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UAE invites Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to COP28 climate summit

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:30:52 GMT

The United Arab Emirates has invited Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to attend this year’s United Nations climate summit, Syria’s state news agency SANA reported Monday. The Gulf country is set to host COP28 in Dubai from November 30 to December 12. According to SANA, the UAE’s embassy handed Assad an official invitation from President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Sunday. The invitation comes as a growing number of Arab countries are starting to revive relations with the Assad regime, which has presided over a brutal 12-year civil war that has killed more than 300,000 people and driven half the population from their homes. The Arab League readmitted Syria earlier this month. POLITICO reached out to the United Nations climate body, the UAE climate envoy’s office and the UAE embassy in Damascus for comment, but did not get a response at the time of publication.

The Weeknd is no more. The Canadian singer has reverted to his birth name on social media

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:30:52 GMT

 (CNN) — The Weeknd is now officially known online by his real name — Abel Makkonen Tesfaye — after following through on plans to update his social media accounts.On Monday, the Canadian artist’s Twitter and Instagram accounts had updated to display his birth name rather than his artistic name.And the change is part of a wider plan to “kill The Weeknd,” Tesfaye told W Magazine in an interview published May 8.“I’m going through a cathartic path right now,” he said.“It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close the Weeknd chapter. I’ll still make music, maybe as Abel, maybe as The Weeknd. But I still want to kill The Weeknd. And I will. Eventually. I’m definitely trying to shed that skin and be reborn.”And Tesfaye revealed that his upcoming album might well be The Weeknd’s swansong.“The album I’m working on now is probably my last hurrah as T...

Brace yourselves, travelers: This summer could be ‘one for the record books’

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:30:52 GMT

(CNN) — Memorial Day weekend — the unofficial start of the summer travel season in the United States — is shaping up to be busy. At airports, it’s likely to be busier than it was in 2019 pre-pandemic, according to the AAA travel forecast released Monday.The automotive and trip-planning group expects 42.3 million Americans to travel 50 miles or more from home over the holiday weekend. That’s a 7% increase over 2022 or 2.7 million more people. And the group says that’s a sign of what travelers should expect this summer.“More Americans are planning trips and booking them earlier, despite inflation,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel, in a statement. “This summer travel season could be one for the record books, especially at airports.”Air travel is expected to be up by 11% over last year, with 3.4 million people expected to fly over the holiday weekend. That figure exceeds 2019 levels by 5.4% — or 17...

Don’t use sugar substitutes for weight loss, World Health Organization advises

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:30:52 GMT

(CNN) — Don’t use sugar substitutes if you are trying to lose weight, according to a new guideline from the World Health Organization.The global health body said a systematic review of the available evidence had suggested that use of non-sugar sweeteners, or NSS, “does not confer any long-term benefit in reducing body fat in adults or children.”The review also indicated that there might be “potential undesirable effects” from the long-term use of sugar substitutes such as an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.“Replacing free sugars with NSS does not help with weight control in the long term. People need to consider other ways to reduce free sugars intake, such as consuming food with naturally occurring sugars, like fruit, or unsweetened food and beverages,” Francesco Branca, WHO director for nutrition and food safety, said in a news release.“NSS are not essential dietary factors and have no nu...

FDA greenlights a new type of drug for menopausal hot flashes

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:30:52 GMT

(CNN) — The US Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a new type of drug to treat hot flashes and night sweats during menopause.Veozah, or fezolinetant, made by Astellas Pharma, is the first approved neurokinin 3 (NK3) agonist. It blocks receptors in the brain that play a role in the regulation of body temperature. It’s an alternative to traditional hormone replacement therapies to manage hot flashes, which are a common symptom of menopause that can be disruptive if they become severe.Women at higher risk of stroke, heart attacks or some kinds of cancer are sometimes advised against using hormone replacement therapies because they increase the risk of blood clots and cancers.“Hot flashes as a result of menopause can be a serious physical burden on women and impact their quality of life,” said Dr. Janet Maynard, director of the FDA’s Office of Rare Diseases, Pediatrics, Urologic and Reproductive Medicine in the Center for Drug Evaluation an...

