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Election count shows Turkey’s Erdogan may go to a presidential election runoff

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:37:00 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Voter support for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dipped below the majority required to win reelection outright with the unofficial ballot count from Turkey’s national election nearly completed Sunday, making it more likely the country is headed toward a May 28 presidential runoff.With almost 95% of ballot boxes counted, Erdogan had 49.6% of the vote, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. His main challenger, opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, had 44.7% after the gap between the two shrank as the night went on. If neither candidate secures more than 50%, the two will compete head-to-head in two weeks. Turkey’s election authority, the Supreme Electoral Board, said it was providing numbers to competing political parties “instantly” but would not make the results public until the count was completed and finalized. The majority of ballots from the 3.4 million eligible voters living abroad still needed to be tallied, according to the board, and a runoff...

Barcelona, minus Messi, wins Spanish league title for 1st time since 2019

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:37:00 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Barcelona won its first Spanish league title after the departure of Lionel Messi with a 4-2 victory against Espanyol on Sunday.Robert Lewandowski scored twice to lead the Catalan club to its first league title since 2019. The title was secured with four rounds remaining and two years after Messi left amid the club’s financial struggles.The title celebrations were short-lived, though, as players had to rush into the locker room after a large group of Espanyol fans invaded the field from behind one of the goals and started running toward the Barcelona players who were singing and celebrating in the center. Security guards quickly intervened but riot police had to stand in front of the tunnel’s entrance to prevent the fans from going in.Alejandro Balde and Jules Koundé also scored for Barcelona, which now has 27 league titles, eight fewer than Real Madrid. Third-place Atletico Madrid is 16 points back after losing 1-0 at last-place Elche earlier Sunday.The victory o...

‘There’s got to be a better way’: Family of man killed by police demanding answers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:37:00 GMT

The father of a man shot and killed by Toronto police outside an east-end plaza is demanding answers, saying police failed his son and he’s seeking accountability for their actions. It’s been a difficult week for Horst Geisler and his family. On Wednesday he received a call from his ex-wife that he says completely broke him – his son, 40-year-old Andrew Geisler, had had an interaction with police and he was dead. Police were called to the Shoppers World Danforth plaza in the Danforth Avenue and Victoria Park Avenue area around noon on May 10 where they encountered a man armed with a knife. An eyewitness told CityNews that despite several warnings to drop the weapon, the officer shot the man who was later pronounced dead at the scene. “What ended up happening is he shot him in cold blood. He was killed in broad daylight with people all around,” Geisler tells CityNews. “Our police officers are sworn to do the right thing for us, to protect and serve...

Biden, congressional leaders likely to meet Tuesday for talks on raising the debt limit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:37:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and congressional leaders will likely resume talks on Tuesday at the White House over the debt limit, the president said Sunday, as the nation continues to edge closer to its legal borrowing authority with no agreement in sight.The meeting was initially supposed to be Friday, but was abruptly postponed so staff-level talks could continue before Biden and the four congressional leaders huddled for a second time. Administration and congressional officials said Sunday that a meeting has not been finalized. Biden said he was optimistic he could reach a deal with the Republicans. “I remain optimistic because I’m a congenital optimist,” Biden told reporters while out for a bike ride in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. “But I really think there’s a desire on their part as well as ours to reach an agreement. I think we’ll be able to do it.”Aides reported some progress in the discussions that carried through the weekend.“The staff is very enga...

Victims of racist Buffalo supermarket mass shooting remembered on anniversary

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:37:00 GMT

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Standing in the same parking lot where he was shot in the neck a year ago in a racist attack at a Buffalo supermarket, Zaire Goodman said he was grateful to see the community come together in remembrance Sunday.His family and others affected by the mass shooting gathered with top state and local officials, first responders and religious leaders to remember the 10 people who were killed and three, including Goodman, who were wounded at Tops Friendly Market, which closed Sunday for the one-year anniversary of the shootings.Goodman, 21, who worked at the store and was shot while collecting carts outside, has been back to the market many times since, even visiting while it was being remodeled in the weeks after the massacre as some questioned whether it should ever reopen.“I just wanted to show people that it’s alright. We don’t need to close the store indefinitely,” he said. “We know the store is still important to people in this area.”Mayor Byron Brown read the 13...

Thailand’s opposition wins big election victory, challenging army-backed conservative establishment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:37:00 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s main opposition parties easily bested other contenders with virtually all the votes counted from Sunday’s general election, fulfilling many voters’ hopes that the balloting would serve as a pivotal chance for change nine years after incumbent Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha first came to power in a 2014 coup.With 99% of the votes counted by early Monday morning, the junior opposition Move Forward Party had eked out a small edge over the favored Pheu Thai Party, whose leaders earlier in the night conceded they might not finish on top.The winner of Sunday’s vote is not assured the right to form the new government. A joint session of the 500-seat House of Representatives will be held with the 250-member Senate in July to select the new prime minister, a process widely seen as undemocratic because the Senators were appointed by the military rather than elected but vote along with Sunday’s winning lawmakers.Sunday’s voter turnout was about 39.5 million, or 75% ...

Mothers who lost children to gun violence support each other on Mother's Day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:37:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Mothers who have lost children to gun violence gathered a St. Sabina Church in Chicago on Mother's Day to honor their kids.It's a club the mothers wish they weren't a part of. PHOTOS: WGN anchors and reporters celebrate moms in honor of Mother’s Day! Mothers like Veronica Zastro, who lost her three-year-old son Mateo in a road rage shooting last September.The mothers came together for a memorial flag dedication. They placed flags with their children's names on them in a garden outside of the church in Auburn Gresham. A Mother’s Day surprise for WGN’s Gaynor Hall Pam Bosley and other grieving parents started Purpose Over Pain to support each other. They have become activists and host events to support moms every Mother's Day.Adrienne Swanigan-Williams lost her son 16 years ago. She says it's still a struggle.

Some sun for mom before more rain Monday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:37:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Happy Mother's Day! Morning and midday rain has faded giving way to increasing afternoon sun. For the rest of the day and this evening our rain chances stand at just 10% or less giving you some time to get outside and enjoy the sunshine and drier weather. Preliminary 24-hour rainfall totals With a sun/cloud mix this afternoon high temperatures will head for the mid 80s.Overnight clouds thicken back up with a continued very low rain chance. Lows tonight drop into the upper 60s with some areas of fog by morning.A few spotty showers or storms are possible Monday morning, but our best chances for rain return during the afternoon and evening with 60% coverage. The flash flooding risk has increased to a 2 out of 4 for all of the area. Flash flood risk MondayRainfall amounts will range from very little to 1-2" in isolated spots on Monday. Flash flooding will be possible in spots during the second half of the day.Our last "decent" chance for rain and storms comes on Tuesd...

St. Louisians celebrate Mother’s Day with the gift of warm weather

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:37:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS – Many visitors to Forest Park were out enjoying the gift of nice weather to celebrate Mother’s Day with their moms.This Mother’s Day, it was truly easy like Sunday morning.“The warmth, the sunshine,” said one couple. “The flowers, the trees.”First order of business was soaking up the much-needed sunshine before celebrating with family.“Today is perfectly beautiful and I think Forest Park is our treat,” said Celeste. Trending Story: Mother delivers healthy baby boy thanks to Pike County 911 Dispatcher After days of stormy weather, everyone in Forest Park was taking advantage of the perfect Mother’s Day gift sent from Mother Nature herself. Biking, walking the dog, or enjoying some yoga.Even a pair of ducklings spent quality time with mom.Self-care was top of mind.“Mother’s Day is often the one day of year that they get to pamper themselves so this class is an opportunity for people to come out before they maybe join their families just to relax, take care of themselves,...

Ritenour 2nd grader raising $3K to attend National Young Scholars Program

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:37:00 GMT

OVERLAND, Mo. – An 8-year-old in the Ritenour School District has been invited to attend the National Young Scholar's Program this summer.It's designed to provide a unique learning experience for bright, forward-thinking elementary school students, but it costs $3,000 to go.Second-grader Sofia Ortiz-Trinidad is working to make her mom even more proud this Mother’s Day by working to raise the money herself.“This year, my teacher nominated me for this National Young Scholars Program,” she said.Sofia excels at math, science and social studies, but she doesn’t want her mom to worry about the cost of this exciting opportunity. Family rescued from I-64 floods grateful for swift help from St. Louis fire crews “As soon as she understood what tuition was, I guess it clicked in her brain like, okay, my mom doesn't need to pay for this. I have to work for this,” Jazmin Ortiz-Trinidad, Sofia’s mom, said.Jazmin describes her daughter as compassionate, while Sofia describes her mother as hard-w...