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Poland prepares to vote in a high-stakes national election with foreign ties and democracy at stake

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:22 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland is holding an election Sunday that many view as its most important one since the 1989 vote that toppled communism. At stake are the health of the nation’s democracy, its legal stance on LGBTQ+ rights and abortion, and the foreign alliances of a country on NATO’s eastern flank that has been a crucial ally to Ukraine.Political experts say the election will not be fully fair after eight years of governing by a conservative nationalist party that has eroded checks and balances to gain more control over state institutions, including the courts, public media and the electoral process itself.Opponents of the ruling Law and Justice party fear it could be their last chance to preserve the constitutional system won at great cost through the struggle of many Poles, from former President Lech Walesa to the millions who supported his Solidarity movement.The election “will decide the future of Poland as a country of liberal democracy, a system that has bee...

Ask Amy: Divorce leads to friendship divide

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:22 GMT

Dear Amy: I am going through a divorce, and I’m having a hard time finding myself.I was with my husband for a total of 14 years.I feel lost and don’t know what to do.I’ve lost a lot of my friends in the process. We were friends with “Frank and Christie,” and I noticed that they don’t care what I’m going through!Frank was my ex’s friend, but I got close to Christie.Last year she and I got together.We had too much to drink and my mouth wouldn’t stop. I told her how I was hurt that she didn’t reach out to me for my birthday and then I told her that she never reached out to me, even though I’m going through a divorce.She’s been divorced three times now, so I would think she’d know how it feels.Last month we had planned to get together, but she never responded to my text.She is neglecting me. I really can’t say she’s a friend now.Three weeks after she ghosted me, she had the nerve to invite me to her son’s baby gender reveal.Related ArticlesAsk Amy | Ask Amy: Elder man wants t...

Buyers ready to take post-sale action after appraiser discovers key discrepancies

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:22 GMT

Question: We moved into our first home. The purchase was fast. It was a multiple-offer scenario. We tried to buy a Bay Area home with a loan contingency. That strategy failed. So our parents pooled resources. As a result, we were able to compete. We paid all cash. No contingencies. We closed the sale in seven days. It was an easy process.In hindsight, we made a big mistake. We are refinancing. The plan was to pay our parents 50% of the purchase money back in 2023. The remaining balance would be due in 2030. Now we have issues. The appraiser measured the property. It is 1,498 square feet. The appraiser also claims our new home is legally a three-bedroom house — not the advertised four-bedroom, 1,650-square-foot home that we thought it was. My father looked at the disclosures. There is nothing that would show a discrepancy for would-be homebuyers.The day after this discovery, we were angry. Today, we are ready to pursue a legal remedy. Where do homebuyers in our position begin?Answer:...

Horoscopes Oct. 14, 2023: Usher, focus on your target

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:22 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Usher, 45; Natalie Maines, 49; Lori Petty, 60; Ralph Lauren, 84.Happy Birthday: Think before you act. A methodical approach to life and your desired achievements will require intelligence, timing and discipline. An offshoot will be a chance to build a strong foundation for future endeavors. Put one foot in front of the other and make your mark. Rise above conflict and focus on your target. Use your charm and passionate attitude to win favors and support. Your numbers are 4, 12, 19, 23, 32, 38, 45.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Take a fresh look at an old situation and evaluate your next move. Relationships will require nurturing and changes that will enforce equality. Communication can be a passage to a better connection if you keep the peace and are willing to meet halfway. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): A change is overdue. Decide what you want to keep and what you want to discard. An orderly attitude will help you make hard decisions. Give birth to new...

Increased security at Bowie State University after homecoming shooting

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:22 GMT

Bowie State University is tightening security after a shooting during homecoming events this past weekend.In an online message posted by University President Dr. Aminta Breaux on Friday, she outlined the security measures students can expect to see when they return to the Prince George’s County, Maryland, campus on Monday.The measures include more local police and security officers on campus and BSU police patrolling campus grounds and buildings.Surveillance of campus entrances at the historically Black university is also being enhanced, including armed guards at entryways and license plate readers scanning all cars.The school is also reminding students that blue light phones have been installed around campus so students can reach campus police immediately in case of emergency.BSU is also considering additional security measures including installing metal detectors at residential housing and active shooter training for students, faculty and staff.Classes were canceled this wee...

Conservative Christopher Luxon wins New Zealand election after incumbent Prime Minister Chris Hipkins concedes

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:22 GMT

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Conservative Christopher Luxon wins New Zealand election after incumbent Prime Minister Chris Hipkins concedes.Source

Advocates for constitutional change concede defeat in an Australian referendum to create Indigenous Voice to Parliament

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:22 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Advocates for constitutional change concede defeat in an Australian referendum to create Indigenous Voice to Parliament.Source

¿Quién es El Deif, la presunta mente maestra del ataque de Hamas?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:22 GMT

(CNN) — Tengo que admitirlo con una extraña culpa retrospectiva: una vez Hamas me salvó de un secuestro en Gaza.El grupo extremista que está detrás de las masacres y los secuestros, la matanza de civiles y la cínica puesta en peligro de su propio pueblo detuvo a una banda islamista segundos antes de que estuvieran a punto de secuestrarme en el Hotel Deira, en el norte de Gaza, en 2008.Con silenciosa eficacia, los agentes de inteligencia de Hamas rodearon el hotel. No hubo disparos.La banda de secuestradores, desviada de su misión, voló las cercanas oficinas del Consejo Británico en un arrebato de ira.Ese era el antiguo Hamas. Sí, un grupo violento con un historial de tácticas de terror dirigidas contra israelíes, un largo compromiso con la destrucción del Estado de Israel (aunque no de genocidio contra judíos o israelíes), pero también un movimiento social de un islam político con reputación en el mundo árabe de eficacia y probidad.Sin embargo, el grupo extremista palestino si...

IMF statement blocked over ‘totally unacceptable’ language on Russia

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:22 GMT

MARRAKECH — Disagreements over language referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prevented the issuance of a joint statement from the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.Officials gathered in Morocco to discuss economic and monetary policy have failed to come to a consensus after countries including Ukraine, the Netherlands, Canada and the Nordics objected to the way the invasion was described in a draft text.The language was “totally unacceptable” said an official from Ukraine, who was granted anonymity to speak about confidential talks. “It was just not strong enough,” said an official from another country.Spain, which chaired the talks, had proposed replicating the language agreed to by G20 leaders in Delhi last month, which did not condemn Russia but instead stated that there are “different views and assessments of the situation.”“We have tried our best to reach a communique,” Spanish Finance Minister Nadia Calviño said. “This was not possible...

‘We’re at war’ — Tensions crackle in East Jerusalem and the West Bank as Israel prepares assault on Gaza

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:22 GMT

JERUSALEM — The streets of old Jerusalem are swept empty these days. Normally, tourists crowd through the narrow lanes past market stalls on their way toward the city’s celebrated holy sites.But in the week since Hamas massacred more than 1,000 Israelis outside of Gaza, the conflict has made itself felt here too. “We are at war,” a 26-year-old Palestinian named Adam told me as he strolled through the old town with his friends. In Jerusalem’s Old City he lives together with Israeli Jews and says that he has no friends in Gaza. But he was impressed with what Hamas had done and emphatic in his denials that the militant group killed any children. Muslims, he said, wouldn’t do that.The other young men nodded their assent. But before I could ask their names, they scattered to take refuge in a nearby building as three police officers approached. As Israel bombs Gaza in response to Hamas’ attack — which killed more than 1,300 Israelis, including many children&nbs...