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German center-right leader mulls cooperation with far right at municipal level

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:30:11 GMT

The leader of Germany’s center-right opposition, Friedrich Merz, said on Sunday that his party may enter political alliances with the far right at the municipal level — indicating a potentially ground-breaking shift in German politics that immediately attracted sharp criticism.Germany’s established parties have long rejected any cooperation with the far-right, anti-migration and climate change-denying Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), which was founded 10 years ago and has in recent months risen to the second position in national polls.But Merz told public broadcaster ZDF in an interview Sunday evening that his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) may abandon this position, although he argued that this shift only applied at the local level.“Local politics is different from state and federal politics,” Merz said in reaction to recent triumphs of the AfD at the local level in eastern Germany, such as in Sonneberg in Thuringia, where the AfD last month for the first time won a district co...

Ticker: Lawsuit alleges ‘hidden’ fees at Frontier Airlines; Radioactive leak reported near Mississippi River 

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:30:11 GMT

Frontier Airlines markets itself as having the lowest fares, but a new class-action lawsuit alleges the Denver-based carrier makes up the difference with hidden, inflated fees.Florida resident Amira Hamad filed the 21-page lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in late June, seeking a refund of the fees and $100 million in punitive damages for herself and others.A spokesperson for Frontier said the airline doesn’t comment on pending litigation.Hamad said in the lawsuit that she booked a round-trip flight with Frontier after seeing an “attractive” price online and reading on the company’s website that passengers are allowed one free personal item no larger than 14 inches tall, 18 inches wide and 8 inches deep.According to the lawsuit, when Hamad arrived at her gate, Frontier’s bag sizer was smaller than the dimensions advertised on the website. When her bag wouldn’t fit into the allegedly shrunken bag sizer, the airline charged Hamad $100 for her “oversized...

‘Barbie’ beats ‘Oppenheimer’

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:30:11 GMT

This “Barbie” just scored the biggest domestic opening weekend of 2023.Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Barbie” debuted in first place at the box office this weekend, earning a whopping $155 million in the United States and Canada. The PG-13 comedy easily defeated Universal Pictures’ “Oppenheimer,” which opened in second place with $80.5 million, according to studio estimates.In addition to notching the biggest launch of the year — ahead of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($146.4 million) — Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” also marks the best domestic debut of all time for a title directed by a woman, surpassing 2019’s “Captain Marvel” ($153 million).The film industry received a much-needed shot in the arm this weekend thanks to the cinematic, cultural phenomenon that is “Barbenheimer.”For months, people around the world have eagerly anticipated the simultaneous releases of Gerwig’s “...

This pet-friendly hotel just took it up a notch with its 'Pampered Pup' offer

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:30:11 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- There's a pet-friendly hotel in San Diego that is now offering a packaged deal not only for human guests but for their furry friends.This may come as good news for those who enjoy vacationing with their dog, or even for local San Diegans looking for a nice pet-friendly retreat. It’s like an Airbnb for pools in San Diego County Representatives for Andaz San Diego, which is located in the historic Gaslamp District, says those staying at the Hyatt connected establishment can relax and unwind with their dogs in-style. The hotel launched what it calls their "Pampered Pup" offer, which includes an array of amenities and services that can be enjoyed by their four-legged guests. The excusive and unique "Pampered Pup" package includes the following:A customized robe fit for both parent and pup with monogrammed initials.Makeovers for both the pet and parent.Private makeup/hair styling session for parent.Full grooming session for pet.Choice of on-site photoshoot for parent and...

Italy’s Meloni seeks broad cooperation to stanch flows of migrants to Europe with aid to Africa

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:30:11 GMT

ROME (AP) — Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni on Sunday called for new, more equal relationships between Europe and migrants’ countries of origin and transit as she convened a summit of some 20 nations, EU officials and international organizations aimed at stanching flows of illegal migration.The one-day conference is a Meloni initiative that aims to make Italy a leader in resolving issues impacting Mediterranean nations. Chief among them is migration, as Italy sustains hundreds of new arrivals daily on Europe’s southern border, but also energy as Europe looks to Africa and the Middle East to permanently replace Russian supplies.Human rights groups see the meeting, which includes nations from both northern and sub-Saharan Africa as well as the Middle East, as creating a future roadmap, and worry it will amount to anti-migrant policies that put the onus on Africa to keep Africans out of Europe. Meloni told the opening meeting that Western arrogance had likely stood in the way of s...

