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Last stand in Waterloo: Carles Puigdemont sets high price to break Spanish vote impasse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:21 GMT

LAST STAND IN WATERLOO Puigdemont sets high price to break Spanish vote impasseCatalan separatist leader holds the key to Pedro Sánchez staying in office — but he’s driving a hard bargain.By AITOR HERNÁNDEZ-MORALESand EDDY WAX in BrusselsPhoto-illustration by Anthony Gerace for POLITICOSpain’s political future will be decided by one secluded man in a damp corner of Belgium.Six years after organizing an illegal referendum that sought to make Catalonia an independent republic, the region’s former President Carles Puigdemont is once again positioned to shake Spain to its core. With left and right-wing forces technically tied in the Spanish parliament, the country’s next government now depends on the support of seven lawmakers of the separatist Junts party — which Puigdemont founded and controls remotely.From his suburban home in the quaint Walloon town of Waterloo, located just a stone’s throw from the battlefields where Napoleon’s defeat determined Europe...

How Pedro Grifol made use of his 1-game suspension for Monday’s Chicago White Sox game: ‘It was pretty valuable’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:21 GMT

Pedro Grifol took in Monday’s Chicago White Sox game from a different vantage point.Serving a one-game suspension as part of the fallout from Saturday’s Sox-Cleveland Guardians brawl, Grifol watched the series opener against the New York Yankees from Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf’s suite at Guaranteed Rate Field.He tried to make the most of the view.“That saying that the farther you are away from the game, the slower it is or the easier it gets? It looked pretty slow and pretty easy from up there,” Grifol said before Tuesday’s game. “It was pretty nice. I was able to see a lot of things that I think are really important for our growth, fundamental things that we probably need to address.“Obviously I didn’t want to (not be managing). But I took advantage of a different look to see some things that I wanted to address.”Grifol was one of six individuals to receive suspensions from Major League Baseball after the incident. That list...

Niger’s military junta, 2 weeks in, digs in with cabinet appointments and rejects talks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:21 GMT

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — As a military junta in Niger marked two weeks in power Wednesday, its leaders are appointing a government and rejecting calls for negotiation in what analysts described as an attempt to entrench their power and show that they’re serious about governing the West Africa country in the face of an escalating regional crisis.The junta has named a new prime minister and made a slew of other new cabinet appointments. They also refused to admit mediation teams that planned to come Tuesday from the United Nations, the African Union, and West African regional bloc ECOWAS, citing “evident reasons of security in this atmosphere of menace,” according to a letter seen by The Associated Press. ECOWAS threatened to use military force if the junta didn’t reinstate Bazoum by Sunday, a deadline that the junta ignored. “The establishment of a government is significant, and signals at least to the population, that they have a plan in place, with support from across the g...

A Mega Millions player in Florida wins $1.58 billion jackpot, the third largest prize in US history

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:21 GMT

Someone in Florida won a $1.58 billion Mega Millions jackpot Tuesday night, ending a stretch of lottery futility that had stretched for nearly four months.The winning numbers drawn were: 13 19 20 32 33 and the yellow ball: 14.Before the big win Tuesday night, there had been 31 straight drawings since the last time someone won the game’s jackpot on April 18. That enabled the prize to steadily grow to be the third-largest ever in U.S. history.Mega Millions jackpot winners are so rare thanks to odds of one in 302.6 million.The $1.58 billion payout would go to the winner if they opt for an annuity, doled out over 30 years. But people usually prefer a lump sum option, which for Tuesday’s jackpot is an estimated $783.3 million.The prize money is subject to federal taxes. Many states also tax lottery winnings.Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.The Associated Press

Nagasaki marks 78th anniversary of atomic bombing with mayor urging world to abolish nuclear weapons

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:21 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Nagasaki marked the 78th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the city Wednesday with the mayor urging world powers to abolish nuclear weapons, saying nuclear deterrence also increases risks of nuclear war. Shiro Suzuki made the remark after the Group of Seven industrial powers adopted a separate document on nuclear disarmament in May that called for using nuclear weapons as deterrence.“Now is the time to show courage and make the decision to break free from dependence on nuclear deterrence,” Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki said in his peace declaration Wednesday, “As long as states are dependent on nuclear deterrence, we cannot realize a world without nuclear weapons.”Russia’s nuclear threat has encouraged other nuclear states to accelerate their dependence on nuclear weapons or enhance capabilities, further increasing the risk of nuclear war, and that Russia is not the only one representing the risk of nuclear deterrence, Suzuki said.The United States dropped t...

