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Belgium swaps convicted terrorist to free aid worker jailed in Iran

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:18 GMT

Iran has released Olivier Vandecasteele, a Belgian humanitarian worker who had been detained in Iran for more than a year, in exchange for convicted terrorist Assadollah Assadi, who had been imprisoned in Belgium.“Olivier Vandecasteele is on his way to Belgium,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said Friday. “If all goes as planned, he will be with us tonight.”Vandecasteele is expected to land at the Melsbroek military base between 9 and 9:30 p.m. Friday night, the Belgian government said during a press conference.The authorities confirmed that the Belgian aid worker had been exchanged for Assadi, but without using a controversial bilateral agreement which would allow Iranians convicted in Belgium to serve their sentence in Iran, and vice-versa.Instead, the government used an article from the Belgian constitution that gives it the power to rule over foreign policy matters, making the exchange possible.No ransom was paid to free Vandecasteele, the Belgi...

Encinitas coastal bike lane controversy stirs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:18 GMT

ENCINITAS, Calif. -- Highway 101 above the famous Swami’s Beach surf spot in Encinitas is undergoing a major change. Four bike paths and a protected walking pathway have been created, but the parallel parking spaces on the east side of Pacific Coast Highway have been shut down. What’s the forecast for Memorial Day weekend? “What we are putting in is going to be safer for bicyclists and pedestrians, and people who are coming to the beach,” said Encinitas Mayor Tony Kranz. Local surfers are frustrated with the idea of altering an area that always struggles with parking.“What they’ve done is they’ve kind of made a war on surfers. You’re going to see a lot of guys really upset,” said Paul Ambrogio, a longtime Swami’s surfer. The bike lanes can seem complicated and it may take some time for people to get use to the new system. For example, FOX 5 witnessed a driver driving in the protected biking lane. While some complain of the loss of parking, the mayor says technically there is more...

Stock market today: Tech lead more gains in early trading on Wall Street

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:18 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are opening higher on Wall Street, led by more gains in technology stocks as another chipmaker reported strong demand related to artificial intelligence. The S&P 500 was up 0.3% in the early going Friday, and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.4%. The Dow rose 80 points, or 0.3%. Marvell Technology jumped 23% after the chipmaker said it expects AI revenue in fiscal 2024 to at least double from the prior year. That follows Thursday’s report from fellow chipmaker Nvidia, which gave a big forecast for upcoming sales related to AI. Treasury yields rose after another tick higher in inflation.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Wall Street followed world markets modestly higher early Friday, lifted by optimism that Congress and the president will strike a deal to unlock a vote for lifting the U.S. government’s debt ceiling and avert a potentially calamitous default.Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 each rose...

Poland’s lawmakers to decide on contentious laws regarding top court and targeting opposition

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:18 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish lawmakers on Friday were weighing two contentious draft bills — on the work of a top court and on Russia’s alleged influence in Poland — that may affect Warsaw’s chances of obtaining European Union recovery funds and the outcome of fall parliamentary elections.Critics say that the two draft laws on which votes are planned violate Poland’s constitution and are clear examples of how the right-wing ruling party, Law and Justice, is using the law to its own ends.The government’s policies, especially in the judicial system, have already put Warsaw at odds with the EU, which says they go against the principles of rule of law and democracy. The two drafts to be voted on Friday could add to the rift.The lower chamber, or Sejm, was debating a bill, proposed by the ruling party, that lowers the required quorum of the Constitutional Court. It is intended to speed up work on legislation that is stalled by divisions inside the court, which has been put under po...

Why Texas’ GOP-controlled House wants to impeach its Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:18 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — After years of legal and ethical scandals swirling around Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, the state’s GOP-controlled House of Representatives has moved toward an impeachment vote that could quickly throw him from office.The extraordinary and rarely-used maneuver comes in the final days of the state’s legislative session and sets up a bruising political fight. It pits Paxton, who has aligned himself closely with former President Donald Trump and the state’s hard-right conservatives, against House Republican leadership, who appear to have suddenly had enough of the allegations of wrongdoing that have long dogged Texas’ top lawyer.Paxton has said the charges are based on “hearsay and gossip, parroting long-disproven claims.”Here is how the impeachment process works in Texas, and how the 60-year-old Republican came to face the prospect of becoming just the third official to be impeached in the state’s nearly 200-year history:THE PROCESSUnder the Texas ...

