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Montenegro holds snap parliamentary vote that could determine its EU path

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:28 GMT

PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — Montenegro is holding an early parliamentary election Sunday, a vote that could provide indications of whether the small NATO member in the Balkans will overcome the deep political divisions and instability that have hampered its route to joining the European Union.Some 542,000 voters are eligible to choose among 15 parties and coalitions fielding candidates, ranging from groups that are staunchly pro-Western to ones that are pro-Serbian and pro-Russian. The election will be Montenegro’s first in more than 30 years that does not feature Milo Djukanovic, who served almost continuously as the country’s prime minister or president since 2001. He lost a presidential election in April and has taken a back seat in politics.Polls and analysts predict that the centrist Europe Now movement, led by financial expert Milojko Spajic and the current president, Jakov Milatovic, is most likely to be the top vote-getter but without enough seats in parliament ...

Jamal Murray, and the five minutes that saved the Nuggets in Game 4: “I’m not going to fight it”

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:28 GMT

MIAMI – On the first possession after Nikola Jokic went to the bench with his fifth foul, the ball nearly rolled out of bounds.The broken play ended with Aaron Gordon chucking a desperation 3-pointer from the wing, and Denver’s lead, down to just eight only a few minutes into the fourth quarter, looked more tenuous than ever.The white-hot Heat crowd was roaring, sensing a momentary chance to stake their claim to these Finals.A lineup of Jamal Murray, Jeff Green, Bruce Brown, Christian Braun and Gordon was in and tasked with surviving the dreaded non-Jokic minutes. All that was on the line: a chance to push the Nuggets to the doorstep of their first-ever championship.But even on that first broken play, the Heat tipped their hand. Murray was unbothered.“Tonight it just felt like they were blitzing every pick-and-roll, just basically trying to limit my shot attempts, and I just wasn’t fighting it,” said Murray, who finished with 15 points on 5-for-17 shooting but dished 12 assist...

Kazakh President warns of threat to the very foundation of world order

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:28 GMT

The President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has warned that divisions within states and tensions between them are threatening to bring down the world order that has existed since the foundation of the United Nations. In his keynote speech to the Astana International Forum, the President called for nations to recognise the strong imperative to come together, even as geopolitical pressures are pushing them apart, writes Political Editor Nick Powell.Welcoming representatives of every continent and from the worlds of government, diplomacy, business, and academia to the Astana International Forum, President Tokayev said it was a dialogue platform with a mission, to candidly review the global situation, identify the leading challenges and crises and to tackle those challenges through dialogue in a spirit of mutual cooperation. Also to renew and rebuild a common culture of multilateralism and to amplify voices for peace, progress and solidarity. He said that the Forum explicit...

Serial liar finally found out

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:28 GMT

Boris Johnson’s political obituaries have now been written, many recording how a combination of arrogance and laziness made him completely unfit to be Britain’s Prime Minister. And yet there is no escaping that he was a truly consequential politician, whose legacy will last long in the UK, the EU and beyond, writes Political Editor Nick Powell.There is a temptation to simply draw a line from Boris Johnson’s early career as a journalist once sacked for making up a ‘fact’ but then building a career based on fabricating ‘facts’ about the European Union. He has after all quit the British Parliament because it became clear that a report would find that he had lied to MPs about the drinking and partying in 10 Downing Street during the Covid pandemic.‘Serial liar finally found out’ is a tempting headline and not a wholly unfair one. But his decision to stand down as an MP “at least for now … bewildered and appalled that I can be forced out, anti-democratically” deserves a wider assessment....

Nine people shot in San Francisco’s Mission District

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:28 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO – Nine people were shot Friday night in San Francisco’s Mission District, police said.Officers from the Mission Station were called to the area of 24th Street and Treat Avenue at 9:07 p.m. for a report of a shooting, a San Francisco police spokesperson said in an email. They arrived to find multiple people suffering from gunshot wounds.Medics were summoned to the scene to treat and transport the victims to area hospitals.“All are expected to survive their injuries,” police said in a social media post. “At this time, the incident appears to be targeted and isolated. There is no known threat to the public at this time.”KGO-TV reported that the shooting happened during a block party.Anyone with information related to the case can contact the police department at 650-575-4444. AVOID THE AREA Please avoid the area of 24th/Treat St as we conduct an investigation related to a shooting. At this time, can confirm multiple victims – their medical conditions are unknown. Up...

