Home

Poland’s new Prime Minister Donald Tusk is sworn in, completing the transition of power

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:11:29 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The new Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his Cabinet were sworn in by the president on Wednesday morning, in a ceremony which marked the end of eight tumultuous years of rule by a national conservative party, Law and Justice.The swearing-in ceremony of the pro-European Union government, the final step in a transition of power, took place in the presidential palace in Warsaw. Tusk was returning to the job after a nine-year spell in opposition. The change of government follows a national election on Oct. 15 which was won by a group of parties that ran on separate tickets vowing to work together under Tusk’s leadership to restore democratic norms eroded by Law and Justice and mend relations with foreign allies that were also strained.Tusk and his ministers arrived at the presidential palace in a bus in the white and red colors of Poland’s flag and the words: “We thank you, Poland!” They were greeted by cheering supporters.Tusk’s government won a vote of...

Player of the Week: Freedom-Woodbridge’s Jeff Overton Jr.

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:11:29 GMT

On a team loaded with standout players and offensive firepower, Jeffrey Overton Jr. still stands out. He stood apart during the regular season, throughout the playoffs and one more time in the Virginia 6A championship game.Overton, a junior running back and defensive back already being heavily recruited by several top college football teams, rushed 31 times for 264 yards and two touchdowns and also threw a touchdown pass to lead Freedom-Woodbridge High to a 42-34 win over Highland Springs, capping the Eagles’ second consecutive undefeated season.For his efforts, Overton was named the Military Bowl DC Touchdown Club High School Football Player of the Week.Overton, a junior running back and defensive back, rushed 31 times for 264 yards and two touchdowns and also threw a touchdown pass to lead Freedom-Woodbridge High to a 42-34 win over Highland Springs. For his efforts, Overton was named the Military Bowl DC Touchdown Club High School Football Player of the Week. (Credit Sarah Boutwe...

DC offers $500M in arena renovations as Wizards, Capitals owner prepares relocation plans, source says

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:11:29 GMT

The majority owner of the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards, Ted Leonsis, is expected to appear with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin Wednesday morning and announce plans to move the teams to Potomac Yard in Alexandria.A source familiar with the matter confirmed details of the Potomac Yard event to WTOP. It indicates that an agreement to bring the franchises to Virginia has all but reached the finish line, despite efforts from D.C. to keep the teams in the District.Wednesday’s event, first reported by the Washington Business Journal, is expected to begin at 9 a.m. in three tents that have been put up at 3405 Potomac Ave. in Alexandria.Following news of the announcement, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser released details Tuesday night of the city’s “best and final offer” to keep the Wizards and Capitals in Capital One Arena in the Chinatown section of the Penn Quarter neighborhood.The legislationunveiled by Bowser and D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson would put...

Friends and teammates at every stage, Spanish players support each other again at Cal

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:11:29 GMT

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — One is a small-town girl from Spain’s northern coast whose family once owned a world champion cow and today supplies milk for much of the country and parts of Europe. The other is a well-traveled city girl from Barcelona with the deep basketball pedigree as her mother played professionally.Marta Suárez and Claudia Langarita first became teammates and friends a decade ago as they were just starting out playing club basketball near the countryside where Suárez was raised. They later wound up playing on the same renowned high school team before going their separate ways once more. Now, thanks to the transfer portal and a little bit of good luck, they are back together again on the California basketball team and are each other’s support system as they play across the globe from family and everything familiar.“The main thing is she just made the whole transition of me coming to Cal easier. I came very shortly after my mom passed so I was a little scared how ...

Jack Black sings Golden Globe nominated ‘Super Mario Bros.’ song at Jonas Brothers concert

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:11:29 GMT

(CNN) — Jack Black surprised a Jonas Brothers audience on Saturday when he rose from beneath the stage to sing “Peaches,” the hit song from the “Super Mario Bros.” movie that earned a Golden Globe nomination on Monday.“This song goes out to my one and only true love, Princess Peach,” Black said, according to a video posted on the Jonas Brothers Instagram page.Black wore a bright green suit and rocked an orange mohawk wig in a nod to Bowser, the character he voiced in the movie.Accompanied by a pianist dressed as the “Super Mario Bros.” character Toad, Black added that his song also goes out to “my good friends the Jonas Brothers.”The multi-hyphenate belted out the song as he hopped around and rolled about the stage until he finished the ballad and introduced Jonas Brothers band members Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas back onto the stage.Outside of the joyous energy that the “School of Rock” actor brought to Brooklyn on Saturday, the performance took on a special meaning when it was announ...

