Political uproar in Poland after Duda signs Kremlin commission law

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:21:06 GMT

Political uproar in Poland after Duda signs Kremlin commission law WARSAW — Poland’s President Andrzej Duda said Monday he will sign into law a controversial bill creating a commission to investigate Russian influence on Polish politics that could ban people from public office for a decade.Duda and the Law and Justice (PiS) party government say it’s an effort to root out the Kremlin’s agents in Poland, but the opposition warns the commission is aimed at harassing political rivals — especially Donald Tusk, a former prime minister and European Council president who heads the opposition Civic Platform party — ahead of this fall’s pivotal parliamentary election.The decision is likely to worsen already fraught relations between Warsaw and Brussels, with the European Commission freezing billions in EU pandemic recovery cash over worries the Polish government is backsliding on the bloc’s democratic principles.The commission law was narrowly approved by the Polish parliament late Friday after a heated debate; Dud...

Spanish PM Sánchez calls snap general election after disastrous local polls

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:21:06 GMT

Spanish PM Sánchez calls snap general election after disastrous local polls Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday said he would dissolve parliament and call for a snap election for July 23, a day after conservatives and the far right posted strong gains in regional and municipal polls.Spain was due to hold general elections by the end of the year, but the Socialist leader announced his decision to move up the date following Sunday’s local polls, which saw his party suffer heavy losses across the country.In a televised statement from Moncloa Palace, the official residence of Spain’s head of government, Sánchez took personal responsibility for his party’s poor showing in the municipal elections, which concluded with nearly all of the country’s largest cities in the hands of the centre-right Popular Party (PP), including longtime Socialist stronghold Seville.“These results suggest Spaniards should clarify which political forces they want to take the lead,” Sánchez said, adding that it was time to let the people ...

1 shot downtown; police searching for gunman

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:21:06 GMT

1 shot downtown; police searching for gunman SAN DIEGO -- Police are searching for a gunman after one person was shot in downtown San Diego early Monday, authorities said.Shortly after 1:30 a.m., San Diego police received a call about a person shot near 5th Avenue and Broadway, SDPD confirmed to FOX 5. The victim, whom police described only as a male, was taken to a local hospital to be treated for undisclosed injuries. 3-year-old fatally struck by car in Chula Vista Police closed 5th Avenue and Broadway for their investigation.Check back for updates on this developing story.

Little Italy shed fire prompts road closures

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:21:06 GMT

Little Italy shed fire prompts road closures SAN DIEGO -- A shed in Little Italy caught fire Monday morning, prompting road closures in the area.The blaze was reported at 6 a.m. in the 2100 block of India Street, near Hawthorne Street, according to San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.No one was injured and no residents in any of the neighboring condo buildings were evacuated, fire officials say. 1 shot downtown; police searching for gunman Hawthorne Street was closed from Columbia Street to Kettner Boulevard.Investigators were still looking into what caused the flames.Check back for updates on this developing story.

India’s northeast remains on edge after ethnic clashes as home minister plans visit

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:21:06 GMT

India’s northeast remains on edge after ethnic clashes as home minister plans visit GUWAHATI, India (AP) — Shootings and arson continued Monday in India’s northeastern state of Manipur, where clashes between security forces and tribal insurgents the previous day killed five people, media reports said.The state, which borders Myanmar, has been roiled by violence for weeks after members of mostly Christian tribal groups clashed with the Hindu majority over its demands for special economic benefits.More than 75 people have been killed in the fighting, the state’s worst ethnic clashes in decades. Hundreds have been injured and more than 35,000 have been displaced.Authorities said Indian Home Minister Amit Shah was expected to arrive in the state capital, Imphal, on Monday evening to review the security situation and help restore peace in the state, where the internet has been shut off to stop rumors from spreading and a curfew is in place.The violence prompted the federal government to rush thousands of paramilitary and army troops to the state, and many of the recent ...

