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Kessler ruling threatens more tensions over EU justice system

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:14 GMT

A European anti-fraud chief illegally taped a European Commissioner as part of an investigation, a Belgian judge ruled on Friday, in an unprecedented rebuke of the EU’s justice system.Giovanni Kessler, a former boss of OLAF who left in 2017, received a one-year suspended prison sentence over his handling of a probe involving John Dalli, who was EU health commissioner. Dalli resigned in October 2012 amid allegations that his top aide sought bribes from the tobacco industry.Dalli has vociferously proclaimed his innocence, and pointed to the ruling as partial vindication.Kessler said he plans to appeal the ruling. “I have always operated transparently and with the aim of finding the truth on [the] allegation, which was a very serious allegation,” Kessler told POLITICO.As the EU grapples with the fallout of a different bribery scandal involving Qatar, the latest twist in the so-called Dalligate case threatens to reignite tensions over a politicized internal enforcement system.Dalli...

Greece’s Mitsotakis vows fresh start after summer’s crises, criticism

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:14 GMT

ATHENS — Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is promising a fresh start for his administration after severe criticism over the handling of deadly fires and floods this summer.His annual policy speech at the Thessaloniki Trade Fair in northern Greece this weekend was overshadowed by a savage storm that killed 17 people last week and catastrophic wildfires earlier that resulted in 26 deaths. Mitsotakis promised a revamp of the country’s civil protection systems in order to fight the “climate war.” And he pledged a greater involvement of the armed forces to deal with natural disasters.At a press conference on Sunday, the prime minister underlined the need to strengthen EU-wide programs to fight the effects of the climate crisis. “I will not rest until I manage to convince my counterparts” across the EU “of the need to strengthen the EU Solidarity Fund,” he said.Greece’s state coffers for natural disasters would be doubled to €600 million next year, funde...

North Korea leader inspects nuclear-capable aircraft on Russia visit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:14 GMT

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected Russian nuclear-capable strategic bombers and hypersonic missiles on Saturday during a tour of Russia’s eastern region. Kim was shown state-of-the-art bombers and warplanes by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Cruise missiles and automatic artillery systems were demonstrated to the North Korean leader, according to a statement from the Russian defense ministry. Kim began his visit in Russia by holding a summit on Wednesday with Russian leader Vladimir Putin amid concerns that Moscow is seeking to buy artillery ammunition from North Korea for its invasion of Ukraine, in exchange for military technology. The U.S. warned it “won’t hesitate” to impose more sanctions on the two countries if they conclude a new arms deal. Moscow seeks to deepen ties with Pyongyang against the backdrop of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, which has isolated the Kremlin and left it hunting for allies — and military equipment — i...

3 hurt, 1 arrested in crashes on I-93 in Canton

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:14 GMT

Three people were sent to the hospital and one arrested after multiple crashes in Canton closed I-93 overnight Saturday, officials said.The crashes were near Exit 2B northbound of I-93 and closed the highway for about an hour, according to Massachusetts State Police.One driver was arrested for allegedly operating under the influence, police said. Three others were transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

Trump refuses to say in a TV interview how he watched the Jan. 6 attack unfold at the US Capitol

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:14 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump repeatedly declined in an interview aired Sunday to answer questions about whether he watched the Capitol riot unfold on television, saying he would “tell people later at an appropriate time.”Trump, the current front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, refused to say on NBC’s “Meet the Press” how he spent Jan. 6, 2021, once the insurrection began and whether he made phone calls as his supporters stormed the seat of American democracy.“I’m not going to tell you. I’ll tell people later at an appropriate time,” Trump told moderator Kristen Welker after she asked if he spent that afternoon watching the attack on television in a dining room at the White House. Trump’s former aides have said he sequestered himself in the room off the Oval Office to watch, at times even rewinding and rewatching some parts. In the interview, taped Thursday at Trump’s golf club in New Jersey, Trump refused to say who he calle...

