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Minister in Brussels region government resigns over Tehran mayor invite

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:28 GMT

Pascal Smet, foreign affairs minister of the region of Brussels, resigned on Sunday after coming under fire last week for inviting the ultra-conservative mayor of Tehran to the Brussels Urban Summit. “I have decided to resign,” Smet, who is also urban planning chief for the Belgian capital, told a press conference on Sunday.Smet, a Flemish socialist, created a controversy when he invited the Tehran mayor, Alireza Zakani, along with 14 Iranian officials and two Russian officials, to the Urban Summit, which ran June 12-15. The accommodation costs for these officials were paid by the Brussels region.Following the event, Smet defended himself at length before Brussels MPs, explaining in detail how he prepared and handled Zakani’s visit. Smet said he didn’t exerted any pressure on the Belgian Federal Foreign Affairs Ministry, and that if he had received a reasoned request from the federal authorities for rejecting the visas of Zakani and his team, he would have co...

Questions mount over latest migrant tragedy in Mediterranean

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:28 GMT

Anger is growing over the handling of a migrant boat disaster off Greece last week that has become one of the biggest tragedies in the Mediterranean in years. The calamity is dominating the country’s political agenda a week ahead of snap elections.The Hellenic Coast Guard is facing increasing questions over its response to the fishing boat that sank off Greece’s southern peninsula on Wednesday, leading to the death of possibly hundreds of migrants. Nearly 80 people are known to have perished in the wreck and hundreds are still missing, according to the U.N.’s migration and refugee agencies. Critics say that the Greek authorities should have acted faster to keep the vessel from capsizing. There are testimonies from survivors that the Coast Guard tied up to the vessel and attempted to pull it, causing the boat to sway, which the Greek authorities strongly deny.The boat may have been carrying as many as 750 passengers, including women and children, according to reports. Man...

1 dead, at least 20 hurt in a shooting at a Juneteenth celebration in Willowbrook, Illinois, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:28 GMT

(CNN) — At least 20 people were injured and one person has died in a shooting overnight, according to police, in what witnesses say was a Juneteenth celebration turned deadly.Some of the injured were transported to hospitals by ambulance and others walked in, DuPage County Deputy Sheriff Eric Swanson told reporters Sunday.Ten patients were transported to four hospitals with injuries ranging from graze wounds to more serious gunshot wounds, and two people were in critical condition, Joe Ostrander, battalion chief of the Tri-State Fire Protection District said earlier.At least 12 ambulances responded to the scene, Ostrander added.Witnesses say the shooting took place around 12:30 a.m. in a parking lot in Willowbrook, about 21 miles west of Chicago.The motive behind the shooting is unclear and it is still an active investigation, Swanson said.It joins the growing list of events interrupted by gunfire, like the graduation ceremony in Virginia, the NBA championship ce...

As Switzerland’s glaciers melt, Alpine nation backs climate bill with net zero target for 2050

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:28 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A majority of Swiss citizens on Sunday voted in favor of a bill aimed at introducing new climate measures to sharply curb the rich Alpine nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.Final results released by public broadcaster SRF showed that 59.1% of voters were in favor of the bill, while 40.9% voted against.The referendum was sparked by a campaign by scientists and environmentalists to save Switzerland’s iconic glaciers, which are melting away at an alarming rate. Campaigners initially proposed even more ambitious measures but later backed a government plan that requires Switzerland to achieve “net zero” emissions by 2050. It also sets aside more than 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.357 billion) to help wean companies and homeowners off fossil fuels.The nationalist Swiss People’s Party, which demanded the popular vote, had claimed that the proposed measures would cause electricity prices to rise.Backers of the plan argued that Switzerland will be hard-hit by glob...

‘Begin to heal’: Manitoba community prays for loved ones who died in bus crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:28 GMT

DAUPHIN, Man. — Residents of Dauphin, Man., sought solace at church services Sunday as they mourned 15 community members who died in a bus crash that also left 10 gravely injured. Father Brent Kuzyk of St. George’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church said part of his liturgy would be dedicated to victims of the crash. He said he planned to offer prayers for those who died and speak to the overall suffering of the community of 8,600 people northwest of Winnipeg.The Ukrainian church was among many places of worship in Dauphin that were set to address the tragedy during their regular Sunday services.Deacon Frances Stewart of St. Paul’s Anglican Church said she would offer a moment of silence for those who died. Now is a time to offer comfort and be compassionate as people grieve, she said.“As Christians, we have this wonderful hope, this wonderful promise of the life to come. But at this stage, the important thing is to just get through the first few days and then to be there f...

