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German lawmakers approve a plan to attract skilled workers to plug the country’s labor gap

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:21 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s parliament on Friday approved plans to attract more skilled workers to Europe’s biggest economy and help address labor shortages in a growing number of professions.Lawmakers voted 388-234 in favor of the legislation, with 31 abstentions. It foresees a “points system” taking into account professional experience and other factors, along the lines of systems already used by countries such as Canada. It will ease entry rules for information technology specialists who lack university degrees but have other qualifications. Asylum seekers who arrived before March 29 and have both qualifications and a job offer can get a residence permit as a professional if they withdraw their asylum applications — eliminating the need to leave the country and apply anew for a work permit. Highly skilled workers will be allowed to bring more relatives to Germany, so long as they can support them financially. Germany has grappled for years with the need to attract more sk...

Danish prosecutors approve the extradition of a man suspected in a 1995 arms smuggling case in India

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:21 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark’s top prosecuting authority said Friday that it has approved the extradition to India of a Danish national accused of involvement in an arms smuggling case 28 years ago, but that a court of law must make the final decision.Niels Holck has admitted taking part in dropping assault rifles, rocket launchers and missiles from a cargo plane in eastern India in 1995. Indian police said they were meant for an Indian revolutionary group.While a Briton and a five Latvians were arrested by Indian authorities, Holck — previously known as Niels Christian Nielsen — escaped.Prosecutor Henriette Rosenborg Larsen said that Denmark has looked into a 2016 Indian extradition request and that “it is our assessment that the requirements in the extradition act have been met.”It is now up to a district court to decide whether he should be extradited, and any such ruling can be appealed to a higher court, she added.If Holck is extradited and convicted in India, he wi...

In its push for more Black players, MLB hopes results are on the horizon from grassroots efforts

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:21 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Zion Rose is well aware that the percentage of Black players in Major League Baseball has been on the decline for decades.But the 18-year-old catcher from Chicago, still sweaty from a workout during MLB’s Draft Combine this week at Chase Field in Phoenix, said he’s got some news: That’s not going to be the case for long.“You’ll see,” he said. “We’re starting to come through.”Rose was one of more than 300 players of all backgrounds in Phoenix this week to take part in the combine, which featured workouts, interviews and games in an effort to showcase some of the game’s best amateur talent at the high school and college levels before July’s draft. MLB said that approximately 15% of the players in the showcase were Black.The hope is that the next Aaron Judge, Mookie Betts or Andrew McCutchen will be in that bunch. Possibly several.A recent study from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at Central Florida found Black p...

Olympic skaters still missing medals 500 days later

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:21 GMT

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — U.S. ice dancers Evan Bates and Madison Chock remember the empty feeling as they trod back to their rooms in Beijing, not long after being told that the ceremony to present their Olympic medals had been called off.Before going to sleep, one final blow: On their beds sat empty black-and-gold boxes, with notes inside signed from IOC President Thomas Bach. “An Olympic medal is forever,” the note began. The boxes were supposed to be the perfect spot for the skaters to place the medals they never received. Five-hundred days later, the medals remain somewhere in storage because of yet another sordid and as-yet-unresolved doping case to come out of Russia. The nine empty boxes, one belonging to each U.S. skater who finished second in the Olympic team event, are now sitting under glass as part of an exhibit at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum that opened Thursday to commemorate the 500 days since the medals ceremony in Beijing was abruptly canceled. “As ...

Why are the Texas Rangers the only MLB team without a Pride Night?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:21 GMT

All but one of the 30 of the Major League Baseball teams are hosting Pride Nights this season, most during Pride Month, which celebrates and supports LGBTQ+ culture and rights. The Texas Rangers are the only team without a Pride Night. They say they are committed to making everyone feel welcome at all games. HAVE THE RANGERS EVER HOSTED A PRIDE NIGHT?No. In September 2003, two years after the Chicago Cubs hosted what is considered the first Pride game, the Rangers invited local LGBTQ+ groups to a game as part of a fundraising event, similar to what they do for all kinds of groups throughout each season. There were some Rangers fans who expressed opposition through a website beforehand and, while not widespread, there were some protests outside the stadium before that game. WHAT DO THE RANGERS SAY ABOUT NOT HOSTING A PRIDE NIGHT?The team has been consistent with its response when asked: “Our commitment is to make everyone feel welcome and included in Rangers baseball. That means in o...

