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Germany’s opposition leader faces criticism over his comments on cooperation with the far right

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:59 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s opposition leader insisted on Monday that there will be no “cooperation” at the local level between his party and the far-right Alternative for Germany after his apparent suggestion that they might work together caused unease within his own conservative bloc.Friedrich Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union has long said it won’t work with Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which has drifted steadily further right. Merz reiterated Sunday that there would be no cooperation in the national, state or European parliaments with AfD, which recently has surged in polls. But he was more equivocal in a ZDF television interview about the situation at town and county level, after the first AfD candidates recently won elections in eastern Germany to lead a county administration and become the full-time mayor of a municipality. Those were democratic elections that “we have to accept,” Merz said. “And then of course ways have to be sought in local pa...

Israeli parliament approves key part of Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul as opposition exits chamber

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:59 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli lawmakers on Monday approved a key portion of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s divisive plan to reshape the country’s justice system.The vote came after a stormy session in which opposition lawmakers chanted “shame” and then stormed out of the chamber.The vote reflected the determination of Netanyahu and his far-right allies to move ahead with the plan, despite massive, sustained protests for months and opposition from business leaders, military reservists and legal officials.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli lawmakers gathered in a stormy session Monday to vote on a key portion of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s divisive plan to reshape the country’s justice system, despite massive protests that have exposed unprecedented fissures in Israeli society.The vote was expected just hours after Netanyahu was released from a hospital and reflected the determination of the prime minister and his ultranat...

Miami police director out of surgery after critical injury in Tampa as Florida police investigate

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:59 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — The director of the Miami-Dade Police Department was in stable condition after surgery in a Tampa area hospital, the Miami-Dade mayor said Monday. “Following a critical injury in Tampa yesterday, Chief Ramirez is hospitalized and in critical but stable condition,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez, 52, was in Tampa for a law enforcement conference, officials said.Amid speculation over what caused Ramirez’s injury, the mayor said that “All that matters right now is Chief Ramirez’s wellbeing,” and state Florida law enforcement officials said they were investigating an ‘incident.’ “We have been advised by local law enforcement agencies that our Director, Alfredo ‘Freddy’ Ramirez, has suffered a critical injury in the Tampa area. We understand he is currently undergoing surgery,” a statement from the Miami-Dade Police Department. “We ask you to please keep him in your prayers.”The statement said the incident,...

Police identify 29-year-old victim in fatal Greektown shooting

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:59 GMT

Toronto police have identified the victim in a fatal Greektown shooting and are appealing to witnesses for more information about the incident.Officers responded to the area of Danforth and Carlaw avenues around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday for reports of gunshots.Police allege there was a fight involving multiple people and someone fired a gun. A victim was struck and rushed to hospital in life-threatening condition where he was later pronounced dead.The man shot has been identified as 29-year-old Shamar Powell-Flowers of Toronto. Police have released a photo of the victim.No suspect information has been made available.Investigators are asking anyone who was in the area at the time of the shooting, including anyone driving who may have dashcam footage, to contact them.Hours earlier and only a few blocks away, the city had held an informal gathering to mark five years since a man went on a shooting rampage along the bustling thoroughfare, killing two people and injuring 13 others.

Civil rights attorney Crump set to announce another suit against Northwestern over alleged hazing

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:59 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Civil rights attorney Ben Crump was set Monday to announce another lawsuit against Northwestern University over hazing allegations in its athletic programs, with the latest suit touted as containing “damning new details” of sexual hazing and abuse in its football program.Crump and other attorneys were expected to join former Northwestern quarterback Lloyd Yates in discussing the lawsuit’s filing Monday afternoon in Chicago. A news advisory says the complaint will allege “negligence, willful and wanton disregard for player safety and well-being” among other claims.Yates is among more than 15 men and women who have retained Crump and the Chicago-based Levin & Perconti law to seek damages against Northwestern due to its hazing scandal.“With damning new details, the complaint provides example after example of the vast, homoerotic and violent nature of the sexual hazing and sexual abuse in the Northwestern football program,” the law firm’s advisory st...

