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Cities are all in on the European Green Deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:52 GMT

Burkhard Jung is the president of Eurocities and the mayor of Leipzig.In poker, one card out of place could make a hand worthless. And when it comes to a just and sustainable future, Europe’s cities have gone all in — now we just need our member countries and European parliamentarians to deal us the right legislation.Today, cities are ready to do their fair share to ensure we stay within the limits of what our planet can provide. Yet, oddly, some national governments and politicians seem ready to turn their backs on a green deal that would put people at its heart — despite scientific consensus on the necessary steps.My city of Leipzig is over 1,000 years old, located in a country that’s only 151 years young — so, perhaps it is just that cities are more used to taking the long view.I’ve so far heard arguments, intended to slow the European Green Deal, surmising that the transition to a sustainable economy would disproportionately affect our most vulnerable communities, already suffer...

Spain’s ‘Ohio’ points to victory for the right

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:52 GMT

ZARAGOZA, Spain — If there’s a place that represents “Middle Spain” then it has to be Aragón.The northeastern region runs from the Pyrenean border with France down to the plains of the Monegros Desert and the badlands of Teruel. Around half of its 1.3 million population live in the regional capital, Zaragoza, which sits equidistant between Madrid and Barcelona.A geographical and demographic microcosm of the country, its knack for reflecting national electoral movements has given it the nickname “Spain’s Ohio.”A 2015 book that examined this phenomenon noted that “like Ohio, Aragón has been an excellent political thermometer of our country during our short democratic history,” adding that it is “Spain’s swing region.”In every general election since the return to democracy in 1977, the winning party in Aragón has been the overall victor. If that trend continues, the conservative Popular Party (PP) of Alberto Núñez Feijóo, which now controls Aragón’s main cities and its regi...

For Kyiv, the war aims are clear; that is not the case for its allies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:52 GMT

Jamie Dettmer is opinion editor at POLITICO Europe. To demand a display of gratitude is to demand an acknowledgment of dependency and is an assertion of power, American psychiatrist Glen Gabbard observed in a paper on gratitude and gratification. Was that what the United States and Britain were doing when they complained in the margins of last week’s NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, about Ukrainian ingratitude — asserting power?  Or was it just plain irritation?The accusations of ungratefulness by Britain’s defense secretary, Ben Wallace, and the U.S.’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, seemingly were spontaneous, but they bore the hallmarks of a scripted public pushback on Kyiv as well as serving as a warning to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.“Whether we like it or not, people want to see a bit of gratitude,” Wallace said when asked about Zelenskyy’s anger at not being offered a formal invitation to join NATO. The British defense secretary advised a dif...

Nice weather returns after a nasty Sunday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:52 GMT

It was a rough day for most of the area on Sunday. Heavy rain led to significant flooding for many across the area as well as some isolated wind damage, including a tornado. Although it was a very unsettled end to the weekend, nice weather is back in the forecast on Monday behind the storm system!Temperatures will start in the 70s and quickly warm up into the upper 80s and low 90s under mostly sunny skies.With the sunshine, there will also be a hazy sky due to some wildfire smoke returning to the area later in the day. Most of Tuesday is nice as well, but rain chances return late Tuesday as a cold front approaches the area.

Repairs underway after driver crashes into Little Caesars in Haverhill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:52 GMT

Crews are working to repair damage to a Little Ceasars location in Haverhill after a driver crashed into it on Sunday.The front of the store at the Hilldale shopping center could be seen with extensive damage after the crash.The cause of the crash remains under investigation.No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

China’s economy grew a lower than expected 6.3% in the second quarter, as post-COVID recovery slowed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:52 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — China’s economy grew at a 6.3% annual pace in the April-June quarter, much lower than analysts had forecast given the slow pace of growth the year before.The world’s second-largest economy is expected to slow further in coming months given slack consumer demand in China and weaker demand for Chinese exports in other economies as their post-pandemic recoveries lose momentum. The 6.3% growth in China’s gross domestic product from April to June outpaced a 4.5% rate of growth in the previous quarter, according to government data released Monday.In quarterly terms, the economy grew 0.8% compared to the first three months of the year.The still robust growth is largely due to the economy growing just 0.4% a year earlier amid strict lockdowns in Shanghai and other cities during major outbreaks of COVID-19.Analysts had forecasted growth for the quarter that ended in June to exceed 7%.China’s GDP in the first quarter beat expectations and grew by 4.5% as consumers flocked to ...

Sunday Night Forecast: chance of evening showers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:52 GMT

Sunday Night: Chance of evening showers/thunderstorms. Some could be strong to severe-- the main threat looks to be strong gusty winds up to 6 mph in localized areas. WSW 5-15 mph. Low mid 60sMonday: Slight chance of early showers then clearing with improved air quality. WNW 5-15 mph. Highs near 80, cooler lakeside. Chicago Weather | Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center's Forecast (wgntv.com)Extended outlook calls for another mostly sunny day on Tuesday with temps in the mid to low 80s. We'll see increasing clouds on Wednesday with a chance of afternoon showers/t'storms back in the forecast. 

Police investigate double homicide in southeast Austin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department is investigating a homicide Sunday night in southeast Austin, according to a tweet by the agency.APD said its officers are investigating near the 7500 block of South Glenn Street, which is near McKinney Falls Parkway and Burleson Road. APD Cpl. Jose Mendez said that officers responded to a residence around 4:30 p.m. on a welfare check. There, they found two people with gunshot wounds.A male and a female victim, both in their 70s, were pronounced dead at 5:44 p.m.Homicide detectives are investigating, but Mendez said it was an isolated incident with no further threat to the public. No suspect information was available Sunday night. The incident is Austin's 37th homicide of 2023.Anyone with information is asked to call APD's homicide tip line at 512-477-3588, or APD Crime Stoppers at 512-472-8477 or by visiting austincrimestoppers.org.This is a developing story. Check back to KXAN for updates.

APD responds to east Austin homicide, 2nd of the day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — After responding to a homicide in southeast Austin on Sunday, Austin police officers were dispatched to another homicide shortly after 9 p.m. in east Austin.APD officers were sent to the intersection of East 52nd Street and Cameron Road to investigate a homicide. The department sent a tweet about the investigation at 9:18 p.m.The intersection is just east of Interstate 35. APD said a public information officer is heading to scene and will hold a briefing Sunday night.Anyone with information is asked to call APD's homicide tip line at 512-477-3588, or APD Crime Stoppers at 512-472-8477 or by visiting austincrimestoppers.org.This is a developing story. Check back to KXAN for updates.

'I want to celebrate them': Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian on Texas high school football coaches, recruiting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — At the Texas High School Coaches Association Convention and Coaching School on Sunday, Texas Longhorns head football coach Steve Sarkisian shared some of his recruiting philosophy and the symbiotic relationship between the Longhorns and high school coaches.Sarkisian highlighted that the most recent recruiting class included 25 high school players and five transfers. In the transfer portal era where programs can quickly fill positions with game-ready players, Sarkisian said his priority is to "recruit from the ground up."MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newsletters"Ultimately, we're going to take a few transfers, and there are some stop-gap things in there for a variety of reasons, but high school recruiting is where it's at for us," he said. "If I can, I want to recruit another high school kid. I would much rather recruit the high school ranks."Texas' modest approa...