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Former Qatargate judge Michel Claise may run in Belgian elections: La Libre

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:28 GMT

Former Qatargate judge Michel Claise may run in the Belgian elections, local media La Libre reported on Saturday.Claise, an investigating judge who recused himself in mid-2023 from the European Parliament corruption probe, may join the federal list of Défi, a French-speaking centrist party with two seats in Belgium’s federal parliament. Claise declined to comment when contacted by La Libre, according to the report.The Défi party’s first candidates for the federal and region of Brussels elections are set to be officially announced on January 10. Meanwhile, the Belgian liberals in the MR party including European Council President Charles Michel and EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders will meet on Sunday and are expected to decide on their list for the European election.BELGIUM NATIONAL PARLIAMENT SEAT PROJECTION All 3 Years 2 Years 1 Year 6 Mo...

EU, US warn against Israel-Hamas war expanding into regional conflict

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:28 GMT

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, both on trips to the Mideast, warned on Saturday against the Israel-Hamas war escalating into a regional conflict as hostilities increased following the killing this week of a top Hamas official. “It is absolutely imperative to ensure Lebanon is not drawn into a regional conflict,” Borrell told a press conference in Beirut, according to Reuters and Agence France-Presse. “I’m also sending this message to Israel: No one will win from a regional conflict,” he said,. Blinken met on Saturday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan as part of a new diplomatic tour of the Middle East. Blinken “emphasized the need to prevent the conflict from spreading, secure the release of hostages, expand humanitarian assistance and reduce civilian casualties,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in comments to Reuters.Borrel...

Russian shelling kills 11 in Donetsk region while Ukraine claims it hit a Crimean air base

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:28 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Eleven people were killed Saturday in Russian shelling in Ukraine’s partially occupied Donetsk province, according to regional Gov. Vadym Filashkin. Five children were among the dead and eight further people were wounded in the attack on the Pokrovsk district, he said.Ukraine’s military claimed Saturday it successfully attacked the Saki military airbase in the west of the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula.“Saki airfield! All targets were hit!” Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk wrote on Telegram. He also published a photo appearing to show the airfield, though it was not immediately possible to verify the image. Russian officials did not comment on the alleged attack, but Russia’s Defense Ministry said in the early hours of Saturday that it had successfully downed four Ukrainian missiles over the peninsula overnight. Later on Saturday, the ministry reported that its air defense forces had shot down six anti-ship missiles over the Black Sea. Traffic was tempor...

Fatal New York bus crash: officials say most people on board were Canadian

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:28 GMT

Officials in New York say most of the 23 people on board a bus that crashed on U.S. Highway 87 Friday, leaving at least one person dead, were Canadian citizens.Warren County Director of Public Affairs Don Lehman also says at least two passengers on the bus travelling from Montreal to New York City were Swiss citizens.New York State Police say one person is dead and 11 others were injured after the Skyway Coach Line tour bus crashed in Lake George, N.Y. at around 12:50 p.m. Friday.The injured individuals, including one person police say suffered serious injuries, were brought to nearby hospitals.FlixBus, a company owned by Germany-based Flix which also owns Greyhound, says a long-distance bus operating on its behalf was involved in the crash.Lehman says eight passengers have continued their journey to New York City since Friday afternoon.

DeSantis and Haley are battling to emerge in Iowa as the preferred Republican alternative to Trump

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:28 GMT

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Second place in the Iowa caucuses is seldom so important.The rivalry between GOP presidential candidates Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley has become a leading storyline before the first Republicans vote on Jan. 15. The two are in an increasingly testy contest to emerge in Iowa as the preferred alternative to former President Donald Trump for the party’s 2024 nomination. Florida Gov. DeSantis has said he expects to win Iowa despite trailing far behind Trump in polls. He portrays Haley, a former South Carolina governor who was Trump’s U.N. ambassador, as a puppet of wealthy donors and someone who has flip-flopped on key issues. Haley, who hopes to edge the better-organized DeSantis in Iowa, has accused him of misrepresenting her record, especially on taxes, and of falsely portraying himself as tough on China.The stakes are enormous for both. DeSantis would upend the race if he were to beat Trump in the caucuses. Haley’s allies believe they could hobb...

A minibus explodes in Kabul, killing at least 2 civilians and wounding 14 others

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:28 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A minibus exploded in a mostly Shiite Muslim neighborhood in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, killing at least two civilians and wounding 14 others, a Taliban official said Saturday, the first attack in the country in 2024. Police spokesman Khalid Zadran said the explosion took place in the western part of the city, in the Dashti Barchi area. The cause remained unknown, but police launched an investigation, he said.No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State group’s affiliate in the region has in the past targeted Shiite schools, hospitals, and mosques in the same area.Last week during a press conference in Kabul, Taliban Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid said there had been a 90% decrease in attacks by the IS affiliate in the past year. The IS affiliate has been a major rival of the Taliban since the latter seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021. IS militants have struck in Kabul, in northern provinces and especia...

Residents across eastern U.S. and New England hunker down as snow, ice, freezing rain approaches

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:28 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Residents across the eastern U.S., particularly in New England, are gassing up their snow blowers and dusting off their shovels as they gear up for a wintry mix of precipitation as a potent storm system bringing snow, freezing rain and ice bears down on the region.The system was expected to track along the northeastern coastline throughout the weekend, with the heaviest snowfall expected in Pennsylvania, parts of the Hudson Valley and portions of New England. Winter storm warnings and watches were in effect throughout the Northeast.In Massachusetts and portions of Rhode Island, the National Weather Service declared a winter storm warning from 4 p.m. Saturday through 1 a.m. Monday with snow accumulations of six inches up to a foot and winds gusting as high as 35 mph.The weather service is predicting much the same levels of snow in portions of Maine and New Hampshire with slightly less — three to six inches — in areas of Vermont.Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the city was...

UN calls Gaza 'uninhabitable' 3 months into Israeli bombing from war

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:28 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. humanitarian chief is describing Gaza as “uninhabitable” three months into Israel’s war with Hamas. Martin Griffiths warns that famine is looming and a public health disaster is unfolding, in a grim assessment of the horrific impact of Israel’s bombings to the devastating Hamas attacks of Oct. 7. Griffiths says Gaza's 2.3 million people are witnessing “daily threats to their very existence.” He says tens of thousands of people, mostly women and children, have been killed or injured, families are sleeping in the open as temperatures plummet, and areas where Palestinians were told to relocate have been bombed. Griffiths reiterated U.N. demands for an immediate end to the war.

5 signs it's a scam call before you even pick up, according to an expert

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:28 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – One of the easiest things you can do to avoid being duped or defrauded by a phone scam: don't even pick up the phone. But how can you tell when an incoming call is a scam or legit?Carriers have rolled out some new tools to help warn people against scammers – you may see a warning like "scam likely" on your phone screen when it rings – but they aren't perfect. There are a few other things you can look for to tip you off that an incoming call probably isn't worth your time. The first major red flag is if the call is coming from an area code that hasn't been allocated, explained Alex Quilici, CEO of YouMail, a phone screening and blocking service. "Those area codes are 100% guaranteed to be a scammer. Like area code 300. There's not really a 300, so any calls coming it there are going to be a scam," Quilici said. Don’t fall for it: These 3 phone scams are most popular now In fact, any time the second and third digits of an area code are the same, it's designated an ...

Former Twins star Joe Mauer maintains strong Hall of Fame support

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:28 GMT

The wait is on.Eligible members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America have submitted their Hall of Fame ballots and in just a few short weeks, Joe Mauer will know if he has been elected on the first ballot.Mauer has been holding steady in ballots tracked by X user Ryan Thibodaux (@NotMrTibbs). As of Saturday morning, he currently has support on 82.1 percent of ballots. An estimated 32 percent of all ballots are known. Players need to garner votes on 75 percent of the ballots to be elected to the Hall of Fame.Mauer, a former Cretin-Derham Hall three-sport star and longtime St. Paul icon, is one of five players currently above that threshold, along with Adrián Beltré (98.4), Todd Helton (82.1), Billy Wagner (80.5) and Gary Sheffield (75.6).Just 58 players ever have been inducted as a first-ballot hall of famer. Beltre seems to be well on his way, and Mauer could join the exclusive club, as well.Mauer’s percentage is likely to dip into the 70s and could be very close to 75 pe...