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‘This Barbie is the president,’ says Kosovo’s Vjosa Osmani

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:29:30 GMT

President Barbie might be the real deal after all.Sporting a bright pink blazer on Wednesday, Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani had a message to close out a press conference for journalists.“This Barbie is the president,” she said, gesturing at herself as the room erupted in applause.Osmani — who was elected as Kosovo’s second female president in 2021 — has been an advocate for gender equality in the small Balkan country, speaking out against violence against women and presiding over the most gender-equal Cabinet in Kosovo’s history.“In education, sports, culture, business, science or politics, women have demonstrated that they are capable of reaching the heights of success … To all the women and girls of the republic, today and every day: Never stop dreaming, but most importantly, never stop believing,” Osmani said in a statement on International Women’s Day this year.Barbie, the summer 2023 Hollywood blockbuster, has another surprising link to Pristina....

Boebert announces she will switch congressional districts for 2024 election

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:29:30 GMT

(CNN) — Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert announced Wednesday that she will run in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District in 2024 as Republicans look to keep their narrow House majority.Among the most conservative members of the chamber, Boebert had been expected to face a tough reelection bid in Colorado’s 3rd District in the Western part of the state.“It’s the right move for me personally, and it’s the right decision for those who support our conservative movement,” she said in her announcement video. “Colorado’s 4th District is hungry for an unapologetic defender of freedom with a proven track record of standing strong for conservative principles.”The eastern Colorado district is currently represented by Republican Rep. Ken Buck, who announced last month that he will not seek reelection.Boebert said she did not “arrive at this decision easily” and said she was driven by “Hollywood elites and progressive money groups,” whom she accused of “buying” the 3rd District seat....

Florida teen charged with murder of his sister during a family fight over Christmas gifts, authorities say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:29:30 GMT

(CNN) — A 14-year-old has been charged with murder after being accused of fatally shooting his older sister on Christmas Eve during a family dispute over gifts, Tampa Bay area authorities say.His 15-year-old brother has also been charged with attempted murder after he allegedly shot the younger brother in retaliation for the shooting of their sister, Abrielle Baldwin, 23, the Sheriff’s office of Pinellas County, Florida, announced.The dispute began when the siblings, along with their mother and Baldwin’s two children, were shopping for presents on Christmas Eve and began arguing because the 15-year-old felt his brother was getting more gifts, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said during a press conference Tuesday.“They had this family spat about who was getting what and what money was being spent on who and they’re having this big thing going on in the store and they are all arguing with each other,” Gualtieri said.The family left the store and went to the grandmo...

Haley called out by voter for not mentioning slavery when asked about the Civil War

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:29:30 GMT

Berlin, New Hampshire (CNN) — Nikki Haley was confronted on Wednesday by a voter in New Hampshire who called her out for not mentioning slavery in her response to his question about the cause of the Civil War.Haley — who, as governor of South Carolina, ultimately called for the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the statehouse grounds — told the crowd that the war was about government interfering in people’s freedoms.“I mean, I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how government was going to run. The freedoms and what people could and couldn’t do,” Haley said in a visit to Berlin — the first of five events in the Granite State as she attempts to close the gap with Republican front-runner Donald Trump ahead of next month’s primary.The former UN ambassador then asked the voter what he thought the cause of the Civil War was, to which the voter responded, “I’m not running for president.”“I think it always comes down to the role of government and what the rights o...

US airlines deliver holiday improvement over the rough end to 2022, figures show

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:29:30 GMT

(CNN) — What a difference one year can make – as many people who traveled by air during the now-notorious last week of 2022 could tell you. But at the tail end of 2023, you’d mostly hear tales of improvement.As the days between Christmas and New Year’s tick off, airlines are continuing their streak of few flight cancelations after last year’s disastrous holiday travel meltdown.Figures from FlightAware show that US carriers have canceled less than 1% of all flights over the past week. Airlines scheduled more than 162,000 flights from December 20 to 26 and canceled just 1,100 of them.The FAA has warned that ground stops could go into place Wednesday for flights departing for major East coast airports in Philadelphia, Boston, New York and Washington as pilots and air traffic controllers battle low cloud ceilings and reduced visibility. But as of 3 p.m. ET, those ground stops have yet to materialize. Airlines have canceled only 129 flights in the United States and delayed anot...