Centre Block on pace to reopen in 2032, include new public area under Parliament Hill

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:21 GMT

OTTAWA — A massive overhaul of Centre Block on Parliament Hill is expected to be completed by 2031 and open to the public by 2032. Rob Wright, an assistant deputy minister at Public Services and Procurement Canada, says structural strengthening and heritage restoration is currently underway. A new three-level welcome centre is being built underneath the building and around the core of the Peace Tower. Wright says crews are digging 23 metres deep to clear space for the 32,000-square-metre centre.The new public entrance will be designed with two accessible pathways leading from the eternal flame and courtyard in front of Centre Block to the welcome centre’s main floor, its security checkpoints and elevators.The lowest level of the centre is expected to feature museum-esque exhibits, a multimedia theatre and on-site classrooms to educate visitors about Parliament. Wright told reporters during a tour of the ongoing renovations on Thursday that getting parliamentarians themselves i...

Friday Forecast: Mostly sunny, mid to high 80s

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:21 GMT

Friday: Mostly sunny, cooler lakeside, NE 5-10 mph G20. High: 86, low: 77Friday Night: Mostly clear, calm, NE 0-5. Low: 64Saturday: Mostly sunny, 20% thunderstorms late day, ESE 10-15. High: 91, Low: 83Chicago Weather | Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center's Forecast (wgntv.com)

Tropical Storm Cindy forms in the Atlantic

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:21 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) - Tropical Storm Cindy formed Thursday night, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm is moving west-northwest at 15 mph. It is forecast to remain well northeast of the northern Leeward Islands through next week.The storm's winds have increased to 45 mph and it is expected to strengthen over the next few days."It is rare to have one storm in the Atlantic during the month of June, but since record keeping began, it has never been recorded to have two tropical cyclones in this region in June," WFLA Meteorologist Amanda Holly said. "The good news is that neither seem to be a threat to the United States."Tropical Storm BretTropical Storm Bret strengthened overnight but remains a tropical storm, according to the National Hurricane Center. Bret has maximum sustained winds of 60 mph and is moving west at 18 mph. It's expected to impact the Lesser Antilles on Thursday as a strong tropical storm. A hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning are in effect fo...

FDA warns stores to stop selling the top disposable e-cigarette

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:21 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday said it has sent warning letters to dozens of retailers selling fruit- and candy-flavored disposable e-cigarettes, including the current best-selling brand, Elf Bar.It’s the latest attempt by regulators to crack down on illegal disposable vapes that have poured into U.S. stores in recent years.Last month, the FDA issued orders allowing customs officials to seize shipments of Elf Bar, Esco Bar and two other brands at U.S. ports. None of the products have received FDA authorization and they come in flavors like cotton candy, which regulators say can appeal to teenagers.In the latest action, the FDA said it issued warnings to 189 convenience stores, vape shops and other retailers. CDC: E-cigarette sales spiked nearly 50 percent between 2020 and 2022 “We’re not going to stand by as bad actors are profiting off the sale of illegal products that are addicting our nation’s youth,” Brian King, the FDA’s tobacco cente...

Biden to sign executive order to expand birth control access

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:21 GMT

(The Hill) - President Biden will sign an executive order Friday aimed at increasing access to contraception and family planning.The order is part of the administration's efforts to promote reproductive health care and comes one day ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.It will also be the administration's only policy response to mark the anniversary. While the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization dealt with the constitutional right to an abortion, Justice Clarence Thomas in a concurring opinion said the high court should also reconsider whether there is a constitutional right to birth control. "Access to contraception has become even more important in the wake of Dobbs and the ensuing crisis in women’s access to health care," Jennifer Klein, director of the White House Gender Policy Council told reporters.The order directs the secretaries of the Treasury and Labor Departments, as well as Health and Hu...