Céline Dion cancels ‘Courage’ world tour dates citing medical condition

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:18 GMT

Céline Dion has cancelled her “Courage” world tour due to ongoing health woes related to a rare neurological disorder. The Quebec-born songstress says she’s not ready to return to the stage for European and U.K. tour dates that had been set to run from August through October, and in March and April 2024. The 55-year-old Canadian icon postponed and cancelled some shows last December when she announced she had been diagnosed with “stiff person syndrome,” a condition commonly marked by severe muscle rigidity and spasms.In a statement posted to her social media, Dion says “even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything now until I’m really ready to be back on stage again.” The statement says Dion’s medical team continues to evaluate and treat her condition. Dion closed her statement saying, “I’m not giving up… and I can’t wait to see you again.” This report by The Canadian Pres...

After yearslong delay, DEA revokes license of wholesale drug distributor over opioid crisis failures

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:18 GMT

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration stripped one of the nation’s largest drug distributors of its license to sell highly addictive painkillers Friday after determining it failed to flag thousands of suspicious orders at the height of the opioid crisis.The action against Morris & Dickson Co. that threatens to put it out of business came two days after an Associated Press investigation found the DEA allowed the company to keep shipping drugs for nearly four years after a judge recommended the harshest penalty for its “cavalier disregard” of rules aimed at preventing opioid abuse.The DEA acknowledged that the time it took to issue its final decision was “longer than typical for the agency” but blamed Morris & Dickson in part for holding up the process by seeking delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its lengthy pursuit of a settlement that the agency said it had considered. The order becomes effective in 90 days, allowing more time to negotiate a settlement.DEA Adm...

Celine Dion cancels remaining shows of Courage world tour due to health issues

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:18 GMT

Canadian pop singer Céline Dion says she is cancelling all of her Courage world tour shows for this year and into 2024 due to health issues.“I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again. I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you’re 100%. It’s not fair to you to keep postponing the shows, and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything now until I’m really ready to be back on stage again. I want you all to know, I’m not giving up… and I can’t wait to see you again!” she states on her website.I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again… and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything until I’m really ready to be back on stage… I’m not giving up… and I can’t wait to see you again!” – Celine xx…More info????https://t.co/DHUch7W7OF pic.twitter.com/bgszxVd1za— Celine Dion (@celinedion) May 26, 2023Dion announced in December 2022 that she has...

German government denies Scholz comments spurred raids on climate activists

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:18 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A German government spokesperson on Friday rejected the notion that comments by Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticizing climate activists might have prompted raids against them this week.Police on Wednesday searched more than a dozen properties across Germany linked to the group Last Generation, seizing assets as part of a probe into its finances. Prosecutors in Munich said they are investigating whether the group constitutes a criminal organization after its repeated road blockades and other protests drew numerous complaints from the public.Days before the raids, Scholz said he thought it was “ completely nutty to somehow stick yourself to a painting or on the street.” Members of Last Generation have hit back, describing the raids as a blow to democracy and accusing Scholz of belittling young people’s fears about global warming.Scholz’s spokesperson, Wolfgang Buechner, said he didn’t know whether the chancellor had advance knowledge of the raids but that ...

Pope runs fever, skips meetings, Vatican says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:18 GMT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis skipped meetings Friday because he was running a fever, the Vatican said.There were no details about how sick Francis was. The last time he spiked a serious fever, in March, the 86-year-old pontiff was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with acute bronchitis. He received intravenous antibiotics and was released three days later.A Vatican official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak about the pope’s health, said Francis didn’t receive anyone in audience Friday “because of a feverish state.” There were no formal audiences scheduled Friday, but Francis keeps a separate, private and unofficial agenda of meetings with people he receives at his hotel.Francis has had a busy week, presiding over a meeting of the Italian bishops conference, participating in an afternoon encounter Thursday with his school foundation Scholas Occurentes, as well as meeting with several other prelates and visiting dignitaries.He is...