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Spanish PM Sánchez calls snap general election after disastrous results in local elections

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:16 GMT

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday called for snap elections to be held on July 23.Spain was due to hold general elections by the end of the year, but the Socialist leader announced his decision to move up the date following Sunday’s local elections, which saw his party suffer heavy losses across the country.The July 23 general election means that the vote will be held just three weeks after Spain takes over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union.With the Socialist party polling six points behind the center-right Popular Party (PP), that scenario opens up the possibility that the rotating presidency may begin with Sánchez as prime minister but conclude with PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo as Spain’s head of government.

Boston fire crews rescue residents from 3rd floor of burning Dorchester building

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:16 GMT

Boston firefighters raced to the rescue of two trapped residents as a fire consumed a multi-family home in Dorchester early Monday morning, officials said.Crews responding to a reported structure fire at 309 Adams St. around midnight found heavy flames coming from the third floor and used a 35-foot ground ladder and an aerial ladder to rescue two trapped residents from the third floor, according to Acting Deputy Fire Chief Gerald Hogan.The majority of the fire was contained to the third floor and the flames were quickly knocked down.Twelve people were displaced and one was taken to the hospital for treatment.The American Red Cross is assisting those displaced.The cause of the fire remains under investigation.https://twitter.com/BostonFire/status/1663055140532678656https://twitter.com/BostonFire/status/1663048679207362560https://twitter.com/BostonFire/status/1663047084117827584

Johnny Damon embraces Celtics’ comparisons to 2004 Red Sox, hopes C’s can make history

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:16 GMT

MIAMI — Nearly 19 years have passed since Johnny Damon helped create history as a member of the 2004 Red Sox. Now, he’s fully invested as another Boston team tries to make the same history of its own.Damon, of course, was the center fielder for those ‘04 Sox, who became the first team in MLB history to overcome an 0-3 playoff series deficit as they won four consecutive games over the rival Yankees and then went on to win the World Series. Naturally, Damon has been wrapped up watching the Celtics, who are on the cusp of becoming the first team in NBA history to achieve the same feat against the Heat. So much so, he had to see it for himself.When an opportunity came up to go to Game 6 on Saturday night in Miami, Damon – who lives in his hometown of Orlando – couldn’t pass it up.“A buddy of mine is a huge Celtics fan, and he’s like, ‘Oh, we gotta go down. You have to bring your (World Series) ring,’” Damon said on Sunday. “I was like, ‘Uh, OK.’ So he had a Citation 10 (jet) ready to ro...

Nigeria’s Bola Tinubu sworn in as president amid hopes and skepticism

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:16 GMT

Associated Press (AP) — Nigeria’s Bola Tinubu has been sworn in as president of Africa’s most populous country at a period of unprecedented challenges, leaving some citizens hopeful for a better life and others skeptical that his government would perform better than the one he succeeded.The former governor of Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub, Tinubu, 71, was sworn in as Nigeria’s president in Abuja, the capital city, in the presence of thousands of Nigerians and several heads of governments. He succeeds President Muhammadu Buhari to lead a country that by 2050 is forecast to become the third most populous nation in the world, tied with the United States after India and China.He has promised to build on Buhari’s efforts to deliver democratic dividends to citizens in a country where deadly security crises, widespread poverty and hunger have left many frustrated and angry. And with his election still being contested in court by opposition parties and among many young Nigerians, Tinu...

Poland’s president approves law on Russia’s influence that could target opposition

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:16 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish President Andrzej Duda said Monday he will sign a bill that creates a powerful commission, ostensibly meant to investigate Russian influence in Poland but which critics view as a tool to remove from political life the political opponents of the ruling party, mostly notably opposition leader Donald Tusk.Parliament on Friday approved the law, proposed by the right-wing ruling party, that may affect the outcome of fall parliamentary elections in which the ruling Law and Justice party is seeking a third term. Experts say it violates Poland’s Constitution and the opposition has called on Duda to reject it. Duda said he was approving the bill because discussions on Russia’s influence on politics are being held in the U.S. and in some European countries. He said a commission for investigating Russia’s influences on European institutions and in individual countries should also be formed at the European Union level. Poland is to push for it at t...

