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Silvio Berlusconi dead at 86, reports say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:30 GMT

Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian prime minister, has died aged 86, Italian media reports said Monday. Berlusconi, who was a senator and leader of the right-wing Forza Italia party — a junior partner in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition government — was admitted to a Milan hospital last week.A billionaire media and property tycoon-turned-politician, Berlusconi rose to the top of Italian politics in the 1990s, leading the country for close to a decade during three terms as prime minister.In recent years, however, his political career was tarnished by a series of scandals, reducing his profile and influence. Italy’s latest general election, which saw his Forza Italia party join Meloni’s governing coalition, marked Berlusconi’s return to the domestic limelight — albeit in a diminished role.Hannah Roberts contributed reporting from Rome.

Trial starts of suspect in deadly Danish mall shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:30 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The trial started Monday of a 23-year-old man who is charged with murder and attempted murder over a shooting in a Danish mall in which three people died, .Danish authorities have ruled out terrorism in the July 3, 2022, shooting in the huge Field’s shopping center on the outskirts of Copenhagen. The attacker apparently selected his victims at random.The suspected gunman, who cannot be identified due to a court order, was detained 13 minutes after the shooting began.Ahead of the trial, the prosecution said that it will not seek a prison sentence if the man is convicted but will request that he is placed in a secure mental health facility “without a set time limit.”Two 17-year-olds and a 47-year-old Russian man were killed in the shooting. The suspect has been charged with murder and numerous counts of attempted murder for, among other actions, shooting in direction of a crowd of about 20 people. No one was injured in the crowd.The Associated Press

Former Papua New Guinean Prime Minister Peter O’Neill says police charged him with perjury

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:30 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Former Papua New Guinean Prime Minister Peter O’Neill said police charged him on Monday with providing false evidence in an inquiry into a multi-million-dollar government loss on an investment deal.O’Neill, who remains a lawmaker in the Pacific island nation’s parliament, denied the charges, which stem from when he was the government’s leader in 2014.O’Neill’s government obtained a 1.3 billion Australian dollar ($878 million) loan through the Swiss-based investment bank UBS to buy a 10.1% stake in the Australian stock exchange-listed energy exploration company Oil Search Ltd.The government eventually sold its stake at a loss and an inquiry into the deal this year recommended charges against O’Neill for providing false testimony. The charge carries a potential prison sentence of 14 years.O’Neill, who was replaced by the current Prime Minister James Marape in 2019, said he faced three charges of giving false evidence to the UBS Commission of Inquiry.“As far ...

Climate researchers urge preparation for future fires : In The News for June 12

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:30 GMT

In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what’s on the radar of our editors for the morning of June 12 …What we are watching in Canada …Climate and forestry researchers say Nova Scotia must act swiftly to prepare for future wildfires in the province’s increasingly vulnerable forests. “This new extreme weather is going be our new normal,” Alana Westwood, assistant professor of environmental studies at Dalhousie University, said in a recent interview. “So the first thing is to immediately revamp municipal and regional planning to not just consider the risk of fires, but to expect the occurrence of fires.” Andrew MacDougall, a professor at St. Francis Xavier University who contributed to the most recent United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change _ or IPCC _ report, said that when wildfire records are broken _ as occurred this year in southern Nova Scotia _ i...

BTS is 10 years old: Seoul landmarks to be lit up in purple to celebrate K-pop band’s anniversary

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:30 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Skyscrapers, bridges and other landmarks in South Korea’s capital will be lit up in purple on Monday as the country begins celebrating the 10th anniversary of K-pop band BTS, whose global popularity is a source of national pride.The lights will provide the backdrop for various social media-driven events marking the 2013 debut of the seven-member group, which is now taking a hiatus as its singers begin to serve their mandatory military duties. From Monday evening, numerous Seoul structures, including City Hall, the 123-story Lotte World Tower, several Han River bridges, and the futuristic DDP – a Zaha Hadid-designed aluminum and concrete dome that’s often used for visual art – will be bathed in purple, a color associated with BTS, according to city officials and the group’s management company, Hybe.Messages congratulating BTS were displayed on digital screens in buildings across Seoul, while postal authorities issued stamps marking the group’s anniversary, w...

