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Venezuelans vote in a referendum to claim sovereignty of a large territory under dispute with Guyana

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:50 GMT

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelans are voting in a referendum Sunday called by the government of President Nicolás Maduro to claim sovereignty over a large swath of neighboring Guyana, arguing the oil- and mineral-rich territory was stolen when the border was drawn more than a century ago.Guyana considers the referendum a step toward annexation, and the vote has its residents on edge. It asks Venezuelans whether they support establishing a state in the disputed territory, known as Essequibo, granting citizenship to current and future area residents and rejecting the jurisdiction of the United Nations’ top court in settling the disagreement between the two South American countries. “We are solving through constitutional, peaceful and democratic means an imperial dispossession of 150 years,” President Nicolás Maduro said after voting in a military complex in Caracas, the capital. He and other government officials have not explained the exact steps they will take to enforce th...

The Week … Boris Johnson at the COVID inquiry

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:50 GMT

Listen to the latest episode on your favorite platform With Boris Johnson due to give evidence to the COVID inquiry this week, Jack and Sam take us through what he’ll be probed on and what to expect.They’re joined by Rachel Johnson, journalist and sister of the former prime minister, who shares her views on how the inquiry is progressing and the potential takeaways from her brother’s testimony.Plus, what can we expect this week on an update to the Rwanda migration policy, and Foreign Secretary David Cameron’s next trip abroad.Email with your thoughts and rate how their predictions play out: [email protected] or [email protected]

Europe’s far right flexes anti-Brussels muscles as it opens EU campaign

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:50 GMT

FLORENCE, Italy — Europe’s right-wing leaders fired the opening salvo of their promised EU-wide election campaign at a rally of the hardline Identity and Democracy (ID) group in Florence on Sunday.Following the surprise win of anti-Islam leader Geert Wilders in November general elections in the Netherlands, the ID’s Euroskeptic firebrands vowed to change the political dynamic in Brussels as they addressed some 2,000 supporters at a 16th-century fortress in Italy’s Renaissance capital.“Another Europe without socialists in charge is possible and is needed,” said Matteo Salvini, the leader of Italy’s right-wing Lega (League) party, which hosted the rally of the ID’s 14 constituent parties.Wearing glasses and a black turtleneck, Salvini said he and his allies aimed to make ID the third-largest group in the European Parliament after the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) and the center-left Socialists & Democrats. ID is currently the sixth-largest group with...

NFL issues no fines in Chicago Bears nickel back Kyler Gordon’s face mask fracas with the Minnesota Vikings’ Brandon Powell

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:50 GMT

The NFL has weighed in on the skirmish in Monday night’s Chicago Bears game that broke nickel back Kyler Gordon’s face mask. Neither Gordon nor Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Brandon Powell was fined for the incident, with the league administering fines for only nine plays in Week 12.In a bizarre sequence Monday, Gordon, after blocking Powell during a Jaylon Johnson interception return, was penalized 15 yards for what referee Alex Kemp originally announced as “unsportsmanlike conduct on No. 6 for taking his helmet off.” Kemp then clarified the penalty against Gordon as a taunting infraction.Gordon tried to plead his case after the penalty was administered, holding up his helmet with the face mask partially detached. Replays showed Gordon’s initial block on Powell carried the two players into the Vikings bench, where a short tussle continued.“I drove my dude into the benches and we just kind of got into it,” Gordon said. “Obviously it&...

‘Renaissance’ woman: Beyoncé tops Box office with $21M open

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:50 GMT

Beyoncé ruled the box office this weekend.Her concert picture, ” Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé,” opened in first place with $21 million in North American ticket sales, according to estimates from AMC Theatres Sunday.The post-Thanksgiving, early December box office is notoriously slow, but “Renaissance” defied the odds. Not accounting for inflation, it’s the first time a film has opened over $20 million on this weekend in 20 years (since “The Last Samurai”).Beyoncé wrote, directed and produced “Renaissance,” which is focused on the tour for her Grammy-winning album. It debuted in 2,539 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, as well as 94 international territories, where it earned $6.4 million from 2,621 theaters.“On behalf of AMC Theatres Distribution and the entire theatrical industry, we thank Beyoncé for bringing this incredible film directly to her fans,” said Elizabeth Frank, AMC Theatres executive vice president of wo...

