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Critics slam Belgian Green chief’s taxi ride on car-free Sunday 

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 05:02:49 GMT

Belgian politicians have criticized the co-chair of Green party Ecolo, Rajae Maouane, for taking a taxi to talk about sustainability on car-free Sunday, the only Sunday of the year in which cars are prohibited in Brussels.“I am not going to lie to you, I came here in a taxi,” she told hosts Martin Buxant and Christophe Deborsu during the TV interview after the pair asked her how she got to the studio on a day in which no private vehicles are allowed in the city. “From my home to here, I had a 45-minute bike ride, which was a bit complicated, so I took a taxi,” she added. Taking a taxi is allowed during the Belgian capital’s car-free day but critics called her out for choosing a high-emission mode of transport. During the interview, she supported reinvesting in public transport, changing the city’s parking setup, and reducing the prices of bus and train tickets. “If people choose cars, it’s because other public transport isn’t dev...

At least 20 killed in South Africa as bus erupts in flames after head-on collision

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 05:02:49 GMT

(CNN) — At least 20 people – mostly mine workers – were killed in South Africa’s Limpopo province on Sunday after a bus they were traveling in erupted in flames following a head-on collision with a truck, state media reported.The Limpopo transport department said on Monday 20 people were confirmed dead on the scene while two others died at the hospital. It is not immediately known how many people were on the bus and if there were any survivors.The vehicles collided on a major road between Musina town and Venetia mine in the northern Limpopo province, the transport agency added.Murray and Roberts company, the employer of the deceased mine workers, said 18 of its staff who were “traveling to the Venetia mine” were killed in the accident, citing preliminary reports.The Venetia mine is South Africa’s largest diamond producer.Videos from the scene of the bus crash posted on social media showed bodies lying scattered on the ground and a plume...

Remnants of Lee move over northern Atlantic after bringing fierce winds and coastal flooding to Canada and northeast US

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 05:02:49 GMT

(CNN) — The remnants of post-tropical cyclone Lee were moving out over the ocean and away from Atlantic Canada on Monday, after US officials announced at least two deaths due to the storm.Lee, once a powerful hurricane, churned northward with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph on Sunday after making landfall Saturday on Long Island in Nova Scotia, the National Hurricane Center said in its final advisory about the storm.The storm knocked out power to tens of thousands and lashed the coasts of the northeastern US and Atlantic Canada with strong winds and waves.At least two deaths have been attributed to dangerous conditions associated with Lee.Officials in Fernandina Beach, Florida, announced a 15-year-old had drowned in the surf “due to turbulent wave conditions as a result of Hurricane Lee.”The boy was last seen Wednesday by witnesses holding onto a floating raft, “and then the raft got away from him,” Fernandina Beach Police Department Interim Police Chief J...

UK police investigate sexual assault report after Russell Brand allegations

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 05:02:49 GMT

(CNN) — London’s Metropolitan Police said Monday they were investigating an allegation of sexual assault in 2003, after a joint investigation into the comedian and actor Russell Brand by three British media outlets was published Saturday.The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4’s “Dispatches” published an investigation in which four women alleged Brand sexually assaulted them in separate instances between 2006 and 2013. One of the women said she was 16 and Brand was 31 at the time of the alleged assault in London.Without naming the British comedian – who denies the allegations – a Met spokesperson said on Monday: “We are aware of reporting by The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches about allegations of sexual offenses. “On Sunday, 17 September, the Met received a report of a sexual assault which was alleged to have taken place in Soho in central London in 2003. Officers are in contact with the woman and will be providing her with support.”Downing S...

Benjamin Netanyahu asks Elon Musk to ‘roll back’ antisemitism on X

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 05:02:49 GMT

(CNN) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Elon Musk to ‘roll back’ antisemitism on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, during an in-person conversation broadcast live on Monday afternoon.After an exchange about the regulation of artificial intelligence, Netanyahu praised Musk for his commitment to freedom of speech and pleaded with him to fight back against hate speech.“I know your commitment to free speech,” Netanyahu told Musk. “But I also know your opposition to antisemitism. You’ve spoken about it, tweeted about it. And all I can say is, I hope you find, within the confines of the First Amendment, the ability to stop not only antisemitism, or roll it back as best you can, but any collective hatred of people…. I know you’re committed to that and I hope you succeed. And it’s not an easy task, but I encourage you and urge you to find a balance.”Musk replied that he was “against attacking any group, doesn’t matter who it is,” and that his vision for hum...

Five Americans detained in Iran walk free, released in deal for frozen Iranian assets

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 05:02:49 GMT

By JON GAMBRELL, LUJAIN JO and MATTHEW LEE (Associated Press)DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Five Americans detained for years in Iran walked off a plane and into freedom Monday, many arm-in-arm, as part of a politically risky deal that saw President Joe Biden agree to the release of nearly $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets owed by a third country, South Korea. The successful negotiations for the Americans’ freedom brought Biden profuse thanks from their families but heat from Republican presidential rivals and other opponents for the monetary arrangement with one of America’s top rivals.“Today, five innocent Americans who were imprisoned in Iran are finally coming home,” Biden said in a statement released as the plane carrying the group from Tehran landed in Doha, Qatar. A plane carrying the Americans home to the United States was due to land Monday night.Iran’s hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi, on hand for the United Nations General Assembly in New York, ...

Quick Fix: Scampi-Style Chicken and Linguine with Zucchini full of classic Italian flavors

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 05:02:49 GMT

Linda Gassenheimer | Tribune News Service (TNS)A garlicky wine sauce is well known as the basis for the classic Italian dish, shrimp scampi. The sauce is delicious and perfect for sopping up with some crusty bread. For this recipe, I thought the sauce would be a great preparation for chicken thighs. Lots of garlic, some red vermouth and fresh parsley coat the chicken and add flavor to the linguine.Helpful Hints:— You can use dried linguine instead of fresh. Boil for 8 to 9 minutes.— You can use red or white wine instead of red vermouth.— The quickest way to chop parsley is to snip the leaves with a scissors.Countdown:— Place water for linguine on to boil.— Prepare all ingredients.— Make chicken.— Cook linguine and zucchini.Shopping List:To buy: 1 pound skinless chicken thighs with the bone, 1 bottle red vermouth, 1 container fresh linguine, 1/2 pound zucchini, and 1 bunch fresh parsley.Staples: olive oil, garlic, butter, salt and black peppercorns.—SCAMPI-STYLE CHICKENRecipe by Lind...

On Nutrition: Sunflower season

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 05:02:49 GMT

Barbara Intermill | Tribune News Service (TNS)This time of year, the sight always takes my breath away: acres and acres of sunflowers in full bloom, smiling at the sun as we drive through rural areas of our state.The cultivated beauties are related to the smaller and more prolific sunflowers (they’re too pretty to call weeds) that pop up along roadsides and hills throughout much of North America.Native Americans were the first people to domesticate wild sunflowers for their seeds, according to the National Sunflower Association.Today, there are two basic varieties of commercial sunflowers: one that produces the typical black-and-white striped seeds we eat for snacks, and another that bears smaller black seeds used to make oil.And just so I get my semantics right, there is a difference between a sunflower kernel and a sunflower seed. The kernel is the “meat” that has been removed from the outer shell (or hull) of a sunflower seed, say experts. When we eat sunflower seeds,...

Wild black bear at Walt Disney World in Florida captured after search

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 05:02:49 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — It wasn’t an escapee from the Country Bear Jamboree attraction, but a wild black bear managed to be the star of its own show Monday at Walt Disney World.The presence of the black bear in a tree in the Magic Kingdom delayed the opening of three lands Monday morning — Frontierland, Liberty Square and Adventureland.Staffers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were at the park, attempting to capture and relocate the bear, Disney World said in a statement. The bear was eventually captured Monday afternoon.The bear was likely in search of food as it looks to pack on fat reserves for the winter, the wildlife commission said in a statement. “In most cases, it is best for bears to be given space and to move along on their own, but given this situation, staff are working on capturing and relocating the bear,” the wildlife commission said.The Associated Press

Removal of B.C. MLA Adam Walker from NDP caucus unrelated to police, harassment: Eby

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 05:02:49 GMT

RICHMOND, B.C. — British Columbia Premier David Eby says a complaint by an employee in late July led to the removal of MLA Adam Walker from the New Democrat caucus, but the issue doesn’t involve police or sexual harassment.Speaking to reporters for the first time since Walker was kicked out over the weekend, Eby says he decided the member could no longer be part of the group after a formal investigation by NDP caucus.Eby says he wishes he could share more but rules related to human resources and privacy prevent him going into specifics about the accusations, which are not a criminal matter.The premier says he doesn’t believe what the investigation found could be remedied by a training process for Walker, who will now sit as an independent.An emailed statement from Walker’s constituency office says it does not have a comment to provide on the situation.The premier says the situation was “challenging” and informing Walker he was being removed was “n...