Community safety concerns under spotlight in Leslieville following death of bystander

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:30:11 GMT

Pulin Shah feels a sense of unease every time he passes the corner in his Toronto neighbourhood where a mother of two was killed by a stray bullet earlier this month. It could have been him that was caught in the gunfire, he says, or anyone in the Leslieville neighbourhood he calls home.For Shah and several other local residents, the recent death has magnified concerns about what they say has been a rise in violence and drug use around a supervised consumption site in a community centre near the shooting scene. “Ever since the safe injection site has been started, that corner has always been a group of people hanging around there creating unnecessary violence and nuisance,” Shah says.Police have said 44-year-old Karolina Huebner-Makurat, called Caroline by friends and family, was hit by a bullet after a group of three men got into an altercation nearby and two of them fired guns at each other. One man has since been charged and police are searching for two others. Invest...

Deck collapse at Montana country club leaves more than 30 injured as people land atop each other

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:30:11 GMT

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — More than 30 people were injured when a deck collapsed at a country club overlooking Montana’s largest city, police said Sunday.The second-story patio floor of Billings’ Briarwood Country Club broke and gave way Saturday evening. The collapse caused head wounds, broken ribs and other injuries as people landed atop each other and debris and scraps of food scattered over the grass next to the club’s golf course.The police statement said there were no fatalities although “multiple individuals” had injuries. The cause of the collapse has yet to be determined. At least 25 people were taken to local hospitals, eight were treated on site and additional guests may have left injured, Billings Police Lt. Matt Lennick said in the statement.The Billings Gazette reported that a guest with bruised ribs who landed on a woman estimated that at least 40 people were on the deck at the time it gave way. Dr. Clint Seger, CEO of the Billings Clinic, said in a sta...

Arbitrator awards goaltender Ilya Samsonov one-year, $3.55M deal with Maple Leafs

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:30:11 GMT

Goaltender Ilya Samsonov has been awarded a one-year, $3.55-million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs by an independent arbitrator.The sides were well apart when exchanging numbers prior to the hearing, which took place Friday. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Maple Leafs were asking for a $2.4-million salary to be awarded, while Samsonov was asking for $4.9 million.Samsonov joined the Maple Leafs on a one-year, $1.8-million contract last season. He opened the season in tandem with Matt Murray but took over the net by mid-season and started for the Maple Leafs in the playoffs.Samsonov, 26, had a career-high .919 save percentage last season and a 27-10-5 record in 42 games.The injury-prone Murray remains on the roster, along with Joseph Woll, who started two games in place of an injured Samsonov in Toronto’s second-round playoff series loss to the Florida Panthers last season.

Say goodbye to Bodypainting Day, New York City’s annual celebration of nudity and artistry

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:30:11 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — If you’ve ever dreamed of standing naked in New York City with dozens of strangers while artists turn your skin into a work of art, you may have missed your chance.Sunday’s Bodypainting Day will be the final edition after more than a decade of artists turning nude bodies into works of art.Organizer Andy Golub expects more than 50 people will be painted over four hours in Manhattan’s Union Square. Golub decided this year’s event would be the last because it’s time to “move on and clear that plate.” He said he wants to find different ways of empowering and bringing people together, including a new event next spring.After Sunday’s body painting is finished, the participating artists and models will march through Greenwich Village, pose for a photo in Washington Square Park, ride a double-decker bus over the Manhattan Bridge and end the day with a party in Brooklyn, Golub said.Golub, an artist and free speech activist who’s been painting on nude models since ...

How after-school clubs became a new battleground in the Satanic Temple’s push to preserve separation of church and state

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:30:11 GMT

(The Conversation) - As the start of the school year rapidly approaches, controversy can’t be far behind. But not all hot-button topics in education are about what goes on in class.Over the past few years, conflict has trailed attempts to establish After School Satan Clubs sponsored by the Satanic Temple, which the U.S. government recognizes as a religious group.Organizers have tried to form clubs in California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Organizers in Broome County, New York, also formed a summer Satan Club that meets at a local library.Though there are estimates that only a handful of Satan Clubs are up and running, the groups raise significant questions about freedom of speech in K-12 public schools, particularly around religious issues – topics I teach and write about frequently as a faculty member specializing in education law.More ‘science’ than ‘Satan"Members of ...