Turkey presidential election will go to runoff as Erdogan performs better than expected

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:30:52 GMT

By SUZAN FRASER and ZEYNEP BILGINSOY (Associated Press)ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s presidential election will be decided in a runoff, election officials said Monday, after incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan pulled ahead of his chief challenger, but fell short of an outright victory that would extend his increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade.The May 28 second-round vote will determine whether the strategically located NATO country remains under the president’s firm grip or can embark on a more democratic course promised by his main rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.While Erdogan has governed for 20 years, opinion polls had suggested that run could be coming to an end and that a cost-of-living crisis and criticism over the government’s response to a devastating February earthquake might redraw the electoral map.Instead, Erdogan’s retreat was still less marked than predicted — and with his alliance retaining its hold on the parliament, he is now in a good position to win in the se...

Motorcyclist killed in North County crash

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:30:52 GMT

ESCONDIDO, Calif. — A man was killed Sunday night after he crashed his motorcycle in North County, the Escondido Police Department said.The crash happened around 10 p.m. in the 600 block of North Escondido Boulevard, north of Washington Avenue.For reasons still under investigation, the motorcyclist left the roadway and struck a light pole, police said. Afghan on terror watch list reportedly arrested near San Diego border Upon arrival, officers found the man unresponsive and administered CPR before medics transported him to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.It is not yet known if speed, alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash, according to officials.The identity of the man has not yet been publicly released by the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office.Anyone with information or who may have witnessed the crash was asked to contact Office Jake Houchin at 760-839-4704.

Stock market today: Wall Street holds steady ahead of retail sales data

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:30:52 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is drifting ahead of a week that will show how much a slowing economy and other worries are hitting the backbone of the U.S. economy: spending by households. The S&P 500 was hoverering around breakeven early Monday in its first trading after closing out a second straight down week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also little changed while the Nasdaq composite was up 0.1%. Some of the sharper moves came from companies announcing takeovers of rivals, including an 8% drop for energy company Oneok after it said it’s buying Magellan Midstream Partners. Magellan jumped 14%.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Wall Street appeared headed for gains early Monday ahead of a busy week in retail, with a backdrop of debt ceiling negotiations between President Joe Biden and Republican lawmakers.Futures for the Dow Jones industrials and the S&P 500 rose 0.4% before the bell.Home Depot, Target and Walmart report earnings this week, wh...

Supreme Court to review Democratic lawmakers’ suit over Trump hotel lease

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:30:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a Biden administration appeal to limit lawsuits filed by members of Congress against the federal government, in a case that stems from disputes over what was the Trump International Hotel in Washington.The justices said they will review a federal appeals court ruling that allowed a suit by Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee to continue. They filed their complaint in 2017 over the Trump administration’s refusal to turn over information about the Trump Organization’s lease of the hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue, between the White House and the Capitol.The family no longer owns the hotel, now a Waldorf Astoria, much of the information eventually was provided and six lawmakers who were part of the case no longer serve in the House.The Biden Justice Department, however, told the court that it is important to wipe the appellate ruling from the books because it otherwise could lead to a flood of lawsuits...

Supreme Court to review South Carolina congressional map for discrimination against Black voters

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:30:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether South Carolina’s congressional districts need to be redrawn because they discriminate against Black voters.The justices said Monday they would review a lower-court ruling that found a coastal district running from Charleston to Hilton Head was intentionally redrawn to reduce the number of Democratic-leaning Black voters and to make it more likely Republican candidates would win. The case probably will be argued in the fall, and decided in the run up to the 2024 elections, when all the seats in the closely divided House of Representatives, now under Republican control, will be on the ballot. The three-judge court that ruled in favor of civil rights groups that challenged the congressional map said in its opinion in January that the districts violated the federal Voting Rights Act by unfairly diluting the power of Black voters.The Supreme Court has cut back on the reach of the landmark voting rights law, and is now...