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Giorgio Napolitano, twice elected Italian president, dies at 98

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:16 GMT

Giorgio Napolitano, a former president of Italy who served in that post for an unprecedented two mandates, passed away on Friday evening at the age of 98. Napolitano was first elected president in 2006 and then again in 2013. In Italy, the position of president is an institutional and not a governmental role, but it still carries with it significant political weight, particularly in delicate moments like when a government is being formed, or when one falls. Napolitano saw the country through a period of political turbulence in the aftermath of the financial crisis and the resignation of Silvio Berlusconi’s government. The politician was elected to the Italian parliament’s lower house in 1953 in the ranks of the Italian Communist Party (PCI). After the dissolution of the PCI in the early 1990s in the wake of fall of the Soviet Union and the Tangentopoli corruption scandal, Napolitano joined Italy’s center-left, and held ministerial positions in Romano Prodi’s ...

Tropical Storm Ophelia close to landfall on the North Carolina coast, weather agency says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:16 GMT

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Tropical Storm Ophelia was nearing landfall on the North Carolina coast early Saturday with the potential for damaging winds and dangerous surges of water, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Ophelia was about 25 miles (45 kilometers) southwest of Cape Lookout and about 70 miles (110 kilometers) east-northeast of Cape Fear. The system was moving at 9 mph (15 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph), the hurricane center said in an update at 5 a.m. Saturday. Life-threatening flooding caused by the weather system was forecast for parts of eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, but the system was forecast to weaken after landfall, the hurricane center reported.Ophelia was expected to turn north Saturday and then shift northeast on Sunday. The storm promised a weekend of windy conditions and heavy rain up to 7 inches (18 centimeters) in parts of North Carolina and Virginia and 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) in the rest of the mid-A...

Pope Francis insists Europe doesn’t have a migrant emergency and challenges countries to open ports

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:16 GMT

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Pope Francis challenged French President Emmanuel Macron and other European leaders to open their ports to people fleeing hardship and poverty, insisting Saturday that the continent does not face a migration “emergency” but rather a long-term reality that governments must deal with humanely.For a second straight day in the French port city of Marseille, Francis took aim at European countries that have tried to close their doors to migrants and tried to shame them into responding with charity instead. “May we let ourselves be moved by the stories of so many of our unfortunate brothers and sisters who have the right both to emigrate and not to emigrate, and not become closed in indifference,” Francis told Macron and others at a Marseille conference center where Mediterranean region Catholic bishops are meeting. “In the face of the terrible scourge of the exploitation of human beings, the solution is not to reject but to ensure, according to the possibilities o...

A court in China sentences a famed Uyghur scholar to life in prison, foundation says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:16 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — A prominent Uyghur scholar specializing in the study of her people’s folklore and traditions has been sentenced to life in prison, according to a U.S.-based foundation that works on human rights cases in China.Rahile Dawut was convicted on charges of endangering state security in December 2018 in a secret trial, the San Francisco-based Dui Hua Foundation said in a statement Thursday. Dawut appealed but her conviction was upheld, the foundation said.“The sentencing of Professor Rahile Dawut to life in prison is a cruel tragedy, a great loss for the Uyghur people, and for all who treasure academic freedom,” John Kamm, executive director of the Dui Hua Foundation, said in a statement.Dawut was a professor at Xinjiang University and founder of the school’s Ethnic Minorities Folklore Research Center. She disappeared in late 2017 amid a brutal government crackdown aimed at the Uyghurs, a Turkic, predominately Muslim ethnicity native to China’s northwest Xinjiang regio...

New Jersey house explosion hospitalizes 5 people, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:16 GMT

WEST MILFORD, N.J. (AP) — Five people were transported to hospitals after an explosion at a New Jersey home on Friday night, police said.The house in West Milford was heavily damaged by the explosion around 9 p.m., the West Milford Police Department said in a statement.A sixth person at the scene refused additional medical treatment, police said.West Milford Deputy Fire Chief Rich Poplaski said the structure collapsed as a result of an “unknown cause,” northjersey.com reported.West Milford is located about 33 miles (53 kilometers) north of Morristown, New Jersey, and 48 miles (77 kilometers) northwest of New York City.Police said the victims were transported by helicopter, including two to Morristown Medical Center, one to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson, New Jersey, one to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey, and one to Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, New Jersey.The explosion is under investigation by West Milford...

