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Man accused of terrorism over fire at South African Parliament says he ‘burned it intentionally’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:32 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A man facing terrorism charges over a fire that badly damaged South Africa’s Parliament building last year said in a courtroom outburst on Thursday that he “burned it intentionally.”Shouting and pointing his finger, Zandile Mafe said he was going to “burn it more” if the Parliament was not moved from Cape Town to either the city of Bloemfontein or Pretoria.The huge blaze badly damaged the historic Parliament complex in January last year as it ripped through various buildings, including the main chamber where lawmakers sit. It hasn’t been fully repaired, with estimates saying it will cost around $120 million and take at least three years.Mafe was arrested in the Parliament precinct soon after the fire started. He was charged with breaking and entering, arson and terrorism, but his case has been held up after a judge ordered him to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine if he is fit to stand trial.The judge overseeing Thursday’s ...

UK government offers millions of public sector workers pay raises in push to end strikes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:32 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The British government offered millions of public sector workers pay raises Thursday in a bid to end an array of strikes, including a five-day walkout from doctors in Britain’s publicly funded health service.Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed that the government was accepting the recommendations from pay review bodies, which will see a 7% rise for police, 6.5% for teachers and 6% for the striking junior doctors, who are at the early stages of their careers in the National Health Service.Sunak said the offers, which are not being funded by extra borrowing, are “final” and that there would be no more pay discussions.“We will not negotiate again on this year’s settlements and no amount of strikes will change our decision,” he said. The prime minister said the leaders of the teaching unions have agreed to recommend that instructors stop their strike. The question is how other unions will respond to what is in effect an ultimatum.Junior doctors on the frontline of Thursda...

Thailand’s Move Forward Party leader Pita falls short in parliamentary vote for prime minister

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:32 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — The head of the progressive Thai political party that outpaced its rivals to a surprise first-place finish in May’s general election failed Thursday in his initial bid to have Parliament name him the country’s new prime minister.The vote of a joint session of the 500-seat House of Representatives and 250-seat Senate saw Pita Limjaroenrat win 324 votes in the first round of balloting, short of the majority of 376 needed to become prime minister. His Move Forward Party finished first in the May 14 election and afterward assembled an eight-party coalition that together had won 312 seats, a healthy majority in the lower house.But strong opposition in the Senate, whose members are overwhelmingly conservative and generally opposed to the reformist platform of Pita’s party, seemingly doomed his chances in the first vote. Only 13 senators supported Pita’s bid, while 34 voted against him and 159 abstained.Pita told reporters afterwards that he “accepted” the vote but was...

Germany presents long-awaited strategy on China, stresses economic security

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:32 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — The German government on Thursday presented a long-awaited strategy for relations with China that points to a “systemic rivalry” with the Asian power and a need to reduce risks of economic dependency, but highlights Berlin’s desire to work with Beijing on challenges such as climate change and maintain trade ties.The 64-page document approved by Chancellor OIaf Scholz’s Cabinet builds on Germany’s first national security strategy, issued a month ago. Scholz’s three-party coalition had pledged when it took office in late 2021 to draw up a “comprehensive China strategy.”Germany has Europe’s biggest economy and is the 27-nation European Union’s most populous member. Its strategy is a balancing act; it is keen to maintain good ties with China, its biggest single trading partner in recent years, despite wariness over Beijing’s growing assertiveness and refusal to criticize the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock...

Severe weather leaves damage around Chicago area

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:32 GMT

The National Weather Service in Chicago has issued a Tornado Watch is in effect for La Porte County, Indiana until 2 a.m. Thursday. According to ComEd, there are about 108 active power outages in Northern Illinois as of 10:20 p.m. on Wednesday. Click here to see the power outages map.Latest warnings and watches from the National Weather Service.Severe weather rolled through Northern Illinois for a few hours Wednesday.According to the National Weather Service, Tornado Warnings were issued for most of Northern Illinois, including Cook County, and Northwest Indiana on Wednesday. Also, Tornado Watches and Flood Advisories were also issued Wednesday evening.Chicago Area Storm DamageIn Streamwood in Cook County, the front and side of the Portillo's Restaurant on the 950 block of Barrington Road in the Westview Shopping Center was damaged during Wednesday's severe weather.About 20 to 30 homes at Edgewater by Del Webb, a retirement facility in Elgin, were damaged due to a tornado that ...

FDA approves 1st over-the-counter birth control pill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:32 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials have approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill, which will let American women and girls buy contraceptive medication from the same aisle as aspirin and eyedrops.The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it cleared Perrigo’s once-a-day Opill to be sold without a prescription, making it the first such medication to be moved out from behind the pharmacy counter. The company won’t start shipping the pill until early next year, and there will be no age restrictions on sales.Hormone-based pills have long been the most common form of birth control in the U.S., used by tens of millions of women since the 1960s. Until now, all of them required a prescription.Medical societies and women’s health groups have pushed for wider access, noting that an estimated 45% of the 6 million annual pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended. Teens and girls, women of color and those with low incomes report greater hurdles in getting prescriptions and picking th...

Homes evacuated in Cedar Park due to 'suspicious items' inside residence

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:32 GMT

Editor's note: The above video is from Wednesday, July 12, 2023 while the scene was still active. CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Officials in Cedar Park responded to a home Wednesday afternoon due to reports of suspicious items inside, according to the Cedar Park Police Department.CPPD said officers were called around 2 p.m. by a homeowner in the 2100 block of Parksville Way regarding items she discovered in her home. Several agencies were called in to assist due to the nature of the items, CPPD said, including the Austin Fire Department, Austin Travis County EMS, the Austin Police Department's Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit, the Cedar Park Fire Department, Cedar Park EMC, the FBI and the ATF.Nearby neighbors were asked to evacuate or stay inside their homes as a safety precaution and some streets were also shut down, CPPD said.Cedar Park Police investigate 'suspicious items' found in home (KXXAN photo/Jake Sykes)Cedar Park Police investigate 'suspicious items' found in home (KXXAN p...

Copper wire theft on the rise, Austin Energy says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than 20 major thefts of copper wire from Austin Energy customer-owned equipment have been reported this year alone.Thieves will pry open transformers and other equipment serving as the main power source to a building and cut wires to steal copper conduit.Austin Energy supervisor Jose "Joey" Hernandez believes these thieves are skilled at operating electrical equipment. ‘Playing catch-up’: New tree trimming crews expected to help with Austin Energy efforts “We're finding transformers that basically have been de-energized by the thieves and the copper has been pulled totally completely out,” he said.Austin Energy supervisor Jose "Joey" Hernandez believes the copper wire thieves are skilled at operating electrical equipment.Hernandez says his staff has found fuses removed and cables cut at various locations.In multiple instances, some of these lines are left still energized, causing considerable danger to the public.Most of these crimes are committed outside larg...

Campaign Context: DeSantis says record numbers of Chinese nationals crossing border

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:32 GMT

As campaign season nears, politicians are turning up the volume on campaign rhetoric. To cut through the noise we're launching Campaign Context, a weekly series providing clarity on the messages you're hearing from candidates on the campaign trail. We're digging past the politics and into the facts to provide you with the transparent, spin-free information you need to make informed decisions this election season.AUSTIN (KXAN) — In this Campaign Context video, we're examining comments made by Florida Governor and GOP presidential candidate Ron Desantis while he was campaigning at the Texas border in June.Desantis was discussing migrants crossing our southern border from countries you might not expect when he said, "I think they've identified 10,000 Chinese nationals coming across the southern border."We traced that figure back to Republican Congressman Mark Green of Tennessee, who is also chair of the House Homeland Security Committee. We reached out to Green's office and learned tha...

Report: Texas beaches could be unsafe for swimming

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:32 GMT

AUSTIN, TX (KXAN) – An environmental group warned this month some Texas beaches could be unsafe for swimming.According to the July 5 Environment America report, Safe for Swimming, 61 Texas beaches were tested for fecal bacteria in 2022. The group said it examined whether fecal indicator bacteria levels exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) most protective “Beach Action Value,” which is associated with an estimated illness rate of 32 out of every 1,000 swimmers.The report found 55 Texas beaches had potentially unsafe levels of fecal indicator bacteria on at least one testing day. 8 Texas beaches had potentially unsafe levels on more than 25% of the days tested. Beach NameCountyPercentage of potentially unsafe test daysCole ParkNueces54%Ropes ParkNueces41%Poenish ParkNueces38%Corpus Christi MarinaNueces36%Padre Bali ParkNueces29%Texas City DikeGalveston28%University BeachNueces27%25th StreetGalveston26%Beaches where fecal indicator bacteria levels exceeded EPA "Be...