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Love him? Hate him? For Donald Trump, attention is attention

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:51 GMT

In the currency of today’s attention economy, Donald Trump is the world’s richest man. His media-engulfed arraignment in New York was an out-of-court Exhibit A. In returning to the no-business-like-show-business metropolis that propelled him to tabloid-fodder fame so many years ago, the former president also returned to the very stage where he thrives the most. As he did so, even in an atypically sedate manner, he demonstrated the peculiar way he encounters the world — as luminary and aggrieved party rolled into one.Love him? Hate him? Don’t care? Doesn’t matter. Just like during his presidency, he commands notice. Still. Thousands of New York City police officers, the U.S. Secret Service and swarms of journalists deployed across lower Manhattan can all attest to that.It was a procedural court appearance, the low rung of drama in a criminal case, but it was a full-on spectacle. And calling it that, assessing it in that way, does not diminish it — not in today’s world, where spectacl...

Italian ex-leader Berlusconi hospitalized in ICU, but alert

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:51 GMT

ROME (AP) — Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi was hospitalized Wednesday in intensive care because of a problem related to a previous infection, but was alert and speaking, Italy’s foreign minister said.The 86-year-old three-time premier was in the ICU at Milan’s San Raffaele hospital, the clinic where he routinely receives care, said Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who is also a leader of Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party. Speaking from Brussels, Tajani said Berlusconi was admitted because of an “unresolved problem” related to a previous infection.Berlusconi has had a series of health problems in recent years, most significantly recovering from COVID-19 in 2020. He told reporters after being discharged from a 10-day hospital stay then that disease had been “insidious” and was the most dangerous challenge he had ever faced. He has had a pacemaker for years, underwent heart surgery to replace an aortic valve in 2016 and has overcome prostate cancer. In January...

Violence at Jerusalem holy site raises fears of escalation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:51 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City early Wednesday, firing stun grenades at Palestinians who hurled stones and firecrackers in a burst of violence during a sensitive holiday season. Palestinian militants in Gaza responded with rocket fire on southern Israel, prompting repeated Israeli airstrikes.The fighting, which comes as Muslims mark the holiday month of Ramadan and Jews prepare to begin the Passover festival, raised fears of a wider conflagration. By early morning, the Jerusalem compound, which is typically packed with worshippers during Ramadan, had quieted down. The mosque sits in a hilltop compound sacred to both Jews and Muslims, and conflicting claims over it have spilled into violence before, including a bloody 11-day war between Israel and Hamas, the Islamic militant group that rules Gaza. Al-Aqsa is the third-holiest site in Islam and stands in a spot known to Jews as the Temple Mount, which is the holiest site in Judaism.P...

Voters give women 1 win, 1 loss in UEFA soccer election

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:51 GMT

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — With the historic chance to vote for female candidates against male opposition for the first time in international soccer politics, UEFA member federations elected one of two women Wednesday.Debbie Hewitt of England was voted in as the FIFA vice president for the four British soccer nations. She beat the incumbent from Northern Ireland, David Martin, 39-16 in a vote of all the UEFA member countries.Hewitt’s landmark win came less than an hour after the same voters re-elected UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin by acclaim and rejected the candidacy of Lise Klaveness to join the UEFA executive committee.Klaveness received only 18 votes, the second-lowest total of 11 candidates in contention for seven seats.It was a public setback for one of only a handful of female presidents among the 211 national soccer federations worldwide, and one who was outspoken on human rights issues and World Cup host Qatar in the past year.“I know we have done everything we could. No o...

Party switch gives GOP veto-proof control in North Carolina

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:51 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A Democrat in the North Carolina state House switched to the Republican Party on Wednesday, giving the GOP veto-proof control in both chambers of the legislature and handing Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper a setback in trying to block hardline conservative policies in his final two years in office. The party switch announced by Rep. Tricia Cotham, of Mecklenburg County, means Republicans now hold the 72 seats required in the 120-seat House to hold a veto-proof majority. Republicans had already held 30 of the 50 seats in the Senate needed to override vetoes if party members are present and voting, but until Wednesday, they were one seat shy of a similar advantage in the House following the November elections.Recently improving margins for Republicans in the General Assembly, capped off by Cotham’s switch, have emboldened the North Carolina party to try again on topics such as gun rights, immigration and voting. Republicans also are interested in further restrict...

