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4 EU countries urge leaders’ summit to demand Gaza cease-fire

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:54 GMT

The prime ministers of Spain, Belgium, Ireland and Malta have called on European Council President Charles Michel to have a “serious debate” this week about the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, according to a letter seen by POLITICO. “We must call urgently for all the parties to declare a lasting humanitarian cease-fire that can lead to an end of hostilities,” the four leaders wrote. “It is time for the European Union to act. Our credibility is at stake.”This week’s European Council summit is set to focus more on Ukraine, as the EU hopes to make a historic decision on starting talks to bring Kyiv into the 27-nation club and seal a key budget deal that would throw a €50 billion lifeline to the country’s flailing war economy.But given the scale of the devastation in the Middle East, the four leaders called it “imperative for us to hold a serious debate on the war” at the summit. “We call on your leadership to steer such a...

Trump’s scrapped testimony and busy week of campaigning preview balancing act he faces in 2024

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:54 GMT

(CNN) — A last-minute announcement scrapping plans to testify at his New York civil fraud trial. A “Commit to Caucus” event in Iowa on Wednesday. A rally in New Hampshire next weekend.Donald Trump’s schedule just weeks before the Iowa caucuses offers a preview of the balancing act the former president and his team will face over the next several months, when a series of other trials centered on Trump are slated to begin during the height of the primary election season.On the eve of his expected testimony, the former president said Sunday that he is no longer planning to take the stand in the case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is suing him for $250 million and seeking to bar him from doing business in the state. He’d sat in on the trial last week.Trump’s decision to back out of his planned testimony presents fresh questions over how the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination will hand...

Cowboys demolish rivals Eagles and a dramatic OT walk-off punt return: Everything to know about Week 14’s Sunday NFL games

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:54 GMT

(CNN) — As the temperature drops and the daylight begins to fade, it means NFL games begin to matter just that little bit more.And that was on display during Sunday’s slate of games, with dramatic finishes, emphatic scorelines and important results marking the occasion.Here’s everything you need to know from Sunday’s games in Week 14.Cowboys show Super Bowl credentialsThe Dallas Cowboys have risen to be the cream of the crop as the season has progressed.While the defense has been on point all year, the offense – spearheaded by quarterback Dak Prescott – is firing on all cylinders now.The latest example of their Super Bowl credentials came on Sunday when ‘America’s Team’ completely demolished its NFC East rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, 33-13, avenging its Week 9 loss to Philly.It’s quite the dramatic turnaround for Dallas, which endured a worrying stretch of the season where it looked like its title aspirations might be falling away.But the Cowboys’ ship has bee...

Rudy Giuliani defamation damages trial set to begin in DC

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:54 GMT

(CNN) — Rudy Giuliani’s defamation damages trial is set to begin Monday as the court considers the monetary damages the former Donald Trump attorney must pay two election workers.The trial, which is expected to last four days, marks the last step in a monthslong legal battle between Giuliani and former Georgia election workers Wandrea “Shaye” Moss and Ruby Freeman, ​​who accused Giuliani of smearing them after the 2020 election, when he served as the head of Trump’s legal team.The trial also will put on public display for the first time before a Washington, DC, jury the actions of Trump’s lawyers and campaign, months before the ex-President is set to go to trial in the same courthouse on criminal charges related to the 2020 election subversion effort. Giuliani’s efforts also factor into the criminal allegations Trump faces, and Trump, his legal team and campaign are legally considered co-conspirators in the defamation case.Giuliani has already been found liable for defamat...

Deadly tornadoes leave thousands displaced or without power in Tennessee

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:54 GMT

(CNN) — Thousands of Tennesseans are displaced or facing prolonged power outages after a series of powerful tornadoes and storms tore through the state over the weekend, shredding hundreds of homes and killing at least six people, including a mother and her toddler.Destruction caused by storms in Tennessee, where at least two tornadoes touched down Saturday, has prompted officials in some of the hardest-hit areas to declare local states of emergency, open shelters for displaced families and announce the closure of several schools on Monday.More than 19,000 were without power in the state Monday morning. In Nashville, a local utility estimates it may take days to restore power to some, while residents of Clarksville have been told it could take weeks.Parts of Hendersonville and the Nashville-suburb Madison were slammed by a tornado with peak winds of 125 mph, according to the National Weather Service.A single tornado traveled nearly 43 miles from the Clarksvi...

