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Greece’s government wins vote of confidence in Parliament to begin a second 4-year term

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:31 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s conservative government won a vote of confidence Saturday in Parliament to start its second four-year term, two weeks after Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ New Democracy party handily won the election.The 300 lawmakers voted 158-142 to approve the government’s policy statement after a low-key three-day debate. The vote went as expected, with only lawmakers from New Democracy voting for the government.Mitsotakis’ New Democracy won the June 25 election with 40.56% of the vote, compared to 17.83% for the left-wing Syriza and 11.84% for the socialist PASOK.There are eight parties represented in Parliament, up from six in the 2019-23 legislature and five in the short-lived parliament elected on May 21. That election gave no party an overall majority despite the results being broadly similar. The June 25 election was contested under a different electoral law, which gave bonus seats to the winner.Three of the parties in Parliament are to the right o...

Environment Canada issues heat warnings for B.C., parts of Alberta and the North

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:31 GMT

Parts of southern and coastal British Columbia as well as large swaths of Alberta and the North are under heat warnings as temperatures are forecasted to soar near or above 30 degrees Celsius over the weekend and into Monday.Environment Canada says heat warnings are issued when very high temperature could pose an elevated risk of illnesses like heat stroke or heat exhaustion, and is warning residents to keep hydrated and try to find a cool place to stay.B.C.’s Thompson, Cariboo and Okanagan Valley regions — as well as Kitimat, Terrace and inland communities on the central coast — are all under a warning, with the highest temperatures in some areas expected to hit 35 degrees.In Alberta, most of the province is covered under a heat warning and daytime highs are expected near 30 degrees before moderating on Monday.Communities in Yukon, including Whitehorse, Pelly and Watson Lake, are expected to hit 29 degrees over the weekend and remain above seasonal norms into next...

Judge holds Washington state in contempt for not providing services to mentally ill people in jails

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:31 GMT

A federal judge has found Washington state in contempt and ordered it to pay more than $100 million in fines for failing to provide timely psychiatric services to mentally ill people who are forced to wait in jails for weeks or months.In her order released late Friday, U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman said the Washington Department of Social and Health Services has been violating the constitutional rights of these people since 2015 due to a “lack of foresight, creativity, planning and timely response to a crisis of its own making.”The ruling stems from a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of people with mental health disabilities who were charged with crimes and ordered by a judge to have a competency evaluation. If found incompetent to face charges, the state must then provide services to restore their competency. A lack of funding, personnel and beds in mental health facilities forced them to wait in jails for extended periods, which violated their rights, according to the lawsuit....

Man on scooter shoots randomly in NYC, killing an 86-year-old and wounding 2 others

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:31 GMT

An 86-year-old New York City man was fatally shot and at least two others were seriously wounded by a man on a scooter who police say was shooting randomly at cars and pedestrians in Queens on Saturday.A person of interest was in custody, the New York Police Department said.The shootings began just before 11:30 a.m., when the 86-year-old was shot multiple times in the Richmond Hill area. He later died at a hospital.About a mile away and less than 10 minutes later, a 63-year-old man was shot in the shoulder and taken to a nearby hospital, where police said he was listed in serious but stable condition.A few minutes later, the shooter fired at a 61-year-old man, hitting him in the torso. He was in critical condition at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.Police said there was another shooting nearby, but could not say if it was connected to the earlier shootings.With a person in custody, a police spokesperson said there was no immediate threat to the public.The spokesperson was unable to ...

1 dead after fatal structure fire in West Chicago

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:31 GMT

WEST CHICAGO, Ill. — One person is dead after a house fire that happened in West Chicago earlier Sunday morning.According to the West Chicago Police Department, the West Chicago Fire Protection District (WCFPD) was called to the 2300 block of Barnhart Street some time shortly before 2 a.m. on reports of a structure fire.After extinguishing the fire, fire personnel found one deceased victim inside the residence where the fire took place. According to police, the name of the victim is being withheld until they are able to notify next of kin. 5 injured after shooting on North Side overnight: CPD WCPD and WCFPD have yet to release a determination of what caused the fire.Parts of Barnhart Street and Bainbridge Boulevard remain closed at this time as first responders' investigation continues.