No more gambling site confusion: MDOT reclaims expired URL on license plates

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:28 GMT

Marylanders were confused earlier this month when the website domain on the license plates of about 15% of registered vehicles in the state led computer users to an online gambling and virtual cockfighting website in the Philippines.The War of 1812 license plates were designed to commemorate the bicentennial of the war in 2007 and the URL used on the plates, www.starspangled200.org, led to the state’s War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission.Ownership of the domain changed when the commission ended in 2015. The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration recently took action to reclaim the expired domain, said Ashley Millner, deputy director of media relations, in an email to WTOP.“In partnership with the state Department of Information Technology, the MVA engaged the services of a reputable domain broker and was able to successfully recover the URL earlier this week,” Millner said.“Going forward, the MVA will maintain the URL, which will redirect visitors to the agency...

No pot by the ocean: Ocean City lawmakers take steps to prevent cannabis use

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:28 GMT

In less than a month, marijuana use and possession will be legal in Maryland. But Ocean City isn’t on board with any changes.Ahead of July 1 — when possessing and using small amounts of marijuana becomes legal in Maryland — Ocean City council members are taking steps to ensure most public places remain cannabis free.Councilmembers unanimously passed the first reading on an ordinance to ban cannabis consumption licenses and fine those that violate it, according to Ocean City Today.There are also discussions about how to prevent resort businesses from selling or allowing pot on their property. The existing laws that prevent smoking on the beach or boardwalk will remain in place.Source

Dos aviones “probablemente chocaron” entre sí en Tokio

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:28 GMT

(CNN) — Dos aviones “muy probablemente chocaron” entre sí en el aeropuerto de Haneda en Tokio, informó la emisora ​​pública japonesa NHK, citando al Ministerio de Transporte del país.Los dos aviones de pasajeros implicados pertenecían a EVA Air y Thai Airways y se cree que entraron en contacto entre sí cerca de una pista de rodaje alrededor de las 11 de la mañana hora local, informó NHK el sábado por la mañana.La agencia citó a la Oficina de Aviación de Tokio del Ministerio de Tierra, Infraestructuras, Transporte y Turismo (MLIT), que está trabajando para confirmar los detalles de la situación.La emisora señaló que 207 pasajeros y la tripulación viajaban a bordo del avión de EVA Air, mientras que otros 264 viajaban en el vuelo de Thai Airways. No se ha informado de heridos.La pista cercana a donde se detuvieron los dos aviones ha sido suspendida, con lo que solo quedaron tres en funcionamiento.Un video de NHK muestra cómo falta parte de una de las alas del avión ta...

Fresher, warmer air ahead of DC Pride celebrations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:28 GMT

West side view of the United States Capitol building under the rainbow(Getty Images/iStockphoto/ddmitr) West side view of the United States Capitol building under the rainbow(Getty Images/iStockphoto/ddmitr) Saturday is here, and unlike the past few days, being active outdoors should be much less heavy on the lungs. Here’s what you need to know (and some ideas on where to go) as you head out the door.Air quality throughout the region is expected to remain of moderate quality throughout Saturday — a good day for outdoor exercise for most people.Minus some brief showers, 7News First Alert chief meteorologist Veronica Johnson said the day will likely bring on higher temperatures ahead of an even warmer Sunday.&...

Greens want Germany to use heat pumps. But they’ve struggled to install one in party HQ

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:28 GMT

BERLIN — The Greens want Germany to ban gas and oil heating and switch to heat pumps — but have been struggling to install such a device in their own party headquarters for years.The Greens wanted to use the renovation of its headquarters in the heart of Berlin to renew its gas heating system, making it climate-neutral and in line with their plans for German society. But according to a report in Der Spiegel, the party has been trying and failing since the end of 2019 to complete construction work and install a heat pump.At the time, Michael Kellner, then general secretary of the party and now state secretary in Robert Habeck’s economy ministry, said during a tour: “We’ll rebuild the house first and then the land.”Things turned out differently, however, as the Green Party’s approval ratings have plummeted to 14 percent from 23 percent last summer — and the heat pump, a blue box with a fan, vegetates in the courtyard of the headquarters. In an ambitiou...