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European Union offers a new growth plan to Western Balkans that partly opens access to single market

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:32:54 GMT

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — European Union leaders offered a new growth plan Monday to the six Western Balkans countries that opens parts of the EU single market to them in return for deep reforms, ahead of their full membership in the bloc. The integration of Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia into the EU was discussed at a summit Monday in Albania’s capital as part of annual talks called the Berlin Process. The meeting was attended by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel, as well as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.Russia’s war in Ukraine has put integration of the Western Balkans into the EU at the top of the 27-nation bloc’s agenda. The EU is trying to reinvigorate the whole enlargement process, which has been stalled since 2013 when Croatia became the last country to join. The six Western Balkan countries are at different stages of integration into the bloc. Serbia and Montenegro launched mem...

Biden campaign launches account on Trump’s Truth Social, saying ‘converts welcome’

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:32:54 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden ‘s 2024 campaign launched an account on Donald Trump ‘s Truth Social on Monday, attempting to poke online fun at the Republican candidate he may well face again in next fall’s election. Under the handle @BidenHQ, the campaign posted: “Well. Let’s see how this goes. Converts welcome!” It began its time on Truth Social by following just one account: Trump’s. The former president has built a commanding early lead in the Republican primary, setting up a potential 2020 rematch, despite Trump being indicted in four separate cases and facing 91 criminal charges. Biden’s campaign noted its move on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, writing, “We just joined Truth Social, mostly because we thought it would be very funny.”It added, “Follow us there for truths and retruths or whatever they call them.” A senior campaign aide said their joining might make Truth Social a little fun.It’s not the first tim...

Labour relations tribunal wants senators’ emails in discrimination case

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:32:54 GMT

OTTAWA — A federal tribunal is asking senators to divulge emails that it believes are relevant to determining whether an employee was fired on the basis of racial discrimination, in a case that pits claims of inequity against the rules governing Parliament.“The Senate is not only a chamber that passes our laws for the country. I think they also have to set a standard,” Paul Champ, the lawyer representing the former employee, said in an interview.His client is Darshan Singh, who served two years as the Senate’s human-resources director, the first person of colour join its executive team of public servants.The Senate extended his one-year term, but then shuffled upper management in a way that Singh complained left him sidelined by a supervisor he believes undermined him on the basis of racial prejudice.The Senate fired Singh in December 2015 without cause, in a letter that noted “the breakdown of confidence and trust which are essential to the viability of your...

Poland gives support to centrist opposition after 8 years of nationalist rule

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:32:54 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The majority of voters in Poland’s general election supported opposition parties that promised to reverse democratic backsliding and repair the nation’s relationship with allies, including the European Union and Ukraine, near-complete results showed Monday.The result was a disappointment for the ruling Law and Justice party and its leader Jarosław Kaczyński, who have governed Poland for eight years with a conservative, nationalist and sometimes anti-EU agenda. Though it remains Poland’s biggest party, Law and Justice lost its majority in parliament, putting a centrist opposition led by former EU president Donald Tusk in a strong position to take over power, official results showed with 96% of districts counted.It was among the most important elections in an EU country this year, and the results have been anxiously awaited in Brussels, Berlin and other capitals by observers hoping that a step-by-step dismantling of checks and balances could be halted befor...

Bell Media seeks appeal to CRTC’s renewal of broadcast licences

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:32:54 GMT

After asking the federal telecommunications regulator to waive local news and Canadian programming requirements for its television stations, BCE Inc.’s media arm is seeking to appeal a CRTC decision that renewed its broadcast licences for three more years.In an application last month to the Federal Court of Appeal, Bell Media said the renewal happened without a public hearing and could result in the regulator prejudging the issues it outlined in its June applications to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.The CRTC released the decision Aug. 8 announcing the administrative renewals of broadcasting licences for major companies including Bell until August 2026.But the company alleged the CRTC breached a requirement under Canada’s Broadcasting Act by not holding a public hearing before making that move. It said the regulator “acted without jurisdiction” and did not provide Bell with notice of its intent to make the decision, nor an opp...

