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‘Europe’s got a problem’ — Drug violence grips Belgium’s second-largest city

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:58 GMT

ANTWERP, Belgium — When Lucas first heard the deafening blast, it sounded like a car had just crashed into his house.It quickly became clear, as he and his neighbors gathered outside in the middle of the February night, that the pizza shop across the street had been bombed — another chapter in the drug war plaguing Belgium’s second-largest city.The police arrived on the scene with a rehearsed precision that was both reassuring and deeply unsettling. “Are we already at a point where responding to this has become a routine job for emergency services?” asked Lucas, who asked to be identified only by his first name.Home to Europe’s second-largest cargo port, Antwerp has become a major entry point for drugs, especially cocaine coming from Latin America, and the turf wars have spilled into its streets. In 2022, there were 81 drug-related shootings and explosions in Antwerp, according to numbers shared by the city with POLITICO, and another 25 in the first five months of ...

‘Nice try’: Ursula von der Leyen stays mute on second term as Commission president

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:58 GMT

BRUSSELS — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen refused to say if she will put herself forward for a second five-year term in the Berlaymont. “Nice try,” the German conservative told POLITICO with a large grin after being asked if she was running again, as she stepped out of a meeting with top MEPs in the European Parliament on Wednesday, surrounded by aides and bodyguards. Speculation is bubbling in Brussels about what von der Leyen will do after the European election next June, which will spark a reset of the bloc’s top jobs. Her name has also cropped up in discussions about who will succeed Jens Stoltenberg as secretary-general of NATO. Even if she does declare an intention to stay in the Commission post, there is a major question mark about whether she would embrace the informal lead candidate (or Spitzenkandidat) process, or expect to be simply appointed as happened in 2019.Von der Leyen spent over an hour with the heads of the Parliament...

A unified strategy and more funding are urgently needed to end the crisis in Myanmar, UN chief says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:58 GMT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The United Nations chief renewed an urgent call to the international community Thursday to seek a unified strategy to end the worsening crisis in Myanmar.Secretary-General António Guterres said declining financial aid should be boosted to previous levels to enable the world body to respond to an “enormous tragedy.” He said the situation in Myanmar has further deteriorated since he met with ASEAN leaders in a 2022 summit, and again called on the crisis-wracked country’s military-installed government to immediately free all political prisoners and “open the door to a return to democratic rule.”Myanmar’s army seized power on Feb. 1, 2021, from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, arresting her and top members of her governing National League for Democracy party, which had won a landslide victory for a new term in a November 2020 general election.Security forces suppressed widespread opposition to the military takeover with lethal force, killing thousand...

Tokyo’s threatened Jingu Gaien park placed on ‘Heritage Alert’ list by conservancy body

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:58 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo’s Jingu Gaien park area has been placed on a “Heritage Alert” list by a conservancy body that assesses international monuments and historic sites. The conservancy says the planned redevelopment will lead to “irreversible destruction of cultural heritage” with thousands of trees being felled.The plan approved earlier by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike would let developers, led by real estate company Mitsui Fudosan, build a pair of 200-meter (650-feet) skyscrapers in Jingu Gaien, add a smaller 80-meter (260-feet) tower, fell trees in one of Tokyo’s green areas, and raze and rebuild a historic rugby venue and an adjoining baseball stadium where Babe Ruth played.The park area is renown for more than 100 ginkgo trees that line a long promenade, and was established 100 years ago to honor the Meiji Emperor. Botanists says the ginkgo trees will be under threat from any new construction.The International Council on Monuments and Sites — known as ICOMOS, which works wit...

Australia and China open their first high-level dialogue in 3 years in a sign of a slight thaw

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:58 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Australia and China opened their first high-level dialogue in three years Thursday in a sign of a slight thaw to relations between countries that have clashed on everything from human rights to COVID-19 origins to trade. “I welcome the recent positive developments in the bilateral relationship, but we know that there is more work to do,” said Craig Emerson, the head of the Australian delegation and a former trade minister. The dialogue being held in Beijing will focus on trade, people-to-people links and security.China’s former Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said the two countries should work together, but added that “We should adhere to the liberalization of trade and jointly oppose the Cold War mentality, bloc confrontation and trade protectionism.”Beijing often uses those terms in opposing the actions of Western countries, particularly the U.S. During the freeze in relations with Beijing, Australia formed a nuclear partnership with the U.S. and the...

