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Near-final results confirm populist victory in Serbia while the opposition claims fraud

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:52 GMT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — An early official vote count of Serbia’s weekend election on Monday confirmed victory for the ruling populist party in a parliamentary vote in the Balkan country, but political tensions rose over reported irregularities in the capital, Belgrade. An opposition group said it was robbed of victory in the local election in Belgrade, would not recognize the results and would demand a rerun of the ballot. Sunday’s parliamentary and local election in the Balkan country pitted populist President Aleksandar Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party against the Serbia Against Violence opposition alliance.Vucic’s SNS party won some 47% of the ballots in the parliamentary vote, followed by Serbia Against Violence with 23%, according to a near-complete preliminary tally by the state election commission. Several other smaller parties also competed in the election, which was held only 18 months after the previous presidential and parliamentary vote.If confir...

Southwest Airlines reaches $140 million settlement for December 2022 flight-canceling meltdown

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:52 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines will pay a $35 million fine as part of a $140 million agreement to settle a federal investigation into a debacle in December 2022 when the airline canceled thousands of flights and stranded more than 2 million travelers over the holidays.Most of the settlement will go toward compensating future passengers, which the U.S. Department of Transportation considers an incentive for Southwest to avoid repeating last winter’s mess.The government said the assessment was the largest it has ever imposed on an airline for violating consumer protection laws.Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the settlement demonstrates his agency’s resolve to make airlines take care of their passengers.“This penalty should put all airlines on notice to take every step possible to ensure that a meltdown like this never happens again,” he said.Southwest said it was “grateful to have reached a consumer-friendly settlement” giving the airline credit for co...

Flooding drives millions to move as climate-driven migration patterns emerge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:52 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Flooding is driving millions of people to move out of their homes, limiting growth in some prospering communities and accelerating the decline of others, according to a new study that details how climate change and flooding are transforming where Americans live. In the first two decades of the 21st century, the threat of flooding convinced more than 7 million people to avoid risky areas or abandon places that were risky, according to a paper Monday in the journal Nature Communications and research by the risk analysis organization First Street Foundation.Climate change is making bad hurricanes more intense and increasing the amount of rain that storms dump on the Midwest. And in the coming decades, researchers say millions more people will decide it is too much to live with and leave.First Street found that climate change is creating winners and losers at the neighborhood and block level. Zoom out to consider the whole country and Americans appear to be ignoring the...

Trump notes he was indicted more times than the ‘great’ Al Capone

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:52 GMT

(The Hill) - Former President Trump on Sunday compared himself to infamous mob boss Al Capone, noting Capone was indicted once but that Trump now faces four criminal indictments.At a campaign rally in Reno, Nevada Sunday evening, Trump railed against the indictments – two of which were brought at the federal level and two at the state level – calling them “bulls---” and claiming they were politically motivated.“Did anybody ever hear of the great Alphonse Capone, Al Capone, great, great head of the mafia, right? Mean, Scarface. He had a scar that went from here to here, and he didn't mind at all. But he was a rough guy,” Trump said to the crowd of his supporters.“Now, I heard he was indicted once – a couple of people told me a few times more – but I was indicted four times,” Trump added.Trump underscored how dangerous Capone was – seemingly to make the point that his indictments are unjust.“If he had dinner with you and if he didn't like the way you smiled at him at dinner, he would ...

Commission welcomes agreement on the reform of the EU's electricity market design

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:52 GMT

The Commission welcomes the provisional agreement reached today by the European Parliament and the Council on the reform of the EU's electricity market design.This deal will help the EU build a renewables-based energy system, lower energy bills and better protect consumers from price spikes and empower them to benefit from the transition. It will ensure a sustainable and independent energy supply to the EU, in line with the European Green Deal  and the REPowerEU Plan. This reform, which was proposed by the Commission as part of the Green Deal Industrial Plan, will also make the European industry cleaner and more competitive thanks to better access to affordable renewable, non-fossil energy.The reform provisionally agreed today by the EU co-legislators features revisions to several pieces of EU legislation – notably, the Electricity Regulation, the Electricity Directive, and the REMIT Regulation.Building on the lessons of the energy crisis spurred by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the...

EU to invest more than €760 million in digital transition and cybersecurity

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:52 GMT

The Commission has adopted the amendment of the Digital Europe work programmes for 2024, assigning €762.7 million in funding for digital solutions to benefit citizens, public administrations, and businesses.Firstly, the amended main work programme with a 2024 budget of nearly €549 million will focus on deploying projects that use digital technologies such as data, cloud, and advanced digital skills. The work programme will roll out support for the smooth implementation of Digital Decade multi-country projects including opportunities for European Digital Infrastructure Consortia (EDICs). New actions will support the implementation of the AI Act and the development of a European AI ecosystem, including in particular SMEs.The Commission has earmarked the remaining €214 million for 2024 for cybersecurity, to enhance the EU's collective resilience against cyber threats. The actions funded by this work programme will be implemented by the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre.Executive...

Horoscopes Dec. 18, 2023: Katie Holmes, stick to the facts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:52 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Christina Aguilera, 43; Katie Holmes, 45; Brad Pitt, 60; Steven Spielberg, 77.Happy Birthday: Take your time and do things right the first time. Listen, evaluate and make every move and moment count. Let your enthusiasm lead the way, but your discipline and insight must take precedence. Stick to the facts and use common sense to navigate your way forward. You have plenty to gain if you are precise and dedicated to finishing what you start. Question anything and anyone lacking facts to back up offers or information. Your numbers are 5, 17, 20, 26, 32, 37, 44.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Address money matters swiftly. Don’t take a risk or trust someone’s discretion. Say little and do a lot. Your actions will be what saves the day, not your words. A change of heart is likely due to someone’s response or lack of having your back. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Opportunity awaits; displaying what you offer will change the dynamics of your p...

Word Game: Dec. 18, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:52 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — CHOREA (CHOREA: ko-REE-uh: A disorder marked by involuntary spasmodic movements.)Average mark 18 wordsTime limit 30 minutesCan you find 22 or more words in CHOREA? The list will be published tomorrow.SATURDAY’S WORD — INDIRECT iced icier incite indict indie indite inert inter irenic nerd nice nicer niter nitric dent dice dicer dicier diet dine diner dint dire direct dirt rein rend rent rice ricin ride rind rite edict edit cent cider cinder cite citrine credit cried tend tern tide tidier tied tier tinder tine tinier tire trend trice tried trineTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” ...

Single-family residence sells in Oakland for $1.9 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:52 GMT

2707 Camino Lenada – Google Street ViewA spacious house located in the 2700 block of Camino Lenada in Oakland has new owners. The 3,606-square-foot property, built in 2005, was sold on Oct. 17, 2023. The $1,895,000 purchase price works out to $526 per square foot. This two-story house has three bedrooms and three baths.These nearby houses have also recently been sold:In March 2022, a 2,785-square-foot home on Mountain Gate Way in Oakland sold for $3,500,000, a price per square foot of $1,257. The home has 3 bedrooms.A 2,657-square-foot home on the 2000 block of Mastlands Drive in Oakland sold in September 2022, for $1,610,000, a price per square foot of $606. The home has 2 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Ascot Place, Oakland, in May 2023, a 2,125-square-foot home was sold for $1,525,000, a price per square foot of $718. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. 

Ask Amy: A boy reading Judy Blume, and other inspiring tales

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:52 GMT

Dear Readers: For the past 14 years, I have devoted one December column entirely to the idea of giving books to children on Christmas morning (or whatever wintertime holiday you celebrate).Related ArticlesAdvice | Ask Amy: I swear we will move without her if she can’t get her stuff packed in time Advice | Ask Amy: Could my mother really believe I owe it to her to have children? Advice | Ask Amy: I was surprised by my brother’s advice about my girlfriend. Was he right? Advice | Ask Amy: I’m uncomfortable about my husband’s DNA test request Advice | Ask Amy: He says I’m not small enough to marry I was first inspired by a sweet story I read about historian David McCullough’s childhood, where he and his three brothers would wake up on Christmas morning to a wrapped book, left by Santa on the foot of their beds.I communicated with Mr. McCullough, and from his home in Massachusett...