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A toaster placed under a car to heat up the battery likely sparked a fire in Denmark, police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:39 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A toaster placed under an electric vehicle by its owner to warm up its battery likely caused a fire that destroyed the car and damaged a nearby house in southern Denmark, police said Monday.Police said that they “strongly discourage” people to use that method to heat power cells. “The cause of the fire is most likely to be found in the toaster that the owner of the car had placed under the front of his car to keep the battery warm,” police said in a daily report.The fire happened on Saturday in Stenlille, about 60 kilometers (nearly 40 miles) southwest of Copenhagen. No one was injured. The car was parked in a carport — a shelter for vehicles that is attached to a house and consists of a flat roof supported on pillars. The make of the car wasn’t known, and it also wasn’t immediately clear if it was the vehicle owner’s house that was damaged or a neighbor’s home.The car’s owner faces a fine.The Associated Press

French investigation into fatal attack near Eiffel Tower looks into mental illness of suspect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:39 GMT

PARIS (AP) — French police investigations into a fatal weekend attack near the Eiffel Tower are looking into the mental health of the suspected assailant who swore allegiance to the Islamic State group before stabbing a German-Filipino tourist to death and injuring two other people with a hammer.The French national taken into police custody, Armand Rajabpour-Miyandoab, has a history of mental illness and of Islamic radicalization, officials said. He faces a possible preliminary charge of terrorist-related murder for the attack Saturday night that raised fresh questions about security in the French capital before it hosts the Olympic Games next year.“This is a case that links radical Islam, undeniably, and mental illness. I must tell the French people the truth that there are numerous cases like this,” the interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, said Monday, adding that around one-third of suspected radicals under surveillance have psychiatric issues. Speaking to broadcaster BFMTV,...

Congresswoman released ad telling supporters to vote on the wrong day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:39 GMT

(The Hill) - Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), who is running for Mayor of Houston, released a campaign advertisement urging supporters to vote, except the advertisement had the wrong day.Jackson Lee is running in the Houston mayoral runoff election, which takes place on Saturday, Dec. 9. Her advertisement, which has been confirmed by Mediaite to have aired on Houston’s television markets, tells voters to head to the polls “on or before December 7th.”In the advertisement, Jackson Lee shows off her record serving in Congress and city council.“Houston, I’ve spent my entire career fighting for you from fighting to keep our kids safe from guns when I was on city council, to my days in Congress fighting to protect women’s reproductive freedom and for funding for our police, schools and small businesses,” she said in the video.“Now, I’m running to be your mayor, because if we’re going to bring down crime, fix our streets and bring good paying jobs here, then Houston needs a champion who’...

Ask Amy: A toy kitchen brings up stereotype questions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:39 GMT

Dear Amy: My husband and I have a daughter, “Emma.” She is three.We are thoughtful and responsible parents (at least we think so…).We have a question about gift-giving.Our daughter goes to a nursery school program a couple of mornings a week, and it’s going very well.While at school, she loves to play with a miniature kitchen set. It’s got a little sink and a pretend stove with pots and pans.We told my sister that we are thinking about getting a version of this for our daughter for Christmas (my sister also has children), but she is strongly disapproving because, as she says, this sort of toy “reinforces gender stereotypes.”Now we feel weird about it and decided to seek your take.— Wondering ParentsDear Wondering: Many parents are concerned about reinforcing gender stereotypes … right up until that moment when their toddler son really loves to play with his cousin’s toy bulldozer, or their daughter falls in love with a Tiny Tammy doll.Are you willing to deny your child the joy...

Commissioners Reynders and Johansson to attend the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 4 and 5 December

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:39 GMT

Today (4 December) and tomorrow (5 December), Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders (pictured) and Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson will attend the Justice and Home Affairs Council, which will take place in Brussels.Today, Commissioner Reynders will participate in the meeting of Justice Ministers, where the focus will be set on reaching a general approach on a new EU law on the transfer of proceedings in criminal matters, approve the Council position on the application of the GDPR, and adopt the European e-Justice Strategy 2024-2028. Ministers will discuss the proposed revision of the Directive on victims' rights and exchange their views on the ongoing fight against impunity in the context of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, EU's accession to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR) and the functioning of the European Public Prosecutor's Office.Commissioner Reynders will provide an update on the EU-US negotiations o...

