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EU commissioners arrive in Madrid to discuss plans for Spain’s EU presidency

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:14:53 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Commissioners of the European Union are meeting with the Spanish government to review Spain’s plans for its six-month Presidency of the EU Council.Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her team arrived Monday for the one-day meeting in Madrid.Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez started the presidency Saturday with a lightning visit to Kyiv to underline the bloc’s support of Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion.Continued support for Ukraine, a migration pact, EU relations with Latin America and the reindustrialization of Europe are among Spain’s priorities for the six-month presidency. The visit by the College of Commissioners was initially scheduled for July 6-7, but was brought forward so as not to take place in the middle of the campaign for Spain’s general elections on July 23.The Spanish government maintains the elections will not have an impact on the objectives or agenda of the presidency.After the meeting, Sánchez and Von der Leyen were to hold a press c...

Baltimore block party shooting shatters holiday weekend celebration, leaving 2 dead and 28 wounded

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:14:53 GMT

BALTIMORE (AP) — A holiday weekend block party in Baltimore ended tragically after multiple people opened fire, killing two and wounding 30 others, many of them under 18, police said. The circumstances leading up to the shooting early Sunday remained under investigation after police spent hours combing a massive crime scene in the Brooklyn Homes area in the southern part of the city. Richard Worley, Baltimore’s acting police commissioner, told reporters there were a total of 30 victims, with more than a dozen believed to be minors.No arrests had been made by late Sunday. Worley said it wasn’t clear if the shooting was targeted or random. The shooting comes amid gatherings around the country leading up to the July Fourth holiday. A shooting in Kansas left seven people with gunshot wounds and two more victims hospitalized after being trampled as people rushed out of a nightclub early Sunday morning, police there said.The violence in Baltimore occurred the same week federal prose...

Man killed in Rexdale shooting

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:14:53 GMT

A man has been killed in a late night shooting in Rexdale.Toronto police were called to a building stairwell at Kipling Avenue and Albion Road just after to 10:30 p.m. to reports of a man with gunshot wounds.Investigators say the man was found with multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead on the scene.No arrests have been made and no suspect description has been released at this time.The homicide unit has taken over the investigation.

Greece’s new parliament sworn in following conservative party’s election victory

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:14:53 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s new lawmakers were sworn in Monday, just over a week after a general election that saw a number of smaller fringe parties from the right and left of the political spectrum enter Parliament for the first time.The 300 members of parliament were inducted during a religious ceremony after the June 25 elections returned conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to power for a second four-year term in a landslide victory, crushing the left-wing opposition Syriza party and prompting opposition leader Alexis Tsipras to announce his resignation.Mitsotakis’ New Democracy party now holds a comfortable parliamentary majority, with 158 seats compared to Syriza’s 48.Three far-right parties and one representing the far left reached the 3% minimum threshold for parliamentary seats. Only one of them has been in Parliament before.On the right of the political spectrum, two newly-appearing parties are the Spartans and the ultra-religious Niki party.The Spartans, wh...

Award-winning Ukrainian writer dies of injuries suffered in Russian missile attack on restaurant

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:14:53 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Award-winning Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina was among those killed by a deadly Russian missile attack on a popular restaurant frequented by journalists and aid workers in eastern Ukraine, PEN America said. Amelina, 37, who had turned her attention from literature to document Russian war crimes after the invasion, died from her injuries after the June 27 strike in the city of Kramatorsk, the literature and human rights organization said Sunday in a statement.At least 11 others were killed and 61 were wounded in the attack around dinnertime, when the restaurant was usually busy. Ukrainian authorities arrested a man a day later, accusing him of helping Russia direct the strike.The attack and others across Ukraine that day suggested the Kremlin is not easing its bombardment of the country, despite political and military turmoil at home after a short-lived armed uprising in Russia on June 24.PEN Ukraine announced Amelina’s death after her family was informe...

