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Dutch election: Far-right surge gives Geert Wilders late boost

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:32:32 GMT

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands — A sudden surge in support for far-right firebrand Geert Wilders has electrified the Dutch election as the campaign enters its final hours. Wilders’ anti-Islam and anti-EU Freedom Party (PVV) has been buoyed by last-minute gains, with one poll even putting the PVV tied for first place with the conservative-liberal VVD party of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte. The late shift in the polls has thrown the Dutch race into dramatic flux. Voters cast ballots on Wednesday to choose all 150 members of parliament, with the results expected later that night. Until the last few days, the contest had been a three-way affair since its July start, with Rutte’s incumbent VVD slugging it out with a Labour-Green alliance headed by EU heavyweight Frans Timmermans, and with the newly-formed center-right party of outsider Pieter Omtzigt.  The new leader of Rutte’s party, Dilan Yeşilgöz, said early in the campaign that she would not, unlike Rutte, exc...

These 3 pumpkin dishes might upstage the turkey on the table

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:32:32 GMT

By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-GazetteOf all the Thanksgiving classics, only one dish gives a roasted turkey a run for the money.Silky smooth pumpkin pie is just as high on many people’s list of favorite holiday dishes. Often made with Libby’s canned pumpkin puree, a slice brings the meal to its sweet conclusion.I’ve never been a big fan because of the dessert’s jiggly texture. Even a giant dollop of homemade whipped cream spooned on top won’t sway me. I am, however, quite happy to bake one or two pies for the family and friends who love it.Like a whole lot of Americans who love the flavor of pumpkin in everything from their morning coffee to their breads, soups and cookies, I also like to cook with it, so long as its final destination isn’t inside a pie shell.It’s not just about the flavor: When it comes to canned foods, pure pumpkin is a winner nutrition-wise. Not only is the fruit low-fat and low-calorie (a half-cup serving has just 4...

Encinitas removes benches at Swami's beach, frustrating locals

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:32:32 GMT

ENCINITAS, Calif. — Visitors at the iconic Swami’s Beach and Park in Encinitas are scratching their heads over an apparent decision by the city to remove all park benches that line the cliffside’s famous surf spot.“There are people who paid money for those benches. They weren't just benches, they were memorials to people who passed, and its family members come and sit," Ed Burk, a regular at the beach, told FOX 5 on Monday.Burk has been visiting the beach for decades. Like dozens of other locals, he is now retired and enjoys the comradery of the small, but close surf community who would hang out on the beaches to check the waves and tell stories. Spend ‘Christmas on the Sand’ at La Jolla Christmas Parade & Holiday Festival He and other Encinitas locals FOX 5 spoke with say they believe the benches were removed to prevent unhoused residents from sleeping on them. However, a spokesperson for Encinitas argued that the move had nothing to do with its homeless population, inst...

Two arrested in double homicide outside El Cajon house party

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:32:32 GMT

EL CAJON, Calif. -- Two San Diego men have been arrested in the shooting that happened outside a house party in El Cajon in late October that left two dead, including a teen. The El Cajon Police Department reports arrests were made in the case this week. Bruce Luu, 21, and Dan Nalab, 24, are being held without bail in the San Diego County Central Jail on first-degree murder charges. Seven injured in shooting at Spring Valley home: SDSO According to the El Cajon Police Department, a series of calls came in around 11:57 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28 reporting a loud house party and multiple gunshots in the 700 block of Mahogany Drive in El Cajon.Two victims, a 16-year-old man and an 18-year-old man, were found critically wounded and both later died at local hospitals. Pilot in fatal La Jolla plane crash identified The Flock Safety automated license plate reader system was used to identify the getaway vehicle. Luu and Nalab were also identified as suspects.Nalab was taken into custo...

Community rallying around family after fire destroys their Toronto home

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:32:32 GMT

A devastating fire has left a Toronto family with just the clothes on their back.Faustin Ndonga, Elise Kazadi and five of their 11 children were at home when the fire broke out in their Toronto Community Housing home in early November.“I heard the smoke detector go off … [so] I started looking around the house,” said Augustin Ndongo. “As I started roaming around, [my brother] comes in. He was in the basement at the time and he comes to us and says, ‘Evacuate the house, there’s a fire downstairs.'”One of the sons, 16-year-old Faustin, was in the basement when he also heard the fire alarm. “I smelt something and burnt and I looked around the corner and just saw the light of flames … [It was] by the dryer machine and the boiler. It was like fire coming out of nowhere. It was just building up.”“As I got to the [basement] door, the flames were at the door so I just got out of the house as soon as possible,” said Aug...

Judge orders McGill to comply with deal on unmarked grave search at former hospital

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:32:32 GMT

MONTREAL — A Quebec judge has ordered McGill University to comply with a deal it reached with a group of Indigenous women that outlines the search for possible unmarked graves at a former Montreal hospital site.The Mohawk Mothers had argued that McGill and the province’s infrastructure agency failed to properly involve the panel of archeologists appointed to oversee the search for graves at the site of a future downtown campus expansion.The expert panel was a key element of a deal struck in April between the developers and the Indigenous women, who had sought to halt construction over fears it could desecrate human remains.Superior Court Justice Gregory Moore rejected McGill’s argument that the panel’s mandate ended in July, and ordered the school and the infrastructure agency to abide by the panel’s recommendations on how the search should proceed.However, he refused the Mohawk Mothers’ request to suspend excavation work at the former site of the Royal...

The White House says it’s concerned Iran may provide ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:32:32 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House voiced concern Tuesday that Iran may provide Russia with ballistic missiles for use in its war against Ukraine, a development that likely would be disastrous for the Ukrainian people, a U.S. national security official said. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby noted that Iran already has been providing Russia with unmanned aerial vehicles or drones, guided aerial bombs and artillery ammunition, and may be preparing “to go a step further in its support for Russia.”Kirby highlighted a September meeting in which Iran hosted Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to show off a range of ballistic missile systems, sparking U.S. concern.“We are therefore concerned that Iran is considering providing Russia with ballistic missiles now for use in Ukraine,” Kirby told reporters during a conference call. “In return for that support, Russia has been offering Tehran unprecedented defense cooperation, including on missiles, electronics and air defense...

Toronto women charged in armed home invasion, firearm recovered

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:32:32 GMT

Two women are facing a combined 28 charges following an armed home invasion in the Church-Wellesley neighbourhood last week.Toronto police were called to the Charles Street East and Church Street area on Tuesday, Nov. 14. It’s alleged that the victim was inside her residence with a female acquaintance when they heard a knock on the door. The victim opened the door, and a woman known to the acquaintance forced her way inside.Police said the suspect and the acquaintance began searching the victim’s drawers for valuables, and when the victim attempted to intervene, one of the suspects took out a handgun. Related: 1 charged, other men wanted in violent Scarborough home invasion The two female suspects took some money from a drawer and fled the area. No injuries were reported.Investigators arrested both women on Monday, and at the time, officers recovered a loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun. Police said a search warrant was executed, and items of evidentiary ...

Federal Reserve minutes: Officials saw inflation slowing but will monitor data to ensure progress

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:32:32 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve officials concluded earlier this month that inflation was steadily falling and agreed to closely monitor incoming data to ensure that the pace of price increases would continue slowing toward their 2% target, according to the minutes of their meeting released Tuesday.As a result, the policymakers decided to leave their key benchmark rate unchanged but to keep it elevated for an extended period. Speaking at a news conference after the meeting, Fed Chair Jerome Powell kept the door open for another rate hike, though most economists say they think the central bank is done raising rates.The officials agreed at the Oct. 31-Nov. 1 meeting that they would raise their key rate again if incoming economic data “indicated that progress” toward the 2% target “was insufficient,” the minutes said. That suggests that inflation would need to shift into a higher gear for the Fed to raise rates again. The central bank’s decision to keep its key short-term rate ...

Capitol rioter who berated a judge and insulted a prosecutor is sentenced to 3 months in jail

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:32:32 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A New York massage therapist who joined the mob of Trump supporters attacking the U.S. Capitol was sentenced on Tuesday to three months in jail, capping a case in which he skipped court hearings, profanely insulted a prosecutor and berated the judge who punished him.Frank Rocco Giustino pleaded guilty in February to a misdemeanor charge related to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. But he was arrested last month after failing to appear in court for an earlier sentencing hearing. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg told Giustino that he seemed to have no remorse for his conduct on Jan. 6 or any respect for the court’s authority.“Your behavior from the moment of the (guilty) plea until sentencing has been about the worst of any January 6th defendant I’ve had,” the judge said.Giustino said he condemns the violence at the Capitol and didn’t intend to be disrespectful.“I just want to go home,” said Giustino, who will remain in custody for approximat...