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Major Sicily airport shuts due to huge wildfire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:21 GMT

A fire broke out early Tuesday on the Italian island of Sicily near Palermo’s airport, forcing it to temporarily shut down.The blaze, which started above the town of Cinisi, reached the edge of the Falcone Borsellino Airport, forcing authorities to halt all air traffic until 11 a.m., the airport announced on social media, as pictures from the scene showed soaring flames near the airport perimeter. Sicily has faced scorching temperatures, amid a powerful heat wave that has impacted much of Southern Europe. On the Italian island, the mercury reached 47.6C on Monday in Catania on the east coast, according to Italian newswire Ansa. The sizzling heat threatening lives and fueling wildfires this summer would have been “virtually impossible” without man-made global warming, scientists said on Tuesday. 

Margrethe Vestager on failed US hire: ‘Shit happens’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:21 GMT

BRUSSELS — The European Union’s antitrust chief was trying to do the right thing in picking a renowned U.S. professor as a top EU competition economist.“I just wanted to find the right person and do it in the right fashion and then, shit happens,” Margrethe Vestager told a POLITICO reporter on Friday at the Unamido Japanese ramen restaurant near Flagey square in Brussels. The Danish commissioner, who has faced off against at least one shouting Big Tech executive and U.S. presidential venom, endured a potentially damaging setback last week over her choice of Fiona Scott Morton, who has been described as one of the “best economists in the world” in her field, for the influential EU chief competition advisory role.The shit, or rather la merde, came pretty much from one direction — when French President Emmanuel Macron joined other French politicians in criticizing the European Commission for choosing an American for the senior EU post. Macron said neither the U.S. nor ...

South Korean court overturns impeachment of government minister ousted over deadly crowd crush

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:21 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s Constitutional Court on Tuesday overturned the impeachment of the public safety minister ousted over a Halloween crowd surge that killed nearly 160 people last October at a nightlife district in the capital, Seoul.The court’s decision allows Lee Sang-min to return as the minister of the interior and safety. Vice Minister Han Chang-seob has served as acting minister since February when South Korea’s opposition-controlled parliament voted to impeach Lee, saying he should be held responsible for the government’s failure to employ effective crowd control measures and its botched emergency response, which contributed to the high death toll in Itaewon.Lee, 58, is seen as a key ally of conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose office welcomed the decision and had accused the opposition liberals of creating “shameful history” by pushing for his impeachment.In rejecting the parliamentary impeachment of Lee, the court said he could not be held c...

Legal dispute facing Texan ‘Sassy Trucker’ in Dubai shows the limits of speech in UAE

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:21 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Houston woman known online as the “Sassy Trucker” has been stuck in Dubai for months after an altercation at a car rental agency, the latest case showing the limits of speech in this skyscraper-studded city-state. The case against Tierra Young Allen, 29, comes as the seven sheikhdoms of the United Arab Emirates have rules that strictly govern speech far beyond what’s common in Western nations. A middle finger raised in a traffic dispute, a text message calling someone a name or swearing in public easily can spark criminal cases — something that foreign tourists who flock here may not realize until it is too late. Allen traveled to Dubai in April, with her social media accounts with tens of thousands of followers showing videos of her test-driving a Mercedes semitruck, going to the beach, seeing tourist attractions and partying in nightclubs. But toward the end of Allen’s trip, a rental car driven by a friend she was with was involved ...

Putin and Lukashenko to meet after Russia warns about aggression against Belarus

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:21 GMT

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko (both pictured) met on Sunday (23 July), the Kremlin said, two days after Moscow warned that any aggression against its neighbour and staunchest ally would be considered an attack on Russia.After Poland decided earlier this week to move military units closer to its border with Belarus in response to the arrival in Belarus of forces from Russia's Wagner Group, Putin said Moscow would use all means it has to react to any hostility towards Minsk.The Kremlin said Lukashenko is paying a working visit to Russia and will talk to Putin about further development of the countries' "strategic partnership".While not sending his own troops to Ukraine, Lukashenko allowed Moscow to use Belarusian territory to launch its full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022 and has since met with Putin frequently.The two countries have since held multiple joint military training exercises, and in June Lukashenko allowed his count...

