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Argentina elects far-right, chainsaw-wielding Javier Milei as president

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:17 GMT

Argentinians elected Javier Milei, a rightwing libertarian former TV pundit who has vowed to radically reform the country, as their new president Sunday.Milei secured around 56 percent of the vote in the runoff election, with more than 99 percent of ballots counted. His rival, Economy Minister Sergio Massa, conceded the election late Sunday, saying: “Obviously the results are not what we expected. I have contacted Javier Milei to congratulate him.”Argentina’s sharp swing to the right comes amid an economic crisis, with inflation soaring past 140 percent in October and two-fifths of the country living in poverty.A self-described anarcho-capitalist, Milei — who has never held public office before — campaigned on making radical changes to the country’s economy and government, including ditching the Argentine peso in favor of the U.S. dollar, getting rid of the central bank, shuttering government ministries and gutting public spending.Milei waved a chainsaw above his head at...

Detroit Lions crush Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields’ comeback dance party

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:17 GMT

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields danced at the Ford Field 30-yard line in the middle of a fourth-quarter drive against the Detroit Lions, shaking his hips and moving his arm in an adrenaline-fueled moment of joy.That’s how good he was feeling over the first 56 minutes Sunday during his comeback from a four-game injury absence.Fields had just run for a 29-yard gain on third-and-14, part of his 104-yard rushing day against the Lions. He led a touchdown drive on the Bears’ opening possession and threw an impressive 39-yard touchdown strike to DJ Moore in the third quarter on his way to throwing for 169 yards. That 29-yard run, his longest of the day, helped set up a Cairo Santos field goal that gave the Bears a 12-point lead.“I was just feeling it,” Fields said. “I have no idea (what the dance was). Just first thing that popped in my mind.”Then, in a matter of minutes, the Lions canceled the dance party.Instead, what will be remembered most ab...

Wind advisory issued for parts of San Diego County as Santa Ana winds return

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:17 GMT

SAN DIEGO — A wind advisory has been issued for parts of San Diego County as moderate to strong Santa Ana winds are expected to set in Sunday night, according to the National Weather Service.Northeast winds are anticipated to reach their peak on Monday before dying down slightly on Tuesday. The wind advisory will remain in place through Tuesday at 2 p.m., with the winds mostly subsiding by Wednesday.Communities in the inland foothills — like Escondido, El Cajon, San Marcos, La Mesa, Santee and Poway — and San Diego County mountain areas are likely to see the strongest winds during this time. A look San Diego County’s 48-hour rainfall totals following a ‘tropical moisture plum’ In the low-lying areas, wind speeds could reach up to 15 to 25 miles per hour with individual gusts of about 50 miles per hour, NWS says. Meanwhile, mountain communities could see winds around 25 to 35 miles per hour with individual gusts of about 55 miles per hour.Peak wind gusts on Monday, Nov. 18, 2023. (...

Taiwan presidential frontrunner picks former de-facto ambassador to U.S. as vice president candidate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:17 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The frontrunner in Taiwan’s presidential race has picked the long-term de-facto ambassador to the United States as his vice presidential candidate. Vice President William Lai announced Monday on his Facebook page the nomination of Hsiao Bi-ki — who was born in Japan to a Taiwanese father and an American mother — as his running mate in January’s elections. This move would likely bolster support among backers of his ruling Democratic Progressive Party which has long defied Beijing’s demands to concede to rule under the authoritarian Communist Party. Lai and Hsiao face a divided opposition, led by the Nationalist Party, also known as the Kuomintang or KMT, that has sought to draw independent candidates to their ticket. Polls show Lai is ahead, but China is believed to be seeking to influence business groups and media. Lai currently serves as vice president to President Tsai Ing-wen, who is restricted from running for a third four-year term. In his Facebook post, T...

The lion, the wig and the warrior. Who is Javier Milei, Argentina’s president-elect?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:17 GMT

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — His legions of fans call him “the crazy” and “the wig” due to his ferocity and unruly mop of hair, while he refers to himself as “the lion.” He thinks sex education is a Marxist plot to destroy the family, views his cloned mastiffs as his “children with four paws” and has raised the possibility people should be allowed to sell their own vital organs.He is Javier Milei, Argentina’s next president.A few years ago, Milei was a television talking head that bookers loved because his screeds against government spending and the ruling political class boosted ratings. At the time, and up until mere months ago, hardly any political expert believed he had a real shot at becoming president of South America’s second-largest economy.But Milei, a 53-year-old economist, has rocked Argentina’s political establishment and inserted himself into what has long been effectively a two-party system by amassing a groundswell of support with his prescriptions of drastic measur...

