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Facing uproar, Tunisian president denies he’s stoking racism

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:14 GMT

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisia’s president has rejected accusations that he is stoking anti-Black racism, saying that he has sub-Saharan African friends and that his comments last month targeting migrants were misinterpreted by his enemies.President Kais Saied drew international criticism and concern with those comments, in which he ordered a crackdown on sub-Saharan African migrants and lashed out at a perceived plot to erase Tunisia’s identity. The comments fanned racist abuse targeting Black people in Tunisia, and prompted some African countries to evacuate their citizens.On Wednesday evening, at a meeting with the president of Guinea-Bissau, Saied denounced what he called a “malicious interpretation’’ of his comments, and issued a “blatant denial’’ that he is racist.“I am African, and proud to be so,” he said in televised comments. He said some of his family members are married to sub-Saharan Africans and that he had friends in law school who were Africans. He also describe...

Greece: 3 more rail officials charged over deadly collision

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:14 GMT

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Three more Greek rail officials were charged on Thursday in connection with a train crash that killed 57 people, as protests continued and the government promised to overhaul rail safety. Two station managers and a supervisor were charged with endangering rail safety leading to the loss of life, a senior official involved in the investigation told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, citing judicial policy. The three have been summoned to provide additional testimony and have not been detained.The charges are similar to those filed against a 59-year-old station manager who was arrested in the wake of the Feb. 28 crash in northern Greece and is currently in pre-trial detention.Protests in Athens and other cities continued Thursday, following large rallies and strikes nationwide a day earlier to protest the government’s response to the head-on collision along Greece’s main rail route, outside the northern town of Tempe.The disaster involving a pa...

Funeral services held Thursday for fallen Chicago officer Andres Vasquez Lasso

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:14 GMT

CHICAGO — A Chicago police officer who was killed in the line of duty will be laid to rest Thursday.Officers from across the country are expected to be present for the funeral of Officer Andrés Vásquez Lasso.32-year-old Andres Vasquez-Lasso, courtesy CPDA funeral procession will begin at 9:30 a.m., leaving from Blake-Lamb Funeral Home in Oak Lawn, located at 4727 West 103rd Street. The processional will head to St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel at 7740 South Western Avenue, where a funeral mass service will be held.The 19th Ward alderperson is asking the community to line the streets during the procession to honor the fallen officer.Vasquez-Lasso, 32, was killed last week while responding to a domestic violence call in the city's Gage Park neighborhood. Memorial services begin Wednesday for fallen Chicago officer He was a Chicago police officer for five years, working on the third watch based out of the Eighth District.Wednesday night, first responders wrapped around the ...

Man accused of battering CTA employee, damaging attendant booth

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:14 GMT

CHICAGO — A man was arrested Wednesday for allegedly battering a CTA transit employee and damaging an attendant booth on the West Side.Curtis Washington was arrested at around 1:20 a.m. in the 3200 block of West Lake Street.Moments earlier, police accused Washington of battering a 40-year-old CTA employee and also damaging the attendant booth at the Kedzie Green Line station. Police: Rideshare passenger shot on South Side Washington was charged with aggravated battery against a transit employee and criminal damage to property.He is due in bond court on Thursday.

WATCH LIVE | Norfolk Southern CEO bringing apology, aid to Senate hearing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:14 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Norfolk Southern's CEO plans to apologize to Congress on Thursday and pledge millions of dollars to help East Palestine, Ohio, recover from the fiery train derailment as senators investigate railway safety and the Biden administration’s response to the disaster. “I am deeply sorry for the impact this derailment has had on the people of East Palestine and surrounding communities, and I am determined to make it right," CEO Alan Shaw says in prepared remarks released ahead of the Senate Environment and Public Works panel hearing.Shaw says the railroad will do “the right thing” with a $20 million commitment to help the community recover.The company has announced several voluntary safety upgrades. Senators, however, have promised a pressing inquiry into the derailment, the company's safety practices and the emergency response to the toppling of 38 railcars, including 11 carrying hazardous materials. Federal regulators have also said Norfolk Southern must do more to impr...