Three-bedroom home sells in Fremont for $1.7 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:21 GMT

36062 Plumeria Way – Google Street ViewA house located in the 36000 block of Plumeria Way in Fremont has new owners. The 1,936-square-foot property, built in 1968, was sold on June 8, 2023, for $1,701,000, or $879 per square foot. The layout of this single-story home consists of three bedrooms and two baths. Additionally, the house includes a garage. The lot size of the property measures an impressive 10,829 square feet.Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby:A 1,084-square-foot home on the 36000 block of Niles Boulevard in Fremont sold in January 2023, for $800,000, a price per square foot of $738. The home has 3 bedrooms 1 bathroom.On Larch Way, Fremont, in September 2022, a 1,576-square-foot home was sold for $1,600,000, a price per square foot of $1,015. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.In January 2023, a 1,689-square-foot home on Linda Drive in Fremont sold for $1,080,000, a price per square foot of $639. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. 

Philippines shocks co-host New Zealand 1-0 for its first win at the Women’s World Cup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:21 GMT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — With its first goal at its first Women’s World Cup the unfavored Philippines achieved its first win Tuesday, shocking host New Zealand 1-0 in a Group A match made contentious when a potential equalizer was disallowed.New Zealand achieved its first World Cup win when it upset favored Norway in the opening match of the tournament five days ago. For the first time in six World Cups, the Football Ferns went into a match as favorite, almost certain with another win to become the first team to reach the round of 16.But Sarina Bolden scored the Philippines’ historic match-winner from its first shot on goal in the 24th minute, flipping the script and silencing a packed stadium of 33,000 mostly newly-minted Kiwi soccer fans.New Zealand had been ascendant in the first 20 minutes, playing with a confidence which reflected its expectation that this would be its best shot at winning in the group stage. It had 80% of possession, 74 completed passes to 11...

Philippines 1, New Zealand 0

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:21 GMT

Philippines10—1New Zealand00—0First Half_1, Philippines, Bolden, (Eggesvik), 24th minute.Second Half_None.Goalies_Philippines, Olivia Davies McDaniel, Kaiya Jota, Kiara Fontanilla; New Zealand, Victoria Esson, Erin Nayler, Anna Leat.Yellow Cards_Wilkinson, New Zealand, 42nd; Beard, Philippines, 49th.Referee_Katia García. Assistant Referees_Karen Janett Diaz Medina, Enedina Caudillo Gomez, Abdulla Ali Al-Marri. 4th Official_Kim Yujeong.___Source

Washington visits Minnesota after Cloud’s 23-point game

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:21 GMT

Washington Mystics (12-10, 6-8 Eastern Conference) at Minnesota Lynx (10-13, 8-7 Western Conference)Minneapolis; Wednesday, 8 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Washington takes on the Minnesota Lynx after Natasha Cloud scored 23 points in the Mystics’ 84-69 victory against the Phoenix Mercury.The Lynx have gone 5-8 in home games. Minnesota has a 3-7 record in games decided by 10 or more points.The Mystics are 4-6 in road games. Washington is sixth in the Eastern Conference scoring 31.2 points per game in the paint led by Shakira Austin averaging 8.8.The two teams play for the second time this season. The Lynx defeated the Mystics 80-78 in their last matchup on June 3. Kayla McBride led the Lynx with 24 points, and Ariel Atkins led the Mystics with 18 points.TOP PERFORMERS: Napheesa Collier is averaging 21.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals for the Lynx. Diamond Miller is averaging 13.5 points over the last 10 games for Minnesota.Tianna Hawkins is averaging 7.6 points and 5.1 rebounds fo...

Forenses declaran como “indeterminada” la causa de muerte de Julian Sands

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:21 GMT

LOS ÁNGELES – La oficina forense del condado de San Bernardino (California, EEUU) declaró este lunes como “indeterminada” la causa de muerte del actor británico Julian Sands, cuyo cuerpo sin vida fue identificado el pasado 27 de junio en un desierto al sur de California tras meses desaparecido.“La causa se considera indeterminada debido a la condición del cuerpo y al hecho de que no se descubrieron otros factores durante la investigación del forense. Esto es común cuando en casos de este tipo”, aseguraron los forenses en un comunicado.Asimismo, se añadió que esta era la “resolución final”, la cual llega cuatro semanas después del hallazgo de sus restos en el desierto de Mount Baldy (sur de California) tras desaparecer en enero. Confirman que los restos encontrados en una zona silvestre de California son del actor Julian Sands Hallan restos humanos en las montañas de California donde desapareció el act...