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Turkey’s top diplomat visits Cairo in effort to mend ties

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:42:47 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Turkey’s chief diplomat was in Cairo on Saturday for talks with Egyptian officials as the regional powers seek to mend their frayed ties after years of tensions.Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkey’s foreign minister, landed in the Egyptian capital early Saturday. He was the highest ranking Turkish official to visit the Arab World’s most populous nation in over a decade.Egypt and Turkey have been at loggerheads since the Egyptian military’s 2013 ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi amid mass protest against his divisive one year of rule. Morsi hailed from the Muslim Brotherhood group, supported by Turkey. Egypt has designated the group a terrorist organization.Cavusoglu met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry for talks on “various aspects” of bilateral relations, said Ahmed Abu Zaid, a spokesman for the Egyptian foreign ministry Saturday.He said they also discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest, an apparent reference to the conflic...

DC Deputy Mayor John Falcicchio leaves Bowser’s office without explanation

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:42:47 GMT

One of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s closest confidants throughout her political career is leaving the mayor’s office in a major shake-up.On Friday, the office announced that John Falcicchio, the mayor’s right-hand man as chief of staff and deputy mayor of planning and economic development, would be leaving his positions.More DC NewsMore Local NewsThe mayor’s office thanked Falcicchio for his service during his nine-year tenure but gave no further comment about his departure.“We also thank Deputy Mayor John Falcicchio for his years of service to the District as he transitions to the private sector,” Bowser’s office wrote in a news release announcing appointments to replace Falcicchio.Mark Segraves, a reporter with WTOP’s news partner NBC Washington, said the reason for Falcicchio’s departure isn’t known.“Nobody in the mayor’s office, including the mayor, will say why he left, under what circumstances,” NBC Wa...

Paige Bueckers’s AP Diary: getting ready for March Madness

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:42:47 GMT

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — I’ve always been a fan of March Madness.Growing up I remember watching UConn own it. Sure, I remember Stewie (Breanna Stewart) winning four in a row, but my first memory was when Stefanie Dolson helped the Huskies win. She was my favorite UConn player growing up.Fast forward to the last few years where I’ve actually got to experience playing in it myself. It may not have been the norm with my first year being in the San Antonio bubble because of COVID and last season I was coming back from injury, but it’s an amazing feeling to play on the game’s biggest stage. You work so hard as a competitor to play in this and win at the end of the season.As many of you know this year I’m out recovering from a torn ACL injury that I suffered over the summer. I’ve been working hard over the last six-to-seven months on rehabbing. There’s still a ways to go, but every day I’m getting strong and healthier. I’ve been able to do...

Authorities investigating deadly shooting in Lawrence

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:42:47 GMT

An investigation is underway after a man was fatally shot in Lawrence late Friday night, officials announced.Officers responding to a report of shots fired on Walnut Street around midnight found a man suffering from a gunshot wound, according to Essex District Attorney Paul F. Tucker. The man, whose name was not released, was taken to Lawrence General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

UK minister in Rwanda to reinforce migrant deportation plan

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:42:47 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Home Secretary arrived in Rwanda on Saturday for a visit aimed at reinforcing the U.K. government’s commitment to a controversial plan to deport some asylum-seekers to the African country. Ahead of her visit, Suella Braverman said the migration policy “will act as a powerful deterrent against dangerous and illegal journeys.”Britain’s Conservative government wants to stop migrants from reaching the U.K. on risky journeys across the English Channel, and a deportation agreement signed with Rwanda last year was part of measures intended to deter the arrivals. More than 45,000 people arrived in Britain by boat in 2022, compared with 8,500 in 2020. Under the plans, some migrants who arrive in the U.K. in small boats would be flown to Rwanda, where their asylum claims would be processed. Those granted asylum would stay in the African country rather than return to Britain.But the 140 million-pound ($170 million) plan has been mired in legal challeng...

