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Top Dutch minister steps down from party leadership over ‘intimidation’ and ‘threats’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:35:57 GMT

Dutch Finance Minister Sigrid Kaag said Thursday she would not lead her liberal Democrats 66 (D66) party into the next election in the fall, citing the toll on her family after she faced multiple intimidation attempts.“I have decided not to run for the position of leader of the party,” Kaag said in a statement. “For me, in addition to love and appreciation, the past period was also accompanied by hate, intimidation and threats. That put a heavy burden on my family.” She added that “a new period of taking responsibility” would make things worse for them. Kaag, the first female finance minister in the Netherlands’ history, faced repeated threats over the past 18 months. In January 2022, a man who stood outside her home, shouting and waving a burning torch, was handed a six-month prison sentence by a Hague court.Last February, Kaag was confronted by farmers holding flaming torches at a campaign event. Kaag’s D66 party has been a...

Mass brawl breaks out in Kosovo parliament over Pinocchio picture and water toss

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:35:57 GMT

A brawl erupted in the Kosovo parliament Thursday after an opposition lawmaker threw water from a bottle on Prime Minister Albin Kurti during a speech.In video footage from the incident, a member of parliament can be seen walking up to Kurti, water bottle in hand, while the prime minister is addressing the room from the podium.The MP, identified as Mergim Lushtaku from the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo by local media, goes on to splash water in Kurti’s face and that of his deputy, Besnik Beslimi, triggering a brawl as ministers and other MPs jumped in to restrain Lushtaku.According to local news website Kallxo, the row began after opposition MPs placed a picture showing the prime minister with an elongated, Pinocchio-like nose in front of the podium before Kurti’s speech. Beslimi had removed and torn up the picture while Kurti was speaking.Local media reported that Kurti was escorted out of the hall.The cause of the latest disagreement is the episodes of violence...

Germany blasts China on human rights, but shies away from economic restrictions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:35:57 GMT

BERLIN — Germany on Thursday released its first China strategy, accusing Beijing of “grave violations of human rights” but taking a softer line on economic measures like investment bans.The 64-page document — which can be read here in German and here in a slightly shorter version in English — calls China an indispensable partner but, increasingly, also a rival and competitor.“Without China, we will not succeed in curbing the climate crisis, nor in achieving more fair prosperity in the world,” Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said as she presented the strategy at the MERICS China think tank in Berlin.However, Baerbock also raised the need “to protect our European economy against unfair competition” from China, making an indirect reference to Beijing’s “Made in China 2025” industrial strategy and massive state subsidies for key sectors like electric vehicles. The strategy describes such unfair practices as a “threat” to Germany’s “security, ...

Quick start leads Revolution to 2-1 victory over Atlanta United

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:35:57 GMT

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Matt Polster and Giacomo Vrioni scored in the first nine minutes, Djordje Petrovic made a career-high 10 saves and the New England Revolution defeated Atlanta United 2-1 on Wednesday night.Polster netted his second goal of the season to give the Revolution (11-4-7) the lead, scoring unassisted in the 4th minute. Vrioni stretched the advantage to 2-0 when he took a pass from Carles Gil and scored his fifth goal this season. Gil returned from a one-match suspension for accumulating five yellow cards. He missed the Revs’ 2-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls on Saturday.Djordje Petrovic missed his shot at a clean sheet when Machop Chol scored unassisted in the third minute of second-half stoppage time for his second goal this season and the second of his career. Brad Guzan had four saves for Atlanta United (9-6-8).New England improves to 4-0-2 in its last six matches against Atlanta United after going 0-5-2 in the previous seven.Atlanta United was coming off...

Two brutal alleged murders head to trail in Boston

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:35:57 GMT

Jury selection has begun in two murder trials at Suffolk Superior Court, one for gunning down a man as he celebrated Father’s Day in a Roxbury park and another for the brutal stabbing of an 18-year-old woman to death in an East Boston parking garage.Parking Garage massacreOn June 15, 2016, construction workers walked to their worksite at a parking garage at 54 Princeton St. in East Boston and came across a horrible sight: a young woman, her face “covered in blood,” lying on top of pieces of wood with one arm over her face, according to Herald reporting at the time.Police would identify the dead woman as Blanca Lainez, 18, who would have turned 19 just two weeks later. An examination of her body and the scene would conclude she had been stabbed 15 times and beaten with a propane tank, according to the Suffolk DA’s office.Prosecutors say her murder occurred between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. the night before, based on security camera footage of Lainez and the suspects.The body was found jus...

