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Slovakia’s kingmaker party only wants coalition with populist Fico

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:37 GMT

Slovakia’s next ruling coalition is taking shape following the September 30 election, and it’s a red-brown alliance that is unlikely to please Ukraine or people concerned with EU solidarity.Peter Pellegrini, chairman of the social democratic Hlas (Voice) party, which finished third in the election on 14.7 percent, announced Tuesday that Hlas would henceforth only negotiate with three-time former PM Róbert Fico’s leftist-populist Smer party, the election-winner with 23 percent, as well as with the Slovenská národná strana (Slovak National Party, SNS) nationalists, who took 5.6 percent.Together, the three parties control 79 seats in the country’s 150-seat parliament.Pellegrini, formerly Fico’s colleague in Smer until departing in 2020 to form Hlas, said the party’s leadership board had decided to end even informal talks with other parties who took seats in the elections, including the liberal Progresívne Slovensko (Progressive Slovakia, PS), which finished second with 18 percent.“The ...

The coming Gaza hostage crisis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:37 GMT

Jamie Dettmer is opinion editor at POLITICO Europe.Hamas “is no different than ISIS. It is no different than al-Qaeda,” Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan told reporters on Sunday, displaying videos of distraught Israelis seized by Hamas gunmen.Seldom do Israeli diplomats concur with supporters of the Islamic State or al-Qaeda, who have been celebrating the Hamas assault on Israel, reveling in the slaughter. And, in turn, Hamas leaders seem ready to please the baying jihadist crowd — that is, if it carries out its threat to execute captives, Israelis and others, and broadcast the gore.Such a move would be straight out of the murderous, macabre playbook of ISIS, which perfected the pornography of violence, filming the barbaric beheadings of journalists and foreign aid workers, burning of Jordanians and Turks, and throwing LGBTQ+ individuals off rooftops.Surely, Hamas doesn’t want to emulate the followers of late ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, known for his ruthless brutali...

Israeli airstrikes kill two Hamas ministers, Israeli forces say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:37 GMT

An Israeli airstrike in Gaza Tuesday killed two Hamas ministers, the Israel Defense Forces said.“An IDF aircraft tonight killed Jawad Abu Shamala, the Minister of Economy of the terrorist organization Hamas,” the IDF said in a written statement.Zakaria Abu Ma’amr was also killed in another airstrike, the army said in a separate statement, in which he is described as one of the “senior members” of Hamas’ political bureau — the armed Palestinian group’s main governing body — and the “head of the Ministry of National Relations in the Policy Bureau of the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip.” Israel launched the offensive on Gaza, it said, as retaliation for Hamas’ attacks on Saturday which killed more than 900 people, including more than 100 soldiers. Israeli officials said between 100 and 150 people are being held hostage in Gaza.Since launching airstrikes inside the Hamas-led Palestinian territory two days ago, Is...

Israel bolsters troops at border with Gaza as Hamas hits Ashkelon with rocket barrage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:37 GMT

(CNN) — Hamas fired hundreds of rockets towards the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon on Tuesday, in a defiant move as Israel strengthened its military buildup along the border with Gaza.The militant group warned Israeli residents they had just hours to evacuate before it launched the 40-minute barrage, which was witnessed by CNN teams on the ground. Many of the rockets fired towards Ashkelon were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome, its missile defense system designed to shoot down incoming projectiles.Israel continued to pound the coastal enclave with air strikes, hitting more than 200 targets in Gaza overnight. The bombardment has forced more than 187,500 Palestinians to flee their homes, the UN said. Hamas said it launched the strike on Ashkelon in “response to the displacement of civilians in Gaza.”The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had “more or less” secured the border with Gaza, breached on Saturday when Hamas sent fighters pouring into Israeli territory to launc...

Boston police seek suspect who took photos of people undressing in changing rooms in Back Bay

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:37 GMT

Boston police are asking for the public’s help as they search for a suspect who took photos of people undressing in changing rooms at Back Bay clothing stores.Authorities said it was on Sunday, Oct. 8, when an individual entered various stores in the area of 100 Newbury Street and took “illicit pictures of others in various stages of undress in clothing store changing rooms.”The Boston Police Department said the suspect would also put on a dark-colored face mask prior to entering the stores.Police described the individual as having a medium skin complexion, black hair with short dreads, and a height of 6’1″ and weight of 180 pounds.The police department added that the person was wearing a grey t-shirt, a black Adidas satchel, black pants, and black Vans sneakers. They also noted the suspect was seen coming from near Bay Bay station at one point.As their investigation continues and police review the incidents, Boston PD asks that anyone with information ...