Bahrain prison inmates on hunger strike in latest sign of simmering unrest in island kingdom

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:21 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Bahrain prison inmates are taking part in a hunger strike over conditions there, activists and authorities said Wednesday, the latest sign of simmering unrest in the island kingdom a decade after the Arab Spring. The strike targets the Jaw Rehabilitation and Reform Center, a facility holding many of the prisoners identified by human rights activists as dissidents who oppose the rule of the Al Khalifa family. The country’s Sunni rulers long have faced complaints from the island’s Shiite majority of discrimination. In a statement published by the outlawed Al-Wefaq opposition group, the prisoners said they started the hunger strike over what it described as prison officials blocking inmates from worshipping and 23-hour lockdowns daily. It also alleged prison officials put inmates in isolation arbitrarily, interfered with family visits and provided inadequate health care to those incarcerated. “Our demands are not trifles, but very necessar...

Sony’s profits drop as it warns of the impact from US movie strikes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:21 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Sony’s April-June profit slipped 17% from a year earlier, as worries grew about revenue damage from a strike in the movie sector, the Japanese electronics and entertainment company said Wednesday.Tokyo-based Sony Corp.’s fiscal first quarter profit totaled 217 billion yen ($1.5 billion), down from 261 billion yen a year ago.Quarterly sales rose 33% to 2.96 trillion yen ($21 billion), as sales for the period grew in games and network services, the music business, financial services and imaging solutions.Sony said its results got a boost from a favorable exchange rate. The yen has been declining lately, trading at about 143 yen to the dollar, and a weak yen is a plus for Japanese exporters like Sony.Sony’s revenue in the movies segment was expected to suffer because of the strikes by the Writers Guild of America, or WGA, and Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or SAG-AFTRA.Release dates of movies, as well as deliveries of TV se...

Commission clears acquisition of Gruppo Florence by Permira

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:21 GMT

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of sole control of Gruppo Florence S.p.A. of Italy by Permira Holdings Limited (‘Permira') of Guernsey.Gruppo Florence is active in the development and production of high-end apparel, footwear and leather goods for luxury brands. Permira manages private equity funds, which include portfolio companies active across the consumer, services, healthcare and technology sectors. Permira controls, amongst others, the companies: (i) Golden Goose S.p.A, active in retail sale of luxury shoes, apparel and leather accessories; and (ii) Italian Fashion Team S.r.l., active in the manufacture of luxury apparel, footwear and leather goods.The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns, given the limited horizontal overlaps and vertical links between the companies' activities in the European Economic Area. The transaction was examined under the simplified merger review pro...

Single family residence sells for $2.5 million in San Jose

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:21 GMT

6453 Hidden Creek Court – Google Street ViewA spacious house located in the 6400 block of Hidden Creek Court in San Jose has new owners. The 2,762-square-foot property, built in 1965, was sold on July 17, 2023, for $2,511,000, or $909 per square foot. This two-story home provides a generous living space with its four bedrooms and three baths. Inside, there is a fireplace. Additionally, the house provides a two-car garage, granting ample space for parking and storage purposes. The lot of the property covers a substancial area of 7,000 square feet, complete with a pool for outdoor enjoyment.Additional houses that have recently changed hands close by include:On Camden Avenue, San Jose, in August 2022, a 1,899-square-foot home was sold for $1,585,000, a price per square foot of $835. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In March 2023, a 1,477-square-foot home on Camden Avenue in San Jose sold for $1,460,000, a price per square foot of $988. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 1...

Indiana takes on Minnesota, aims to end 3-game skid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:21 GMT

Minnesota Lynx (13-15, 8-7 Western Conference) at Indiana Fever (7-22, 4-11 Eastern Conference)Indianapolis; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Indiana heads into the matchup with Minnesota as losers of three straight games.The Fever have gone 2-10 in home games. Indiana is second in the WNBA with 9.0 offensive rebounds per game led by Aliyah Boston averaging 3.0 offensive boards.The Lynx are 8-6 on the road. Minnesota allows 84.8 points to opponents while being outscored by 5.2 points per game.The teams play for the third time this season. The Lynx won the last matchup 90-83 on July 6. Napheesa Collier scored 32 points to help lead the Lynx to the win.TOP PERFORMERS: Boston is averaging 14.8 points and eight rebounds for the Fever. Kelsey Mitchell is averaging 16.7 points over the last 10 games for Indiana.Collier is scoring 21.6 points per game and averaging 7.9 rebounds for the Lynx. Kayla McBride is averaging 2.1 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Minnesota.LAST 10 GAMES: ...