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Bulgaria: No light at the end of the tunnel

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:54:54 GMT

Dimitar Bechev is a lecturer at the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies, a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe and the author of “Rival Power: Russia in Southeast Europe.”A couple weeks ago, Bulgarians voted in yet another election — their fifth since April 2021.However, as the dust settles and political parties weigh what their next moves may be, one thing is certain: Putting together a governing coalition will be a daunting task.While former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party (GERB) came first — as it did last October — the second largest party, We Continue the Change (PP), has ruled out any cooperation with GERB, which it casts as the personification of state capture and corruption bedeviling the European Union member country.Borissov will thus have to look elsewhere for support, but it is far from certain whether a coalition will materialize, and Bulgaria may well be in for yet another election as early as July.And this never...

Poland’s Morawiecki plays Europe’s anti-Macron in Washington

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:54:54 GMT

There’s an Emmanuel Macron-shaped shadow hovering over this week’s U.S. visit by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.In contrast to the French president — who in an interview with POLITICO tried to put some distance between the U.S. and Europe in any future confrontation with China over Taiwan and called for strengthening the Continent’s “strategic autonomy” — the Polish leader is underlining the critical importance of the alliance between America and Europe, not least because his country is one of Kyiv’s strongest allies in the war with Russia.“Instead of building strategic autonomy from the United States, I propose a strategic partnership with the United States,” he said before flying to Washington.In the U.S. capital, Morawiecki continued with his under-the-table kicks at the French president. “I see no alternative, and we are absolutely on the same wavelength here, to building an even closer alliance with the Americans. ...

China must act against rising global hunger, new WFP boss McCain says

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:54:54 GMT

BRUSSELS — China and other powerful countries need to step up to help steer the world away from a potentially “catastrophic” hunger crisis this year, the new head of the United Nations’ World Food Programme said.Cindy McCain, an American diplomat and the widow of the late U.S. Senator John McCain, also told POLITICO that the EU and U.S. should see world hunger as a national security issue due to its impact on migration. She furthermore accused Russia of using hunger as a “weapon of war” by hindering exports of Ukrainian grain.McCain, formerly the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. food agencies, took the helm of the WFP on April 5 and begins her five-year term at a time of increasing world hunger. The number of people facing food insecurity around the world rose to a record 345 million at the end of last year, up from 282 million in 2021, according to the WFP’s figures, as Russia’s war in Ukraine deepened a food crisis driven by climate change, COVID-19 and other conflicts.This year ...

Woman injured when light pole falls at shopping center parking lot in Nashua, NH

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:54:54 GMT

A 74-year-old woman was injured Wednesday when a light pole fell in a shopping center parking lot in Nashua, New Hampshire, police said. Police said the pole was at least 30 feet high. After Wednesday’s incident, officials said they’re trying to figure out how the pole fell. “Everybody was scared at that moment,” witness Jason Tran said of the moment the pole fell. “It was crazy.”The incident happened in the Webster Square plaza off Daniel Webster Highway. Tran works in the plaza. He said he saw what happened and called 911. Dozens of first responders soon arrived, huddling around the woman who was lying on the ground between Michaels and TJ Maxx locations. Tran said the woman was awake when she laid down, though her head was bleeding. Police said it’s unclear if the pole hit the woman or if she hit her head trying to get out of the way. While officials said they don’t believe anything hit the pole, witnesses said it was windy in the area.“The lady park...

Rays win 12th straight to start season, 1 shy of MLB record

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:54:54 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays won their 12th straight game to start the season, one short of the major league record, as Randy Arozarena hit a three-run homer in a 9-7 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.The 1987 Milwaukee Brewers and 1982 Atlanta Braves both opened 13-0, tying for the best mark in big league history. Tampa Bay’s 12-game winning streak matches the team record set in June 2004.Taj Bradley (1-0) won his major league debut for the Rays. The 22-year-old right-hander, recalled from Triple-A Durham when Zach Eflin went on the injured list, allowed three runs and struck out eight over five innings.Arozarena made it 3-0 with an opposite-field homer off Chris Sale (1-1) in the first. Tampa Bay leads the majors with 30 home runs and has outscored opponents 92-27.Rafael Devers, who had been hitless in 10 at-bats with six strikeouts in the series, pulled Boston to 8-7 on a three-run homer off Colin Poche in the seventh.Arozarena’s sac...