Woman injured after gunfire strikes NE Miami-Dade home

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:11:29 GMT

Bullets pierced through a home in Northeast Miami-Dade, leaving a woman injured just before midnight, Wednesday. The shooting occurred on the 400 block of South Biscayne River Drive when police received reports of a drive-by shooting. Multiple people inside a car opened fire on the residence, resulting in a woman being shot in the foot.The victim was transported to Jackson North Medical Center, where she currently remains in stable condition. Residents inside the home, who were reportedly renting through Airbnb, shared that the shooting seemed random. They said they were live streaming on social media when the shots rang out.Despite ongoing investigations, no arrests have been made. If you have any information on this crime, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

December Deluge and Whipping Winds Rest of this Week

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:11:29 GMT

A very unsettled and windy rest of the week is ahead for South Florida as the cold front that crossed through early Monday morning lifted back to the north toward the area as a stalled front.This will lead to more moisture in place and therefore times of rain and thunderstorms from Wednesday through Sunday.As far as rain is concerned, storms will become more widespread as Wednesday progresses with heavy rain possible in spots. Rain chances will be up to an 80% chance along with plenty of clouds and highs only in the mid 70s.A Flood Watch is in effect through at least tomorrow for metro and coastal Miami-Dade and Broward Counties due to the risk for ponding and flooding in some areas due to the heavy rain potential.Along with the rain will be the concern from strong winds. It will be windy through this weekend, with the strongest of the winds currently forecast to take place Thursday into Thursday night and on Saturday. Gusts could be as strong as 50 mph near the coast.There is also ...

PMQs scorecard: Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak get into the Christmas spirit with festive digs

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:11:29 GMT

Prime minister’s questions: a shouty, jeery, very occasionally useful advert for British politics. Here’s what you need to know from the latest session in POLITICO’s weekly run-through.What they sparred about: It was the last PMQs before Christmas … and Keir Starmer used the moment to try to exploit Tory divisions over Rishi Sunak’s flagship Rwanda legislation.Getting into the pantomime spirit: Starmer delivered a roll call of Sunak’s divided Tory MPs — reading out various anonymous critical quotes in the media from MPs about Sunak’s competence and asking them to put up their hands if they said those words. The PM said Starmer should hear what his MPs have to say about him. Festive punning: Starmer’s aides have clearly been working on the festive references, declaring of Sunak that “they’ve found the donkey for the nativity” and asking how his invite list was looking for No. 10’s Christmas party next week. They do know it’s...

Donald Tusk sworn in as Polish PM  

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:11:29 GMT

Donald Tusk was sworn in as Poland’s new prime minister on Wednesday by President Andrzej Duda and promised that his government would obey the country’s constitution — a kick at the outgoing Law and Justice (PiS) government which had been accused of violating the constitution in its effort to bring the justice system under tighter political control.“Allegiance to the provisions of the constitution will be the trademark of this team, this new government,” Tusk said during the ceremony.The emphasis on rule of law is an effort to repair relations with Brussels, which were strained to breaking point during the eight years that PiS governed the country. The European Commission has blocked €35 billion in EU grants and loans for recovering from the coronavirus pandemic as well as €76.5 billion of regular EU development money over Poland’s backsliding on the bloc’s democratic principles. Tusk stressed that growing dismay in the country about PiS’...

Tesla recalls 2 million vehicles to limit use of Autopilot feature after nearly 1,000 crashes

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:11:29 GMT

New York (CNN) — Tesla is recalling nearly all 2 million of its cars on US roads to limit the use of its Autopilot feature after a review of nearly 1,000 crashes in which the feature was engaged.The recall was disclosed in a letter to Tesla posted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which said that Telsa had agreed to an over-the-air software update starting on Tuesday that will limit the use of the Autosteer feature if a driver repeatedly fails to demonstrate he or she is ready to resume control of the car while the feature is on.Tesla has been pushing its driver-assist features, including Autopilot and what it calls “Full Self Driving,” which Tesla has insisted make driving safer than cars operated exclusively by humans. But NHTSA has been studying reports of accidents involving Autopilot and its Autosteer function for more than two years.The recall comes two days after a detailed investigation was published by the Washington Post that f...