Drew Barrymore postpones her show’s new season launch until after strikes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:14 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Drew Barrymore, who drew criticism for taping new episodes of her daytime talk show despite the ongoing writers and actors strikes, now says she’ll wait until the labor issues are resolved.“I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over,” Barrymore posted on Instagram on Sunday. “I have no words to express my deepest apologies to anyone I have hurt and, of course, to our incredible team who works on the show and has made it what it is today.”Barrymore’s decision to return to the air — without her three union writers and with picketers outside her studio — was met with pushback on social media. Her show resumed taping in New York last week and was picketed by striking writers.Other daytime shows have resumed. “The View” has returned for its 27th season on ABC, while “Tamron Hall” and “Live With Kelly and Ryan” — neither are governed by writers guild rules — have also been producing fresh episodes. ...

NYC day care owner, neighbor arrested after 1-year-old dies and 3 others are sickened by opioids

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:14 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The owner of a New York City day care center and a tenant living in the building were arrested Saturday after a 1-year-old boy was killed and three others were sickened by apparent exposure to Fentanyl.The arrests came one day after authorities discovered four young children – ranging in age from 8 months to 2 years old – showing signs of suspected opioid overdose after spending time at the Bronx day care center, Divino Niño. Nicholas Dominici, a 1-year-old child, was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Three others were revived after medics administered doses of the overdose-reversing drug Narcan, authorities said.On Saturday evening, police arrested the owner of the facility, Grei Mendez, 36, and a building tenant, Carlisto Acevedo Brito, 41, on charges of depraved indifference murder, assault and criminal possession of narcotics, including Fentanyl.They are expected to be arraigned on Sunday.Police say they found a kilo press — a device used to package large quan...

Rural hospitals are closing maternity wards. People are seeking options to give birth closer to home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:14 GMT

Alisha Alderson placed everything she needed for the last month of her pregnancy in various suitcases as she prepared to leave the comfort of her home in rural eastern Oregon. The only maternity ward within 40 miles abruptly closed in August, so she would be staying at her brother’s house in Idaho to be closer to a hospital.“I was sitting in a hair salon a few days ago and some people started joking about me giving birth on the side of the road,” the 45-year-old said. “And in that moment, I just pictured all the things that could go wrong with my baby and broke down in tears in front of strangers.” Fewer than half of rural hospitals in the U.S. have maternity units, which forces pregnant women to travel longer distances for care or face giving birth in an emergency room. It’s also prompted government officials and families to scramble for answers. One solution gaining ground is freestanding midwife-led birth centers, but those also often rely on hospitals when seri...

Fatah gives deadline for handover of general’s killers amid fragile truce in Lebanon refugee camp

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:14 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — A top official with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah group said Sunday that Palestinian and Lebanese officials have given militant Islamist groups in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp until the end of the month to hand over the accused killers of a Fatah general.A fragile calm has largely prevailed in the Ein el-Hilweh camp since Thursday night after the warring sides reached the latest in a series of cease-fire agreements. It followed a week of intense fighting that killed at least 18 people and wounded and displaced hundreds. Top officials from rival Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas had traveled to Lebanon in an attempt to negotiate an end to the clashes.Azzam al-Ahmad, a member of Fatah’s central committee and of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said in an interview with The Associated Press on Sunday that he is “optimistic about reaching a solution” but that if the accused are not handed over by the end of the m...

Inflation likely gained pace in August, economists expect, reversing progress

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:14 GMT

OTTAWA — Economists are forecasting inflation reaccelerated to around four per cent last month, reversing previous progress made as gasoline prices push inflation higher. Statistics Canada’s August consumer price index report set to be released Tuesday is expected to show the annual inflation rate rose for a second month in a row. Canada’s inflation rate tumbled to 2.8 per cent in June, entering the Bank of Canada’s target range of one to three per cent for the first time since March 2021. The celebrations on reaching that benchmark were short-lived, however, as inflation ticked up the next month.Desjardins’ managing director and head of macro strategy Royce Mendes said he expects headline inflation to come in at four per cent for August, up from 3.3 per cent in July. “We’re expecting that the CPI data will reveal that Canadians’ pocketbooks were hit by higher prices, again, largely the result of gasoline prices,” Mendes said. The pric...