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Serbia election protests mount in Belgrade

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:02 GMT

BELGRADE, Serbia — Tens of thousands gathered in central Belgrade on Saturday in one of the largest protests since the Serbian election two weeks ago, united in their charges of vote fraud and in urging the EU to take serious note of unfolding events in the country.“I want to invite our friends from Europe to pay more attention to what’s happening here,” Srđan Cvijić, a member of the Belgrade Center for Security Policy who was an election monitor in the December 17 vote, told those gathered around the capital’s Terazije fountain Saturday.He decried the fact that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, who often boasts of his close relationship to EU and Western officials, only promotes European values and “hangs up EU flags” when officials from Brussels and foreign dignitaries pay the country a visit.Vučić has for years skillfully navigated the tightrope between the West and Russia, often turning to the latter to bolster nationalist support. Russian Ambassador Aleksandr Botsan-Kha...

Atatürk row scuttles Turkish Super Cup football final in Riyadh

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:02 GMT

The Turkish Super Cup football final to be played in Saudi Arabia on Friday was canceled after a dispute with Saudi authorities over the players’ shirts, according to media reports.The match between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe was scheduled for Friday evening in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, but it had to be postponed over what the clubs described as “some problems” in the event’s organization, according to the reports.Habertürk television and other media said the Fenerbahce and Galatasaray players wanted to wear T-shirts featuring the image of the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, during the prematch warm-up, but were not authorized to do so by Saudi organizers, according to the Associated Press.The players insisted on the T-shirts because 2023 marks the centennial of the proclamation of the Turkish Republic by Atatürk, according to the reports. Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe earlier pressed for the game to be played on home soil rather than Saudi Arabia.A ...

Israel bombs refugee camps in central Gaza

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:02 GMT

Israeli warplanes bombed two refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip amid an expanding ground offensive against the Hamas militant group, according to media reports.Residents in Nuseirat and Bureij — two of eight urban camps set up by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to house Palestinians who fled their homes following Israel’s creation in 1948 — told the Associated Press that airstrikes had hit the areas Friday night and into Saturday. At the same time, Israeli tanks are moving deeper into central and southern Gaza, part of a military offensive in response to the October 7 Hamas attacks in which more than 1,000 Israelis were killed and more than 200 taken hostage. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said Saturday that 165 Palestinians were killed in the past 24 hours, pushing the death toll since October 7 past 21,600. The vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants have been displaced by the fighting, according to UNRWA, with many fleeing south...

Quebec nurses union says negotiations with provincial government still deadlocked

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:02 GMT

MONTREAL — A labour group representing 80,000 Quebec nurses and other health care workers says its negotiations with the provincial government are still deadlocked heading into the new year.The Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec was one of several public sector unions that carried out strikes in the last two months amid tense talks with the province.All other unions announced tentative deals for new collective agreements this week, making the nurses union the only group still without a breakthrough in negotiations.The union says there are still significant disagreements at the bargaining table and issues related to workload, overtime and compensation for evening, night and weekend work remain unresolved.The union says it will limit its comments in the media until Jan. 15 so as not to stifle negotiations.It also says it will not hold any more strike days until then.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 30, 2023.The Canadian Press

Revelers set to pack into Times Square for annual New Year’s Eve ball drop

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:02 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The confetti has been tested for airiness. The giant numerals – 2 0 2 4 – are in place. And the luminous ball, bedazzled in 2,688 crystal triangles, is fixed to the pole from which it make its 60-second descent at 11:59 p.m. With throngs of revelers set to usher in the new year under the bright lights of Times Square, officials and organizers say they are prepared to welcome the crowds and ensure their safety.At a security briefing on Friday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said there were “no specific threats” to the annual New Year’s Eve bash, which is expected to draw tens of thousands of people to the heart of midtown Manhattan on Sunday.The celebrity-filled event will include live performances from Flo Rida, Megan Thee Stallion, LL Cool Jm as well as televised appearances from Cardi B and others. Organizers said in-person attendance is expected to return to pre-COVID levels, even as foot traffic around Times Square remains down slightly since the pandemic.Amid ne...

