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President von der Leyen in the Western Balkans this week to present details of the Growth Plan for the region

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:32 GMT

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (pictured) began a four-day visit to North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina on Sunday (29 October). This will be the occasion to discuss bilateral cooperation, and notably to present in more detail to regional leaders the EU's Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.On Sunday, President von der Leyen met the President of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski. Today (30 October), the president will meet with the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovačevski, in Skopje.Later in the day, she will travel to Pristina, where she will meet the President and the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani and Albin Kurti.On Tuesday morning (31 October), the President will be in Podgorica, Montenegro. She will meet with President Jakov Milatović and the caretaker Prime Minister of Montenegro, Dritan Abazović.In the afternoon, President von der Leyen will travel to Belgrade. There, she will meet the President of S...

Miss Manners: I used to be flattered by this response. Not anymore.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:32 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Two overused phrases bother me:Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: Our argument about her restaurant behavior ended our friendship Advice | Miss Manners: It’s absurd that I’m the go-between because my kids’ friends don’t have phones Advice | Miss Manners: I don’t find it adorable what she has trained her dog to do Advice | Miss Manners: We’re afraid they’ll try to raid the house after the funeral Advice | Miss Manners: I want to abandon this ‘Mom’ business after my mother-in-law’s bad behavior 1. “That’s a great question.”The first time someone said that to me, I thought I must be clever. Now, that phrase is so overused, it’s just filler until they can come up with a response. Perhaps when they do, I should say, “That’s a great answer!”Another comment used too often:2. “Perfec...

Dear Abby: The groom’s father refuses to attend the wedding if big drinkers are excluded

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:32 GMT

DEAR ABBY: My nephew is getting married soon, and he and his father are having issues with the guest list.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: Everything was great until my girlfriend came back from her weekend trip with this crazy story Advice | Dear Abby: An unmade quilt has undercut our friendship. Am I being unreasonable? Advice | Dear Abby: Am I being selfish to think he needs to get over his grief? Advice | Dear Abby: My boyfriend and I resent each other, but we can’t break up Advice | Dear Abby: My church group leader badmouthed my husband and now I’m caught in their feud My brother-in-law has a few immediate family members who don’t know their limit when it comes to alcohol, and my nephew is worried that if they’re invited, they’ll abuse the open bar and embarrass the family. My nephew doesn’t want to invite these family members to his wedding.My brother-in-law ...

Will your Halloween weather be a Trick-or-Treat?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:32 GMT

The windy streak is coming to a close temporarily and there is uncertainty in the forecast on how much rain we will get on Tuesday. High pressure is weakening to our North, while low pressure (Invest 96L) is getting closer to the Bahamas. NHC development chance is going down on this low. Some of it’s moisture could wrap around our way, but winds by Tuesday should veer more out of the North. Therefore, the forecast looks tricky for Halloween on whether or not we get a few showers or most of it stays offshore.By Wednesday, weak front crosses with little to no cooling. Maybe a 5-degree drop, so for some it may feel cooler. Also, winds build again and turn gusty.Tropics:1. Low pressure (Invest 96L) in the SW Atlantic located a few hundred miles E/NE of the Central Bahamas continues to produce an area of gale-force winds on the NE side. However, storm activity remains disorganized and it’s moving into an area of strong wind shear that should limit development. It only has a s...

Russia arrests 60 after anti-Israeli rioters storm Dagestan airport

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:32 GMT

Russian police arrested 60 people Monday after a huge crowd stormed the main airport in the Dagestan region to protest the arrival of a plane from Israel.The anti-Israeli riot broke out at the Makhachkala International Airport on Sunday evening, following the arrival of a plane from Tel Aviv, reported Russian news agencies. Protesters flooded the airport, breached the runway, waving Palestinian flags while chanting antisemitic slogans and searching for passengers from the plane, according to news reports and videos shared on social media. Dagestan, which is a republic of Russia, has a predominantly Muslim population.Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said Monday it had identified 150 people who took part in the riots and 60 of them had been taken into custody for further investigation.More than 20 people were injured during the furor, including nine police officers, according to authorities and local news agencies.Operations at the airport were temporarily halted due to the ...

Biden wants to move fast on AI safeguards and will sign an executive order to address his concerns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:32 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday will sign a sweeping executive order to guide the development of artificial intelligence — requiring industry to develop safety and security standards, introducing new consumer protections and giving federal agencies an extensive to-do list to oversee the rapidly progressing technology.The order reflects the government’s effort to shape how AI evolves in a way that can maximize its possibilities and contain its perils. AI has been a source of deep personal interest for Biden, with its potential to affect the economy and national security.White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients recalled Biden giving his staff a directive to move with urgency on the issue, having considered the technology a top priority.“We can’t move at a normal government pace,” Zients said the president told him. “We have to move as fast, if not faster than the technology itself.”In Biden’s view, the government was late to addr...

Week 8 recap: Chicago Bears fall to 2-6 as Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert carves them up in a 30-13 loss

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:32 GMT

The Los Angeles Chargers and quarterback Justin Herbert shattered any notion of Chicago Bears progress in front of a national TV audience Sunday night at SoFi Stadium.The Bears entered the game winners of two of their last three with a defense that had put together solid performances against the Washington Commanders, Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders.Then Herbert came out and completed his first 15 passes on his way to going 31-for-40 for 298 yards and three touchdowns in a 30-13 Chargers victory.The Bears (2-6), playing without starting safeties Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker, allowed the Chargers (3-4) to score on all four of their first-half drives as they fell behind 24-7 by halftime. Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds also left the game in the third quarter with a knee injury.Meanwhile, the underdog story of undrafted rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent, from Division II Shepherd, didn’t gain a lot of ground.Bagent, filling in for injured starter Justin Fields, comple...

Field hockey notebook: King Philip now expects success

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:32 GMT

King Philip field hockey coach Kaitlyn Wilder wasn’t really surprised. She actually kind of called it.With a 3-1 first-round win over No. 10 Natick as the 23rd-seed in the Div. 1 state tournament last year, the then first-year Warriors coach knew heading into the second round there was a lot she could count on from her top players.No, she didn’t predict rallying twice in the second half to eventually overcome sixth-seeded Bishop Feehan in overtime, 4-3, and advance again. She didn’t even necessarily predict a win at all – a 23-seed beating a six is quite the upset.But for star midfielder Kelly Holmes to be the one who tied the game at 2-2 in the third quarter, and 3-3 in the fourth? Both on corners?Yeah, Wilder spotted something like that coming.“(How the Natick game ended) was one of the things for me where it was, ‘OK, (Holmes is) ready,’” Wilder said. “She basically called game (against Bishop Feehan). … She wanted it. And they knew it was going to her, but she wanted it.”It was ...

Lucas: No help from feds as migrants fill Massachusetts shelters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:32 GMT

Tomorrow is Halloween.It is also Gov. Maura Healey’s deadline for taking in new immigrant families who are flocking to Massachusetts seeking free housing and support under the state’s “right to shelter” law.So, if a family with children comes trick or treating at your door looking for shelter, they are liable to be immigrants from Haiti or Afghanistan or Ecuador looking for a place to crash.Massachusetts is an internationally known sanctuary or handout state.That may be an exaggeration, but you get the point.The state is so overflowing with migrants that there are no longer the means to care for them.There is no more room at the inn, Healey said in so many words– as if that will stop them from coming. Massachusetts is overflowing with immigrant families from around the world with few places to house them.“If there is no place for them, where do they go?” House Speaker Ron Mariano sensibly asked.It is a good question.But Healey does not seem to have a good answer. She said that...

Newly elected regional lawmaker for a far-right party arrested in Germany

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:32 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A lawmaker with the far-right Alternative for Germany party who was recently elected to the state legislature in Bavaria was arrested on Monday, prosecutors said.Prosecutors in the city of Wuerzburg said that Daniel Halemba was arrested in the Stuttgart area, in a state that borders Bavaria, German news agency dpa reported. They said he is under investigation on suspicion of incitement and using symbols of unconstitutional organizations.Halemba, 22, is a member of a fraternity, “Buerschenschaft Teutonia Prag zu Wuerzburg,” that was raided in September on suspicion that there might be objects with Nazi symbols and racist documents on its premises.Halemba’s lawyer, Dubravko Mandic, has rejected the allegations, saying in a weekend statement that there’s nothing to the accusations against the group’s members. Four other members of the group are also under investigation.Alternative for Germany, or AfD, saw significant gains in a pair of state elections on...