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Bizarre Wars: German army goes full Darth Vader at space command launch

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:06:00 GMT

BERLIN — Well thought out, this was not.Germany’s army has embraced the dark side with the launch of its military space command, featuring characters straight out of the evil Galactic Empire seen in the iconic Star Wars film series.Rather than swashbuckling Jedi knights wielding plastic lightsabers, the German army this week opened its new space command headquarters with military top brass surrounded by Darth Vader and a cast of cosplay stormtroopers. The Star Wars franchise partly based its evil, authoritarian Galactic Empire, presided over by Darth Vader, on aspects of the ideology underpinning the Nazi party in 1930s and 40s Germany.The €40 million space command building — which does not resemble the spherical Death Star of the films — includes 122 offices, with two rooms allowing constant space surveillance monitoring systems and a backup power and air conditioning unit, the German army said.The command will share the drab office complex with Germany’s aerospace resea...

Lithuanian president calls joining the Communist Party a youthful error

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:06:00 GMT

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said late Wednesday his decision to join the Communist Party in 1988, shortly before the country became independent, was a “mistake of [his] youth.”“Immediately after my studies, I faced the temptation to join the [Communist] Party in the name of greater opportunities to pursue a career as a scientist,” Nausėda said in a statement, according to Baltic newswire BNS, describing himself as “an ambitious and stupidly stubborn young man.”“I dedicated myself to the life of a scientist-economist and tried to erase the mistake of my youth with my later life, my professional activities and my service to the Lithuanian state,” the president added.Although Nausėda did not say when or if he had eventually canceled his membership, he claimed to have had a “short and gray career” in the party and said on Thursday: “I was a bad member and I think that at some stage I could have been expelled for ...

EU cancels entrance exam after switch to online testing

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:06:00 GMT

For the first time ever, the EU’s hiring agency canceled a recruitment examination that took place late last year due to technical problems related to being conducted online.The move came after the agency recently announced plans to permanently replace in-person exams with virtual testing.After almost 200 candidates reported problems with the remote testing system in the last round, the bloc’s European Personnel Selection Office, or EPSO, last week canceled the results and postponed the test to an unspecified date in the “near future.”The personnel office cited “technical dysfunctions and data protection concerns’’ as the main reasons for canceling the online entry exam, which was held on November 25.The shift to remote proctoring had been met by strong resistance from candidates, who complained that the U.S.-based testing contractor Prometric was problematic, as reported by POLITICO in February. EPSO, for its part, argued that the shift would make the process more eco-friendly and ...

Poll: Mass. Voters Want Tax Relief

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:06:00 GMT

A sizable majority of Massachusetts voters would prefer for Beacon Hill to deploy its budget surplus toward reducing taxes rather than increasing overall spending, according to a new poll.Three-quarters of the voters surveyed by polling and political advocacy firm Priorities for Progress picked tax cuts as their preferred use of excess tax revenues, while 25 percent said they would rather see the money go toward expanding state programs.The results of the poll, shared with the News Service, indicate sizable support for tax relief as the House prepares to roll out and debate its response to Gov. Maura Healey’s nearly $1 billion tax relief and reform proposal.Overall, pollsters found overwhelming support for Healey’s proposal, which would create a new $600-per-dependent tax credit for parents and caregivers, expand breaks for renters and seniors, triple the estate tax threshold to $3 million and slash the short-term capital gains tax rate from 12 percent to 5 per...

Cat jumps on imam during Ramadan prayers at Algerian mosque

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:06:00 GMT

A cat interrupted Ramadan services at a mosque in Algeria when it jumped on top of an imam leading a prayer.The imam kept his cool and continued with the prayer unbothered. The animal wandered through the mosque as people cited the verses.

