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Germany’s Scholz vows a quick resolution to his coalition government’s latest standoff

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:53:26 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor OIaf Scholz is vowing that his coalition government will quickly resolve a dispute over child benefits that has marred attempts to put months of damaging public infighting behind it.Center-left Social Democrat Scholz leads a coalition of three parties that are broadly socially liberal. But their approaches to economic and other issues are often at odds, in particular between his two junior partners: the environmentalist, traditionally left-leaning Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats.The two squabbled at length earlier this year over a plan to replace fossil-fuel home heating systems, which helped drag down the government’s poll ratings. Top officials had hoped to project a more united image after the summer break, but more trouble erupted as the Cabinet held its first post-vacation meeting on Aug. 16. Lisa Paus, the Green minister for families, blocked a plan by Finance Minister Christian Lindner — the Free Democrats’ leader — for t...

Greek fire officials arrest 2 for arson as multiple wildfires continue to burn across the country

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:53:26 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek fire department officials arrested two men on Saturday for allegedly deliberately starting wildfires as hundreds of firefighters battle blazes that have been blamed for 21 deaths.One man was arrested on Evia for allegedly deliberately setting fire to dried grass in the island’s Karystos area. The fire department said the man confessed to having set four other fires in the area in July and August. A second man was arrested in the Larissa area in central Greece, also for allegedly deliberately setting fire to dried vegetation. Judicial authorities were informed in both cases. Officials have said arson has been to blame for several fires in Greece over the past week, although it is still unclear what sparked the country’s largest blazes, including one in the northeastern region of Evros and Alexandroupolis where nearly all the fire-attributed deaths have occurred, and another on the fringes of Athens.“Some … arsonists are setting fires, end...

Horoscopes Aug. 26, 2023: Keke Palmer, love yourself first

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:53:26 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Keke Palmer, 30; Macaulay Culkin, 43; Chris Pine, 43; Melissa McCarthy, 53.Happy Birthday: Pay more attention to the ones you love. If you recognize what others expect from you, you’ll decide what you want in return. Maintaining equilibrium in all aspects of life will encourage peace of mind. Recognizing and evaluating your attitude, appearance and aspiration will bring out the best in you and others. Love yourself first, and everything else will fall into place. Your numbers are 2, 13, 21, 28, 32, 37, 43.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Rethink your plan and consider what you want to achieve. Fine-tuning and showing discipline will give you a blueprint that leads to success. Trust your instincts and carry on without making a fuss. You’ll hit your objective and get to celebrate your victory. 2 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): You don’t stand alone. Speak on behalf of those who can’t. Lead the way and make a difference. Think big, pinpoin...

Ask Amy: She ruined my Disney birthday plan, and I can’t get over the hurt

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:53:26 GMT

Dear Amy: My husband will be turning 80 next year and I suggested to my daughter that, since everyone in our family loves Disney, the 10 of us should spend the week of his birthday in Orlando. (My husband’s birthday falls during a holiday week, and the children are not in school.)She said she thought this was a fun idea, but now she wants to go on a cruise instead.Our daughter is well aware that my husband does not wish to go on a cruise.So she and her family have planned a weeklong cruise for that week, which means they won’t be with us for the birthday or any part of that holiday week.I am very hurt by their decision and find that this is bringing up a long list of past hurts that I have never verbalized.It’s pretty much all I think about.In your opinion, should I tell her how hurt I am, or should I let it go?– Sad Mother and GrandmotherDear Sad: Recently I was talking with another parent who has adult children (also with grandchildren), and she offered that elder parents should n...

No One Knows How Many Americans Are Imprisoned in Pakistan’s Crackdown on Dissent

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:53:26 GMT

The political crisis sparked by former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s removal from power in 2022 has since given way to a major crackdown on what remains of his political party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. The campaign by the military has included a wave of killings and detentions targeting Khan’s supporters, including journalists believed to be aligned with his movement.The impact has not been limited to those with ties to only Pakistan itself. Some of those caught up in the dragnet are American and British citizens and residents, detained in Pakistan after repression escalated in response to a series of demonstrations against the military this past May. Join Our Newsletter Original reporting. Fearless journalism. Delivered to you. I'm in Pakistan is widely seen to be devolving into a police state, with thousands arrested on politicized charges over the past few...

All Eyes on the Tropics Next Week

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:53:26 GMT

Lots of changes ahead to our weather pattern in South Florida as we continue to track Invest 93L, which is an area of disturbed weather the National Hurricane Center is monitoring for potential tropical development currently over the northwestern Caribbean Sea.Before then, South Florida will enjoy a relatively nice and quiet weekend with a good deal of sunshine and low rain chances.Expect mostly sunny skies and just an isolated shower this Saturday with highs in the low to mid 90s. Sunday will be fairly similar with a few more clouds and up to a 40% chance for inland showers and storms.By next week, rain chances ramp up to a 50-60% chance as that low over the Caribbean tracks into the Gulf of Mexico.The National Hurricane Center currently gives this system a 60% chance of development over the next 48 hours and a 90% chance over the next 7 days, meaning a tropical depression or storm will likely develop by early next week.For South Florida, we are confident that we will get moisture ...

Puerto Rico board submits third plan in attempt to restructure power company debt of $10 billion

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:53:26 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A new plan for restructuring $10 billion in debt owed by Puerto Rico’s power company was filed late Friday in the latest attempt to end a lengthy bankruptcy process marked by acrimonious negotiations.The plan filed by a federal control board that oversees the U.S. territory’s finances would cut the debt of Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority by nearly 80% to some $2.5 billion.“We hope that we will be closing not just the chapter but most of the book on the largest public sector bankruptcy in the United States,” Robert Mujica, the board’s executive director, said in a meeting with reporters.If confirmed by a federal bankruptcy judge, the plan would mean an increase in already high power bills for many people on the island if the new charge is approved by Puerto Rico’s Energy Bureau.On average, residential bills would increase by nearly $9 a month and commercial bills by $35.Some 1.4 million customers would not pay the new charge if they consume less th...

Hawaii’s cherished notion of family, the ‘ohana, endures in tragedy’s aftermath

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:53:26 GMT

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Families were torn asunder. A community is reeling with grief. More than 100 people have perished and hundreds more remain missing after flames and smoke barreled from the hills and annihilated the historic town of Lahaina. But even in places overwhelmed by despair and devastation, the Hawaiian spirit known as ‘ohana endures.In the Hawaiian lexicon, ‘ohana is a sensibility, a way of thinking that means family, belonging, community and so much more — solace in a time of calamity. It is a unifying principle in an increasingly fragmented world. And in recent weeks, amid misfortune, the word has taken on profound importance in a place appealing for help.“In times like this, ‘ohana gets stronger,” says Dustin Kaleiopu, whose Maui roots date back to when monarchs ruled the islands.The kanaka of Hawaii, the Native Hawaiians who inhabit the islands, value ’ohana, which extends beyond the familial ties of blood. It is a life nourished by kinship.“In a...

U.S. team to digitize Quaker boarding school records, drawing inspiration from Canada

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:53:26 GMT

OTTAWA — A coalition advocating for Indigenous Peoples forced to attend boarding schools in the United States is planning to digitize 20,000 archival pages related to schools that were operated by the Quakers.Outside of Native Nations, most people aren’t even aware these schools were an integral part of history and U.S. federal Indian policy, said Samuel Torres, the deputy CEO of the Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition.He and his team are trying to change that, drawing inspiration — and lessons learned — from Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.The Quakers and other faith groups have in recent years either begun or increased efforts to research and atone for their roles in the boarding school system that Indigenous children in the U.S. were forced to attend. The institutions cut them off from their families, tribes and traditions, similar to residential schools in Canada.For decades, documents re...

Ask Amy: A landmark birthday isn’t cruising along

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:53:26 GMT

Dear Amy: My husband will be turning 80 next year and I suggested to my daughter that, since everyone in our family loves Disney, the 10 of us should spend the week of his birthday in Orlando. (My husband’s birthday falls during a holiday week, and the children are not in school.)She said she thought this was a fun idea, but now she wants to go on a cruise, instead.Our daughter is well aware that my husband does not wish to go on a cruise.So she and her family have planned a week-long cruise for that week, which means they won’t be with us for the birthday or any part of that holiday week.I am very hurt by their decision and find that this is bringing up a long list of past hurts that I have never verbalized.It’s pretty much all I think about.In your opinion, should I tell her how hurt I am, or should I let it go?— Sad Mother and GrandmotherDear Sad: Recently I was talking with another parent who has adult children (also with grandchildren), and she offered that elder parents ...