Thousands evacuated as Philippines warns of flooding, landslides from approaching Typhoon Mawar

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:16 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine officials began evacuating thousands of villagers, shut down schools and offices and imposed a no-sail ban Monday as Typhoon Mawar approached the country’s northern provinces a week after battering the U.S. territory of Guam. The typhoon is packing maximum sustained winds of 155 kpm (96 mph) and gusts of up to 190 kph (118 mph) but is forecast to spare the mountainous region a direct hit. Current projections show the typhoon veering northeast toward Taiwan or southern Japan. Although it’s expected to slow down considerably, authorities warned of dangerous tidal surges, flash floods and landslides as it blows past the northernmost province of Batanes from Tuesday to Wednesday. Disaster-preparedness officials said the typhoon’s course could change abruptly and there was no room for complacency. “Even if the sun is up, the weather is so unpredictable nowadays and could change anytime so we should always stay on the side of safety,” Assistant ...

Uganda’s president signs into law tough anti-gay legislation with death penalty in some cases

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:16 GMT

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Uganda’s president has signed into law tough new anti-gay legislation supported by many in this East African country but widely condemned by rights activists and others abroad.The version of the bill signed by President Yoweri Museveni doesn’t criminalize those who identify as LGBTQ, a key concern for campaigners who condemned an earlier draft of the legislation as an egregious attack on human rights. But the new law still prescribes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” which is defined as cases of sexual relations involving people infected with HIV as well as with minors and other categories of vulnerable people.A suspect convicted of “attempted aggravated homosexuality” can be imprisoned for up to 14 years, according to the legislation. Parliamentary Speaker Anita Among said in a statement that the president had “answered the cries of our people” in signing the bill. “With a lot of humility, I thank my colleagues the Members of Parli...

Stock market today: Markets mostly higher after Biden-McCarthy deal on US debt

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:16 GMT

World shares were mostly higher Monday after President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached a final agreement on a deal to raise the U.S. national debt ceiling, though the measure requires approval by Congress. Paris, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Sydney and Shanghai advanced while Hong Kong fell. Markets in London and Seoul were closed for a holiday and U.S. markets will be closed Monday for Memorial Day.The agreement on the U.S. debt eased what had been a potentially huge threat to markets worldwide. Biden and McCarthy worked over the weekend to try to ensure enough support in Congress to pass the measure before a June 5 deadline and avert a disruptive federal default.“Markets are so far reacting cautiously. Buoyed, but cautious,” Clifford Bennett, chief economist at ACY Securities, said in a commentary.“This agreement merely rolls the issue to potentially more politically friendly times post the Presidential election in two years. Nothing is certain in this regard, and it is po...

Websites linked to Iran’s presidency hacked with images of exile group’s leaders

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:16 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A series of websites linked to Iran’s presidency bore the images of two leaders of an exiled opposition group Monday, with others showing the pictures of Islamic Republic’s supreme leader and president crossed out. An internet account describing itself as a group of hackers claimed responsibility for allegedly taking down websites. The account GhyamSarnegouni, whose name in Farsi means “Rise to Overthrow,” previously claimed hacking websites associated with Iran’s Foreign Ministry earlier this month. Iranian state media and officials did not immediately acknowledge the apparent hack. However, Associated Press journalists accessing the sites found them defaced with images of Massoud Rajavi, the long-missing leader of the Iranian exile group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, and his wife Maryam, who is now the public face of the group.One site bore the slogan: “Death to Khamenei Raisi- Hail to Rajavi.” Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Kh...

Authorities in Thailand seize more than a ton of crystal methamphetamine thought bound for Australia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:16 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Law enforcement officials in Thailand said Monday they seized more than a ton of crystal methamphetamine in a southern province last week that they believed was bound for Australia.Officials from police and the Narcotics Control Board announced that the 1.2 metric tons (2,646 pounds) of the drug, also known as “ice,” likely came from Thailand’s northern border region, which is part of the Golden Triangle where the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet. Myanmar is a major producer of methamphetamine, which over the past decade has become the dominant illegal drug in Southeast Asia for both domestic consumption and export, supplanting opium and its refined product, heroin. Decades of political instability have made Myanmar’s frontier regions largely lawless and exploited by drug producers and traffickers.The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime warned in a report in May last year that the production and trafficking of synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine is burgeoning...