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Disney World board picked by DeSantis hints future actions

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:44 GMT

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The first meeting of the new board of Walt Disney World’s government — overhauled by sweeping legislation signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis as punishment for Disney publicly challenging Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill — dealt with the rote affairs any other municipal government would handle: calls for better firefighter equipment, lessons on public records requests and bond ratings.But the five board members appointed by DeSantis hinted Wednesday at future controversial actions they may take, including prohibiting COVID-19 restrictions at Disney World and eliminating two cities that were created when the Florida Legislature in 1967 approved the theme park resort’s self-governance.The board also approved hiring the same law firm that advised the governor’s office in making changes to the governing district to help interpret the new legislation.For the most part, the new board members listened in a hotel ballroom outside Di...

EU tells UK its asylum plan ‘violating international law’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:44 GMT

BRUSSELS — The European Union warned Britain its crackdown on Channel migrant crossings violates international law — as the U.K. urged it to read the details.In an interview with POLITICO in Brussels, European Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said she had spoken to U.K. Home Secretary Suella Braverman on Tuesday.“I spoke to the British minister yesterday on this and I told her that I think that this is violating international law,” Johansson said. Johansson’s comments are the latest international backlash against the British government’s Illegal Migration Bill, which was unveiled this week in a bid to stop small boats arriving on the country’s shores.Responding to Johansson‘s comments, a U.K. Home Office official confirmed the call had taken place but said Braverman “spoke to the commissioner before her Commons statement, and the publication of the bill.”They added: “She disagreed with the commissioner and asked her to read the detail of the bill once it was publ...

Mitsotakis faces Greece’s biggest protests since eurozone crisis

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:44 GMT

ATHENS — In the biggest mass demonstrations since the eurozone crisis, Greeks have hit the streets in some 75 cities and towns to protest the country’s deadliest train crash, ramping up pressure on Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis ahead of impending elections.The wave of public rage follows a train collision on February 28 that killed 57 people and raised profound questions about the management of the state. Politically, the timing is sensitive as the ruling center-right New Democracy party, already under intense scrutiny over an espionage scandal, will face elections in the coming months, probably in May.In Athens, more than 60,000 people marched, chanting “murderers” and anti-government slogans. Banners read “Call me when you arrive,” a phrase parents tell their children before they leave for a trip, which became closely identified with this round of rallies, as most of the victims were university students. The protests were organized by labor unions and student associatio...

After Taylor shooting, feds find police discrimination

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:44 GMT

By DYLAN LOVAN (Associated Press)LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department found Louisville police have engaged in a pattern of violating constitutional rights and discrimination against the Black community following an investigation prompted by the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor.Attorney General Merrick Garland made the announcement Wednesday. A Justice Department report found the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government and Louisville Metro Police Department “engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution and federal law.”The report said the Louisville police department “discriminates against Black people in its enforcement activities,” uses excessive force and conducts searches based on invalid warrants. It also said the department violates the rights of people engaged in protected speech, like the street protests in the city in the summer of 2020 after Taylor’s death...

Don’t forget the finances when caring for your newborn

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:44 GMT

When you’re caring for a newborn, it can be hard enough to carve out time to shower, let alone stay on top of money tasks. In the fog of sleep deprivation, you may miss a bill payment or impulse-buy random things online to help with infant care. Suddenly, your credit scores are down and your budget is stretched.Planning for the baby itself — the name ideas, the nursery themes — is certainly more adorable than developing a system to make sure you remember to open the mail, but the last thing you’ll want to do is leave money management up to chance when your baby arrives. Here are ways to start financially nesting.Knock out important tasksTake advantage of the pre-baby months to make some big decisions, including:Health insurance for the baby: Giving birth or adopting a child is considered a “qualifying life event” as far as health insurance coverage goes. That means you won’t have to wait for open enrollment to add your child to your plan, but you’ll have only a limited amount of tim...

