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Indian opposition leader will avoid prison during appeals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:49 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — An Indian court on Monday suspended a two-year prison sentence for Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi as he appeals a criminal conviction for mocking the prime minister’s surname that saw him expelled from Parliament, dealing a huge blow to his Congress Party ahead of general elections next year.Gandhi, a fierce critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his main challenger in the 2024 polls, was ousted after a court sentenced him to two years in prison for defamation for a comment made in a 2019 election speech. The prosecution of Gandhi, the great-grandson of India’s first prime minister and scion of the dynastic Congress party, was widely condemned by opponents of Modi as the latest assaults against democracy and free speech by a ruling government seeking to crush dissent. The speed of his removal from Parliament shocked political circles in India. Gandhi appeared in a court in the western state of Gujarat Monday to file an appeal and was granted bail fo...

Finland to join NATO military alliance this week, chief says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:49 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Finland will become the 31st member of the military alliance on Tuesday.“From tomorrow, Finland will be a full member of the alliance,” Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels.Stoltenberg said that Turkey, the last country to have ratified Finland’s membership, will hand its official texts to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday as NATO foreign ministers gather in Brussels. Stoltenberg said he would then invite Finland to do the same.A flag raising ceremony to add the Finnish flag to those of the other members will take place at NATO headquarters at on Tuesday afternoon.The Associated Press

Ex-principal of Jewish school found guilty of sexual abuse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:49 GMT

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The former principal of a Jewish girls school in Australia was found guilty Monday of sexually abusing two students, ending a nine-year legal battle that strained relations between the Australian and Israeli governments while antagonizing Australia’s Jewish community.Malka Leifer, 56, a Tel Aviv-born mother of eight, was convicted on 18 counts, including rape, and acquitted of nine other charges, including five that related to the eldest student, Nicole Meyer. The three former students — Meyer, Dassi Erlich and Elly Sapper — are all sisters.Trial judge Mark Gamble had issued a gag order preventing media reporting during the trial that Leifer had fought against her extradition to Australia following her return to Israel in 2008 as allegations against her first emerged. The legal battle she waged in Jerusalem courts since 2014 ended in 2021 when she boarded a flight toward Melbourne at Ben Gurion Airport, her ankles and wrists shackled.The news of Leifer’s ...

Finland turns to the right as country prepares to enter NATO

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:49 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — Finnish voters have given a boost to conservative parties in a weekend election, depriving left-wing Prime Minister Sanna Marin of another term as the country prepares to make its historic entry into NATO in the coming days.Marin won popularity for her Cabinet’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and for her European Union nation’s strong support for Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion last year. But Sunday’s election was largely fought over economic issues, with voters in the nation of 5.5 million people shifting their allegiances significantly to parties on the political right as they seek solutions to rising state debt, inflation and other economic problems.The bloated debt will pose a challenge for the new government, particularly since NATO membership will require Finland to increase its defense spending. Finland could finally join NATO this week after Turkey ratified its membership last week, lifting the last hurdle to membersh...

Liz Weston: Will you face a tax bomb in retirement?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:49 GMT

Good savers, beware. The money you’re stuffing into your 401(k) and other retirement accounts has to be withdrawn someday. If you’re not strategic about how you save, you could face unnecessarily high tax bills and inflated Medicare premiums in retirement — plus, you could be saddling your heirs with higher taxes.The earlier you start defusing this potential tax bomb, the better. But even people in their 60s or early 70s may have opportunities to lessen the potential damage — as long as they act swiftly.“You do not want to be in the position as some clients are that all of their funds are inside of a tax-deferred account,” says Pam Ladd, senior manager of personal financial planning at the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants.TAX BREAKS NOW COULD CAUSE TAX PAIN LATERMost retirement accounts offer a tax break when you put money in. Eventually, though, Uncle Sam wants to get paid. Required minimum distributions, or RMDs, typically must start at a certain age...