How to properly dispose of an American flag

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:31 GMT

(WHTM) — With the Fourth of July behind us, some people may be looking to retire worn out or damaged American flags. But did you know you can't just throw an American flag away? There's a proper way to dispose of one.According to the United States Department of Defense, the American Legion passed a resolution about flag retirement ceremonies in 1937. These are America’s deadliest national parks: data The Department of Defense also says that many state and county government buildings have flag disposal boxes outside their buildings. But what do you do if there is not one of these boxes near you? The Veterans of Foreign Wars explains flags must folded in a certain way (known as a customary triangle fold) before disposal. You can watch a video on how to fold an American flag by clicking here. After folding, a flag cannot just be thrown in the garbage. It needs to be burned.The U.S. Department of Defense says that the fire should be big enough to burn the flag before you put the folde...

Tennessee can enforce ban on transgender care for minors, appeals court says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:31 GMT

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth can go into effect — at least for now — after a federal appeals court on Saturday temporarily reversed a lower court ruling.Last month, a district court judge in Tennessee found that the state's new law banning transgender therapies like hormone blockers and surgeries for transgender youth was unconstitutional because it discriminated on the basis of sex. The judge blocked large swaths of the law from taking effect.On Saturday, however, the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati granted an emergency appeal from Tennessee. In a 2-1 ruling, the majority wrote that decisions on emerging policy issues like transgender care are generally better left to legislatures rather than judges.“Given the high stakes of these nascent policy deliberations — the long-term health of children facing gender dysphoria — sound government usually benefits from more rather than less debate,” wrote Ch...

Sonny Gray gives up six runs in second inning as Twins fall 6-2 to Orioles

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:31 GMT

For five of the six innings he pitched on Saturday, Sonny Gray looked like the all-star pitcher he’s been all year long. In those innings, Gray gave up no hits, no runs, walked just one and struck out four.But for as good as he was for most of his start, an uncharacteristic second inning sunk Gray and the Twins, as they fell 6-2 to the Baltimore Orioles at Target Field.The second inning began with a Ryan O’Hearn single that went under second baseman Edouard Julien’s glove. Two more singles followed, loading the bases.Gray then walked the next two batters — ball four on the first batter, Colton Cowser, appeared to be well within the strike zone — and then allowed a two-run single to Adam Frazier. Two more runs scored in the inning for a total of six runs on six hits — all singles — and two walks.For Gray, who hadn’t given up more than three runs in any of his first 17 starts of the season, the inning was an anomaly. The first seven batters of the inning reached base and as his pitch ...

Police investigating rollover crash on Loudon Road

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:31 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Police are investigating a rollover crash that took place near 1161 Loudon Road in North Colonie. The accident occurred late in the morning on July 8. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Police say that three cars were involved in the crash, two of which rolled over. Only the three drivers occupied the vehicles. According to police, two of the drivers sustained non-life threatening injuries, while the third driver sustained critical injuries. The crash remains under investigation.

Flights delayed at Denver International Airport after severe weather warning

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:50:31 GMT

Flights leaving Denver International Airport on Saturday afternoon are being delayed because of potential bad weather.The National Weather Service issued a “special weather statement” at 2:05 p.m. Saturday that landspouts and penny-sized hail were possible. The advisory was in place until 2:45 p.m.The weather advisory also included Brighton, Fort Lupton, Hudson, Wattenberg, Platteville and Lochbuie.The Federal Aviation Administration reported that flights were on average were being delayed 99 minutes.A special weather statement has been issued for Denver Intl Airport CO, Brighton CO and Fort Lupton CO until 2:45 PM MDT #COwx pic.twitter.com/0BIAz2qpun— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) July 8, 2023Related ArticlesWeather | Denver weather: Severe thunderstorms expected, bringing heavy rain, hail and possible tornadoes Weather | Denver airport opens more PreCheck security lanes during busy Fourth of July weekend Weather | “I ...