Ravens hire former NFL defensive end Chuck Smith as outside linebackers coach

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:44 GMT

The Ravens continued filling out their coaching staff Wednesday, hiring former NFL defensive end Chuck Smith to be their outside linebackers coach.Smith replaces Rob Leonard, who left to become defensive line coach for the Las Vegas Raiders after one season in Baltimore.Smith, who played for the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers from 1992 to 2000, has built a career training pass rushers as a consultant for college and professional players and coaches. He worked as a training camp consultant for several NFL teams, including the Ravens in 2008, before he became a pass-rush specialist for the New York Jets in 2009 and the defensive line coach at the University of Tennessee (his alma mater) in 2010. He also worked as a coaching fellow for the Cincinnati Bengals during the 2015 offseason.Last month, Smith worked with players at the historically Black colleges and universities NFL scouting combine.“Chuck is a proven and highly respected pass rush coach who many pro and collegia...

Suffolk DA drops case against noted NBA skills trainer Robert McClanaghan

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:44 GMT

Suffolk prosecutors on Wednesday dropped the case against high profile NBA skills trainer Robert McClanaghan who had been charged with allegedly drugging and raping a woman at a Boston hotel.Suffolk DA Keven Hayden’s office said in a release Wednesday it had filed a nolle prosequi with the court — which translates from the Latin to “not to wish to prosecute,” according to Cornell Law School’s Wex Law Dictionary — effectively ending the case.“Rob and his family are relieved that this nightmare is over,” said defense attorney Kelli Porges. “He has maintained his innocence from the beginning.”In the filing with the court, Hayden’s office stated “the Commonwealth has determined that it cannot prove these charges beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.””Our responsibility in all cases is to follow the evidence wherever it leads,” Hayden’s office said in the announcement. “In some cases that endeavor does not add up to a viable prosecution. We have a duty to recognize that conclusion and to t...

Estonia’s Reform Party starts coalition government talks

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:44 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — Estonia’s center-right Reform Party started talks with two smaller parties Wednesday about forming a new liberal-minded coalition government.The party of Prime Minister Kaja Kallas won the Baltic nation’s general election on Sunday with 31.2% of the vote. Kallas hosted a meeting of delegates from the Reform Party, the centrist Estonia 200 party and the left-leaning Social Democratic Party at Stenbock House, where the Estonian prime minister’s office is located. “We want to reach an agreement that will improve the lives of all people in Estonia,” Kallas said. “The Reform Party’s priorities are to firmly protect Estonia in the coming years, improve the livelihood of Estonian people and launch economic growth based on the green reform.”The Reform Party was the senior partner in the outgoing three-party government. Although it won nearly twice as many votes Sunday as the election’s runner-up, the far-right populist Conservative People’s Party of E...

US defense chief: Egypt ties an ‘essential pillar’ in region

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:44 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday that America’s defense partnership with Egypt is an “essential pillar” of Washington’s commitment to the Middle East. Austin made the remark on Twitter after touching down in Cairo on the latest leg of his Middle East tour. He was greeted by senior Egyptian military officials at the Cairo airport. After landing, Austin held talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and other high-ranking officials.According to a statement issued by Egypt’s presidential spokesperson, el-Sissi and Austin discussed various issues, including military cooperation and surging violence in the Palestinian territories. Few further details about the meeting were given.Austin was expected to depart Cairo for Israel later Wednesday. His previous stops on the tour included Jordan and Iraq. He was in Baghdad on Tuesday on an unannounced visit, days before the 20th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein. Egypt ...

Safety board report says deadly tug sinking in B.C. highlights systemic safety issues

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:44 GMT

VANCOUVER — The deaths of two men after their tugboat sank off British Columbia’s coast have prompted recommendations from the Transportation Safety Board for all such small vessels in Canada. The tug Ingenika was towing a loaded barge in a narrow channel along the northern coast when poor weather affected its ability to tow and maintain speed, and the safety board’s report says the tug started taking on water. The three men aboard were able to abandon ship, but only one person made it to the life raft and the bodies of the pilot and deck hand were recovered hours later by search and rescue crews. Transportation Safety Board chair Kathy Fox says it has investigated six occurrences of similar-sized tugs since 2015 and their systemic safety issues have been on its safety watchlist for 13 years. The board makes four recommendations, including that tugs under 15 gross tonnes undergo regular inspections, that owners and operators assess risks adequately and that the Pacific P...