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Italy’s far-right premier addresses country’s oldest union

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:13:29 GMT

MILAN (AP) — Premier Giorgia Meloni on Friday became the first Italian leader in nearly 30 years to address the annual meeting of the nation’s largest, oldest and most left-wing CGIL union confederation. Meloni, who heads post-war Italy’s first far-right led government, was met with a chorus of vocal protests as she took the podium, but the audience remained silent during her nearly 30-minute remarks that included her government’s plans to create jobs and ease the overall tax burden on workers. She received one round of applause, when she mentioned extreme-right attacks against CGIL offices, but immediately followed that up with a reference to left-wing attacks on Italian diplomatic targets abroad. Meloni told the gathering in the Adriatic seaside city of Rimini that despite their different views “we are working with the same goal, which is the for the good of our nation. If this is the spirit, then the confrontation is necessary, fundamental, inevitable and useful.” Meloni said sh...

Texas, Florida push border laws as governors eye presidency

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:13:29 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Led by tough-talking Republican governors weighing presidential runs, Texas and Florida are debating especially strict legislation on border security as the GOP tests federal authority over immigration. The moves in the two GOP-controlled statehouses come against a backdrop of polarization in Congress that makes any national immigration legislation seem unlikely as President Joe Biden tries to drive down migrant arrivals at the border while eyeing his own reelection bid.Republican proposals in Texas build on Gov. Greg Abbott’s $4 billion project Operation Lone Star, with its construction of more barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border and busing of migrants to Democratic-led cities, including Washington, D.C., and New York. Abbott’s aides confirm he’s considering running for president.Operation Lone Star already has added more officers along Texas’ border with Mexico to detain migrants who trespass on private property. Now, Texas lawmakers have propose...

Pakistani court suspends arrest warrant for ex-PM Imran Khan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:13:29 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A top Pakistani court on Friday suspended an arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Imran Khan, giving him a reprieve to travel to Islamabad and face charges in a graft case without being detained.Khan has been holed up at his home in the eastern city of Lahore since Tuesday, after failing to appear at an earlier hearing in the case. His supporters hurled stones and clashed with baton-wielding police for two days to protect the former premier from arrest.Khan, now in the opposition, was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament last April. He is accused of selling state gifts while in office and concealing assets. It’s one of a string of cases that the former cricket star turned Islamist politician is facing since his ouster. He is now due in court on Saturday, after Aamer Farooq, the chief justice at the Islamabad High Court, suspended the warrant in the graft case. The court on Friday also warned Khan that he could face contempt proceedings if he again ...

German Cabinet minister to visit Taiwan, 1st in 26 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:13:29 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s education and research minister is making an official trip to Taiwan next week, officials said Friday. It will be the highest-level visit by a German official since 1997 to the island that China claims as part of its territory.The March 20-22 visit comes amid growing tensions between China and the West, including over Beijing’s stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine. China reacted when angrily when then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi traveled to Taiwan last year.The visit by Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger, whose ministry also oversees science, will focus on cooperation in areas of chip research and manufacturing, green hydrogen and battery production, spokesman Martin Kleinemas said.Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said the visit didn’t indicate any change in position when it comes to Germany’s policy on Taiwan, which supports the European Union’s practice of cooperating with Taipei at the technical level wit...

City of Markham employee on leave after using N-word during college lecture

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:13:29 GMT

A municipal employee in Markham has been placed on administrative leave after using a racial slur during a guest lecture at a Toronto college.The City of Markham confirms a staff member was speaking to students at George Brown College on Wednesday, when she used the N-word while presenting a case study to a human resources class.“The city was recently made aware of a troubling incident involving the use of racist language by a staff member,” says Bryan Frois, spokesperson for the City of Markham. “After learning of the incident, the staff member was placed on administrative leave.”Markham officials say they have hired a third-party investigator to review the situation and “provide recommendations.”The college has also launched an investigation to address the issue and take steps to prevent it from happening again. The school says representatives began looking into the issue as soon as they learned of it.“(We are) aware of a disturbing and troublin...

Spain: Long-term drought to bring more heatwaves, widlfires

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:13:29 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Spain has officially entered a period of long-term drought, owing to high temperatures and low rainfall over the past three years, and likely faces another year of heatwaves and forest fires.The country’s Aemet weather agency said Friday that statistics showed Spain entered a long-duration drought at the end of 2022 and the first three months of 2023 show no major signs of change.“The first available predictions for the summer of 2023 point to a likely situation of temperatures once again above normal,” said Aemet spokesman Rubén del Campo, adding that the coming summer “the risk of fires could be very high given the high temperatures.”But Del Campo pointed out that the country has experienced severe droughts before in 2017, 2005 and at the end of the 1990s and 1980s.“To put it in context, we´re in a drought but there have been worse droughts, which is not to say this will not be important,” he told a press conference.Aemet says Spain is geographically prone to high te...

24-year-old man's body recovered from Chicago River on North Side

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:13:29 GMT

CHICAGO — A man's body was pulled out of the Chicago River on Thursday afternoon.Just before 5:30 p.m., authorities responded to the river near the 2700 block of North Leavitt on the report of a person in the water.A 24-year-old man's body was recovered. 14-year-old boy seriously wounded in South Side drive-by shooting At this time, a death investigation is currently underway.

Driver wanted after woman critically injured in South Side hit-and-run

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:13:29 GMT

CHICAGO — A driver is wanted by police after a woman was critically injured in a South Side hit-and-run Thursday night.At around 8:45 p.m., police responded to the 7900 block of South East End on the report of a hit-and-run. Police said the woman was crossing the street when a 2013-2016 Chevy Malibu, possibly gray with right side front end, hood and windshield damage, struck her.She was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition. The Malibu was last seen traveling westbound on 79th Street toward Stony Island Avenue. It is missing a right side mirror and has a long dark mark on the driver's side door. CPD: Woman stabbed during argument in River North Anyone with information can leave an anonymous tip at cpdtip.com or call police at 312-745-4521.

Friday Forecast: Temps in mid 30s with morning rain/snow flurries

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:13:29 GMT

The weather for Friday is looking mostly cloudy, with morning rain/snow, decreasing clouds and flurries, with gusts of 40 mph. High: 35Morning winds Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Friday Night: Partly cloudy, increasing clouds, flurries, near & below 0 chills, W 10-20 G30. 15Saturday's weather is mostly cloudy with a slight chance snow showers and flurries, W 10-20 G30. High: 28Full forecast details at the WGN Weather Center

'Mattress Mack' to win up to $35 million if University of Houston wins NCAA Tournament

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:13:29 GMT

HOUSTON (KIAH) — March Madness is here, and that means it's time to ask, “How much money does Jim 'Mattress Mack' McIngvale have riding on the NCAA Tournament this year?”Well, he has about $3.5 million riding on his hometown team, the University of Houston Cougars, to win the national championship in front of a very supportive home crowd at NRG Stadium.On Thursday night, top-seeded Houston shook off Northern Kentucky for a 63-52 victory to open the NCAA Tournament. All-American Marcus Sasser watched from the bench after re-aggravating a groin injury he suffered in the American Athletic Conference Tournament. ‘Mattress Mack’ loses record $9.5M Super Bowl bet As usual, McIngvale has promised to share his winnings with his customers at his furniture stores in Houston. All customers have to do is buy $3,000 (or more) in merchandise from his store by a certain date, and they can get it for free if the Cougars go through the NCAA Tournament and win the national championship game on...