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Four years into crisis, Lebanon’s leaders hope tourism boom will help bypass reforms in IMF bailout

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:59 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Four years into its historic economic meltdown, Lebanon’s political elites, masters at survival, are pushing for a recovery that would sidestep tough reforms demanded by the International Monetary Fund.Economic experts and former officials involved in designing Lebanon’s original IMF-approved recovery plan in 2020 say the political leadership and associates in the banking sector are deliberately implementing a “shadow plan” to torpedo the deal and place the burden of bailing out the financial system on ordinary Lebanese who are already impoverished by the crisis.Carrying out the IMF reforms, which include audits of Lebanon’s long secretive central bank and other banks, would not just force the elites to bear much of the cost of repairing the financial meltdown. It would also threaten the networks of corruption, patronage and waste that allowed them to milk the system for years, experts say.“I would have never thought that these people, despite the size of the catastrop...

How Ron DeSantis used Florida schools to become a culture warrior

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:59 GMT

Ron DeSantis ’ path to national prominence started in Florida’s classrooms, where he harnessed culture war passions and deployed them in education policies.In the name of “parental rights,” the Republican governor has banned instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity and limited what Florida schools can teach about racism and U.S. history. He has exercised control over the pronouns and bathrooms students use. Tenured professors now must undergo regular reviews, as part of sweeping reforms to police “left-wing ideology” and “indoctrination” in higher education.His policies have faced wide criticism from civil rights leaders and educators, among others, but they also have paid off politically. As DeSantis prepares for the first GOP presidential debate on Wednesday night, he is one of the country’s most popular Republican politicians and a top contender for the party’s nomination. Policy and education experts say DeSantis’ agenda on education has influenced what it means to ...

Polls open in Zimbabwe as the president known as ‘the crocodile’ seeks a second and final term

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:59 GMT

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Polls have opened in Zimbabwe Wednesday as President Emmerson Mnangagwa seeks a second and final term in a country with a history of violent and disputed votes.These are the second general elections since the ouster of longtime repressive ruler Robert Mugabe in a coup in 2017.There are 12 presidential candidates on the ballot. The main contest is expected to be between the 80-year-old Mnangagwa, known as the “the crocodile”, and 45-year-old opposition leader Nelson Chamisa. Mnangagwa narrowly beat Chamisa in a disputed election in 2018.Chamisa hopes to break the ruling ZANU-PF party’s 43-year hold on power.A runoff election will be held on Oct. 2. if no candidate wins a clear majority in the first round.This election also will determine the makeup of the 350-seat parliament and close to 2,000 local council positions.The southern African nation of 15 million people with vast mineral resources, including Africa’s largest reserves of lithium which is...

Video captures mob of thieves ransacking Nordstrom Rack in Riverside 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:59 GMT

Security video captured a mob of thieves ransacking a Nordstrom Rack in Riverside and escaping with thousands of dollars worth of designer handbags. This particular Nordstrom Rack located at 2660 Canyon Springs Parkway was targeted twice in the past two months, according to the Riverside Police Department.In the first video, a group of at least six people are seen entering the store and heading directly to the handbag and accessory section on July 10.The thieves quickly get to work, grabbing armfuls of designer totes, crossbody bags, shoulder bags and more. The suspects are seen violently snatching the bags from display shelves while others are seen ripping the purses from security lock devices.Security video captured a mob of thieves ransacking a Nordstrom Rack in Riverside and escaping with thousands of dollars worth of designer handbags. (Riverside Police Department)Security video captured a mob of thieves ransacking a Nordstrom Rack in Riverside and escaping with thous...

Arrest made in vicious attack at Redwood City park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:59 GMT

REDWOOD CITY – Authorities on Monday arrested a 48-year-old Redwood City man in connection with a vicious assault earlier this month at Andrew Spinas Park.The assault happened around 7:45 p.m. on Aug. 8, the Redwood City Police Department said in a news release.The suspect threw the victim onto the hood of a vehicle, held him down by his throat and punched him repeatedly in the face, police said. The victim suffered head injuries and was treated at Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Medical Center.On Monday, an off-duty officer spotted the suspect at a coffee shop and took him into custody. The suspect was then booked into San Mateo County jail on charges of assault with a deadly weapon.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | 23-year-old arrested after Mountain View man is shot and killed Crime and Public Safety | San Mateo: Man, 43, arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a minor Crime and Public Safety | Man shot at East Palo Alto Gove...

