February 22 top news
It is February 22. Here is today’s news.
Biden meets NATO; Putin meets Chinese diplomat
Today President Biden met with NATO leaders in Poland and gave praise and encouragement to them for standing strong in helping Ukraine to defend itself against Russia. Biden emphasized that the US will defend every inch of NATO if any of its member countries are attacked.
In Russia, Putin met with a top Chinese diplomat. The Chinese diplomat said “there are always opportunities in a crisis” and that both countries would maintain their strong relations.
So we are seeing increasing tensions between global superpowers — the US and NATO on one side and Russia and China on the other, with Ukraine in the middle.
Feds fine LDS church for allegedly hiding billions
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has fined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints $5 million with the allegation that it failed to disclose its investment holdings properly.
The SEC said the church illegally hid its money behind multiple shell companies from 1997 to 2019 and that the amount of money involved could be over $30 billion.
The church said it relied on legal counsel to comply with laws while attempting to maintain the privacy of its portfolio.
Seattle City Council bans caste discrimination
The AP reported that the Seattle City Council voted to ban caste discrimination. Caste is a system that is seen in South Asia that divides people based on their birth or descent.
AP said that kind of division has spilled over in the US among South Asian diaspora communities. Some feel that they are discriminated against here in matters relating to housing, education, and employment.
The Seattle City Council voted 6-1 to add caste to its anti-discrimination laws and is the first US city to ban caste discrimination. AP said it was a controversial process with “activists from both sides bearing banners, chanting slogans, challenging speakers…” The measure passed.
———
[Sponsored Video from Sorenson: www.sorenson.com]
—------
Brittney Griner back in WNBA
The WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury team posted several images of star player Brittney Griner back on a basketball court and practicing with her team. She just signed a one-year deal to play in the upcoming season. It is now a return to normal for Griner, who went through a 10-month imprisonment in Russia. The WNBA season will begin in May.
85-year-old woman killed by alligator
An 85-year-old woman who was walking her dog in Ft. Pierce, Florida on Monday was killed by an alligator. News reports said the incident was near a pond.
Witnesses saw a 10-foot alligator lunge at the dog, then grab at the woman’s leg and pull her into the water.
A neighbor said she saw the woman come out of the water and tried to instruct her to swim away, but the woman said, “I can’t. The gator has me!” The neighbor grabbed a pole and wanted to help out somehow, but the woman had disappeared.
The woman died. Her name was Gloria Serge. She was a retiree from New Jersey. Her dog was not hurt. The neighbor said they felt haunted by it because they couldn’t do anything. Neighbors said Gloria was a widow and she leaves behind five adult children and several grandchildren.
A crew of trappers were able to capture the alligator and kill it. The trapper said the alligator was almost 11 feet long and weighed about 600 to 700 pounds.
Neighbors said they often saw small alligators but didn’t realize there was a 10-foot alligator around.
It is rare for there to be a fatal alligator attack in Florida, but there have been three fatal incidents since May 2022.
NASA: 1,000-pound meteor hit Texas
NASA said a 1,000-pound meteor entered Earth’s atmosphere on February 15. It was about two feet wide and was traveling at 27,000 mph. It broke into several pieces before hitting the ground near McAllen, Texas.
A home security video showed the moment that the meteorite slammed into the ground nearby — there was a sonic boom and birds flew in the air. Neighbors said windows rattled and that it felt like a brief earthquake.
A scientist showed an image of a piece of the meteorite that was found on private property. It looks like a smooth and dark rock.
That is all the top stories for today. Stay with the light.
https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-2-22-23/index.html
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/seattle-council-vote-outlawing-caste-discrimination-97360524
https://www.instagram.com/p/Co8TCsGP8tz/
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/21/us/alligator-attack-florida.html
https://www.fox4news.com/news/nasa-confirms-1000-pound-meteor-hit-the-ground-in-texas
https://www.foxweather.com/earth-space/texas-meteorite-found-starr-county