Quebec wildfire: Lebel-sur-Quévillon citizens return, but remain on evacuation alert

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:28 GMT

MONTREAL — Authorities have reopened the road into Lebel-sur-Quévillon, Que., and residents will come home as planned today, but the mayor is warning locals the return could be short-lived due to the massive wildfire burning nearby.The roughly 2,000 residents of the northern Quebec community are still expected to return today as planned despite the fact the fire that forced them from their homes has flared up again. Mayor Guy Lafrenière says in a video message that a fire south of the community has fused with five others and there are record high temperatures expected this week with no rain forecast until June 25.Lafrenière says officials decided that residents could come home, but urged those who do to be ready to leave quickly if needed and advised other evacuees who can stay away to do so.The community was the last one in Quebec under a full evacuation order due to an exceptional wildfire situation this year, and a civil security official says today that while the town isn’...

‘The Flash’ races to $55 million on a busy box office weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:28 GMT

DC and Warner Bros.’ long-in-the-works superhero movie “The Flash” opened to $55 million in its first three days in North American theaters, according to studio estimates on Sunday. Though a fair amount of money by normal standards, a sizable jump from DC’s last release, the “Shazam!” sequel, and enough for a first place start, it’s also muted by superhero standards where $100 million debut weekends are almost commonplace.It was a crowded weekend at the multiplex overall. In addition to “The Flash” there was the new Pixar family film “Elemental” and the horror-comedy “The Blackening.” The only big win was Wes Anderson’s starry “Asteroid City” which earned $720,000 from just six theaters and the distinction of having the highest per-theater average ($132,211) since the start of the pandemic. “The Flash” faced more complications than marketplace conditions. It has been in the headlines often over the past year, not because of the movie itself but because of its star Ezra Miller’...

Israeli government gives settler minister control over West Bank settlement planning

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:28 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s government on Sunday granted a pro-settlement firebrand authority over planning in the occupied West Bank and lifted red tape on the settlement housing approval process, Israeli media reported. The changes make it easier for Israel to expand its settlements on land the Palestinians seek as the heartland of their future state, at a time when hopes for peace are more distant than ever.The measure was approved by the government on Sunday as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Barbara Leaf, who is in charge of Middle East affairs, was set to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders during a weeklong visit to the region.The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli government’s decision and called upon the international community to pressure Israel “to take the necessary practical steps to force the Israeli government to stop its illegal unilateral measures.” The government gave Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich control over planning in West Bank s...

Hovercraft suffers gash, beaches itself in New Hampshire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:28 GMT

HAMPTON BEACH, N.H. (AP) — A hovercraft traveling from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia became a beachside attraction when it was deliberately run aground after suffering a 3-foot tear in its rubber skirt.The private owner of the retired Canadian Coast Guard vessel told officials that it was not safe to operate the damaged craft, so the decision was made to land on Hampton Beach on Saturday. No one was hurt.The massive craft, an air-cushioned vessel powered by twin fan-like propellers, was a curiosity for passers-by as it rested on the beach on a rainy afternoon. Because of the bad weather, few people were on the beach, which is usually swarmed by sunbathers during better weather, when the vessel came aground, said Hampton Police Chief Alex Reno. The craft landed near some piping plover nests, but the endangered seabirds were not disturbed by the activity, he said.By Sunday morning, the vessel had been repaired, and the vessel departed for Portland, Maine. From there, it was to continue to N...

Finland’s conservative party picks ministers for right-wing coalition government

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:57:28 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — Finland’s conservative National Coalition Party, the winner of April’s general election, on Sunday unveiled its picks for key Cabinet posts in the upcoming government that observers say is set to be the most right-wing in the Nordic country’s recent history.Following lengthy talks over seven weeks, NCP announced Friday a deal with three other parties for a governing coalition that includes the far-right, eurosceptic Finns Party, which runs largely on a nationalist and anti-immigration agenda. There will be a total of 19 ministerial posts in the new Cabinet, including prime minister-designate and NCP leader Petteri Orpo. The 53-year veteran politician is a former finance and interior minister among other posts and has been heading NCP, Finland’s main conservative party, since 2016. NCP is set to get eight ministerial portfolios in total.The party’s vice chair Elina Valtonen, who is the also the vice chair of the parliament’s foreign affairs committee, is s...