Vice President Kamala Harris to offer keynote speech at NAACP Convention in Boston

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:35:57 GMT

Vice President Kamala Harris plans to travel to Boston later this month to address the NAACP’s national convention scheduled to take place in the Seaport, the White House said Thursday morning.The convention is “one of the few places” where Americans can engage with some of the nation’s most influential voices, said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. The week-long convention is scheduled to run from July 26 to Aug. 2 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.“I am confident that Vice President Harris’ presence at convention will further motivate our members and supporters’ continued fight for racial justice across all 50 states,” Johnson said in a statement. “We look forward to hearing from the Vice President on how the administration is enacting its commitment to addressing the issues that are top-of-mind for Black America.”The White House said Harris plans to address the conference on July 29 as part of a multi-day “whirlwind” trip where she is scheduled to attend...

Watch Live: John Kerry grilled on Climate Office budget; says Herald FOIA will have to wait

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:35:57 GMT

This could finally be the day Climate boss John Kerry thaws his budget out. To what degree we’ll find out as the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability grills him. Follow along below and stay here for updates and a full report:10 a.m. — Chair Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) just started the meeting and didn’t hold back on Kerry has “managed to avoid oversight and accountability.”Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) jumped in next saying global warming will drive up bills and put Americans at risk, taking a softer tone before Kerry speaks.Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) warned Kerry that playing nice with China could prove to be lethal. He’s the chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and is “deeply concerned” about talks with China. “We don’t have to make concessions before we even get to the table.” He added that this all comes as “an American citizen” Mark Swidan of Texas faces death i...

OPP bust 11 as part of Canada-wide 3D gun probe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:35:57 GMT

Advanced 3D printing technology is being used to make guns that are being sold to “dangerous offenders,” Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) warned Thursday while announcing a slew of arrests connected to the manufacturing of the untraceable weapons.The OPP said the probe started in Montreal, ultimately leading to search warrants and arrests across Canada — with 11 people charged with 58 offences across Ontario.“This investigation began after police became aware of a business that was selling firearm parts,” the OPP said.Investigators added that the parts aren’t compatible with other guns and are used “exclusively to create personally manufactured firearms.”Even more troubling, the OPP added, is that the guns are totally untraceable.“While all prohibited weapons pose serious risks to community safety, this is especially true for personally manufactured firearms. Unlike other firearms, they do not bear serial numbers and cannot be tra...

House Republicans interrogate FTC’s Khan over ethics, antitrust issues

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:35:57 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans who say the Federal Trade Commission has been overzealous and politicized under President Joe Biden are interrogating agency head Lina Khan, bringing her before the House Judiciary Committee Thursday for the first time amid her court battles with big technology companies.Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, has criticized Khan in recent months on a multitude of issues, including what he says are politically motivated actions directed at Elon Musk after he acquired Twitter last year, questions about whether she should have recused herself from certain cases and her legal actions against tech giants on antitrust issues. In April, the committee subpoenaed Khan after an investigation by the panel that concluded the FTC “harassed” Twitter in the wake of Musk’s acquisition.In her opening statement, Khan defended her attempt to aggressively regulate the country’s biggest tech companies. “Our competition mission is driven by the tenet that vigorou...

Corus Entertainment selling Toon Boom Animation subsidiary for $147.5M

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:35:57 GMT

TORONTO — Corus Entertainment Inc. says it has signed a deal to sell its Montreal-based animation software subsidiary Toon Boom Animation Inc. to Integrated Media Company (IMC) for $147.5 million in cash.Colin Bohm, executive vice-president of content and corporate strategy at Corus, says the move will free up capital, increase the company’s financial flexibility and sharpen its focus.Toon Boom’s software is used for animation, storyboarding and production management.Founded in 1994, Corus bought a 50 per cent stake in Toon Boom in 2004 and acquired the remaining interest in 2012. Corus says the deal is expected to generate about $142 million in net proceeds that will be used to repay debt.Shares in Corus were up 20 cents or nearly 15 per cent at $1.56 in early trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange.This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 13, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:CJR.B)The Canadian Press