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German police conduct raids on suspected people smugglers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:35 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — German police conducted a major raid against a group of suspected people smugglers early Wednesday, German news agency dpa reported. Around 400 officers, among them federal police and GSG 9 special units, searched more than 20 apartments and offices, mainly in Berlin, but also in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.Five men were arrested, four of them in Berlin and one in the city of Halle, while another 12 suspects were under investigation, dpa reported.The group is said to have brought at least 90 people, mostly from Turkey and Iraq, to Germany, with each paying several thousand euros.They were flown from Istanbul by plane to the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo. From there, they continued their trip to Germany by car across the so-called Balkan route. Some of them were discovered in the apartments that police searched on Wednesday.The suspects have mainly Turkish or German citizenships, according to police.___Follow AP’s coverage of global migration at https://apnews.com/hu...

Vehicular attacks hard to prevent, but some urban design measures can help: expert

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:35 GMT

Preventing attacks where vehicles are used as weapons is difficult, but certain urban design measures might help avert them, an expert says.Two people died and nine others were injured in the Quebec town of Amqui on Monday after being run down by a pickup truck. Police alleged the driver drove into pedestrians chosen at random, including children. Alex Wilner, who teaches international affairs at Carleton University and has expertise on security issues, said certain streetscaping measures can help prevent vehicular access to sidewalks and other areas where pedestrians congregate. Those include elevating roadside curbs, setting up bulwarks, making more use of pedestrian bridges and creating divisions between bicycle lanes, jogging lanes and roads, he said. Such measures have been implemented in some urban settings, including in parts of Toronto and Ottawa, Wilner said, but divisions between roadways and pedestrian walkways can be almost nonexistent in smaller communities, like Amqui....

The issue of expanding assisted dying eligibility ‘has already been decided’: senator

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:35 GMT

OTTAWA — The senator who pushed for Canada’s assisted dying regime to include people whose only condition is a mental disorder says the debate about that policy is now over. “The issue of expansion has already been decided upon,” said Stan Kutcher, who sits with the Independent Senators Group.As far as Kutcher is concerned, the what was determined two years ago, when his arguments in the Senate convinced the Liberal government to move forward with an expansion of eligibility.It’s just the when that recently came into question. Last week, Parliament hastily passed a Liberal bill that has further delayed the expansion of assisted dying eligibility to people whose sole condition is a mental disorder. In an interview, Kutcher said he supported the delay until March 2024 because it will allow proper training and practice standards to be made available to provincial regulatory bodies and practitioners.Conservatives supported it, too. But they argue that the expansi...

Canadian dairy plant becomes unlikely symbol of defiance for Ukrainian farmers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:35 GMT

KRASNE, Ukraine — The cows on Lyuba Pastushok’s farm are like her “cheeky children,” she explained in Ukrainian as she walked among her growing herd, gently cooing to them and softly petting their heads.A few years ago there were only five cows on her small family operation in Holoskovychi, a rural community an hour and a half east of the nearest city of Lviv, in western Ukraine.Now she tends to 25 cows, six of which she bought after Russian forces invaded the country. Wrapped up against the cold with a kerchief tied over her head, the Ukrainian matriarch pointed out each by name, her voice full of motherly pride.She credits her success to the creation of a Quebec-style co-op in her community, and said a new Canadian dairy plant in the area is likely to help the local industry grow even more.The project has become an unlikely symbol of defiance in the face of the Russian invasion.Russia is stepping on Ukrainian farmers, Pastushok said through a translator during an...

1 dead after a vehicle-pedestrian crash in northwest Austin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:35 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Police say one person is dead after being hit by a driver in northwest Austin Tuesday night.Shortly before 9:30 p.m., Austin Travis County EMS paramedics and the Austin Fire Department responded to the crash at 12300 North FM 620, an ATCEMS tweet said. That is between Lake Creek Parkway and US 183. ATCEMS said paramedics were performing CPR on the adult patient. That patient was later pronounced dead on the scene, according to a follow-up tweet.Austin Police say the driver involved in the crash stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators.

