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Italian leader Giorgia Meloni vows to take ‘extraordinary measures’ to deal with a migrant influx

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:27:47 GMT

ROME (AP) — Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni vowed Friday to take “extraordinary measures” to deal with an influx of migrants, including calling anew for a naval blockade of North Africa, after a week in which more than 6,000 people arrived within a day on the island of Lampedusa from Tunisia.Meloni invited the head of the European Commission to visit Lampedusa with her to see the conditions firsthand and called for a new European Union migration deal with Tunisia to be put into effect. In a video distributed by her office, Meloni said that Europe needs a “paradigm change” to cope with a series of factors in Africa — conflict, instability, soaring grain prices and climate crises — that she warned could spur millions of people to risk their lives to come to Europe.“Obviously, Italy and Europe cannot welcome this massive influx of people, especially when these migrant flows are being managed by unscrupulous traffickers,” she said.Lampedusa, which is closer to Africa than the Itali...

Court sentences main suspects in Belgium’s deadliest peacetime attack to 20-year to life terms

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:27:47 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — A Belgian court on Friday sentenced six men to sentences ranging from 20 years to life in prison on charges of terrorist murder in connection with 2016 suicide bombings that killed 32 people and wounded hundreds at Brussels airport and a busy subway station, the country’s deadliest peacetime attack.A chief suspect, Salah Abdeslam, was given a 20-year sentence for involvement in a shootout days before the March 22, 2016 attacks. It happened after police discovered him and another suspect by accident when they inspected what they thought was an empty apartment. Four officers were hurt.Abdeslam was already serving a life sentence without parole in France over his part in attacks that hit Paris cafes, the Bataclan theater and France’s national stadium in 2015. Both the Paris and Brussels attacks were linked to the same Islamic State network.Taking the stand at a high security court in Brussels on Monday before the jury and magistrates retired to deliberate on sentences, ...

Outrage boils in Seattle and in India over death of a student and an officer’s callous remarks

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:27:47 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Outrage grew Friday over a Seattle police officer’s remark that the life of a young woman killed by a speeding patrol car had “limited value.” Diplomats from India are asking for an investigation following the death of the Indian graduate student as people in Seattle protested the officer’s callous jokes caught on bodycam video.The footage released this week shows Officer Daniel Auderer, vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, joking with the rank-and-file police union’s president after a different officer’s speeding police car on Jan. 23 slammed into Jaahnavi Kandula at a crosswalk.Protesters on Thursday evening gathered at the Seattle intersection where the 23-year-old graduate student was fatally struck by Officer Kevin Dave’s SUV. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is conducting a criminal review of the crash.Auderer responded to the crash to evaluate whether Dave was impaired, The Seattle Times reported. Dave ...

A look at the articles of impeachment against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:27:47 GMT

The Texas Senate is deliberating 16 articles of impeachment against state Attorney General Ken Paxton after a two-week trial. Paxton, a Republican and star of the conservatives legal movement, was suspended from office in May when the GOP-controlled House voted 121-23 to impeach him on 20 articles that include bribery and abuse of public trust. Most of the articles deal with Paxton using his office to benefit a wealthy donor, Nate Paul, prompting eight of the attorney general’s top deputies to report him to the FBI in 2020.The Senate did not take up four of the articles. Three of those date back to Paxton’s pending 2015 felony securities fraud case, including lying to state investigators. The other is related to Paxton’s ethics filings in the impeachment trial. Paxton would be permanently removed from office if he is convicted of any of the articles.A look at the 16 articles the Senate is considering and the four that it set aside:DISREGARD OF OFFICIAL DUTYARTICLE 1 – Protecti...

West Virginia University makes wide-ranging cuts to academic programs and faculty

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:27:47 GMT

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Despite shouts of “stop the cuts” from students, West Virginia University’s board voted Friday to make wide-ranging reductions to academic programs and faculty positions as it grapples with a $45 million budget shortfall.The state’s largest university will drop 28 of its majors, or about 8%, and cut 143 of the faculty positions, or around 5%. Among the cuts are one-third of education department faculty and the entire world language department, although there will still be seven language teaching positions and students can take some language courses as electives. The university in Morgantown has been weighed down financially by a 10% drop in enrollment since 2015, revenue lost during the pandemic and an increasing debt load for new building projects.Students chanting slogans and holding signs, including one that read, “This isn’t the WVU that I fell in love with,” briefly interrupted Friday’s meeting just prior to the board’s vote. Dozens of speakers, i...

Over 15,000 without power on the South Side

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:27:47 GMT

CHICAGO — Over 15,000 people are without power on the city's South Side on Friday afternoon, according to ComEd.In a post shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Alderman Matthew O'Shea said the 19th Ward suffered a major power outage impacting several thousand homes and businesses. 10 hospitalized after Salmonella outbreak at Avondale taqueria According to the ComEd outage map, as of 3:50 p.m. on Friday, over 15,882 customers were without power.Ald. O'Shea says ComEd is expected to provide an update on the outage on Friday afternoon.Currently, it is unclear what caused the outage or how long it will take crews to restore service.This is a developing story, stay with WGN News for the latest updates.

Friday Forecast: Mostly sunny, cooler lakeside

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:27:47 GMT

Friday: Mostly sunny, cooler lakeside, S 0-5. High: 77, Low: 73Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, increasing clouds, S -5 G10. High: 60Chicago Weather | Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center's Forecast (wgntv.com)Saturday: Cloudy, a few AM showers and evening thunderstorms, SW 0-5 G10. High: 73

2 teens accused of carjacking, robbing man in West Pullman

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:27:47 GMT

CHICAGO — Two teens are in custody accused of carjacking and robbing a man at gunpoint in the city's West Pullman neighborhood.Police say the alleged carjacking and robbery took place in the 11800 block of South Lafayette Avenue. Police: 3 shot while driving on South Side According to police, two 17-year-old boys allegedly robbed and carjacked a 28-year-old man at gunpoint around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.Officers located the two teens shortly after the alleged carjacking and both were arrested just before 6 p.m. in the 11300 and 11400 blocks of South Calumet Avenue.Both teens were charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking and armed robbery and police have not yet identified the two who were arrested.

Teen girl accused of throwing food at transit employee during argument arrested

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:27:47 GMT

CHICAGO — A teen girl is in custody accused of throwing food at a Chicago Transit employee on Thursday, according to police.Police say the 17-year-old girl was charged after she allegedly threw food at a transit employee during an argument that broke out on a bus in East Village. Peso Pluma’s Chicago concert postponed after singer reportedly threatened by cartel in Tijuana Police say the alleged altercation unfolded just before 9 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14, in the 6600 block of South State Street.According to police, the teen girl entered a bus and an argument broke out shortly after. Police say the argument escalated and the girl allegedly threw food at the 60-year-old man.Police say officers caught the teen minutes later and she was arrested just after 9 a.m. 10 hospitalized after Salmonella outbreak at Avondale taqueria The 17-year-old girl was charged with Aggravated Battery of a Transit Employee.Currently, it is unclear what led to the alleged argument and police have not i...

Watch: Indiana police pull over man accused of driving Power Wheels Jeep while intoxicated

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:27:47 GMT

VINCENNES, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — Body camera and dash camera footage from a recent traffic stop involving a man driving a Power Wheels Jeep in Vincennes, Indiana was released Friday.The footage was obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request filed by Nexstar's WTWO.In the video, an Indiana State Police Trooper is seen patrolling the area of Second Street in Vincennes when he pulls up behind 51-year-old John McKee driving the child's toy.After initiating the traffic stop, the trooper asks where McKee is headed, and McKee informs him he's heading home from the Huck's gas station with a can of gas, as he gestures to the back of the plastic Jeep. PREVIOUS: Man gets OWI while driving a Power Wheels Jeep "Where's your gas can at?" The officer asks."Oh man, I left it back there!" McKee responds.After checking with dispatch regarding the situation the trooper then administers field sobriety tests, which McKee fails.(Image taken from ISP dashcam footage)(Image taken from ISP bodycam foo...