Ukraine must be supported until victory -or we will all pay the price, warns Nobel laureate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:39 GMT

The joint winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, the Ukrainian human rights lawyer Oleksandra Matviichuk (picture - credit EP/Alain Rolland) , has been in Brussels to address the International Conference on Accountability and Justice for Ukraine. She also took part in a High-Level Conference on Human Rights at the European Parliament, where she was interviewed by our Political Editor Nick Powell.Oleksandra Matviichuk with Nick PoweWhen Russia launched its full invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago, Oleksandra Matviichuk had already been documenting war crimes for eight years. As she reminded me, Russia started the war in 2013 with its illegal annexation of Crimea and by arming a rebellion in Donbas. It was a response to how protests in Kyiv’s Independence Square, the Maidan, ended the corrupt rule of the pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.“Ukraine obtained the chance of a free democratic transition, after the collapse of the authoritarian regime during the Revolution of Digni...

France’s Erratic Policy Threatens Stability 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:39 GMT

France sending weapons to the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia creates an unstable landscape in these regions, while losing every bit of political influence in North and West Africa, writes James Wilson. According to Sébastien Lecornu, French Minister of the Armed Forces, there is "a slow, progressive, but unfortunately certain increase in pressure" in Lebanon because of Iran’s terrorist proxy, Hezbollah, firing missiles and mortars into Israel. And this could escalate and open a second front while Israel is fighting another Iranian proxy, Hamas in Gaza. “In the Near and Middle East, we are dancing on a volcano,” Lecornu added in an interview with Europe 1-CNews.Why, then, did Paris decide to provide the Lebanese army with dozens of VAB armoured personnel carriers (APC)? Lecornu claimed that these vehicles will “assist the Lebanese military in their patrol missions within the country”, so that “it could coordinate well with the UNIFIL”. It is common knowledge that Hez...

Turkeys voting for Christmas: who votes for the end of oil derogation in Bulgaria?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:39 GMT

In the multi-season series “Bulgarian politicians against the Lukoil oil refinery in Burgas,” an interesting plot twist has emerged. It turned out that the INSA Oil company, which is associated with the main opponent of the refinery, Bulgarian MP Delyan Peevski, is actively increasing the supply of petroleum products from Russia throughout 2023.Under PressureThe oil refinery in the eastern Bulgarian resort of Burgas celebrated its 60th anniversary this year but appears to have received more media attention in the past year than in the past 59 years. Here is a brief overview of events. In February 2023, the EU embargo on the supply of oil and petroleum products from Russia finally came into force, but an exception was made for Bulgaria until the end of 2024. The country's authorities then justified this decision by difficulties in finding alternative oil suppliers. A few months later, deputies of the GERB and DPS parties - Delyan Dobrev and Delyan Peevski - initiated an attack on the...

Horoscopes Dec. 4, 2023: Marisa Tomei, make this a year to remember

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:39 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Tyra Banks, 50; Jay-Z, 54; Marisa Tomei, 59; Jeff Bridges, 74.Happy Birthday: Channel your energy, take control and make your way to the finish line. Be quick to stop anyone who interferes or tries to take advantage of you. Plan your actions carefully, and the experience you have will be educational and successful. An open mind will encourage positive change and a prosperous future. Forward-thinking will help you become a pioneer and trendsetter. Make this a year to remember. Your numbers are 3, 12, 17, 24, 31, 35, 44.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Stick to the facts. Pay attention to the projects that bring the highest returns. Refuse to let your emotions stand between you and what you are trying to achieve. A rational outlook and the will to do things will play in your favor. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Emphasize what’s important to you. A trendy new look, adding to your skills or knowledge, or applying for a new position are potential game cha...

Israel orders evacuations as it widens offensive but Palestinians are running out of places to go

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:39 GMT

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel’s military renewed calls Monday for mass evacuations from the southern town of Khan Younis, where tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge in recent weeks, as it widened its ground offensive and bombarded targets across the Gaza Strip.The expanded operations, following the expiration of a weeklong cease-fire, are aimed at eliminating Gaza’s Hamas rulers, whose Oct. 7 attack into Israel triggered the deadliest Israeli-Palestinian violence in decades. The war has already killed thousands of Palestinians and displaced over three-fourths of the territory’s population of 2.3 million people, who are running out of safe places to go.Already under mounting pressure from its top ally, the United States, Israel appears to be racing to strike a death blow against Hamas — if that’s possible, given the group’s deep roots in Palestinian society — before any new cease-fire. But the mounting toll of the fighting, which ...