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Champions League final referee gets Polish support as UEFA considers dropping him for far-right ties

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:13:48 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — Champions League final referee Szymon Marciniak got the support of Poland’s government on Friday as UEFA considered removing him from the match because he spoke at a business event run by a far-right politician.Polish media reported that Marciniak, who was the referee for the World Cup final in December, had been dropped from officiating the match between Manchester City and Inter Milan on June 10 in Istanbul but efforts were being made to restore him.UEFA said it would announce a decision Friday after “reviewing all the evidence” of an accusation it said it took “very seriously.”Marciniak wrote on his Instagram account late Thursday that he “never supported nor legitimized any political party, organization or individual politician.”He was defended Friday by Polish sports minister Kamil Bortniczuk, who wrote in a letter to UEFA circulated by national media that the referee’s speech at an event this week had “nothing to do with politics.”It was a “harmful ma...

Denver weather: More showers and storms Friday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:13:48 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Extra clouds keep temperatures below average along the Front Range on Friday with afternoon showers and storms in the Denver weather forecast.Weather today: Another day of afternoon showers Rain showers are back in the forecast for Friday afternoon with partly cloudy skies through the first half of the day. Nuggets roll past Heat in Game 1 of NBA Finals High temperatures will be below average today, only reaching the lower 70s. Storms can be stronger along the far eastern side of the plains. Pinpoint Weather: Daily forecast on June 2. Weather tonight: Extra cloudsClouds stick around Friday night as showers may linger over the Eastern Plains. Overnight lows will dip into the low 50s with a light wind.Pinpoint Weather: Overnight forecast on June 2. Looking ahead: Cooler weekend with rainClouds stick around into Saturday morning with scattered showers through most of the day. Temperatures will be below average in the upper 60s with a light wind. Biden falls on sta...

City: Opa-locka Police Chief and former BSO Sheriff Scott Israel to announce resignation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:13:48 GMT

Opa-locka Police Chief and former Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel will announce his resignation from the law enforcement agency, city officials said.According to a release from the city, Israel will confirm he is resigning at a news conference scheduled for Friday morning at the city’s municipal complex. Israel’s resignation comes just over a year after he was named Opa-locka’s chief of police.“It is a true honor,” he said at a news conference back in 2022. “The Bible tells us, ‘With authority comes responsibility.’ I look so forward to the opportunity to become one team with the citizens of Opa-locka.”Opa-locka city manager Darvin Williams stated at that same news conference, “I think he wants to, from what he shared with me, prove himself as to what he’s capable of doing, prove his record. Let that be a capstone for his career.”Israel was removed from leading the Broward Sheriff’s Office following the resp...

Bonita Springs resident captures heartwarming sight of manatee swimming with newborn calf

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:13:48 GMT

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. (WSVN) – In a heartwarming encounter, a local resident was treated to a delightful surprise when he stumbled upon a manatee swimming with its adorable newborn calf. The pair was spotted in a canal, where they are currently seeking refuge before venturing out in search of nourishment.At present, the calf is solely dependent on its mother’s milk, and the pair will need to eventually leave the canal to find food. However, for now, the little one is nursing while its mother is diligently foraging amidst the mangroves for sustenance.According to experts, manatees typically give birth to a single calf every two to five years, making each newborn a cherished addition to the population. These gentle marine mammals exhibit strong maternal bonds, with calves staying by their mother’s side for up to two years.The sighting of this manatee and its calf serves as a reminder of the delicate balance between human activity and the preservation of these magnific...

Kosovo PM open to redoing elections after violent protests

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:13:48 GMT

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti is open to organizing new municipal elections in northern Kosovo, a spokesperson said, after violent protests caused tensions to spike between Kosovo and Serbia.Kurti made the suggestion as officials in Europe and the U.S. mount pressure on Kosovo to re-run the contests, which ethnic Albanians won after the Kosovo Serb population boycotted the polls.Late Thursday, Kurti tweeted that Serbia must help reduce tensions in order to secure new elections, calling for “an immediate end to violence by Belgrade-sponsored mobs against security officers until new elections in those municipalities.”The remark, a government spokesperson told POLITICO, was meant to show “an openness to new elections.”Kosovo — which declared its independence in 2008 but is not recognized by Belgrade — and Serbia have long been at odds over the rights of ethnic Serbs living in northern Kosovo. Those tensions have resurfaced in recent days after Pristina ...