India and Australia set to hold talks to boost defense and strategic ties

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:17 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — India and Australia are set to hold talks focused on bolstering their strategic, defense and security ties on Monday in New Delhi. Australia’s foreign minister Penny Wong and defense minister Richard Marles arrived to meet with their counterparts for the second India-Australia 2+2 Dialogue, where they’re expected to discuss regional and global issues, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of External Affairs. “Both sides will also exchange views on shared priorities for strengthening minilateral and multilateral cooperation,” the statement said. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will hold a bilateral meeting with Marles, who is also the deputy prime minister. India’s Minister of External Affairs Subhramanyam Jaishankar will take stock of ties between the two countries with his counterpart Wong on Tuesday, according to the statement.The talks come a few weeks after India hosted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of...

Shakira to appear in Barcelona court on the first day of her tax fraud trial in Spain

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:17 GMT

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Global pop star Shakira has been summoned Monday to a Barcelona courthouse to attend the first day of her trial for allegedly defrauding Spanish tax officials of millions of euros.Shakira, 46, faces six counts of failing to pay the Spanish government 14.5 million euros (about $15.8 million) in taxes between 2012 and 2014. The multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy winner has denied any wrongdoing and said she had paid everything she owed.The case made headlines in 2018. It currently hinges on where Shakira lived during that period. Prosecutors in Barcelona have alleged that the Colombian singer spent more than half of that period in Spain and therefore should have paid taxes on her worldwide income in the country even though her official residence was still in the Bahamas. Tax rates are much lower in the Bahamas than in Spain.Prosecutors said in July that they would seek a prison sentence of 8 years and two months and a fine of 24 million euros ($26.1 million) for ...

Verdicts are expected in Italy’s maxi-trial involving the ‘ndrangheta crime syndicate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:17 GMT

ROME (AP) — Verdicts are expected Monday in the trial of hundreds of people accused of membership in Italy’s ’ndrangheta organized crime syndicate, one of the world’s most powerful, extensive and wealthy drug-trafficking groups. The trial started almost three years ago in the southern Calabria region, where the mob organization was originally based. The ’ndrangheta quietly amassed power in Italy and abroad as the Sicilian Mafia lost influence.The syndicate now holds almost a monopoly on cocaine importation in Europe, according to anti-mafia prosecutors who led the investigation in southern Italy. The organization also has bases in North and South America and is active in Africa, Italian prosecutors maintain, and ’ndrangheta figures have been arrested in recent years around Europe and in Brazil and Lebanon. The trial took place in a specially constructed high-security bunker. Part of an industrial park in Lamezia Terme, the bunker is so vast that video screens were anchored to the ce...

Blocked from a horizontal route, rescuers will dig vertically to reach 41 trapped in India tunnel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:17 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Rescuers blocked from reaching 41 trapped construction workers shifted Monday to an attempt to dig toward them vertically after the nine-day effort in mountainous northern India has been stymied by debris and technical glitches.The trapped workers are healthy and receiving food like nuts, roasted chickpeas and popcorn though a pipe, Deepa Gaur, a government spokesperson, said. Oxygen was being supplied to them through a separate pipe, she said. The rescuers are creating an access road to the top of the hill from where the vertical drilling is to start Monday evening, said Devendra Patwal, a disaster management official overseeing the rescue efforts at the site in Uttarakhand state.From the vertical direction, drilling to the tunnel will take a few days and debris could fall during the digging, Patwal said.The workers have been trapped since Nov. 12, when a landslide caused a portion of the 4.5-kilometer (2.8-mile) tunnel they were building to collapse about 200 mete...

Rains are expected in Chicago late Monday but we dry out again mid-morning on Tuesday. More sun for Thanksgiving Day

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:17 GMT

Rains are expected in Chicago late Monday but we dry out again mid-morning on Tuesday with clearing skies by the afternoon. More sun for Wed/Thu with temps on the chilly side in the mid to low 40s for the busy travel day on Wednesday and on Thanksgiving Day.More clouds to finish out the week with a weather system moving in late Friday into Saturday could have some precipitation. At this point the rain/snow line at this point looks to be to the north of Chicagoland—but that could change over the next week—so stay tuned.WGN Weekly Climate Report: This weekend finishes off a string of days that were much warmer than normalOnly one day so far this month (the first) was well below normal. November is our fastest cooling month-- but you wouldn't know if from the last 7 days. Not only did we have four days in a row in the 60s earlier this week— we also had four days of 100% possible sunshine—the first time that's happened in November in 22 years. With the sun and warmth-- it's hard to real...