Rising rent and food costs driving significant increase in Nova Scotia’s living wage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:58 GMT

HALIFAX — A report published Thursday says the rising costs of shelter and food in Nova Scotia have contributed to a large jump over the last year in what’s considered a living wage in the province.The annual report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-Nova Scotia says the living wage rates for 2023 range from a low of $22.85 per hour for Cape Breton residents to a high of $26.50 in Halifax. Last year, the rates stood at $20 per hour in Cape Breton and $23.50 in Halifax.Report author Christine Saulnier said the year-over-year increases in five regions of the province averaged 14 per cent, which are the “most significant” increases since the centre began calculating the living wage in 2015.“The reason we’re seeing such significant increases is because those cost of living pressures are not being offset by increases in government transfers (tax credits) or changes on the cost side that would see some kind of decrease,” Saulnier said in an interview.Living wages that reflect ...

Daily horoscope for September 7, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:58 GMT

Moon Alert: Avoid shopping or making important decisions after 6 p.m. EDT today (3 p.m. to 10 p.m. PDT). After that, the Moon moves from Gemini into Cancer.Happy Birthday for Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023:You are spontaneous, and you love knowledge. You set high standards for yourself and for others. You are not a quitter. This is a year of change. Expect increased personal freedom. Let go of whatever has been holding you back so you can seek out new opportunities.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★This is a poor day for important decisions or new ideas (especially by siblings, relatives or neighbors), because wishful thinking and, in some cases, fuzzy thinking is rampant. Keep this in mind. If possible, postpone important decisions for another day. Tonight: Cocoon.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★If shopping today, be careful about buying luxurious, elegant items — things you might not purchase at other times. Certainly, keep your receipts (and the box), because today is the classic day for wis...

Commissioner Simson participates in the first High-Level Electricity Grids Forum

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:58 GMT

Today (7 September), Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson (pictured) will participate in the first High-Level Electricity Grids Forum hosted by the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) under the patronage of the European Commission. The forum aims to accelerate the development of electricity grids across the EU, by bringing together high-level industry leaders, policymakers and innovators. To fulfil our REPowerEU Plan to end our imports of Russian fossil fuels, and the recently agreed ambition to reach a 45% renewable energy share by 2030, we need upgraded grids and strengthened energy infrastructure. This is key to delivering the European Green Deal. The event will bring together more than 200 participants including the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, member states, industry stakeholders, the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) and the International Energy Agency (IEA). The opening and closing sessions, ...

Single-family residence sells for $1.9 million in San Jose

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:58 GMT

The spacious property located in the 1400 block of De Palma Drive in San Jose was sold on Aug. 14, 2023. The $1,865,000 purchase price works out to $917 per square foot. The house, built in 1968, has an interior space of 2,033 square feet. This two-story home presents a roomy floor plan, featuring four bedrooms and three baths. Inside, there is a fireplace. Additionally, the house includes a two-car garage, offering generous space for vehicles and storage requirements.Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby:In September 2022, a 2,013-square-foot home on Los Rios Drive in San Jose sold for $1,780,000, a price per square foot of $884. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Los Rios Drive, San Jose, in October 2022, a 1,432-square-foot home was sold for $1,700,000, a price per square foot of $1,187. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 2,013-square-foot home on the 6200 block of Franciscan Way in San Jose sold in March 2023, for $1,745,000, a price per square foo...

Juez de Georgia, “escéptico” ante el plan para que juzgar juntos a Trump y otros 18 acusados

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:58 GMT

WASHINGTON, DC – El magistrado que juzgará al expresidente estadounidense Donald Trump y a otros 18 imputados por injerencia electoral en Georgia rechazó este miércoles que dos de esos acusados no sean procesados juntos a finales de octubre, pero se mostró “escéptico” de que todos puedan ser juzgados entonces.En la primera audiencia televisada que tuvo lugar en el marco de este caso, Scott McAfee dijo no ver razones para que el letrado Kenneth Chesebro y Sidney Powell, que fue abogada de campaña de Trump, no vayan a juicio juntos el 23 de octubre.“No creo que la separación sea necesaria de cara a una determinación justa de la culpabilidad o inocencia de cada acusado”, apuntó.Los abogados de Chesebro habían solicitado un juicio rápido para el 23 de octubre, una fecha que el juez ya había aceptado, y este miércoles McAfee señaló que iba a emitir una orden similar para Powell.En su opinión, separar ambos casos bloquearía el calendario de la corte.Los 19 es...