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India’s top court hear petitions challenging government’s removal of Kashmir’s special status

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:32 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s top court Wednesday began hearing a clutch of petitions challenging the constitutionality of the legislation passed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in 2019 that stripped disputed Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, scrapped its separate constitution and removed inherited protections on land and jobs.The five-judge constitutional bench that includes the Supreme Court’s chief justice is simultaneously hearing a series of petitions challenging the special status granted to the region after its accession with newly independent India in 1947. Such petitions were filed before the 2019 changes.The unprecedented move divided the region into two federal territories — Ladakh and Jammu-Kashmir, both ruled directly by the central government without a legislature of their own. The move’s immediate implications were that the Muslim-majority region is now run by bureaucrats with no democratic credentials and lost its flag, criminal code and constitution.“The case i...

GW Parkway set to reopen as cleanup nearly complete following Saturday’s storm

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:32 GMT

Listen live to WTOP for the latest on storm damage and outages.The D.C. region continues to recover after Saturday’s severe storm ripped through the area, toppling trees, and knocking out power for thousands across the area. Here’s what you need to know.Traffic Impact: The George Washington Memorial Parkway is set to reopen between 5 and 6 a.m. Wednesday after work crews cleared more than 500 tons of trees, branches and other debris after Saturday’s severe storm ripped through the area.Current Outages: As of Wednesday morning, the number of customers without power continued to dwindle as power companies work to restore electricity to residences. In Prince George’s County, Maryland, over 500 users are still in the dark.GW Parkway cleanupThe southbound lanes of the George Washington Memorial Parkway are expected to reopen later Wednesday morning, according to 7News who spoke with the National Park Service.Part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway reopened Tuesda...

Trump puede ser candidato a unas elecciones imputado, incluso si acaba en prisión

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:32 GMT

WASHINGTON DC- El expresidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, podría concurrir a la contienda de 2024, como es su intención, e incluso si acaba entre rejas, pese a haber sido imputado este martes por tercera vez con cargos penales por sus supuestos esfuerzos para revocar el resultado de las elecciones de 2020.Pese a los numerosos pleitos contra él y ser el primer exmandatario del país en afrontar acusaciones penales, Trump por el momento sigue siendo el gran favorito entre los republicanos para hacerse con la nominación de su partido para las elecciones presidenciales de noviembre de 2024, muy por delante de su principal contrincante, el gobernador de Florida, RonDeSantis.Y parece que legalmente no existe nada que le impida presentarse a las primarias republicanas del próximo año ni concurrir a los comicios generales. Fiscal especial prevé un “juicio rápido” contra Trump por el asalto al Capitolio Biden y Trump igualarían de cara a las pres...

The Schemer: Macron’s man is plotting to run the EU

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:32 GMT

BRUSSELS — When Thierry Breton first floated the idea of becoming European Commission president, not even he seemed to take the idea very seriously.“I may be able to consider a new Plan B assignment,” the internal market commissioner replied with a smile, when asked at a POLITICO event whether he wanted the top job, prompting laughter.But as the European Parliament election draws closer, Breton’s “Plan B” pitch to take over leadership of the EU executive is coming into greater focus.A former minister and tech CEO who was France’s second choice for European commissioner, Breton amassed a vast amount of power within the Berlaymont building where the commissioners sit, putting his stamp on everything from COVID vaccines to artillery shells for Ukraine’s war effort to enforcement of the EU’s digital rules. His job — overseeing the hallowed single market of the 27 EU member countries — is one of the most critical portfolios in Brussels, and previous occupants of the post have includ...

Mets complete disappointing trade deadline day with 10th inning loss to lowly Royals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:32 GMT

KANSAS CITY — You’d never know that the Mets were considered preseason World Series contenders based on the lineup they put out Tuesday for the first game of a series against the Kansas City Royals, and based on the way they lost.Brandon Nimmo was out with quad tightness. The Mets used fringe guys like DJ Stewart, Rafael Ortega and Danny Mendick in place of lineup regulars. Such is life after the trade deadline, which passed just two hours before the Mets lost, 7-6, in 10 innings at Kauffman Stadium.With the bases loaded, the Mets brought in left-handed rookie Josh Walker. He balked without even throwing a pitch and the Royals walked off with the win.Walker’s balk was the result of a PitchCom issue. Walker was unable to obtain one when he ran out to the mound. They didn’t have them in the bullpen.“I didn’t have a PitchCom in my ear so me and [catcher Francisco Alvarez] didn’t have communication, so I was trying to relay that to him,” W...