High school student in Italy wounds teacher with hunting knife, waves toy gun in class

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:21:06 GMT

High school student in Italy wounds teacher with hunting knife, waves toy gun in class ROME (AP) — A student wounded his teacher with a hunting knife and brandished what turned out to be a toy gun at classmates in a high school in a Milan suburb on Monday, police said.Classmates later recounted that the 16-year-old suddenly stood up shortly after classes began in the town of Abbiategrasso and attacked the teacher from behind on an arm and on her head, the Italian news agency ANSA said. When the attacker waved a gun at his classmates, the students fled the room, reports said.Police told state TV that when they entered the room, the teen was sitting on the floor with no one else in the classroom and offered no resistance. The bloody knife and the gun were found resting on a notebook on a desk, according to photos released by police.The teacher, 51, lost a lot of blood and was admitted to a hospital, also suffering from shock, news reports said. The student was taken to a hospital psychiatric department and had what apparently were self-inflicted injuries, the police sai...

Bola Tinubu sworn in as Nigeria’s president amid hopes, skepticism

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:21:06 GMT

Bola Tinubu sworn in as Nigeria’s president amid hopes, skepticism Associated Press (AP) — Bola Tinubu became Nigeria’s president on Monday during a period of unprecedented challenges for Africa’s most populous country, leaving some citizens hopeful for a better life and others skeptical that his government would perform better than the one he succeeded.Thousands of Nigerians and several heads of government attended the swearing-in ceremony for the 71-year-old Tinubu in the country’s capital, Abuja. He succeeds President Muhammadu Buhari to lead a country that by 2050 is forecast to become the third most populous nation in the world, tied with the United States after India and China.Tinubu — the former governor of Lagos, which is Nigeria’s economic hub — has promised to build on Buhari’s efforts to deliver democratic dividends to citizens in a country where deadly security crises, widespread poverty and hunger have left many frustrated and angry. And with his election still being contested in court by opposition parties and among ...

One dead after two-vehicle crash involving motorcycle in King Township

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:21:06 GMT

One dead after two-vehicle crash involving motorcycle in King Township One person has died after a motorcycle collided with a truck in King Township on Monday morning.York police were called to Jane Street between Lloydtown-Aurora Road and Davis Drive just before 8 a.m.The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene.The driver of truck remained on scene.Roads in the area are closed for investigation and there is no timeline for when roads will be reopened.FATAL COLLISION: Jane Street between Lloydtown-Aurora Rd and Davis Drive #king will be closed for an ongoing collision investigation. Please avoid the area and find an alternate route. #yrp— YRP Duty Office (@YRPDutyOffice) May 29, 2023

'He's home': Missing 73 years, Medal of Honor recipient's remains return to Georgia

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:21:06 GMT

'He's home': Missing 73 years, Medal of Honor recipient's remains return to Georgia SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Soldiers of the 9th Infantry Regiment made a desperate retreat as North Korean troops closed in around them. A wounded, 18-year-old Army Pfc. Luther Herschel Story feared his injuries would slow down his company, so he stayed behind to cover their withdrawal.Story’s actions in the Korean War on Sept. 1, 1950, would ensure he was remembered. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military honor, which is now displayed alongside his portrait at the National Infantry Museum, an hour’s drive from his hometown of Americus, Georgia. But Story was never seen alive again, and his resting place long remained a mystery. “In my family, we always believed that he would never be found,” said Judy Wade, Story’s niece and closest surviving relative.That changed in April when the U.S. military revealed lab tests had matched DNA from Wade and her late mother to bones of an unidentified American soldier recovered from Korea in October 1950. The remains belonged t...

Wounded vets face increasing challenges in current economy

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:21:06 GMT

Wounded vets face increasing challenges in current economy (NerdWallet) - Paying bills and job hunting in this economy are hard for anyone. Wounded veterans, often facing ongoing physical and mental health issues, have it even worse.More wounded vets than before reported not having enough cash to make ends meet, a recent survey found. Sixty-four percent of those surveyed — or 6 in 10 vets — said they didn't have enough money to pay bills at least once in the past 12 months, a jump from 42% the previous year, according to the Annual Warrior Survey released this year by the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit veterans service organization."We're getting more feedback from 'warriors' that they're having a harder and harder time meeting their financial obligations on a regular basis," says Tom Kastner, vice president of financial wellness at the Wounded Warrior Project.Wounded vets are feeling the pinch of inflation like everyone else. The cost of everyday goods like food was the main reported cause of financial strain. That's on top of a stru...