Still Boston Strong: Local surgeon running marathon again 10 years after jumping into action to help bombing victims 

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:54:54 GMT

A local surgeon running the Boston Marathon ten years ago jumped into action when bombs went off at the finish line. A decade later, he is talking about those unforgettable moments as he prepares to run the race again this year.Dr. Vivek Shah recently returned to the finish line, where he spoke with 7NEWS’ Dan Hausle.“We heard the first explosion and I thought it was just fireworks,” he said. Dr. Shah is an orthopedic surgeon. He was running his fifth Boston Marathon in 2013 when he found himself between the two bombing sites as he approached the finish line. “We saw all the people running towards us and then we heard the second one,” he said. Dr. Shah said a nurse who worked at his hospital came running toward him, telling him there had been an explosion. “That’s when I started running in that direction,” he said. In that instant, Dr. Shah wasn’t just a runner anymore. “I sort of put on the orthopedic surgeon hat and started helping,”...

Chicago Bulls will compete for a playoff spot Friday in Miami after erasing a 19-point deficit to beat the Toronto Raptors 109-105

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:54:54 GMT

With 28.7 seconds left in Wednesday’s play-in tournament game, DeMar DeRozan delivered his final blow to the Toronto Raptors in signature style — a step-back in the midrange, a flail of the arms, the shrill whistle of a foul call.His former team knew the dangers of DeRozan’s pump fake. It didn’t matter — it rarely does.As DeRozan made his way to the line, his daughter Diar — who terrorized the Raptors throughout the game with ear-piercing shrieks during free throws — pantomimed her father’s proper shooting form.DeRozan sank only 1 of 2 free throws, but it gave the Bulls a three-point lead and they were able to withstand the final seconds of the single-elimination game — completing a stunning rally from a 19-point deficit for a 109-105 victory.Zach LaVine scored 30 of his 39 points in the second half, and DeRozan added 23 points as the Bulls became the first No. 10 seed to win a play-in game. They advanced to a Friday meeting with...

Heat to host Bulls at 7 p.m. Friday in winner-take-all game for final East playoff berth

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:54:54 GMT

The Miami Heat have their opponent for Friday’s winner-take-all NBA play-in game at the Kaseya Center, with the final remaining Eastern Conference playoff berth at stake.With the Chicago Bulls recording a 109-105 road victory Wednesday night over the Toronto Raptors, rallying from a 19-point third-quarter deficit, the Heat will host Chicago at 7 p.m. Friday for the right to earn a No. 8 playoff seed and best-of-seven opening-round matchup against the No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks.For the Heat, a playoff berth will require a breakthrough, swept 3-0 by the Bulls in the regular-season series.After finishing seventh in the East, the Heat earned two chances in the play-in round to advance to the playoffs. They squandered the first opportunity with Tuesday night’s 116-105 loss to the visiting Atlanta Hawks.Friday’s Heat-Bulls game will be solely televised on TNT, without local South Florida coverage on Bally Sports Sun.The game was moved to an earlier time than Tuesday’s 7...

Police investigate after body found near East County mall

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:54:54 GMT

EL CAJON, Calif. — Authorities on Wednesday were investigating a homicide near the Parkway Plaza mall in El Cajon, law enforcement said.Around 6:53 a.m., a pedestrian came across an unresponsive man, who didn't appear to be breathing, lying on the sidewalk in the 500 block of Fletcher Parkway, El Cajon police tweeted.When officers arrived at the scene, the man was pronounced dead, according to police.The man, who was in his early 30s, has not been identified pending family notification. Pedestrian hit, killed by train in Carlsbad Anyone with information regarding this case should contact the El Cajon Police Department at (619) 579-3311, Crime Stoppers at (888)-580-8477, or http://sdcrimestoppers.org.All westbound lanes of Fletcher Parkway were initially closed by police, but two lanes were reopened around 8:30 a.m.

Carlsbad police conduct active shooter training at high school

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:54:54 GMT

CARLSBAD, Calif. -- Carlsbad Police Department held its mandatory active shooter response training. The training took place at Sage Creek High School while the school is on spring break.The FOX 5 crew was able to walk through each step officers might take when encountering an active shooter. The department chose the school’s location because the area can apply to other shooting scenes.The training was held over eight hours, including classroom lectures, drills and scenarios that police officers and some community members, who posed as victims and witnesses, took part in.During the training, officers learned; how to pry open a door where a shooter might be; move toward the suspect; constantly talk with each other, victims or witnesses. Officers simulated going from room to room looking for victims and treating gunshot wounds.“Nobody is immune from these types of events, as difficult as it is to think that, but what we want to do is make sure our officers are as prepared as we can get...