True or false: The Chicago Bears have a ton to build on as the year ends — including an impressive Soldier Field winning streak

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:29:30 GMT

With two games left in their season, the Chicago Bears are attempting to finish strong. Last weekend’s 27-16 defeat of the Arizona Cardinals was the Bears’ fourth win in the past six games. And their two losses in that span came in games in which they held a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.Tthe Bears are playing a much better brand of football than they did in 2022 — not to mention the first four weeks of this season. But there’s still a lot to sift through and interpret as the powers that be at Halas Hall work to put the team on a championship course.The Atlanta Falcons will visit Sunday for the home finale at Soldier Field. A Week 18 trip to Lambeau Field awaits behind that. In the home stretch of the regular season, Tribune writers Dan Wiederer and Colleen Kane look into four notable topics through a “true or false” lens.True or false? The Bears’ home-winning streak has flown under the radar.Wiederer: True. I have to admit that wh...

Highlights from the opening day of the 27th annual BABC Slades Holiday Classic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:29:30 GMT

Made the trek to Archbishop Williams for the opening day of the 27th annual BABC Slades Holiday Classic. Always a thrill to sit next to BABC founder Leo Papile and his trusty sidekick Cotton. Many thanks to Archbishop Williams athletic director Sean McDonagh and Sully Coady for their tireless work in ensuring the event went off without a hitch.Host team Archbishop Williams opened the festivities against Western Mass. power Springfield Central. Thanks to the brilliant all-around play of guard Tristan Rodriquez (35 points), the Bishops were able to hang tough for a half (35-35), before the Golden Eagles’ superiority took over in the second half.Zavion Monroe scored 22 points, while Rakesh Reid added a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds as Springfield Central rolled to a 77-56 victory.Worcester North (4-0) sent a loud message that it has no intentions of relinquishing its Division 1 state title any time soon. The Polar Bears turned in an impressive display on both sides...

Americans sour on primary election process and major political parties, poll says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:29:30 GMT

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI and LINLEY SANDERS (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — With the GOP presidential primaries just about to start, many Republicans aren’t certain that votes will be counted correctly in their contest, as pessimism spreads about the future of both the Democratic and Republican parties, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.About one-third of Republicans say they have a “great deal” or “quite a bit” of confidence that votes in the Republican primary elections and caucuses will be counted correctly. About three in 10 Republicans report a “moderate” amount of confidence, and 32% say they have “only a little” or “none at all.” In contrast, 72% of Democrats have high confidence their party will count votes accurately in its primary contests. Democrats are also slightly more likely than Republicans to have a high level of confidence in the Republican Party’s vote count being accurate.Republicans continue to be broadly d...

Callahan: The overlooked, underrated Patriot tying Bill Belichick’s secondary together

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:29:30 GMT

FOXBORO — Only 38 players across the NFL this season have recorded at least one sack, an interception, a forced fumble and 50 tackles.Hazard a couple guesses, and you should correctly land on a few familiar names: Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt, Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Willams and 49ers linebacker Fred Warner.But would you believe three of those 38 are Patriots? And would you believe one is a popular fan piñata, whose name regularly gets dragged through internet mud and toxic talk radio sludge?Yes, in addition to Jabrill Peppers and Jahlani Tavai, two late-blooming veterans enjoying career years, we have … Myles Bryant.Bryant’s membership in that group might shock you. But his teammates? Not at all, they claim.“I’m not surprised,” Tavai said.“Of course he’s in there,” added cornerback Jonathan Jones.Outside of Foxboro, Bryant is often associated with defensive lowlights. Two years ago, Bills slot receiver Isaiah McKenize repeated...

Iran holds funeral for a general who was killed by an alleged Israeli airstrike in Syria

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:29:30 GMT

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran held a funeral Thursday for a high-ranking general of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard who was killed by an alleged Israeli airstrike in Syria.Hundreds of mourners accompanied the flag-draped casket of Gen. Razi Mousavi from a central square of Tehran to a shrine in the north of the city where he was buried.The head of the Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami, praised Mousavi and vowed his death would be avenged.“We will never keep silent in the face of martyrdom of the sons of this nation,” Salami said. “Our revenge will be tough as always, but a revenge that could compensate for the martyrdom of Seyed Razi is nothing but the removal of Israel from the face of existence.”Iran does not recognize Israel and occasionally calls for destruction of the Jewish state. Salami described Mousavi as a close companion of Gen. Qassim Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, who was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Iraq in January 2020. He said Iran also woul...