Kimberly Palmer: Creative ways to cut your energy costs this summer

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:14:53 GMT

Blasting the air conditioning to counteract stifling heat can provide much-needed relief this summer, but the utility bills that follow might not be as pleasant. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of electricity has been steadily climbing over the past two years.“Most U.S. households will continue to pay high costs for energy throughout the summer because of high energy prices and the anticipated hot temperatures,” says Courtney Klosterman, home insights expert at insurer Hippo.The good news is you might have more control over your energy usage than you think. Paula Glover, president of the Alliance to Save Energy, a nonprofit that advocates for energy efficiency policy, estimates that based on numbers from the Energy Department, consumers could save 10% to 20% a year on energy bills just by shifting habits and making some energy-efficient investments. But, she adds, “You have to be diligent.”Here are five steps you can follow to lower your energy bill this summe...

Monday Forecast: Temps in mid 80s with slight chance of PM storms

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:14:53 GMT

CHICAGO —Mostly sunny and warmer Monday with a slight chance of PM showers/thunderstorms. Air quality: Moderate. Winds: NNW 5-10 mph. High 85, 77 lakeside. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Mostly clear and comfortable tonight. Winds: SE 5-10 mph. Low 68.FOURTH OF JULY FORECAST: Hot and muggy with a chance of PM isolated t-storms. Winds: SW 5-10 mph. High: Near 90Extended outlook calls for another hot and muggy day on Wednesday with temps near 90 increasing clouds and shower/t'storms moving in by the mid to late afternoon. Some of these could be strong to severe. Cooler and more clouds on Thursday with a chance of morning showers and highs in the mid to upper 70s. Back to sunshine to finish out the week for  Fri/Sat with highs near 80. A chance of showers on Sunday with mostly cloudy skies. Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

What you should know about Fourth of July origins and traditions

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:14:53 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Fourth of July is Americana at its core: parades and cookouts and cold beer and, of course, fireworks.Those pyrotechnics also make it an especially dangerous holiday, typically resulting in more than 10,000 trips to the emergency room. Yet fireworks remain at the center of Independence Day, a holiday 247 years in the making.Here are some things to know about July Fourth, including the origin of the holiday and how fireworks became part of the tradition.WHAT'S THE ORIGIN OF INDEPENDENCE DAY?The holiday celebrates the Second Continental Congress' unanimous adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, a document announcing the colonies' separation from Great Britain.One year later, according to the Library of Congress, a spontaneous celebration in Philadelphia marked the anniversary of American independence.But across the burgeoning nation, observations didn't become commonplace until after the War of 1812. It quickly took off: The Li...

Robert De Niro's grandson dies: 'Loved you beyond words'

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:14:53 GMT

(WJW) - Drena De Niro, the adopted daughter of renowned actor Robert De Niro, has confirmed the death of her son, Leandro De Niro Rodriguez.Leandro was just 19. ‘Frankenfish’ that can slither, breathe on land found in Missouri Sharing her grief on Instagram, Drena expressed her profound love for her "darling boy" and the indescribable pain she feels in his absence."I have loved you beyond words or description from the moment I felt you in my belly .You have been my joy my heart and all that was ever pure and real in my life," she shared.“I wish that love alone could have saved you,” she wrote. Robert De Niro welcomes baby Leandro, who followed in the footsteps of his famous family by pursuing a career in acting, starred alongside his mother in the acclaimed film A Star Is Born. He also appeared in other notable productions such as The Collection and Cabaret Maxime.There is no word on his cause of death.

What's legal, where, and when: Everything you need to know about fireworks and Texas in 2023

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:14:53 GMT

(KAMR) -- As weeks of sustained rainy weather have launched the state of Texas into significantly better drought circumstances compared to this time last year, many have started to look ahead toward the possibility of a fireworks-filled Independence Day Weekend in 2023. However, even outside areas still heavily impacted by drought, Texas' relationship with fireworks is not as simple as checking for a local burn ban before striking up a sparkler. ‘Heat dome’ means Texas can’t escape scorching hot temperatures According to the Texas Association of Counties and the Texas Department of Insurance, here's what to know about what fireworks are legal in Texas, when you can buy them, and how to find out where you can use them in your area. What fireworks are allowed in Texas? Most fireworks listed here, formerly known as "class C" explosives and now as "Fireworks 1.4G," are allowed in Texas. These include fireworks such as: Caps for toy pistols;"Common" small fireworks that have audible or...