Time to ban TikTok, EU lawmakers tell governments

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:13:48 GMT

The European Parliament is calling on the bloc’s national governments to ban the use of TikTok for government staff.Members of the Parliament on Thursday passed a report aimed at stopping foreign governments from meddling in the Continent’s politics through disinformation, cyberattacks, and the disruption of critical infrastructure.As part of its recommendations, lawmakers urged all national governments to fall in line with restrictions the European Union, a number of capitals and Western countries outside of Europe already imposed on the use of Chinese-owned social media application TikTok. The video-sharing app loved by teenagers around the world is facing allegations from Western security services of facilitating espionage, failing to protect personal data, and even corrupting young minds. The report is part of work in the European Parliament’s Special Committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the European Union, including D...

Column: Will it be a June swoon or June gloom for White Sox and Cubs?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:13:48 GMT

June traditionally has been associated with swooning in baseball.But since both Chicago baseball teams pre-swooned in April and May, the main task for the Cubs and White Sox over the next 30 days will be avoiding the dreaded June gloom — total apathy from their respective fan bases.In a city like Chicago that treats every summer day like a party, it’s relatively easy to ignore bad baseball while waiting on the return of the Bears. There are many other entertainment options, along with my preferred summer pastime of doing nothing.We already can see it happening on the South Side.The Sox enter the weekend series against the Detroit Tigers ranked 23rd in average attendance at 18,610, a 25% drop-off from last year’s 24,704. Only opening day and a few popular giveaways at Guaranteed Rate Field have prevented an even larger decrease.It partly can be traced to a lack of season ticket renewals after the 2022 debacle and failure by management to address some offseason needs...

Why under-the-radar, over-the-top Kyle Hendricks ranks among the elite pitchers in Chicago Cubs history

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:13:48 GMT

Two pitchers wear Chicago Cubs logos on the caps of their Hall of Fame plaques. Two more Hall of Famers spent more of their careers with the Cubs than other teams.One Cubs pitcher has a statue at Wrigley Field.Five won Cy Young awards. More than 30 were All-Stars as Cubs.But one who can’t be found on any of those lists has accomplished things none of those others have, the things that might put Kyle Hendricks on a list of Cubs pitchers so elite for their significance in franchise history that they can be counted on one hand — at least one not belonging to “Three Finger” Brown.“He’s in the top 10 — oh, for sure,” said Fergie Jenkins, the greatest pitcher in franchise history, who is alone as a member of all those lists above.That’s what makes Hendricks’ nearly yearlong comeback from a capsular tear in his throwing shoulder especially intriguing and worth watching over these next four months, not only for what it might mean f...

Chicago Bears Q&A: Has the time come to add an edge rusher? What young players are standing out at OTAs?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:13:48 GMT

The Chicago Bears are finishing their second week of organized team activities at Halas Hall. Despite their offseason additions, they still have some roster deficiencies. Brad Biggs addresses concerns in his weekly mailbag.It’s June 1. Do you think the Bears will be active this week or next for edge help? — @just_acyJust because the Bears have not added a defensive end with a track record does not mean general manager Ryan Poles and his staff have not been working on this initiative. I expect the team to add a veteran edge defender at some point.“We’re interested in a lot of free agents,” coach Matt Eberflus said Wednesday when asked if he would like to get some help at the position. “We’re interested in a lot of guys at all positions. We’re just excited about being able to look at those guys and potentially add as we go through camp and getting closer to the season.”Does this mean something will happen this week or next? Maybe. ...

Spanish Catholic bishops find evidence of 728 sexual abusers, 927 victims since 1945

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:13:48 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s Catholic bishops’ conference says it has found evidence of 728 sexual abusers within the church since 1945, through the testimony of 927 victims, in its first public report on the issue.The church said 83% of the victims and 99% of the abusers were male and that more than 60% of the offenders were dead. In a report presented Thursday, more than 50% of offenders were said to be priests. The rest were other church officials.The church said that most cases occurred in the last century, 75% of them before 1990.The conference said the collection of testimonies was continuing and the figure would be updated periodically. The data was collected in some 200 offices for the protection of minors, set up by the church around Spain in 2019.Leading daily El País, which has been reporting constantly on cases in Spain and abroad, said Friday the real figures of abuses within the church were likely to be much higher, as the church report only referred to cases recorded since 2...