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Qatargate’s ‘useful idiots’ still work inside EU Parliament 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:48:04 GMT

BRUSSELS — Three sitting members of the European Parliament have already been charged in the so-called Qatargate case, the biggest corruption scandal to hit the European Union institutions in decades.They aren’t the only alleged participants in the network, according to a vast trove of leaked documents from the police investigations seen by POLITICO.Six other serving MEPs and one parliamentary official have been identified to police as among those caught up in the scheme — in which politicians and their associates allegedly took money or gifts from Qatar and other foreign governments in exchange for influencing EU policy and debates. These seven people still work in the Parliament. They have not been charged in connection with the case. But their names are among those given to the Belgian authorities investigating the allegations by two of the chief suspects: former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, the network’s alleged ringleader, and his former assistant Francesco Giorgi. POLIT...

Safe migration routes are vital for a functioning EU asylum system

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:48:04 GMT

Harlem Désir is senior vice president, Europe at the International Rescue Committee.“I heard about smugglers, that they can help,” explained Samira, a 42-year-old from Afghanistan. “I even called to talk to them. But one of my friend’s sisters sank in the water and died. I decided it wasn’t the way to save my life . . . I [would] prefer to die inside Afghanistan — not in the water outside.”Every day, many ordinary people like Samira face the impossible decision of whether to stay put amid humanitarian catastrophe or risk fleeing for their lives. And being able to provide viable safe pathways to protection is a cornerstone of any effective asylum and migration system.Yet, Europe is sorely lacking when it comes to such safe pathways. And those that do exist tend to be opaque, bogged down with bureaucracy and almost impossible to access.One such safe route is refugee resettlement. Resettlement a tried and tested way that enables vulnerable refugees forced to flee from their country to ...

Britain’s homelessness crisis returns to parliament’s doorstep

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:48:04 GMT

LONDON — Britain’s politicians once again have a homelessness crisis on their doorstep, only this time around, it’s a little more hidden from view.Sleeping bags sheltering rough sleepers once lined the Westminster tube station underpass that provides a convenient back entrance into Parliament for lawmakers and staff scurrying from London’s underground rail network into work.This year, those sleeping bags are largely absent — but that doesn’t mean the people they once housed have gone away.A hoarding, beyond which parliamentary security passes are required, was erected in 2019. Parliamentary authorities now meet civil servants, police, London transport staff, Westminster Council and the St Mungo’s homelessness charity every quarter to monitor and provide support for rough sleepers directly on their doorstep.But beyond the immediate environs of Westminster’s grand, gothic Houses of Parliament, the London borough’s homelessness problem is getting worse. The cost...

Merry Christmas! Now, when is payday?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:48:04 GMT

It’s the most expensive — sorry, wonderful! — time of the year, so we decided to do a thorough and impeccably scientific survey of what it costs around Europe to put a Christmas dinner on the table. The results will allow you to hold your head up in family circles for the rest of the year. No, we didn’t bother consulting Eurostat (we tried, but the interactive tool on its website for comparing food price inflation doesn’t work). We could have asked the market research firms (but they all work for the supermarkets). And we could have pounded the streets of Europe for authentic real-life anecdotes (but it was cold and raining and, hey, we had presents to buy).So we asked around the newsroom, and the newsroom asked around their relatives back home, and these are the results we got. They’re every bit as frightening as you would have expected.Feeding a nuclear family of four, plus two sets of in-laws, in the style to which they’re accustomed could set you back as much as €320, ...

Family of Black man wrongfully accused in 1989 Stuart murder case speaks after Mayor Wu apology

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:48:04 GMT

The family of one of two Black men wrongfully accused in the 1989 murder of Carol Stuart came together Thursday to reflect one day after Boston Mayor Michelle Wu issued an apology on behalf of the city. Willie Bennett’s family was in tears sitting on stage together at Roxbury Community College. While they said they don’t like to talk about their experience, family members said change will not come if they stay silent. “This was something that ate at me and bothered me,” said Willie’s nephew, Joey Bennett. “…My uncle never wanted to talk. He never wanted to talk about it.”Stuart died after she was shot in Boston’s Mission Hill neighborhood. A massive police investigation soon got underway and Willie Bennett was, at one point, arrested. Later, it was revealed that Stuart’s husband shot his pregnant wife, killing her and the child. “Willie was arrested at my mother’s house and, when they ran up, they had guns on all of us,” said Bennett’s nephew, Michael Nelson.Wu ...