3 Tennessee Democrats face removal from office in Thursday vote after gun control protest on state House floor

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:06:00 GMT

(CNN) — The Tennessee House of Representatives is scheduled to vote Thursday on removing from office three Democratic lawmakers who protested on the chamber floor with a bullhorn to call for gun reform following last month’s school shooting in Nashville — and now are accused of breaking House rules.Three resolutions filed by GOP lawmakers Monday seek to expel Reps. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, Justin Jones of Nashville and Justin Pearson of Memphis, each of whom has already been removed from their committee assignments following last week’s demonstrations.The three lawmakers led a protest on the House floor last Thursday, CNN affiliate WSMV reported, using a bullhorn as demonstrators at the state Capitol called on lawmakers to take action to prevent further gun violence after three 9-year-olds and three adults were killed in a mass shooting on March 27 at The Covenant School, a private Christian school.“It’s morally insane...

Chinese President Xi calls for Ukraine peace talks

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:06:00 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping called Thursday for peace talks over Ukraine after French President Emmanuel Macron appealed to him to “bring Russia to its senses,” but Xi gave no indication Beijing would use its leverage as Vladimir Putin’s diplomatic partner to press for a settlement.Xi gave no sign China, which declared it had a “no limits friendship” with Moscow before last year’s invasion, had changed its stance since calling for peace talks in February.“Peace talks should resume as soon as possible,” Xi said. He called on other governments to avoid doing anything that might “make the crisis deteriorate or even get out of control.” Beijing, which sees Moscow as a partner in opposing U.S. domination of global affairs, has tried to appear neutral in the conflict but has given Putin diplomatic support and repeated Russian justifications for the February 2022 attack. Xi received an effusive welcome from Puti...

Rabbit out of a hat on Easter? Heat have pulled such late-season personnel moves before

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:06:00 GMT

As the clock ticks down to their final days of eligibility for the season, the reality with Miami Heat two-way players Orlando Robinson and Jamal Cain is that it’s not over until it’s over.Twice in the past three years, the Heat have used the final days, even hours, of their regular season to sign a G League prospect to a multiyear standard contract.In 2019, Kendrick Nunn was added the final day of the season after Rodney McGruder was waived three days earlier. And in 2021, Omer Yurtseven was signed with two days remaining in the regular season.The differences in both cases was there was a standard roster spot available to cast such future thought. For the Heat to do the same with Robinson, Cain or another G League prospect by their Easter Sunday deadline, a roster spot would have to be opened prior to Sunday’s regular-season finale against the visiting Orlando Magic.Otherwise, Robinson and Cain would become restricted two-way free-agents in the offseason.Already t...

Italy’s Berlusconi diagnosed with leukemia, doctors say

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:06:00 GMT

ROME (AP) — Doctors for Italian former Premier Silvio Berlusconi say he is being treated for a lung infection that suggests he has a “chronic blood condition” that is a kind of leukemia.Berlusconi’s personal physician, Alberto Zangrillo, signed off on a medical bulletin issued Thursday afternoon that said Berlusconi “has had for some time” leukemia in a “persistent chronic phase.” The 86-year-old media mogul who served three terms as Italy’s premier and now serves in the Senate was admitted to Milan’s San Raffaele Hospital on Wednesday for treatment of what aides indicated was a respiratory problem stemming from a previous infection.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.ROME (AP) — Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi is alert and in stable condition during his second day in intensive care at a Milan hospital, a close political ally said Thursday, adding that he couldn’t confirm Italian media reports that Berlusconi had been diagnosed...

Greece to send more arms to Ukraine, but sets limits

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:06:00 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece has pledged military assistance to Ukraine for “as long as it takes” but officials cautioned that the country needs to keep much of its Russian-made weaponry for its own defensive needs.Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov visited Athens Thursday as part of regular meetings with officials from NATO countries. He was promised more artillery and small arms ammunition shipments, access to Greek hospitals for wounded military personnel and additional Soviet-era BMP infantry fighting vehicles.Greece “will provide every support to Ukraine at this very important, crucial stage of the war,” Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos said during a joint appearance with Reznikov. “We will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes — that’s a very clear position that we have taken from the outset.”Military officials said Greece has also provided trainers for Ukraine’s special forces and tank operators, as a contribution to the massive milita...