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A new Dutch parliament has been sworn in after Wilders’ victory in the national election 2 weeks ago

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:43 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A new lower house of the Dutch parliament was sworn in Wednesday, two weeks after the far-right party of lawmaker Geert Wilders won a general election in a seismic shift that reverberated through Europe.While the newly configured Second Chamber is now installed, talks to form a new ruling coalition remain at an early stage, with a “scout” still talking to leaders about possible combinations to succeed the last four-party administration led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte.The scout is expected to send a report to parliament before a debate, likely next week, on the next step in the coalition formation process.Rutte, the Netherlands’ longest serving premier, will remain in office until a new coalition is formed and sworn in. Talks to form Rutte’s final coalition took some nine months, a record.Wilders’ anti-Islam, anti-immigration Party for Freedom won 37 seats in the 150-seat Second Chamber of Parliament in the Nov. 22 election, putting hi...

US experts are in Cyprus to assist police investigating alleged sanctions evasion by Russians

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:43 GMT

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A group of experts from the United States is in Cyprus to assist law enforcement authorities with investigations into alleged sanctions evasion by Russian oligarchs, Cyprus’ government said Wednesday.Spokesman Constantinos Letymbiotis told reporters that President Nikos Christodoulides has met the experts who will advise police on how best to conduct probes into cases involving financial crimes. They will stay for a few days in the east Mediterranean island nation and return later to continue providing assistance.Cypriot officials said the six-member team includes experts from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to discuss the matter publicly.Christodoulides told The Associated Press in an interview last month that he personally reached out to a “third country” he didn’t name for help with new and old allegations that Cypriot financial service providers h...

Hanukkah message of light in darkness feels uniquely relevant to US Jews amid war, antisemitism

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:43 GMT

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Preparing for Hanukkah — Judaism’s celebration of finding light in the darkness — feels uniquely somber yet defiant this year for the diverse Jewish community in Miami-area towns that many consider a welcoming home for their faith.Even here, daily life for many Jews has been upended by the surprise attack on Oct. 7 in Israel, when Hamas militants killed about 1,200, mostly civilians, and by the rise in antisemitism worldwide during the ensuing war, in which more than 15,000 Palestinians have died.As a result, there’s a sense of dread in South Florida, but also a new sense of purpose for Holocaust survivors and new moms alike, regardless of their politics or religious observance, as they prepare for the holiday.“I feel like we’re at war,” said Rabbi Sholom Lipskar, who started the Shul of Bal Harbour more than 40 years ago near the beach in Surfside. But he’s planning a bigger-than-usual menorah lighting for Hanukkah’s start this week. “God didn’t put u...

At least 21 deaths and 600 cases of dengue fever in Mali

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:43 GMT

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Dengue fever is on the rise in Mali, where officials are reporting new infections and deaths from the virus this week.Mali’s director general of health and public hygiene, Dr. Cheick Amadou Tidiane Traore, told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday that his department had counted 21 deaths and 600 cases of the virus as of Monday.Dengue is a viral infection spread by mosquitoes that mostly causes flu-like illness. In severe cases, the disease can cause joint pain, swollen glands, severe bleeding and death. There is no specific treatment protocol, but two vaccines have been recommended by the World Health Organization for countries that suffer regular outbreaks.The Malian government has not yet officially released any figures on the disease to the general public, nor has it announced whether or not it has requested aid from the World Health Organization. With the country in political transition already facing the threat of armed groups linked to al-Qaeda a...

Roots reports Q3 sales and profit down from year ago as it faces economic headwinds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:43 GMT

TORONTO — Roots Corp. is reporting its third-quarter profit and revenue fell compared with a year ago as it says it faced economic headwinds.The clothing retailer says it earned $519,000 or a penny per share for the quarter ended Oct. 28, down from a profit of $2.2 million or five cents per share in the same quarter last year.Sales totalled $63.5 million for the quarter, down from $69.8 million a year earlier.The company says the drop came as direct-to-consumer sales, which includes its corporate retail stores and e-commerce sales, totalled $52.2 million, down from $56.9 million a year ago.Roots says the drop was driven by lower discounted sales and the tightening of consumer discretionary spending, while full-price sales rose three per cent compared with a year ago.Partner and other sales, which includes wholesale branded products, licensing to manufacturing partners and certain custom products, totalled $11.3 million, down from $12.9 million in the same quarter last year.This repo...

College Board revises AP Black history class set to launch in 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:43 GMT

The College Board on Wednesday released an updated framework for its new Advanced Placement African American Studies course, months after the non-profit testing company came under intense scrutiny for engaging with conservative critics. The revision includes more material on topics including the Tulsa Race Massacre, Black culture’s influence on film and sports, and discriminatory practices related to housing, known as redlining. The new framework will be used when the course officially launches next academic year.The course gained national attention early this year when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, now a Republican presidential candidate, said he would ban the course in his state because it pushed a political agenda. The College Board later removed several topics from the exam, including Black Lives Matter, slavery reparations and queer life, and was criticized for bowing to political pressure. The latest changes address some of that criticism. The course outline includes writte...

Cody Johnson, Thomas Rhett and Jason Aldean to headline Boots and Hearts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:43 GMT

Country stars Jason Aldean, Thomas Rhett and Cody Johnson are headed to next year’s Boots and Hearts.All three will headline the 2024 edition of the camping and country music festival, which takes place Aug. 8 to 11 at Burl’s Creek Event Grounds in Oro-Medonte, Ont.Johnson, the Huntsville, Texas, singer known for hits “Til You Can’t” and “Diamond in My Pocket,” makes his debut at the festival as Friday’s top-billed performer.Both Rhett and Aldean mark this as their third time at Boots and Hearts, playing Saturday and Sunday night, respectively.Other acts set to hit the stage this year include British Columbia native Madeline Merlo, as well as U.S. acts Brothers Osborne, Lonestar, Carly Pearce and Megan Moroney.Festival organizer RepublicLive says tickets for the 2024 edition of Boots and Hearts go on sale Friday. The full lineup will be announced in the new year.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2023.The Canadian ...

Suspect arrested in stabbing near Queen and Ossington

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:43 GMT

Toronto police say they have a suspect in custody after a man in his 30s was stabbed in Toronto’s west end.Police responded to the area of Queen Street West and Givins Street near Ossington Avenue around 5 a.m. on Wednesday and found a man with a stab wound to the shoulder.Paramedics transported the man to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.There is no word on charges.No further details have been released.

Taylor Swift is named Time Magazine's person of the year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:43 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Is the year of Taylor Swift over now? Not yet.Time Magazine named Swift its person of the year on Wednesday, a week after Spotify announced she was the most-played artist on the streaming platform. Swift was picked from a group of nine finalists that included Barbie, King Charles III, and OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, among others. “While her popularity has grown across the decades, this is the year that Swift, 33, achieved a kind of nuclear fusion: shooting art and commerce together to release an energy of historic force,” Time said about her selection.Her year included the wildly popular Eras Tour and concert movie, the release of her reimagined ‘1989’ album, and her closely watched relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. She's even the subject of college courses. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was Time's 2022 person of the year.

Wednesday Forecast: Temps in upper 30s with mostly cloudy conditions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:43 GMT

CHICAGO — Wednesday is expected to be mostly cloudy and seasonable with highs in the upper 30s that will feel like the lower 30s.  Interactive Radar: Track showers and storms here Breezy southwest winds tonight will help keep temperatures from falling beyond the mid-30s, but wind chills will reach the upper 20s as clouds decrease. Thursday Forecast: Mostly sunny Thursday with highs in the lower 50s.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog