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EU parliament criticized for slow pace of anti-corruption reform as offices searched over Qatargate

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:34:57 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — Six months after a group of European Union lawmakers was swept up in a cash-for-influence scandal, no new anti-corruption rules are in place at the European Parliament and the ones that do exist are not being enforced anyway, anti-corruption officials and parliamentarians said Tuesday.The criticism came as the European Parliament offices of two lawmakers implicated in the scandal dubbed Qatargate were searched again on Tuesday. , Belgian federal prosecutors confirmed the searches to The Associated Press but declined to provide details.“In December last year the Parliament promised root-and-branch reform to prevent a recurrence of Qatargate. Instead, we’ve seen nothing but dither and delay and attempts to blame others for what happened,” said Michiel van Hulten, from the anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International.The scandal came to light on Dec. 9 after police launched more than 20 raids, mostly in Belgium but also in Italy. Hundreds of thousands of euros we...

Colapso de importante represa en Ucrania provoca evacuaciones en toda la región

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:34:57 GMT

KIEV, Ucrania — El muro de una importante represa en una zona del sur de Ucrania controlada por Moscú se derrumbó el martes y provocó inundaciones, puso en peligro a la mayor central nuclear de Europa y amenazó el suministro de agua potable. Mientras, funcionarios de ambos bandos se apresuraban a evacuar a los residentes y se culpaban mutuamente del suceso.Ucrania acusó a las fuerzas rusas de volar la represa y central hidroeléctrica de Kakhovka, en el río Dniéper, mientras que los funcionarios rusos culparon a los ataques militares ucranianos en la región en disputa. No fue posible verificar las acusaciones.Las posibles consecuencias medioambientales y sociales de gran calado ocasionadas por el desastre quedaron claras pronto cuando las viviendas, las calles y los negocios empezaron a inundarse río abajo y los equipos de emergencias iniciaron los desalojos; los funcionarios se apresuraron a revisar el sistema de refrigeración de la central nuclear de Zaporiyia y las autoridades se ...

Bulgaria gets new government as former rivals enter uneasy alliance

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:34:57 GMT

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria’s parliament on Tuesday formally approved the country’s new government proposed by the two main political rivals in a bid to end a 30-months-long political crisis, restore stability and spur economic development in the poorest EU member country.The GERB party of ex-Premier Boyko Borissov, which won the April general election, and the runner-up, the pro-European liberal coalition “We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria” have agreed to form the first-ever Bulgarian government where the post of prime minister will change hands halfway through. Lawmakers voted 132-69 to elect Nikolay Denkov, a 60-year-old chemistry professor and former education minister, as prime minister. Denkov is a founding member of the reformist “We Continue the Change” party.In a separate vote, legislators also approved the Cabinet, in which GERB’s Maria Gabriel, a former European Commissioner, will serve as deputy head of government and foreign minister. After nine months, D...

Denver Election Day: Last day to vote in mayoral runoff

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:34:57 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Denver election officials said it's all hands on deck at the office on this Election Day. Denver voters will choose a new mayor for the first time in 12 years. The clerk and recorders office in Denver reported that voter turnout was just over 24% as of the end of day Monday, this is compared to the day before the general election in April where turnout was about 15%.  Clerk and Recorder Paul Lopez made a commitment to accuracy and transparency. He said the public has the option to view election counting rooms live on the Denver Elections Division website. Denver mayoral candidates, supporters make final push before runoff election The clerk and recorder's office said that results will be published every 90 mins after 7 p.m. and until 1:30 a.m. "We make sure that your vote is received, it is counted, it is tabulated, and it is accurate. That's one thing that we are always always meticulous on. So when you see that those results come in through the night starting a...

Heavy rains impact several South Florida neighborhoods

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:34:57 GMT

MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) — Excessive rainfall caused flooding and damaged power lines in South Florida.On Tuesday morning, Miami-Dade was hit with a downpour after clouds drifted past the area. Video from North Bay Village showed pools of water already forming on residential streets.Low-lying and poor-drainage neighborhoods are expected to experience minor flooding.Officials said between one and two inches of rain has already fallen. An additional inch is expected to rain over the county.As a result of the heavy rain, the National Weather Services has issued a street flood advisory in Miami Beach, Surfside, North Bay Village North Miami, Harbor Islands, and Bal Harbour until 1 p.m., Tuesday.Experts urge residents to be aware of their surroundings and turn around in their vehicles if they encounter flooded roads as most flood deaths occur in vehicles.