US sees white supremacist propaganda jump to all-time high: ADL

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:14 GMT

(The Hill) – The United States saw its highest-ever distribution of white supremacist propaganda last year, jumping 38% over 2021, according to data collected by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).The group recorded 6,751 incidents of propaganda activity in 2022 — a jump from 4,876 in 2021 that the ADL attributed to growth in the number of white supremacist groups and their membership.“There’s no question that white supremacists and antisemites are trying to terrorize and harass Americans and have significantly stepped up their use of propaganda as a tactic to make their presence known in communities nationwide,” Jonathan Greenblatt, president of ADL, said in a statement alongside the report. High school students pepper-sprayed at anti-racism protest in California Three white supremacist groups — Patriot Front, Goyim Defense League and White Lives Matter — were responsible for 93% of this year’s activity, which includes banners, posters and events.Much of that content was speci...

Bulls reportedly get more bad news on Lonzo Ball

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:14 GMT

CHICAGO - The chances of the Bulls having their starting point guard back in time for the start of the 2023-2024 season could be in jeopardy based on a report on Thursday.Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, there is a possibility that Lonzo Ball will need a third surgery on his troublesome left knee that has kept him off the court for over a year. This would require another six months of rehabilitation, which could sideline him for the opening parts of training camp and next season.No final decision has been made, per Wojnarowski.This could be another difficult moment in a Bulls' career that began with great promise for the guard whom the team acquired through a sign-and-trade in the summer of 2021. In 35 games that first season, he was averaging 13 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per contest as the Bulls got off to a quick start.On January 14, 2022, Ball had 15 points, three assists, and two rebounds in 23 minutes against the Warriors at the United Center, and that's when his lef...

Here's how much each state depends on federal money

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:14 GMT

(MoneyGeek) - As the United States faces a crucial decision concerning the future of its budget and debt ceiling, it is important to consider how this could affect individuals and state governments. To help put this into perspective, MoneyGeek analyzed which states are most dependent on the federal government. The analysis take into consideration political affiliation, net benefits that individuals and organizations in the state receive, state government revenue from federal sources and GDP per capita to assess which states are most dependent on federal funding.  KEY FINDINGS- 7 of the 10 states most dependent on the federal government were Republican-voting, with the average red state receiving $1.05 per dollar sent to the IRS.- Twenty-nine states sent more to the federal government than they received, compared to just nine states in 2021.- Of the states that sent more than they received, 52% were Democrat-voting and 48% were Republican-voting.- New Mexico had the highest return on...

La Niña is officially over, NOAA announces: What does that mean?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:14 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – The long season of La Niña has finally ended, meteorologists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have confirmed. The La Niña climate pattern, which has been present practically uninterrupted since the summer of 2020, started weakening in recent months. Now, La Niña has officially been replaced by "ENSO-neutral conditions," the Climate Prediction Center (a division of NOAA's National Weather Service) said in its "Final La Niña Advisory" Thursday morning, “ENSO neutral" means neither La Niña nor El Niño is present. Forecasters expect these conditions to last through early summer. How La Niña ending will impact spring weather in your state We may switch from ENSO-neutral conditions to El Niño at some point this summer or fall, but it's too early to predict the timing or strength of an El Niño season, meteorologists said. Both La Niña and El Niño usually grow strongest in the winter. A strong El Niño for fall and winter, if it were to d...

More Americans are skipping college since the pandemic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:14 GMT

JACKSON, Tenn. (AP) — When he looked to the future, Grayson Hart always saw a college degree. He was a good student at a good high school. He wanted to be an actor, or maybe a teacher. Growing up, he believed college was the only route to a good job, stability and a happy life.The pandemic changed his mind.A year after high school, Hart is directing a youth theater program in Jackson, Tennessee. He got into every college he applied to but turned them all down. Cost was a big factor, but a year of remote learning also gave him the time and confidence to forge his own path.“There were a lot of us with the pandemic, we kind of had a do-it-yourself kind of attitude of like, ‘Oh — I can figure this out,’” he said. “Why do I want to put in all the money to get a piece of paper that really isn’t going to help with what I’m doing right now?”Hart is among hundreds of thousands of young people who came of age during the pandemic but didn’t go to college. Many have turned to hourly jobs or car...