Man accused of stabbing 6-year-old to death, injuring mother over being Muslim; FBI involved

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:32:54 GMT

WILL COUNTY, Ill. — A man accused of brutally killing a 6-year-old Muslim boy and seriously injuring his 32-year-old mother in unincorporated Plainfield Township is facing hate crime charges, according to the Will County Sheriff's Office.Authorities say 71-year-old Joseph Czuba has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of hate crime and two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Detectives say they were able to determine that both victims were allegedly targeted by the suspect due to their Muslim faith and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.The charges stem from a violent attack that occurred at a home in the 16200 block of South Lincoln Highway, just after 11:35 a.m. on Saturday. Prosecutors allege that Czuba knocked on the victim's door and started an argument about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.When the 32-year-old woman, later identified as Hanaan Shahi...

'Dehumanizing:' Chicago Jewish leaders on disinformation after fatal stabbing of 6yo. Palestinian boy

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:32:54 GMT

CHICAGO -- Chicago’s Jewish leaders have united to condemn disinformation of Palestinian people long before the stabbing of the six-year-old Palestinian boy and the initial Israel-Hamas conflicts that arose last week. According to text messages attained by CAIR-Chicago, “All you Muslims must die,” said the 71-year-old landlord accused of fatally stabbing the boy 26 times, and brutally injuring his mother in Chicago’s South suburbs.Six-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoumi and his mother Hannan Shahin reportedly moved to the U.S. to escape settler violence but were in turn approached with a brutal attack that resulted in the loss of life. Six-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoumi Rabbi Brant Rosen of Tzedek Chicago, shared he was devastated when first hearing the news but was not surprised per the discourse he says has been transpiring over the past week and a half --and decades before. “I think this is the result of dehumanizing people and we are seeing rhetoric out of the Israeli government through ...

Culver's opens up Wrigleyville location

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:32:54 GMT

CHICAGO — The latest Culver's location in Chicago has opened up in Wrigleyville.The new Culver's opened up Monday at 1111 W. Addison St. It's owned by Baron Waller, a Lane Tech graduate who already owns several franchises in the area, along with Bryon Waller and franchisee Joe Coyle.In a release, Waller said he looks forward to bringing Butterburgers, cheese curds and custard to one of the neighborhoods in which he grew up.Culver's has been reportedly eyeing Wrigleyville for quite sometime and is now in the building that used to be the site of the Taco Bell, steps away from the ballpark. Dean’s Reviews: ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ movie The new building currently houses an updated Taco Bell cantina, a climbing gym and a Chase Bank branch.

Drake's 6-year-old son Adonis drops single and music video

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:32:54 GMT

(KTLA) -- Drake may be eyeing a break from making music, but that doesn't mean his son is doing the same. Adonis dropped his very own single titled "My Man Freestyle" over the weekend and even paired it with a music video. The release came days after his 6th birthday and was apparently a birthday gift of sorts. Drake carries his son Adonis Graham as he accepts the Artist of the Decade award at the Billboard Music Awards on May 23, 2021, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)The video features Adonis playing basketball with his friends at what appears to be his dad's famous indoor court. He then gives his friends a halftime pep talk. "We just have to work harder," he tells his squad. "We have to shoot better. We have to play better. Get your energy up!"If you've wondered how he stays in tip-top shape, Adonis is seen hitting the weights and doing bicep circles in the gym. He even allowed his dad to be featured in the video in the postgame interview scene. T...

What is the 'Iron Beam' and how does it differ from Israel's 'Iron Dome' defense system?

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:32:54 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (NewsNation) — After another weekend of intense combat, Israel’s Defense Forces could deploy a new laser weapon system — years ahead of schedule.This comes after Israel’s "Iron Dome" has been overwhelmed by Hamas missiles.The high-tech Iron Dome system has saved countless lives. But with more aerial attacks expected, the cost of operating the Iron Dome is skyrocketing and forcing IDF to look at other defense strategies.The new "Iron Beam" wasn't supposed to be in service for at least a couple more years. But in the wake of the ongoing conflict, sources say it could be thrust right into the middle of the war. "The Iron Beam can work in conjunction with the Iron Dome," Kenneth Gray, a senior lecturer at the University of New Haven, said. Gaza’s hospitals near breaking point as Israeli invasion looms According to Open Source Intelligence Monitor on X, IDF is preparing to deploy the Iron Beam laser point-defense system. The system uses a fiber laser to destroy airborn...