Turkey closes airspace to flights using north Iraqi airport

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:51 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey closed its airspace to flights to and from an airport in Kurdish-administered northern Iraq, a top Turkish official announced Wednesday, citing an alleged increase in Kurdish militant activity threatening flight safety.Foreign Ministry Spokesman Tanju Bilgic said the Turkish airspace has been closed to flights taking off and landing at Suleimaniyah International Airport, in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, since Tuesday.The closure was in response to an alleged increase in the activities of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in Suleimaniyah as well as its “infiltration” into the airport, Bilgic said in a written statement.The decision comes weeks after two helicopters crashed in northern Iraq, killing Kurdish militants on board. The incident fueled claims that the PKK was in possession of helicopters which infuriated Turkish authorities.The main U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led force in northeastern Syria later said it lost nine fight...

Japan police arrest 2 in food prank at beef bowl diner

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:51 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese police have arrested two men who posted a video on social media showing one eating pickled ginger with his chopsticks directly from a communal container at a famous beef bowl restaurant chain, part of a series of pranks that have hit sushi chains and became known as “sushi terrorism.”Osaka prefectural police on Wednesday said Ryu Shimazu and Toshihide Oka were arrested on suspicion of obstructing business and destroying and dirtying property. In a video shot by Oka and shared on social media, Shimazu is seen holding a condiment container up to his face and shoveling pickled ginger — a popular topping for beef bowls — into his mouth with his chopsticks. Customers are supposed to use an attached serving utensil to add ginger to their food.Shimazu told police that he wanted to make people laugh. Oka said he had encouraged Shimazu to do something funny, and he shared the video because it was funny and he wanted people to see it, police said, adding that they had no...

Man in custody after allegedly chasing people with knife in downtown Toronto

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:51 GMT

A suspect is in custody after he allegedly chased people with a knife in downtown Toronto.Officers responded to the area of Ontario Street and Queen Street East around 8:40 a.m. Wednesday after getting reports that a man with a knife was chasing people.Police located a male suspect at the scene and placed him in custody. He is described as a man in his 60s.No injuries were reported.PERSON WITH A KNIFE: UPDATEOntario St + Bridgen Pl– Police are on scene– Male has been located and is in custody– No reports of injuries at this time^lb— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) April 5, 2023

Canadian merchandise trade surplus slips to $422M in February: StatCan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:51 GMT

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says the country’s merchandise trade surplus fell to $422 million in February as exports fell more than imports.The federal agency says the result compared with a revised surplus of $1.2 billion for January. The initial reading for the first month of the year put the surplus at $1.9 billion.For February, total exports fell 2.4 per cent to $65.0 billion as exports of metal and non-metallic mineral products decreased 5.4 per cent and motor vehicles and parts dropped 4.4 per cent.Meanwhile, total imports fell 1.3 per cent to $64.6 billion in February. The drop came as imports of industrial machinery, equipment and parts fell 8.7 per cent after hitting a record high in January.Imports of motor vehicles and parts lost 5.3 per cent in February, while consumer goods rose 6.9 per cent to partly offset the overall drop.In volume terms, total exports fell 0.9 per cent, while imports fell 0.8 per cent.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April ...

Ground stops at O'Hare, Midway airports due to severe weather across Chicago area

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:51 GMT

CHICAGO — A ground stop has been issued at Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports due to severe weather across the area Wednesday, according to the FAA.A number of watches and warnings have been issued:A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for the Chicago area until 11 a.m.A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for Porter County IN until 8:45 a.m.A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been for La Porte IN, Westville IN and Trail Creek IN until 8:45 a.m.A Severe Thunderstorm Warning for areas including Valparaiso IN, Chesterton IN and South Haven IN until 8:45 a.m. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Winds could gust up to 70-75 mph, hail could reach 2” in diameter or greater and there is the threat of a few tornadoes as well. Non-thunderstorm winds could gust up to 45-50 mph.A Wind Advisory is also in effect between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. for the highlighted counties in the map below. Southwest winds 20-30 mph with gusts 45-50 mph are expected. Winds could blow a...