North Koreans march in anti-US rallies as country marks Korean War anniversary

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:50 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Tens of thousands of North Koreans marched in anti-U.S. rallies in the nation’s capital over the weekend, pledging “merciless” revenge against “U.S. imperialists,” as the country marked the 73rd anniversary of the start of the Korean War, state media said Monday.More than 120,000 people participated in Sunday’s mass rallies in Pyongyang, North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said.While the 1950-53 conflict was triggered by a North Korean surprise attack, the demonstrators mobilized in Pyongyang promoted their government’s version of events and accused the United States of provoking the war and leaving Koreans with “wounds … that can never be healed.”They also expressed pride in North Korea’s expanding nuclear weapons and missile programs, insisting their country now has the “strongest absolute weapon to punish the U.S. imperialists and the war deterrence for self-defense which no enemy dare provoke.”Photos published by the North’s Rodong S...

Ukraine: Chaos in Russia works to our advantage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:50 GMT

Chaos in Russia works to Kyiv's advantage, Ukraine officials said on Saturday (24 June), but it remains to be seen whether President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his army can capitalize on the disorder caused this weekend as mercenaries marched towards Moscow.Late on Saturday, Yevgeny Prigozhin, a founder of the Wagner army, said he was halting his "march for justice" on Moscow after a deal that spared him and his mercenaries from facing criminal charges. The deal also exiled Prigozhin to Belarus."Today the world saw that the masters of Russia do not control anything. Nothing at all. Just complete chaos," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address, urging Ukraine's allies to use the moment and send more weapons to Kyiv.The Prigozhin unrest, the biggest internal challenge to President Vladimir Putin as Russia's paramount leader for 23 years, has spurred global security concerns and a frenzy of calls between Washington and its allies to coordinate actions."Any chaos behind the enemy lines...