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Germany’s Social Democrats throw party for Putin’s pal Gerhard Schröder

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:17 GMT

Germany’s center-left Social Democrats (SPD) will honor former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder at a shindig in his hometown, despite heated discussions over the ex-leader’s Russia links. The Hannover SPD branch will carry out a tribute for Schröder’s 60-year-long party membership, the managing director of the SPD branch, Christoph Matterne, told POLITICO. He added that there was no consensus on holding a party at city level, so the event is being organized by the district.The party will take place on October 27, the anniversary of the start date of Schröder’s chancellorship 25 years ago. The date was selected after a call between the SPD and Schröder, Matterne confirmed. The event will only be open to invited guests. Among the 50 attendees will be close friends of Schröder and former members of his Cabinet, who will watch the ex-leader be awarded a pin and a certificate.Schröder — who in March survived an attempt to expel him from the SPD — has come under fire fo...

What Ursula von der Leyen said vs. what she meant

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:17 GMT

BRUSSELS — Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union address on Wednesday hit several strong rhetorical notes, from soaring invocations of historical destiny to a touching anecdote about a Ukrainian mother who fled to Europe with her son.For the European institutions, which say “strategy” frequently and practice it rarely, this was big-picture stuff. It was likely intended either to cement her legacy or bolster her chances of winning a second term next year (if she decides to stand for reelection).Perhaps for that reason, she took a softer tone than she has in the past on touchy subjects such as climate ambition and rule of law — earning rebukes from many politicians and nongovernmental organizations, while avoiding provoking her main constituencies.For those not used to parsing Brussels speeches — or those simply too dazzled by Von der Leyen’s fetching salmon blazer to pay attention — here’s a guide to what she really meant.What she said: “Our Union today reflects the vision o...

Escaped Pennsylvania inmate Danelo Cavalcante is in custody

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:17 GMT

(CNN) — Escaped Pennsylvania inmate Danelo Cavalcante is in custody, Pennsylvania State Police announced.“This is a message from Pennsylvania State Police. The search for Danelo Cavalcante is over. The subject is now in custody,” a reverse 911 call sent to area residents said.State police are planning to hold a news conference at 9:30 a.m.His capture ends a two-week manhunt for the escaped killer, which yesterday shifted to South Coventry Township in Chester County as police announced Cavalcante, 34, was now armed.Schools were closed and residents were put on alert as police searched for the fugitive in the area about 20 miles north of the prison he broke out of two weeks ago.Live updates: Escaped killer is in custodyCavalcante, had turned up shirtless at a homeowner’s garage Monday night, ran in and grabbed a .22-caliber rifle, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said in a Tuesday news conference.The homeowner fired his pistol at Cavalcante&nbs...

‘Anti-chump’ clause makes Ravens a silent party to Orioles lease talks

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:17 GMT

A 31-year-old rule nicknamed the “anti-chump clause” makes the Ravens a significant, if silent, party to the Orioles’ ongoing lease negotiations by mandating that the state can’t treat one team better than the other.Under the parity clause, the state is like a parent legally bound to love each of its children the same.“It guarantees that we would be treated the same in future dealings, that if they’re going to do something special for the football team, they do something equally special for the baseball team,” said Larry Lucchino, who helped draft the clause in 1992 as Orioles president and CEO.At the time, Maryland was hotly pursuing an NFL club after the Colts abruptly left for Indianapolis in 1984. Lucchino called the clause “anti-chump” because it ensured the Orioles wouldn’t get left behind when a football team arrived and began negotiating a lease with the Maryland Stadium Authority. The Ravens began play in 1996.This...

If Orioles reach divisional playoffs, opener may clash with Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks show at Ravens stadium

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:17 GMT

If the Orioles find themselves in the opening game of the American League Division Series, there could be a clash with a big concert already scheduled for the same day at the Ravens’ M&T Bank Stadium.Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks are scheduled to perform Saturday, Oct. 7, at M&T. Major League Baseball has four division league series scheduled to start that day. If the Os win the American League East Division and therefore get a first-round bye, Oct. 7 would be their first postseason game.The teams have been in communication about the date and are hopeful of heading off any potential problems, according to two officials with direct knowledge of the matter who declined to be named because the talks are private.But it could be complicated because MLB said Tuesday that Oct. 7 is locked in.While the date can’t change, the league may have some flexibility with the start time. MLB determines game times later, once it knows the matchups.Under the Orioles’ lease, the ...

Column: With the Chicago Cubs in a heated race, every decision by manager David Ross is highly scrutinized

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:17 GMT

For a guy who participated in “Dancing With the Stars,” Chicago Cubs manager David Ross has no real feel for Hollywood endings.Making his major-league debut off the bench Monday night at Coors Field in Colorado, top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong came to the plate with a runner on first and no outs in the ninth inning, after the Cubs had taken a one-run lead over the Rockies.Cubs fans, who could recall Willson Contreras and Christopher Morel homering in their first major-league at-bats, were hoping for some similar heroics from the most hyped rookie since Kris Bryant, hitting in the hitter-friendly ballpark.Then Crow-Armstrong laid down a sacrifice bunt. The Cubs failed to score an insurance run but escaped with a one-run win. Crow-Armstrong would have to wait another day to show us what the hype is all about. Ross presumably slept well.These final 17 games will be about whether the Cubs can avoid the agitating offensive shutdowns that have cropped up from time to time, in...

Floods Wipe Out Roads Rails and Homes in Leominster

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:17 GMT

Heavy rains opened Pleasant St. and bared the foundation of this house at the intersection of Colburn St. in Leominster. September 12, 2023 (Staff Photo Chris Christo/Boston Herald)Heavy rains opened Pleasant Street in Leominster. (Staff Photo Chris Christo/Boston Herald)Officials including Gov. Healey and Phillip Eng look over where heavy rains washed away the ground under MBTA tracks off Route 13 near Hamilton St. in Leominster. September 12, 2023 (Staff Photo Chris Christo/Boston Herald)Keolis workers measure MBTA tracks where heavy rains washed away the ground off Route 13 near Hamilton St. in Leominster. September 12, 2023 (Staff Photo Chris Christo/Boston Herald)Heavy rains washed out the ground under MBTA tracks and buried a property with earth and debris on Hamilton St. off Route 13 in Leominster. September 12, 2023 (Staff Photo Chris Christo/Boston Herald)Heavy rains washed out the ground under MBTA tracks and buried a property with earth and debris on Hamilton St. off Rou...

Fire that burned in a 9-story apartment building in Vietnam’s capital has killed at least 56 people

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:17 GMT

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — A fire in a nine-story apartment building in Vietnam’s capital killed at least 56 people, including at least four children, while 37 more are being treated, state media reported citing the police.Of the 56 people confirmed dead, the police have identified 39 victims, the state-owned Viet Nam News said Wednesday evening.Initial reports about the death toll were unclear since the injured and dead were taken to different hospitals across the city. The fire started around midnight and was extinguished in the morning, rescue operations continued throughout the day.The police have detained the owner of the building as part of their investigation.State-owned national television channel VTV said four children were among those killed.The fire was believed to have started late Tuesday and rescuers struggled to reach the building on a narrow lane in south Hanoi. It wasn’t immediately clear how much of the building had burned.It was home to 150 residents, and 5...

Pakistani police arrest 3 people sought in death of 10-year-old girl near London, send them to UK

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:17 GMT

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Three people sought in connection with the death of a 10-year-old girl near London have been arrested in Pakistan and flown to Britain, police said Wednesday.Sara Sharif was found dead with extensive injuries at her home in Woking on the southern outskirts of London on Aug. 10. British police identified her father Urfan Sharif, his wife Beinash Batool, and his brother Faisal Malik as people they wanted to speak to in the investigation.The three flew to Pakistan on Aug. 9, with the couple going into hiding in central Pakistan and police launching a manhunt.Sialkot police spokesperson Khan Mudassir confirmed the arrests. He said the three were handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency, which flew them to Britain from Sialkot in eastern Punjab province. He gave no further details.An autopsy of the girl didn’t establish a cause of death but showed that she had suffered “multiple and extensive injuries, which are likely to have been caused over a sustained a...

Norwegian princess to marry American self-professed shaman

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:17 GMT

STAVANGER, Norway (AP) — The Norwegian king’s eldest child, Princess Märtha Louise, will marry her Hollywood partner, the self-professed shaman Durek Verrett, next summer, the couple announced Wednesday.King Harald V said in a statement that his family was “delighted to welcome” Verret, who is from California and claims to be a sixth-generation shaman. The Norwegian princess can trace her ancestry back to Britain’s Queen Victoria.The couple, who toured the country in 2019 as “The Princess and The Shaman,” have created waves in Norway with their alternative beliefs.For the past several years, Märtha Louise, 51, has said she can talk with angels, while Verret, 48, claims that he communicates with a broad range of spirits, wields ancient medicine and has a medallion which helps ward off heavy energies, spells and darkness.The wedding will take place on Aug. 24 in Geiranger, prized for its typical Norwegian scenery among mountains and fjords. Geiranger is 265 kilometers (165 miles) nort...