Retail crime up 18% in Walnut Creek

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:59 GMT

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (KRON) – The City of Walnut Creek is seeing an 18 percent increase in retail crime in 2023. On Tuesday, Walnut Creek police held a meeting with downtown business owners to start a conversation about retail crime and how they’re trying to prevent it.Walnut Creek police say they knew they wanted to hold this meeting after an uptick in commercial burglaries in July. There was a pattern for those cases, and a suspect was apprehended.But in August, they saw more burglaries, so they wanted to talk directly with the people who could become victims – business owners. Person robbed, dragged by 2 armed suspects in Oakland: video “Walnut Creek is doing well," said city councilmember Kevin Wilk. "Our downtown community is thriving and we are going to attract, unfortunately, people who are looking to not do good here.”Walnut Creek police and local leaders spoke directly, and candidly, with downtown business owners. They say while residential and auto burglaries are down, c...

Condado Montgomery presenta plan contra el ausentismo escolar

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:59 GMT

Según datos de las Escuelas Públicas del Condado Montgomery, el absentismo escolar ha llegado a un punto preocupante, y el martes las autoridades se pusieron manos a la obra para combatirlo con un ambicioso plan. “Todos juntos ahora: en la escuela juntos aprendemos juntos”, es el nombre del plan que las autoridades piensan implementar este año para combatir el ausentismo en los planteles, que según ellos se vio severamente afectado después de la pandemia.“Como que se dieron cuenta que podían seguir las clases por internet, que no tenían que salir de su dormitorio, quedarse en la cama. Entonces a algunos les ha costado ajustarse otra vez a la rutina”, dijo Karla Silvestre, la presidenta de la junta escolar del condado.En el año escolar 2018-2019, más de 30,000 estudiantes faltaron a más de 18 días de clases y en el año escolar 2022-2023 la cifra llegó a casi 43,000 estudiantes.“La asistencia escolar es súper importante. El niño no puede aprender si no está yendo a la escuela tod...

Gallen, Pham push the Diamondbacks to a 5th straight win, 6-3 over the Rangers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:59 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Zac Gallen struck out 11 over six stellar innings, Alek Thomas had a spectacular diving catch on the warning track for the first out of the ninth and the Arizona Diamondbacks held off the skidding Texas Rangers 6-3 on Tuesday night.Tommy Pham extended his hitting streak to 13 games for the D-backs, who swept the two-game series and have won five straight games, helping their cause in a crowded National League wild-card race. They’re currently a half-game ahead of the Giants and Reds for the final spot.The Rangers have lost six straight and are just a half-game ahead of the Astros for first place in the AL West.Arizona led 6-1 after six innings, but Texas cut the margin to 6-3 in the seventh on Corey Seager’s two-run single. The Rangers loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, and closer Paul Sewald struck out Mitch Garver and coaxed a groundout from Travis Jankowski to get his 27th save.Gallen (14-5) is among the frontrunners for the NL Cy Young race an...

Bodycam video showing man shot, killed by officer in College Area released

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:59 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego police released bodycam video Tuesday showing the moment an officer shot and killed an armed suspect while carrying out a search warrant at an apartment complex in the College Area.The shooting occurred around 6:45 p.m. on Aug. 15 in the 6100 block of El Cajon Boulevard, according to SDPD. Detectives were attempting to contact a man who considered a person of interest in a shooting in Clairemont earlier this month. Watch bodycam video (WARNING: graphic images) The video released Tuesday begins with private dashcam footage of the initial incident, which occurred nearby the intersection of Ben Street and Beagle Street around 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 2. In the video pulled from a parked car, two occupants in a white Tesla can be seen opening the car's doors to shoot at another car. At least five shots can be heard before the two suspects got back into the Tesla, reversing the car out of sight of the dash cam.Shortly after, officers located the Tesla in the alley behin...

Two San Diego smoke shops facing lawsuit for alleged sale of flavored tobacco products

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:59 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott is suing two local businesses who allegedly continued the sale of flavored tobacco products after the state banned their distribution.The lawsuit accuses Keg n Bottle and Payless Smoke Shop of selling the illegal products repeatedly between May and August of this year. New California bill expands microenterprise home kitchen operations “I sent investigators into these retail establishments and they made purchases of products that were not supposed to be on the shelves," Elliott said. "It didn’t happen once, it happened many times, and that happened over the course of several months."As of Jan. 1, 2023, the sale of flavored tobacco products has been outlawed both in California and the city of San Diego, largely due to how the items attract teens to begin e-cigarette use.Keg N Bottle's owner, Tony Konja, provided FOX 5 the following statement:"Keg N bottle is a family run business that has grown to 12 locations by serving San Diego C...