Daily horoscope for March 15, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:35 GMT

Moon Alert: Avoid shopping or major decisions from 4:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. EDT today (1:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. PDT). After that, the Moon moves from Sagittarius into Capricorn.Happy Birthday for Wednesday, March 15, 2023:You are determined and competitive, which means you like to win. You have a personal magnetism that shines! This is a year for learning and reflection, which is why it’s time to explore philosophies that give you a better self-awareness and help you understand the true meaning of your life.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★It’s an interesting day. Your idealism is aroused. You feel genuinely sympathetic for those who are less fortunate. This might motivate you to make some practical decisions. People notice you today, and they will listen to you because you have something to say. Tonight: Enjoy solitude.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★★This is a good day to make travel plans, as well as expedite practical ideas related to medical or legal matters. You have your thinki...

Executive Vice President Vestager in Latin America to forge stronger cooperation in digital policies, critical raw materials, and science and innovation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:35 GMT

Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager is visiting Latin America this week to establish deeper cooperation between the EU and Latin America under the Global Gateway strategy, notably in digital technologies and innovation, sustainable raw materials, and research and space, for the benefit of the citizens and businesses in both regions.She started her tour on Saturday in Chile (11-13 March)where she discussed strengthened collaboration on digital policies and rights including privacy, cybersecurity or platforms. She advanced discussions on forging a strategic partnerships on critical minerals to develop resilient and sustainable value chains, with a focus on clean technologies, and highlighted the great potential of strengthening cooperation in science, innovation and space, based on common priorities. She announced the launch of a new programme to expand the Copernicus data repository to the Latin American and Caribbean region.In the run-up to the EU–CELAC Summit taki...

Miss Manners: Should I stay in the shadows, where my ex’s wife wants me?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:35 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I found out through social media that my ex-father-in-law passed. My ex-mother-in-law posted a photo from a celebration of life that had been held for him.My ex-husband’s new wife forbade him from having any contact with me, but I am still friends with his mother online (although I am careful not to like or comment on her posts).Would it be all right if I were to send her a condolence card, or should I just ignore it? There was no post made when he passed, just the one mentioning the celebration of life. Is it too late?GENTLE READER: The opinions of current spouses regarding with whom you should, or should not, associate should be heard, if not necessarily always followed. Those of former spouses have no such standing.Miss Manners does not mean to encourage you to do something merely to annoy. But sending a condolence note is a kindness to your former mother-in-law, not an intentional affront to your ex-spouse or his new wife.Related ArticlesAdvice | ...

Dear Abby: Is it cheating on my husband to kiss the men that I date?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:35 GMT

DEAR ABBY: I have been dating outside my marriage. My husband doesn’t know. It’s nothing serious — just dinner, drinks and dancing.All the men have been single; I would never go out with a married man. All of them have respected my boundaries.I don’t want to be unfaithful to my husband — I’m just having a little fun. Do you think a little goodnight kiss on a date would be OK, to show my appreciation?SLIGHTLY NAUGHTY IN NEW MEXICODEAR SLIGHTLY NAUGHTY: No, I do not. A goodnight kiss would be no more appropriate than dating on the sly has been. A better solution would be for you to teach your husband to dance.DEAR ABBY: While shopping at the mall, I have seen too many stressed-out parents ignore or yell at their children. It certainly isn’t helpful. It isn’t how I was raised or how I raised mine.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: I was appalled to see this side of my longtime friend Advice | Dear Abby: These h...

Cleanup underway after more than 30 inches of snow hits parts of Mass. during nor’easter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:35 GMT

Cleanup is underway after a nor’easter storm slammed New England Tuesday, leaving some communities in central and western Massachusetts with over 30 inches of snow and knocking out power to thousands.Where impacts were severe in some high-elevation areas, this week’s nor’easter brought lower snow totals in other spots, leaving only wet roads for much of the day in the Boston metro area and in communities south of Boston.  Towns like Ashby, Hubbardston, and Fitchburg saw inches falling by the hour, each racking up 20-30 inches of snow as plows attempted to tackle loads of heavy, wet snow. Hubbardston surpassed 30 inches of snow before the end of the night.Further west, communities like Rowe, Plainfield, Colrain and Hawley also saw more than 30 inches, according to reports from the National Weather Service. The heavy, wet snow took down trees in some areas. The snowfall appeared to drop off to the south and to the east, with largely single digit measurements inside I-49...