Burkina Faso expels 2 French journalists, no reason given

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:49 GMT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Burkina Faso’s military junta has expelled two journalists working for French media without reason, said the outlets.Sophie Douce, a French correspondent for Le Monde, and Agnes Faivre, correspondent for Liberation, were given 24 hours to leave the West African country with no explanation, said articles by both newspapers on Sunday.The correspondents were each questioned separately about their work by state security on Friday. Faivre was ordered to leave that evening and Douce the following day, they both arrived in Paris Sunday. “Le Monde condemns in the strongest terms this arbitrary decision which forced the two journalists to leave Ouagadougou in less than 24 hours,” said Jerome Fenoglio, director of Le Monde.“These two expulsions mark another major setback for the freedom to inform about the situation in Burkina Faso,” he said. Jihadi fighters linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have been waging a violent insurgency in Burkina Faso f...

Another round of severe weather possible Tuesday for Chicago area

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:49 GMT

CHICAGO — Another round of potential severe weather is possible Tuesday.Increasing clouds Monday and chance of afternoon showers. Cooler by the lake. Winds: SE/E 5-10 mph. Air quality is in the Good category today in Chicagoland. High: 59. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Chance of showers and isolated thunderstorms tonight. Winds: NE 10-20, G30 mph. Low: 48.Tuesday Forecast: Cloudy, increasing winds and mild temps Tuesday. Increasing chance of PM showers/t-storms, some could be strong to severe in the late evening and possibly overnight hours. Winds: E 10-15 mph. High 66. Another potential severe weather outbreak beginning in the Tuesday/Tuesday night time frame Extended outlook calls for cooler weather to finish out the week-- but some nice sunshine. Highs on Wednesday will be in the morning near 70 before the front goes through. Mid to low 50's by the time of the evening commute. Upper 40s on Thursday, low 50s on Friday. Easter weekend is looking pleasant. Mix ...

McDonald's offices to close briefly ahead of layoffs: report

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:49 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A report says McDonald’s has closed its U.S. offices for a few days as the company prepares to inform employees about layoffs.The Wall Street Journal cited an internal email from the Chicago-based fast-food giant saying U.S. corporate staff and some employees overseas should work from home while the company notifies people of their job status.McDonald’s did not immediately reply to emailed requests for comment. The report said McDonald’s would inform its employees this week about staffing decisions that are part of a wide restructuring of the company announced earlier.Though the U.S. labor market remains strong, layoffs have been mounting, mainly in the technology sector, where many companies over-hired after a pandemic boom. IBM, Microsoft, Amazon, Salesforce, Facebook parent Meta, Twitter and DoorDash have all announced layoffs in recent months.Policymakers at the Federal Reserve have forecast the unemployment rate may rise to 4.6% by the end of this year, a sizabl...

2 charged with cutting 2,000 fiber optic cables; 40,000 lose internet service

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:49 GMT

NORWALK, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut police have charged two people with cutting more than 2,000 fiber optic cables, leaving over 40,000 homes and businesses without internet service in the southwestern part of the state.Norwalk police said they arrested Asheville, North Carolina, residents Jillian Persons and Austin Geddings on Saturday during a surveillance operation. Both were charged with larceny and criminal mischief crimes, as well as interfering with police. Persons also was accused of giving a false statement to police.Both were detained on $200,000 bail. It was not immediately clear if they have lawyers who could respond to the allegations. Hundreds of weekend flights canceled, delayed amid deadly storms Police said they responded to the reported damage of the Optimum cables on March 24 in Norwalk and quickly identified suspects and their vehicle. Authorities did not release details of how they made the identifications.Officers arrested Persons while staking out a business...

UFC and WWE combine to create $21.4 billion entertainment company

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:49 GMT

WWE and the company that runs Ultimate Fighting Championship will combine to create a $21.4 billion sports entertainment company.A new publicly traded company will be formed that houses the UFC and WWE brands, with Endeavor Group Holdings Inc. taking a 51% controlling interest in the new company. Existing WWE shareholders will hold a 49% stake.The companies put the enterprise value of UFC at $12.1 billion and WWE at $9.3 billion.In this photo provided by WWE, rapper Snoop Dogg gets ready to drop The People's Elbow on Mike "The Miz" Mizanin during WrestleMania 39 on Sunday, April 2, 2023, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The rapper stepped in at the last second to perform in the match after Shane McMahon was injured. (WWE via AP)The new business will be lead by Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel. Vince McMahon, executive chairman at WWE, will serve in the same role at the new company.The announcement comes after Vince McMahon, the founder and majority shareholder of WWE, returned to t...