13 people taken to hospital after chlorine exposure at Mission Valley YMCA: SDFD

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:48:04 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Thirteen people, one adult and 12 kids, were taken to a hospital after having trouble breathing due to chlorine from a pool at the Mission Valley YMCA, fire officials said.The chemical exposure occurred at 5505 Friars Road, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department confirmed to FOX 5. Man stuck under concrete on side of cliff in Ocean Beach The conditions of all 13 patients have been labeled as "minor" injuries.HAZMAT teams were at the scene investigating the matter.Check back for updates on this developing story.

Hong Kong court rejects activist publisher Jimmy Lai’s bid to throw out sedition charge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:48:04 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court on Friday rejected a bid by prominent activist publisher Jimmy Lai to throw out a sedition charge against him, delivering the ruling on the third day of his landmark national security trial.Lai, 76, was arrested during the city’s crackdown on dissidents following huge pro-democracy protests in 2019. He faces possible life imprisonment if convicted under a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing. He is charged with colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiring with others to publish seditious publications.Foreign governments, business professionals and legal scholars are closely watching the case, which is tied to the now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily that Lai founded. Many view it as a trial of the city’s freedoms and a test for judicial independence in the Asian financial hub.Hong Kong is a former British colony that returned to China’s rule in 1997 under a promise the city r...

Federal court revives lawsuit against Nirvana over 1991 ‘Nevermind’ naked baby album cover

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:48:04 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal appeals court on Thursday revived a child sexual exploitation lawsuit filed by the man who appeared naked as a 4-month-old on the cover of Nirvana’s 1991 album “Nevermind.” Spencer Elden’s lawsuit against the grunge rock group alleges that he has suffered “permanent harm” as the band and others profited from the image of him underwater in a swimming pool, appearing to grab for a dollar bill on a fish hook. The suit says the image violated federal laws on child sexual abuse material, although no criminal charges were ever sought.A federal judge in California threw out the lawsuit last year but allowed Elden to file a revised version, which the judge later dismissed on grounds that it was outside the 10-year statute of limitations of one of the laws used as a cause of action.Thursday’s decision by a three-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in California reversed that ruling and sent the case back to the lower court.The appel...

Barnes & Noble opening Oswego location

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:48:04 GMT

OSWEGO, Ill. — Barnes & Noble is planning to open a new location in Oswego next year.According to a news release from the village, the company plans on renovating the space at 2490 Route 34 in Prairie Market. Village of Oswego to fly flag designed by 9-year-old This was previously a 16,000-square-foot DSW store near Best Buy.Construction is expected to start next month. The store is expected to open in summer 2024.“Bookstores are one of my favorite spots," Village President Ryan Kauffman said in the release. "This new addition promises to be a haven for literature lovers and a vibrant hub for intellectual engagement. It’s not only a step forward in enhancing the cultural fabric of our town, but will also elevate and diversify our retail offerings.”

FULL INTERVIEW: Bears QB Justin Fields on what's changed during his time in Chicago, fashion, pre-game routine and more

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:48:04 GMT

CHICAGO — As Bears Quarterback Justin Fields prepares to take on the Cardinals in week 16, he spoke with WGN News in a one-on-one interview.He spoke about how he has grown on and off the field during his three seasons in Chicago. MORE: GN Sports You can read a transcript of the interview below or watch the full interview in the player above.WGN: Justin, I think back to that first interview we did the day after you were drafted here in Chicago. And I think about now you in the final weeks of your third season here with the Bears. When you think about the biggest lesson you've learned about being an NFL starting quarterback, and being a team leader day in and day out, what do you think that lesson has been? Fields: Um, really just to, you know, expect the highs and lows, expect outside noise to be there. So no matter what, just try what you can control and just really stay focused on what you have going on, you know, what the team has got going on and stuff like that. So just kind o...