Carlton County man who ‘mercy killed’ wife dies by suicide in prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:02 GMT

CARLTON, Minn. — A Carlton County man died by suicide at a state prison last week, just two days after he was sentenced to more than 25 years for fatally shooting his ill wife in December 2021.Raymond Arthur Julian, 67, took his own life at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud on Dec. 20 — the same day he was transferred to the facility to begin serving his sentence for the murder of Tracy Ellen Julian.Minnesota Department of Corrections spokeswoman Sarah Fitzgerald confirmed the suicide to the Duluth News Tribune on Thursday, but the agency did not otherwise comment on the incident. St. Cloud is the intake prison for men committed to prison in Minnesota.Raymond Arthur JulianJulian on Dec. 18 was denied the leniency he sought after pleading guilty in September to what he described as a “mercy killing” carried out at his wife’s request. They argued for probation — an extraordinary request for intentional second-degree murder — but Judge Amy Lukasavitz im...

More big waves expected to pound California coast, high surf warnings in effect until 2 p.m.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:02 GMT

Powerful waves were again expected to thrash the Northern California coastline Saturday, with high surf and coastal flood warnings in effect until at least 2 p.m.Santa Cruz County beaches were forecast to see the biggest waves — potentially as high as 40 feet at some spots — though the swell was not expected to be as intense as the storm surge that slammed the area earlier this week, damaging some oceanfront businesses.The National Weather Service advised people to stay away from beaches during the warnings, which cover the entire Bay Area, Santa Cruz County and Monterey coastlines. West-facing beaches were expected to be the hardest hit.“These larger waves can come out of nowhere and be a lot bigger than you think they are,” said weather service meteorologist,” Dalton Behringer.The swell was forecast to gradually increase through the morning before tapering off in the afternoon. Moderate rain showers were expected throughout the day across the region.&...

High Surf Advisory and coastal flood warning issued, NWS

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:02 GMT

(KRON) – The National Weather Service has issued a High Surf Advisory and a coastal flood warning for Saturday until 2 p.m.The NWS forecasts a very high swell from the west and northwest that will create hazardous beach conditions. Bay Area Storm: Live Updates Beach waves are expected to be 26-20 feet on west-facing beaches on Central and Northern California coastline. Coastal flooding is a result of the high waves.  The NWS emphasizes the severity of high beach waves, calling the waves "deadly." For your safety, stay off of jetties, stay out of and away from the water, never turn your back on the ocean, and keep pets on a leash and away from the water.

Maritime National Historical Park changes open hours

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:02 GMT

(BCN) -- Beginning Jan. 2, 2024, the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park will be open at a different time for visitors, its officials said Thursday.According to the park's officials, Hyde Street Pier will be open on Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. due to ongoing vessel maintenance and extreme tide events. Oakland PD officer killed in line of duty identified Its visitor center at the west end of Fisherman's Wharf at 499 Jefferson Street will also be open from 1 to 5 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. Meanwhile, the Maritime Museum's operating hours will still be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays through Sundays. The maritime park, which offers visitors an experience of Pacific Coast maritime history, uses a fleet of National Historic Landmark vessels, over 100 historic small craft, a six million item museum collection, a visitor center, and a public research center to preserve and chronicle the lives of people who made their living on Ameri...

A British warship arrives in Guyana as tensions heat up in border dispute with Venezuela

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:02 GMT

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A British warship arrived in Guyana on Friday afternoon amid rising tensions from a border dispute between the former British colony and Venezuela.The HMS Trent’s visit led Venezuela to begin military exercises a day earlier in the eastern Caribbean near its border with Guyana as the Venezuelan government presses its claim to a huge swath of its smaller neighbor.Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed concern Friday about the situation and urged the two South American countries to return to dialogue. It said other nations should avoid “military activities” that support either side.Brazil’s statement called on Guyana and Venezuela to stay true to the Argyle Declaration, an agreement signed earlier this month in which their leaders said they would solve the border dispute through nonviolent means.The dispute is over Essequibo, a sparsely populated region that is the size of Florida and rich in oil and minerals. Venezuela has long claime...