8 Latino financial influencers to follow in 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:37 GMT

By Funto Omojola | NerdWalletHaving access to trustworthy financial institutions is a critical part of building generational wealth. Families of color, including Latino families, face unique challenges in accessing these institutions.We asked eight Latino financial professionals about how financial institutions can better serve Latino consumers, and how individuals can break cycles within their families and communities.Responses have been edited for length and clarity. Learn more about each financial pro below, following the questions.Latino communities are some of the most at risk when it comes to predatory lending. How can they break cycles?Cindy Zuniga-Sanchez (founder of Zero-Based Budget Coaching): “I grew up in a low-income, predominantly Black and Latino community in the Bronx, where it was all too common to see advertisements for “fast cash” and payday lenders. I witnessed members of my community frantically turn to these options to cover their bills and other necessities wh...

Could Patriots CB J.C. Jackson start Sunday against the Raiders?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:37 GMT

FOXBORO — Last week, several Patriots players expressed joy at seeing J.C. Jackson back in the team facility.They weren’t alone in that.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots return speedy WR to practice Tuesday, lose 2 others New England Patriots | Will Patriots QB Mac Jones start Sunday? Bill O’Brien shares what he expects New England Patriots | Patriots-Saints film review: Mac Jones looks as broken as his offense New England Patriots | Could Bill Belichick change course and bench Mac Jones ahead of Week 6? New England Patriots | Bill Belichick hints at potential Patriots personnel changes after consecutive embarrassing losses Defensive assistants Steve and Brian Belichick said Tuesday they were happy to have Jackson back on the team after the Pats reacquired him in a trade with the Chargers. Jackson returns to New England, where he spent the first four years of his career an...

Patriots return speedy WR to practice Tuesday, lose 2 others

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:37 GMT

FOXBORO — Patriots wide receiver Tyquan Thornton participated in his first regular-season practice of the year Tuesday, indicating the team has started his 21-day window to be activated off injured reserve.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Could Patriots CB J.C. Jackson start Sunday against the Raiders? New England Patriots | Will Patriots QB Mac Jones start Sunday? Bill O’Brien shares what he expects New England Patriots | Patriots-Saints film review: Mac Jones looks as broken as his offense New England Patriots | Could Bill Belichick change course and bench Mac Jones ahead of Week 6? New England Patriots | Bill Belichick hints at potential Patriots personnel changes after consecutive embarrassing losses Thornton was shelved in mid-August with a shoulder injury he suffered during joint practices at Green Bay. The 2022 second-round pick could make his season debut as soon as Sunday at La...

‘Ring of fire’ solar eclipse will slice across Americas on Saturday with millions along path

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:37 GMT

By MARCIA DUNN (AP Aerospace Writer)Tens of millions in the Americas will have front-row seats for Saturday’s rare “ring of fire” eclipse of the sun.What’s called an annular solar eclipse — better known as a ring of fire — will briefly dim the skies over parts of the western U.S. and Central and South America. As the moon lines up precisely between Earth and the sun, it will blot out all but the sun’s outer rim. A bright, blazing border will appear around the moon for as much as five minutes, wowing skygazers along a narrow path stretching from Oregon to Brazil.The celestial showstopper will yield a partial eclipse across the rest of the Western Hemisphere.It’s a prelude to the total solar eclipse that will sweep across Mexico, the eastern half of the U.S. and Canada, in six months. Unlike Saturday, when the moon is too far from Earth to completely cover the sun from our perspective, the moon will be at the perfect distance on Ap...

The Amazon antitrust lawsuit is likely to be a long and arduous journey for the FTC

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:37 GMT

By HALELUYA HADERO (AP Business Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon is heading into one of its biggest sales events of the year — Prime Day — with a lawsuit hanging over its head that accuses it of preventing sellers from hawking their merchandise at lower prices on other sites.The Federal Trade Commission’s long-awaited antitrust case is the agency’s most aggressive move yet to tame the market power of Amazon, a company that’s become synonymous with online shopping and fast deliveries.Under chair Lina Khan, the agency hasn’t been shy about taking big swings against some of America’s biggest companies and testing the limits of competition law to reverse what many of her supporters see as decades of weak antitrust enforcement. But that approach has also led to some high-profile setbacks, most notably in the FTC’s bid to block Microsoft’s takeover of Activision Blizzard and Meta’s acquisition of the virtual reality startup Within Unlimited. The FTC is appealing the judge’s ruling in the Mic...