The challenge of creating a clean national power grid

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:59 GMT

In today’s Big Story Podcast, reaching net-zero emissions by 2035 will require major overhauls to Canada’s national power grid. A significant challenge lies in the patchwork of power-generation methods across different provinces, hindering the implementation of a standardized decarbonization approach. Additionally, political differences between provincial leaders and the federal government further complicate the situation.Adam Radwanski, climate change columnist and feature writer at The Globe and Mail, says electricity demands are likely to be doubling or tripling by 2050.“We’re looking at electrifying so many things. That’s the biggest path really to reducing emissions,” he says.So, what will it take to develop a clean national grid in Canada? And what are the feds doing to bring resistant provinces on board?You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.

Former US Sen. Kelly Ayotte throws hat into race for New Hampshire governor

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:59 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Former New Hampshire U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte on Monday announced she’s running for governor, days after fellow Republican Chris Sununu said he’s not seeking reelection to a fifth term in 2024. “Gov. Sununu did a great job, but there’s going to be a vacuum there,” Ayotte said on “Fox & Friends.” “We are one election away from becoming Massachusetts in New Hampshire, and I’m not going to let that happen,” she said. “We have something very special in New Hampshire — no income (tax), no sales tax, education freedom is so important in our state. So I’m running for governor to make sure that New Hampshire remains safe, prosperous and free.” Ayotte, who was New Hampshire’s attorney general when she was elected to the Senate in 2010, was defeated in November 2016 by Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan in a close race.Ayotte is the second Republican candidate to announce. Chuck Morse, former Republican president of the New Hampshire Senat...

Election leaves Spain in political disarray with no party having an easy path to form a government

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:59 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Spaniards woke up Monday to find their country in political disarray after a general election a day earlier left no party with a clear path to forming a government. The uncertainty deepened as both of Spain’s two main parties indicated that they hope to take power. The only sure thing seems to be that the country faces weeks, perhaps months, of political negotiations and possibly a new election to sort out the mess.Here’s a look at what happened and what might unfold in the next few months._____A BITTER VICTORY FOR THE OPPOSITIONAlberto Nuñez Feijóo ‘s right-of-center Popular Party, or PP, won the most votes and finished with 133 seats. But contrary to nearly every preelection opinion poll, it fell far short of the 176 seats a party needs to secure a majority in the 350-seat Spanish parliament.Even if it joins forces with the extreme right party Vox, which garnered 33 seats, it won’t reach that threshold. In a nutshell, the PP’s decision to cons...

UPS strike imminent? Here's what you should know

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:59 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The clock is ticking. As the deadline to reach a new contract nears, a potential UPS strike feels closer than ever.Negotiations broke down earlier this month and unionized workers have been holding rallies and practice pickets across the country. The Teamsters, which represent more than half of the company's workforce, will resume talks with UPS on Tuesday.That leaves less than a week to come to an agreement before the current contract expires at the end of the day on Monday, July 31. The union has authorized a strike and Sean M. O'Brien, a fiery leader elected last year to lead the union, has vowed to do so if their demands aren't met.“We’re sending a message... all 340,000 of our members are united and ready to fight,” O’Brien told The Associated Press at a practice picket Friday in Atlanta, where UPS is based.UPS's unionized workers still seethe about a contract they feel was forced on them in 2018, and say that the company delivers millions mo...

The names you don't know: Hollywood's 'journeyman' actors explain why they are striking

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:59 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Jason Kravits gets a lot of this: People recognize him — they’re just not sure how. “I’m that guy who looks like the guy you went to high school with,” says Kravits. “People think they've just seen me somewhere.”Actually, they have — on TV, usually as a lawyer or a doctor. “I’ve had enough roles that I’ve been in your living room on any given night,” the veteran actor says. “But mostly people don’t know my name.”Kravits is one of those actors union leaders refer to as “journeymen” — who tend to work for scale pay, and spend at least as much time lining up work as working. They can have a great year, then a bad one, without much rhyme or reason. “We’re always on the verge of struggling,” says Kravits.And they, not the big Hollywood names joining the picket lines, are the heart of the actors’ strike.Many say they fear the general public thinks all actors get paid handsomely and are doing it for love of the craft, almost as a hobby. Yet in most cases it’s their onl...