6-year-old boy reunites with Flo Rida 4 years later in Wisconsin

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:34:57 GMT

ASHWAUBENON, Wis. (WSVN) — A show in Wisconsin became a touching reunion between Flo Rida and one of his youngest fans.Carter Schuenemann, 6, held up a sign at the Titletown show that displayed the rapper carrying him when he was just two years old during a concert in Milwaukee.Now four years later, in the middle of the concert, Flo Rida called the little boy up on stage and hoisted him above his shoulders while continuing to perform.The 6-year-old boy didn’t leave empty-handed as the rapper took off his shoe, signed it, and gave it to him. Flo Rida also signed that picture of the two embracing four years earlier.

Firefighters quickly extinguish mobile home fire in Pembroke Park likely caused by storms

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:34:57 GMT

Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue successfully extinguished a mobile home fire that broke out in Pembroke Park, Tuesday morning. The fire occurred in the La Siesta Mobile Home Park, located on the south side of Hallandale Beach Blvd., just west of I-95.Firefighters arrived just before 9 a.m. to find heavy smoke billowing from the front of the mobile home. Prompt action allowed them to aggressively attack the flames, resulting in the fire being fully extinguished within approximately 20 minutes. Their efforts also prevented the fire from spreading to two neighboring homes, located just a few feet away.https://twitter.com/browardsheriff/status/1666079136815906820?s=20Two adult occupants of the affected mobile home had already evacuated safely before the firefighters arrived. Both individuals were not injured in the incident.According to preliminary investigations, the fire may have been started by powerful storms that swept through the area earlier. Lightning activity was observed in the vi...

Holtz Children’s Hospital at University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Medical Center designated as Level IV NICU

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:34:57 GMT

The Newborn Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Holtz Children’s Hospital at the University of Miami along with the Women’s Hospital at Jackson Memorial Medical Center were designated as a Level IV NICU by the state of Florida. A Level IV designation is the highest level a NICU can achieve, which means that Holtz Children’s must meet all capabilities of a Level III NICU. They are able to care for infants born earlier than 32 weeks gestation and weighing less than 1,500 grams.Only a total of five pediatric hospitals have been able to achieve this designation in the region.“The ability to care for the most critically ill and vulnerable patients in our neonatal intensive care unit has always been one of our top priorities,” said Joanne Ruggiero, senior vice president and chief executive officer of Holtz Children’s and The Women’s Hospital at Jackson Memorial.Holtz Children’s NICU has had some of the most successful outcomes in the country and it is the largest Level IV NICU in the st...

Miami ranks among cities requiring six-figure salaries to avoid rent-burden, FAU study finds

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:34:57 GMT

A recent report by researchers from Florida Atlantic University, along with two other schools, highlights the escalating challenges faced by renters in several U.S. markets. The study reveals that the average renter in 11 major cities, including Miami, must earn a six-figure annual salary to avoid being classified as rent-burdened.According to the findings, Miami ranks among the cities where renters need to earn at least $100,000 per year to evade the rent-burdened label. Other cities requiring a similar income threshold include San Jose, California; New York; San Francisco; San Diego; Oxnard, California; Boston; Los Angeles; Bridgeport, Connecticut; Honolulu; and Riverside, California.Rent-burdened consumers are those who allocate 30 percent or more of their incomes towards rent, which often leaves them struggling to cover other essential expenses such as food and medication. Severe rent burden is defined as spending 50 percent or more of one’s income on rent.Ken H. Johnson, ...

Western leaders accuse Russia of war crime over dam destruction

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:34:57 GMT

Damage to Ukraine’s Nova Kakhovka dam, which unleashed massive flooding in the Kherson region, could be a potential war crime, EU and Ukrainian leaders said Tuesday.“The destruction of the Kakhovka dam today put thousands of civilians at risk and causes severe environmental damage,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference from the Bucharest Nine (B9) summit in Slovakia. “This is an outrageous act, which demonstrates — once again — the brutality of Russia’s war against Ukraine.” He added that the damage to the dam demonstrated that the war Russian President Vladimir Putin unleashed on Ukraine “is totally unacceptable and a blatant violation of international law.”German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he saw the attack as a “new dimension” of Russia’s war. While he avoided explicitly saying the Kremlin’s forces had destroyed the dam, he said the attack “fits...