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Imran Khan, ex-Pakistani PM, is arrested, his party says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:50 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s anti-graft agents on Tuesday arrested former Prime Minister Imran Khan as he appeared in a court in the capital, Islamabad, to face charges in multiple graft cases, police and officials from his party said. The arrest, which marks a dramatic escalation on Pakistan’s political scene, drew nationwide condemnation from the supporters of the popular opposition leader and former cricket star. Khan was dragged outside the Islamabad High Court and pushed into a police vehicle by agents from the National Accountability Bureau, according to Fawad Chaudhry, a senior official with Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Chaudhry denounced the arrest as “an abduction.” Pakistan’s independent GEO TV broadcast images of the 72-year-old Khan being pulled by security forces towards an armored vehicle, which took him away. Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022. He has claimed his ouster was illegal and a Western conspiracy and has campaign...

Ukraine flags block Russian ambassador’s path on Victory Day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:50 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A large installation representing Russian atrocities in Ukraine blocked the path of Russia’s ambassador to Poland as he sought Tuesday to place a wreath at a Warsaw memorial to Soviet soldiers on Russia’s Victory Day holiday.The installation included hundreds of fluttering blue and yellow Ukrainian flags and crosses serving as symbolic grave markers for Ukrainians killed by Russians during the full-scale war launched by Moscow last year. A pool of fake blood below the crosses underlined the message of the protest, which was created by Euromaidan-Warszawa, a citizens’ initiative that supports Ukraine.Organizer Viktoria Pogrebniak said the installation was meant to fight back against Russian propaganda, and “show the real picture to the world.”“We are bombed, we are killed, we are raped,” Pogrebniak said. “We are killed just because we are Ukrainians.”The protesters, mostly Ukrainians but also Poles, blocked Ambassador Sergey Andreev’s pas...

Germany proposes rules to ease legal changes of gender

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:50 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — The German government on Tuesday presented a proposal for a law that will make it easier for people to legally change their name and gender, ending decades-old rules that require them to get expert assessments and a court’s authorization.Under the planned “self-determination law,” adults would be able to change their first name and legal gender at registry offices without further formalities.“We have taken another big step forward with the self-determination act and with it also in the protection against discrimination and the rights of transgender, intersex and nonbinary people,” Germany’s minister for families, Lisa Paus, said. “This way we can give back some of the dignity to those who have been deprived of it for decades,” she added.The existing “transsexual law,” which took effect in 1981, currently requires individuals to obtain assessments from two experts — such as physicians — whose training and experience make them “sufficiently familiar with the particular p...

SNC-Lavalin Group reports first-quarter profit and revenue up from year ago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:50 GMT

MONTREAL — SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. reported its first-quarter profit rose compared with a year ago as its revenue also climbed higher.The engineering firm says its profit attributable to shareholders totalled $28.4 million or 16 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended March 31.The result was up from a profit of $24.8 million or 14 per diluted share a year earlier.Revenue totalled $2.02 billion, up from $1.89 billion in the first three months of 2022.The increase came as the company’s revenue from professional services and project management rose to $2.01 billion compared with $1.87 billion a year earlier. Revenue from its capital business totalled $16.3 million, down from $16.4 million.On an adjusted basis, the company says its profit from professional services and project management amounted to 32 cents per diluted share, up from an adjusted profit of 22 cents per diluted share in the first quarter of 2022.This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2023...

Toronto MP Nate Erskine-Smith launches leadership bid for Ontario Liberal Party

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:50 GMT

Toronto MP Nate Erskine-Smith says he’s running for the leadership of Ontario’s Liberal Party, making him the first person to officially announce a bid.The Liberal MP for the riding of Beaches-East York has been elected at the federal level three times since 2015 and says he’s running to rebuild the provincial party.The Ontario Liberals will announce a new leader on Dec. 2 to replace Steven Del Duca, who resigned after the party did not win enough seats in last year’s election to have official party status at the legislature for the second campaign in a row.Erskine-Smith, a former lawyer, says in a video announcing his leadership bid that he will focus on issues such as access to health care, senior care, mental health and addictions, climate change and wealth inequality.The Ontario Liberals have said the party will soon announce the opening date for official candidate registration, but a deadline of Sept. 5 has been set and candidates must have an entry fee ...

Germany saw more politically motivated crimes in 2022

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:50 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — The number of politically motivated crimes reported in Germany rose by 7% last year, the country’s top security official said Tuesday.Overall, Germany registered 58,961 politically motivated crimes last year, most of which were for offenses such as damage to property, insults or incitement to hatred, holding illegal gatherings or displaying Nazi symbols. However, 4,043 were classed as violent crimes — an increase of 4%, the minister said.There was a significant rise in crimes that could not be assigned to the traditional motivations of right-wing or left-wing ideology, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said.A significant proportion of these “diffuse” offenses — which rose by 13% to 24,080 cases — were in connection with coronavirus restrictions or protests related to the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and the rising cost of living, Faeser told reporters in Berlin.The minister stressed that the biggest threat to German society is still far-right extremism, of whic...

Millennial Money: Should I join a class-action lawsuit?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:50 GMT

It might have happened to you a few times in past years: You received an email or mail notice inviting you to join a class-action lawsuit, or notifying you that you’ve been automatically included. But being part of such a lawsuit might be intimidating, especially if you need to opt in, and would mean surrendering the option to sue individually.In most cases, there’s little downside to joining these lawsuits, which combine many legal claims — often thousands — into one claim against a single defendant, reducing fees for each claimant and potentially earning a much larger payout.And there have been many opportunities to do so. Following a series of large opioid settlements, 2022 had the most billion-dollar class-action settlements in U.S. history apart from the tobacco settlements decades ago, according to a report from the national law firm Duane Morris. The stakes are high for class-action lawsuits at this level, as they set standards for corporate responsibility in areas such as da...

16-year-old boy fatally shot in Glenwood

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:50 GMT

GLENWOOD, Ill. — A 16-year-old boy was shot and killed in south suburban Glenwood.The shooting happened around 6:20 p.m. Monday in the 800 block of Terrace Drive.Police said the teen was transported to an area hospital, but did not survive his injuries. His identity has not yet been released. Waukegan High School volleyball coach shot and killed while driving: police Investigators said it appears the shooting was not a random act and there is no known threat to the public.The Glenwood Police Department and the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force are investigating.

Tuesday Forecast: Temps in upper 60s with mostly sunny conditions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:50 GMT

CHICAGO — Starting Tuesday morning with areas of fog, with some dense fog along the lake. This will burn off by midmorning. Clouds will clear to mostly sunny by the afternoon with light northeasterly winds. Temperatures expected to reach the mid and upper 60s for areas inland, and upper 50s for areas lakeside. High for O'Hare expected to be 67. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Quiet conditions stick around through the next few days. Wednesday highs will be into the upper 70s with mostly sunny skies, and low 80s with sunshine on Thursday. Our next chance of showers is back in the forecast on Friday with hit and miss showers expected throughout the weekend.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Aaron Franklin, acclaimed Austin pit master, breathes new life into historic east Austin venue

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:50 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The blighted, yet charming, abandoned building at 1200 East Sixth Street on the corner of Waller Street has undoubtedly captivated east Austinites for years. Built by a German immigrant in 1892, the structure got its start as a saloon but has hosted a variety of tenants since the late 19th century –  including European bakers, Anglo-American-born butchers, Mexican American tortilla makers and Lebanese and Mexican American bar owners – until it was left vacant in 1999, according to historical accounts. Though abandoned, vestiges of its robust history were evident in the large block letters written along the exterior of the building reading, “Uptown Sports” in faded red paint. One person who long wondered who might pick up the baton and breathe some fresh air into the historic vacant space is Aaron Franklin, acclaimed Austin pitmaster. He has been charmed by the building for years and even eyed it initially as an option for his now-famous restaurant...