Word Game: Sept. 23, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:16 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — ARMADILLO (ARMADILLO: arm-uh-DIL-oh: A burrowing mammal whose body is encased in small bony plates.)Average mark 43 wordsTime limit 60 minutesCan you find 55 or more words in ARMADILLO? The list will be published Monday.YESTERDAY’S WORD — OLDSTER older oldest ostler lest lode lord lore lose loser lost doer does dole dolt dose dote sled sloe slot sold solder sole sore sort stole store strode told tole tore trod redo resold rest retold rode rose rotelTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words a...

Bridge: Sept. 23, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:16 GMT

“Simple Saturday” columns focus on basic technique and logical thinking.You’re declarer at today’s notrump game. When you opened 1NT, North used Stayman to look for a 4-4 major-suit fit although he had 4-3-3-3 pattern and ample high-card strength for game. Some players would have raised directly to 3NT.West leads a low diamond: three, ten, jack. You know West has the A-Q, and if East gets in to return a diamond, your cook will be goosed. You need eight more tricks without letting East get in.DANGER HAND“Avoidance” is the technique of keeping a “dangerous” defender from gaining the lead. If you let the queen of clubs ride next, you will finesse into the danger hand and will risk defeat.Lead a heart to dummy and return a spade to your nine. If that finesse wins, you have three spades, four hearts, a diamond and a club. If the finesse loses to West, you don’t mind. He can’t lead another diamond effectively, and when you get ba...

Horoscopes Sept. 23, 2023: Anthony Mackie, ramp up your energy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:16 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Anthony Mackie, 45; Jason Alexander, 64; Bruce Springsteen, 74; Mary Kay Place, 76.Happy Birthday: Bide your time, consider your options and move forward quietly. The less hoopla around what you want to accomplish, the easier it will be to reach your destination this year, minus the interference. Ramp up your energy and enthusiasm and direct them with precision and detail. Be good to yourself, loved ones and causes that concern you. Make health, love and creativity your journey. Your numbers are 8, 12, 17, 23, 32, 44, 48.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Keep your emotions in check. Be observant, helpful and willing to make time to get what you want. A social invitation will tempt you, but be careful not to bite off more than you can chew. Curb overindulgence. 2 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Look at the possibilities and sign up for whatever piques your interest. Don’t do anything halfheartedly. Give your all, and you’ll reap the rewards. An open ...

Ask Amy: Why do they think I want to hear their music in public?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:16 GMT

Dear Amy: I live in Colorado and have young children at home, as well as a job where I am constantly bombarded by sound.I frequent outdoor spaces to seek peace, solitude and the quiet sounds of nature – for my mental health.I am dismayed at the proliferation of Bluetooth speakers, large and small. They seem to be everywhere! Hiking trails, lakes, on boats and paddleboards, at the pool, while camping, even strapped to people while they are biking and skiing! Few seem concerned about the noise pollution they are inflicting on others around them.Why do people seem not to notice or care that those around them may not wish to listen to their choice of music?What happens if we get multiple, conflicting speakers at the same time?I wish I could ask people to use headphones when they are alone, or at least turn down the sound so it is mostly heard by a group in a small vicinity, not everyone around them.In the case of running or biking, they should only wear one earbud and have the volume on...

Harriette Cole: Should I tell my wife what my friend said about us?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:16 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: A longtime friend came to visit me and my family this summer. We had a nice visit. As I was driving my friend home at the end of his visit, he commented in a by-the-way fashion on what he observed about my interactions with my wife.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: I didn’t mean to get the Airbnb host banned Advice | Harriette Cole: Is it a bad idea to hang out with this man so I can meet his friends? Advice | Harriette Cole: I abandoned my home, and now I’ve come back to a huge mess Advice | Harriette Cole: A random man was staring in my window, and I’m upset the police let him go Advice | Harriette Cole: Her dress made me upset, and it didn’t even stick to my wedding theme She and I have been in a simmering war of words for a long time now, and he clocked it. He didn’t pass judgment. He just said he hoped we could get past it. He said we have been to...