Foreign nationals evacuate Niger, as regional tensions rise

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:32 GMT

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Foreign nationals lined up outside an airport in Niger’s capital Wednesday morning waiting for a third evacuation flight, while a regional bloc continued to talks about its response to the coup that took place last week.French forces in the capital, Niamey, evacuated hundreds of mostly French nationals to Paris on two flights Tuesday, following concerns that their citizens and other Europeans risked becoming trapped by last week’s military coup, which ousted and detained President Mohamed Bazoum. France, Italy and Spain all announced evacuations for their citizens and other Europeans. The United States has yet to announce plans for an evacuation, however some have left the with the help of the Europeans. An Italian military aircraft landed in Rome Wednesday with 99 passengers, including 21 Americans and civilians from other countries, said the Italian defense minister. The first of two French flights that landed in Paris overnight had 12 babies among 262 p...

Russian drone strikes on the Odesa region cause fires at port

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:32 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian troops hit port infrastructure in Ukraine’s Odesa region with Shahed drones overnight, the Ukrainian military reported, damaging a grain elevator and causing a fire at facilities that transport the country’s crucial grain exports.Since leaving a deal that allowed Ukraine to export grain to world markets through the city of Odesa, Russia has hammered the country’s ports with strikes. Since July 17, Russian forces have fired dozens of drones and missiles at the port of Odesa and the region’s river ports, which are being used as alternative routes.“The goal of the enemy was clearly the facilities of the ports and industrial infrastructure of the region,” Ukraine’s South operational command wrote in an update on Facebook. As a result of the attack, a fire broke out at industrial and port facilities, and a grain elevator was damaged.Ukraine’s air force intercepted 23 Shahed drones over the country overnight, mostly in Odesa and K...

Local employee wounded in gun attack on Swedish Consulate in Turkey

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:32 GMT

ISTANBUL (AP) — A Turkish employee of the Swedish Consulate in Izmir in western Turkey was recovering in a hospital on Wednesday after being injured in a gun attack at the office in the port city.The lone gunman, a Turkish citizen from the eastern province of Agri, was arrested shortly after the attack on Tuesday afternoon, according to a statement from the Izmir governor’s office. The statement described the assailant as “mentally impaired.”The consular officer was seriously injured in the shooting, state broadcaster TRT reported. A police investigation is ongoing.The suspect had come to the consulate for a visa application, the news agency DHA said.Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc condemned the attack in a social media post.The attack came as Sweden and Denmark face angry demonstrations in Muslim countries sparked by a string of public Quran burnings by a handful of anti-Islam activists in the Nordic countries. Protesters attacked the Swedish Embassy in Iraq last month.Turkish officia...

Sustainable Finance: Commission adopts the European Sustainability Reporting Standards

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:32 GMT

The Commission has adopted the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) for use by all companies subject to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). This marks another step forward in the transition to a sustainable EU economy.Financial Services, Financial Stability and Capital Markets Union Commissioner Mairead McGuinness said: “The standards we have adopted today are ambitious and are an important tool underpinning the EU's sustainable finance agenda. They strike the right balance between limiting the burden on reporting companies while at the same time enabling companies to show the efforts they are making to meet the Green Deal Agenda, and accordingly have access to sustainable finance.”The standards cover the full range of environmental, social, and governance issues, including climate change, biodiversity and human rights. They provide information for investors to understand the sustainability impact of the companies in which they invest. They also ta...

Single-family home sells in Dublin for $2.3 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:32 GMT

2056 Forino Drive – Google Street ViewA 3,224-square-foot house built in 2013 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 2000 block of Forino Drive in Dublin was sold on June 12, 2023. The $2,250,000 purchase price works out to $698 per square foot. This two-story home offers a roomy layout with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. In addition, the home is equipped with a three-car garage, accommodating vehicles and storage needs efficiently. The property occupies a lot of 5,140 square feet.Additional houses have recently changed hands nearby:In September 2022, a 2,692-square-foot home on Haggerty Drive in Dublin sold for $2,005,000, a price per square foot of $745. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 3,877-square-foot home on the 2200 block of Forino Drive in Dublin sold in December 2022, for $2,256,000, a price per square foot of $582. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On North Spago Drive, Dublin, in November 2022, a 2,089-square-foot home was sold for $1,5...