Kerry: US joining no-coal, clean power pledge

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:50 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United States committed to the idea of phasing out coal power plants, joining 56 other nations in kicking the coal habit that’s a huge factor in global warming.U.S. Special Envoy John Kerry announced over the weekend that America was joining the Powering Past Coal Alliance, which means the Biden Administration commits to building no new coal plants and phasing out existing plants. No date was given for when the existing plants would have to go, but other Biden regulatory actions and international commitments already in the works had meant no coal by 2035.“We will be working to accelerate unabated coal phase-out across the world, building stronger economies and more resilient communities,” Kerry said in a statement. “The first step is to stop making the problem worse: stop building new unabated coal power plants.”Coal power plants have already been shutting down across the nation due to economics, and no new coal facilit...

Ships face Houthi-claimed attack in Red Sea as officials say a US warship also fires in self-defense

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:50 GMT

By JON GAMBRELL (Associated Press)DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Commercial ships came under attack Sunday by drones and missiles in the Red Sea and a U.S. warship there opened fire in self-defense as part of an hourslong assault claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, officials said.The attack potentially marked a major escalation in a series of maritime attacks in the Mideast linked to the Israel-Hamas war as multiple vessels found themselves in the crosshairs of a single Houthi assault for the first time in the conflict.“We’re aware of reports regarding attacks on the USS Carney and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and will provide information as it becomes available,” the Defense Department told The Associated Press. The Carney is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer that’s already shot down multiple rockets the Houthis have fired toward Israel so far in the war. It wasn’t damaged in the attack and no injuries were reported on ...

Milton man dead after ‘accidental’ stabbing at Kowloon Restaurant in Saugus

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:50 GMT

A Milton man died after an apparently “accidental” stabbing at the Kowloon Restaurant on Route 1 in Saugus, the second violent episode to occur at the iconic eatery in recent days.Less than two weeks after the now-infamous “Thanksgiving Eve Brawl” at the restaurant went viral and led to the arrests of four people, authorities say the Saugus Police Department again responded there on Saturday night and found a man already fatally injured.“Authorities are investigating a fatal incident in Saugus Saturday evening,” Essex County DistrictAttorney Paul Tucker and Saugus Police Chief Michael Ricciardelli announced in a release. “The victim was found with a knife wound in the parking lot of Kowloon Restaurant, 948 Broadway, Saugus, after 9:00 p.m.”The victim, identified by authorities as 42-year-old Patrick Kenney, Jr., of Milton, was rushed to Mass General Hospital where he was “pronounced deceased a short time later,” according to the DA.According to authorities the stabbing d...

US warship fires in self-defense after ships attacked in Red Sea: officials

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:50 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Commercial ships came under attack Sunday by drones and missiles in the Red Sea and a U.S. warship there opened fire in self-defense as part of an hourslong assault claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, officials said.The attack potentially marked a major escalation in a series of maritime attacks in the Mideast linked to the Israel-Hamas war as multiple vessels found themselves in the crosshairs of a single Houthi assault for the first time in the conflict.“We’re aware of reports regarding attacks on the USS Carney and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and will provide information as it becomes available,” the Defense Department told The Associated Press.The Carney is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer that’s already shot down multiple rockets the Houthis have fired toward Israel so far in the war. It wasn't damaged in the attack and no injuries were reported on board, said a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ea...

Florida Republican chairman won’t resign over rape allegation, saying he is innocent

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:50 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The chair of Florida’s Republican Party says he will not resign over a woman’s allegation that he raped her, saying in an email to supporters that he is innocent. He did not address any specifics of the accusation that has roiled the state’s conservative politics. Christian Ziegler sent the statement to state Republicans on Saturday, saying that he and his wife, Bridget Ziegler, are being targeted because they are “such loud political voices.” His wife co-founded the conservative group Moms for Liberty, which has led a campaign with Gov. Ron DeSantis to roll back sex education in Florida schools. DeSantis said last week that while Christian Ziegler is innocent until proven guilty, he should resign to avoid becoming a distraction to their party. Ziegler insists he won’t quit. “We have a country to save and I am not going to let false allegations of a crime put that mission on the bench as I wait for this process to wrap up,” wrote ...