Lights out for Philly’s famed Boathouse Row, for now

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:42:47 GMT

The bright lights of Philadelphia’s famed Boathouse Row — long one of the city’s signature nighttime sights — are going dark, at least for now.Outlining a cluster of historic boathouses along the Schuylkill River near the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the twinkly lights reflect off the water and give definition to the unique architecture of each building. “It’s in some ways our postcard shot of Philadelphia,” explained Tara Rasheed of Fairmount Park Conservancy, as indelible as the Liberty Bell or the art museum steps in “Rocky.”Starting Monday, though, the lights will be switched off and taken down as work gets underway on a $2.1 million replacement project. If all goes to plan, a new, upgraded lighting system should be ready for the winter holiday season.The buildings store the long, slender boats used by rowing crews, and have wide garage-door-like bays that open onto ramps that slope down to the water’s edge. Many have steep roofs or Tudor or Victorian-influenced archi...

Range of emotions for residents facing relocation over smelter in Rouyn-Noranda

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:42:47 GMT

ROUYN-NORANDA, Que. — An announcement this week that some 200 families would be relocated from a Rouyn-Noranda neighbourhood contaminated by smelter pollution was met with anxiety and concern for those who will be moved out.While some residents of the Notre-Dame neighbourhood, in the city about 630 kilometres north of Montreal, see it as a chance to leave a sector where arsenic emissions from the Horne copper smelter are associated to a higher risk of cancer, others greet the impending move with sadness and anguish.Ginette Bédard has felt the full range of emotions in recent days.Since learning this week she will have to move from the neighbourhood she’s called home for 30 years, she progressed from anxiety to tears to fear.“This doesn’t work for me at all, where am I going to go? At my age? Retired?” said Bédard, a former orderly.The Quebec government announced Thursday it would provide $88.3 million to support the City of Rouyn-Noranda to create a neighbour...

Critics allege group funded by Quebec government spreading transphobic views

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:42:47 GMT

MONTREAL — The Quebec government came under fire this week for funding a women’s group that is alleged to have spread transphobic views and targeted trans activists online.On Thursday in the legislature, Jennifer Maccarone of the Liberal Opposition read excerpts of documents that refer to sex change surgeries as a form of “mutilation,” which she said had been published by the group Pour les droits des femmes du Québec (PDF Québec) on its online platforms.Maccarone then questioned the minister responsible for the status of women, Martine Biron, on the fact that the Coalition Avenir Québec government has been funding the group, which she said also encourages trans people to reverse their transition.“The government is using public funds to subsidize an organization, PDF Québec, who are openly transphobic,” Maccarone said. The $143,000 given to the group for the 2022-23 fiscal year goes directly against the province’s action plan to combat homophobia ...

St. Paul DFL to caucus Sunday with all 7 council seats on the ballot

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:42:47 GMT

Believe it or not, election season has begun in St. Paul.All seven seats on the St. Paul City Council will be on the November ballot, arranged by ward. The races officially are non-partisan, but that doesn’t stop most candidates from seeking the endorsement of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. The first step in that process unfolds at 1 p.m. Sunday when the St. Paul DFL’s citywide precinct caucuses get underway.The caucuses, held at high schools throughout the city, serve as a starting point to choose delegates to the ward conventions, where the party will endorse candidates.In three wards, where council incumbents Mitra Jalali, Rebecca Noecker and Nelsie Yang so far appear to be unopposed for re-election, the conventions will be held directly after the Sunday caucuses.In Wards 1, 3, 5 and 7, where a total of 12 candidates are seeking the DFL endorsement, ward conventions will be held throughout April. There are no incumbents in those races as Amy Brendmoen, Chris Tolbe...

Sunny, but chilly Saturday in the forecast for St. Louis

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:42:47 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Saturday will be sunny, but not very warm. Temperatures will be 25-30 degrees below normal. Highs today struggle to make it above freezing and wind chills are in the teens and 20s. Clouds increase this afternoon and evening. We could see a few flurries, especially north of the I-70 corridor. Winds slowly ease overnight, but lows again fall to the low to mid 20s. Tomorrow, with full sunshine, lighter winds, and temperatures around 40. It will feel better than today. Dry for Monday as spring begins. Rain chances increase Tuesday through Friday along with warmer temperatures.