Tom Mulherin’s high school hockey crystal ball

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:54 GMT

Hockey is back, and along with it is Year 2 of the Crystal Ball. Every week brings a wave of exciting games to watch out for, so we look at about seven of the best or most meaningful matchups on both the boys’ and girls’ sides.The idea is to not only predict the winner of each game, but also find the games that come down to the tightest finishes. Picking out a matchup that comes down to one or two goals is always a win no matter the result, or at least that’s what I tell myself after falling just shy of 60 percent in the inaugural season.Here goes the first shot at improving that number.LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 73-46-18 **WINNERS in all CAPSBoysWednesdayTRITON at Winthrop, 6:10 p.m. – When Vikings collide. Reigning Div. 3 state semifinalist Triton has a wealth of big-game experience to help it come out on top.Franklin at CATHOLIC MEMORIAL, 7 p.m. – Premier firepower returns for both teams, but Connor Fryberger leads another win over a legitimate contender.FridayNORWOOD at Medfield, ...

Man arrested following altercation with police officer at pro-Palestine rally in Toronto

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:54 GMT

A man has been arrested and charged with assault after an altercation with a police officer during a rally in downtown Toronto on Sunday.Toronto police were in the area of University Avenue and Armoury Street, just south of Dundas, around 2:25 p.m. Sunday during a pro-Palestine rally that saw hundreds gather outside the U.S. Consulate.Investigators allege officers were escorting a police vehicle that was travelling southbound on University and trying to make a left turn onto Armoury when one of the officers was allegedly pushed off his bike onto the ground.A video circulating online appears to show officers punching a person on the ground at the intersection where the rally was being held. Police confirmed to CityNews the footage was from Sunday’s rally.The video doesn’t show what led to the officers apprehending the individual on the ground.Paramedics were already in the area prior to the altercation and say there were no injuries that required medical attention.Police ...

Manulife signs reinsurance deal with Global Atlantic, plans to buy back shares

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:54 GMT

TORONTO — Manulife Financial Corp. has signed a reinsurance deal with Global Atlantic that it says will free up $1.2 billion in capital that it plans to use to buy back shares.The Toronto-based insurer says it is reinsuring $13 billion of reserves to Global Atlantic and its partners, including $6 billion in long-term care reserves. It is Manulife’s third deal with Global Atlantic.Manulife says the deal is expected to release $1.2 billion of capital that it plans return to shareholders via share buybacks. Manulife chief executive Roy Gori called the agreement a major milestone for the company as it reshapes its portfolio, reduces risk and delivers value to shareholders.Manulife says it has received approval from the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions to buy back up to about 2.8 per cent of its outstanding common shares starting in February.The share repurchase plan remains subject to the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange.This report by The Canadian Pres...

Lupita Nyong’o will head the jury at the annual Berlin film festival in February

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:54 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o will head the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, organizers announced Monday.The 2024 “Berlinale,” the first of the year’s major European film festivals, will run from Feb. 15-25. It will be the last edition under the current leadership duo of executive director Mariette Rissenbeek and artistic director Carlo Chatrian.Nyong’o “embodies what we like in cinema: versatility in embracing different projects, addressing different audiences, and consistency to one idea that is quite recognizable in her characters, as diverse as they may look,” the directors said in a statement. Nyong’o said she was “deeply honored” to serve as president of the international jury and looks forward to “celebrating and recognizing the outstanding work of filmmakers from around the world.” The Mexican-born daughter of Kenyan parents has directed and produced as well as acting, and is the author of a children’s b...

In latest crackdown on violence, Greece bans fans at all top-flight matches for two months

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:54 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — All top-flight soccer matches in Greece will be played without fans in the stadiums for the next two months, in the latest crackdown on supporter violence following a sport-related riot last week that left a police officer with life-threatening injuries.The government said Monday that it would introduce emergency legislation to make the ban on supporters effective immediately. It will end on Feb. 12 with a possible extension to follow. This past weekend’s professional soccer matches were postponed following a series of violent incidents at matches and last week’s riot that occurred outside a volleyball game believed to be led by organized soccer fan groups. The 31-year-old police officer who was injured in the clashes remains hospitalized in a coma after being hit in the left leg by a flare, causing extensive bleeding and cardiac arrest.“This murderous attack against a policeman is not the first incident of extreme fan violence in recent years. Crim...