Japan entertainment company launches probe into sexual abuse allegations against founder

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:30 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — An investigation by a major Japanese talent agency into sexual abuse allegations against its founder won’t address monetary or criminality questions but rather aims to prevent such cases in the future, the lead investigator said Monday.“We see what has happened at the company and this is a serious governance problem,” Makoto Hayashi, a former prosecutor, told reporters at a Tokyo hotel.Hayashi said the process would focus on hearing from victims who have come forward. The panel will outline where the response at Johnny & Associates failed and provide recommendations to prevent a recurrence, he said.Allegations against Johnny Kitagawa, a powerful figure in Japanese entertainment, have been tossed around for decades but he was never charged with any crime. He died in 2019.The allegations resurfaced as a topic for scrutiny after BBC News produced a special segment earlier this year focused on several people who said they were sexually abused as youngsters while working...

Nearly 350 firefighters from the E.U. will help battle relentless Canadian wildfires

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:30 GMT

A battalion of nearly 350 firefighters from the European Union will soon be on the ground in Quebec to help their Canadian counterparts tackle a devastating and unprecedented wildfire season.One hundred and nine fire crews from France arrived last Thursday and spent the weekend dousing flames in Quebec, where fires have forced nearly 14,000 people to flee their homes. Another 140 firefighters from Portugal and 97 from Spain are due to arrive in Quebec City on Wednesday, said Claire Kowalewski, the European Union Emergency Response Coordination Centre’s liaison officer in Canada.It’s the first time in the centre’s 22-year history that it has sent firefighters to help in Canada, Kowalewski said.“There is this solidarity,” she said. “Today, unfortunately, it’s Canada that is facing these terrible fires. But last year in Spain, it was also a terrible year.”The firefighters understand each other, even if they don’t speak the same lang...

Daily horoscope for June 12, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:30 GMT

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Aries.Happy Birthday for Monday, June 12, 2023:People like you because you are intuitive, wise and cheerful. You’re also generous and supportive of others. This is a good year to look inward and reflect. You might renew your spiritual or religious beliefs in order to get closer to the true meaning of your life.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★★★This is a great way for you to begin your week! Today the Moon is in your sign dancing beautifully with your ruler Mars. This makes you feel focused, energetic and confident about achieving what you want to do. Conversations with siblings, relatives and daily contacts will be energized! Tonight: You win!TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★★Financial issues, especially related to your home or family, are on your mind today. Behind-the-scenes research, or perhaps something hidden, will give you the knowledge or know-how to make improvements to where you live....

Dnipro river should return to its banks by 16 June after dam collapse

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:30 GMT

The southern reach of the Dnipro river is likely to return to its banks by 16 June following a vast flood unleashed by the breach of Ukraine's Kakhovka dam this week, a Russian-installed official said on Saturday (10 June).The flood has inundated towns and villages below the dam, trapping residents and sweeping away entire houses on both sides of the Dnipro, which separates Ukrainian-controlled Kherson province from the southern section that Russian forces control.Vladimir Saldo, who heads the Russian-controlled part, said the water level at Nova Kakhovka, the town adjacent to the dam on the downstream side, had now dropped by 3 metres (10 feet) from Tuesday's peak."The pumping of water and garbage collection from the streets have started," he said.Late on Saturday, Saldo added that almost 7,000 people had now been evacuated from the flooded districts of Nova Kakhovka, including 323 children, while 77 people have been hospitalised.He said preliminary calculations by the Russian hydr...

Freight train derails near Russia's border with Ukraine, governor says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:30 GMT

Fifteen cars of an empty freight train derailed in Russia's southern Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, the local governor said late on Saturday (10 June), adding there was no immediate information about the cause."According to preliminary information, there are no casualties," the governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said on the Telegram messaging app.The accident happened near a train station in the Alexeyevsky municipal district and the train was empty, Gladkov said.Blasts and attacks on the region's infrastructure have become nearly a daily reality in recent weeks, with officials blaming either Ukrainian forces or pro-Ukrainian saboteurs.Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine.