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Visentini sacked as trade union chief after Qatar-scandal cash revelations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) sacked leader Luca Visentini, concluding that he no longer had the organization’s confidence after accepting thousands of euros from an NGO at the center of the Qatar influence-buying scandal.The ITUC said in a statement on Saturday that its General Council decided to organize an extraordinary meeting to elect a new general secretary to succeed Visentini “as soon as is practicable.” The confederation also pledged to consider amendments to its constitution “on the financing of campaigns for ITUC leadership elections, and on financial compliance.” “The events of the past few months have caused significant damage to the ITUC’s reputation,” ITUC President Akiko Gono said in the statement. “Important lessons have been learned and the General Council reiterated the ITUC’s absolute opposition to corruption in any form.”In December, Visentini was one of the first people to be detained by...

UCF men’s basketball season ends, NBA decision awaits Taylor Hendricks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

UCF’s 5-point loss to Memphis in the AAC tournament quarterfinals Friday night at Dickies Arena fit the overall theme of the season for Johnny Dawkins’ squad.The Knights, who lost 14 games all year long, suffered their 12th defeat by single digits.Dawkins described the close losses as a tribute to his team’s character and leadership.“I’ve been involved with a lot of basketball all [of] my life and there are not too many seasons I’ve had — even with really good [teams] that have gone deep in the postseason — that they didn’t have a game or two where they didn’t have it,” he said after the game in Fort Worth, Texas.“This team, every single night has given us a chance to win and be successful in games.”He credited veteran players such as CJ Kelly and Michael Durr, who completed their college careers with UCF’s season now finished, along with other upperclassmen as one reason the Knights were able to fig...

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day at these Irish pubs in San Diego

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- With St. Patrick's Day approaching, there's no better time than now to start mapping out how you plan to celebrate the culture of the Irish. The good news is there are several spots in San Diego that will be pouring Irish stouts and serving up Irish fare in honor of the occasion. 8 noteworthy Asian markets in San Diego FOX 5 has compiled a list of Irish pubs in San Diego where locals and visitors can gather to clink their glasses and say "Sláinte!" this holiday -- and we're not "talking a load of blarney."The Field Irish PubIf you are aiming for authentic, this century pub was shipped piece by piece from Ireland and relocated in the heart of San Diego's Historic Gaslamp Quarter, said business owner Daniel Drayne. With an "old Irish" vibe, guests can enjoy a the classics like shepherd's pie, corned beef and cabbage, fish and chips paired with none other than a draft Guinness. Will it be the chips and chips or shepherd's pie? This image shows those delicious choices f...

More than 40 vehicles involved in highway pileup in Hungary

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Dozens of vehicles collided in a pileup in Hungary, causing numerous injuries and setting several of the vehicles on fire Saturday. Police said the collision, which involved five tractor-trailers and 37 other vehicles, occurred on the M1 highway around 15 miles (25 kilometers) west of Budapest, Hungary’s capital. The pileup caused 19 vehicles to catch fire and resulted in 36 injuries, including one that was life-threatening and 13 that were serious, police said. Hungary’s National Directorate for Disaster Protection said in a statement that the fires had been extinguished and that four rescue helicopters as well as fire and rescue teams from numerous nearby cities had arrived at the scene to treat the injured. Authorities blocked traffic in both directions of the M1 as recovery and cleanup operations continued into the evening. National ambulance service spokesperson Pal Gyorfi declined to give a potential cause of the accident, according to Hungarian ...

Oscars race: Clock ticks for buffs to binge nominated films

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A film buff from Oklahoma City, Elyssa Mann has scant time to waste, needing to cross just four more movies off her Oscars list before Sunday’s Academy Awards broadcast: Two animated films, one for cinematography and another for costume design.In the San Francisco Bay Area, Steve Tornello has just one left — the latest “Avatar” — before he can fairly judge all 10 of the best picture nominees.In the perfect multiverse, time would bend to allow movie fans to watch anything anywhere, all at once. But in the real world, not the googly eyed one, time keeps ticking and that makes things difficult for diehard film enthusiasts hoping to fill every bracket in their personal Oscars scoresheets.“I have four Oscars movies left in my quest to watch all the ones nominated for picture/acting/craft etc,” Mann wrote in a tweet, “and this somehow feels insurmountable.”As it is, Sunday morning’s time change (don’t forget to spring forward) will mean an hou...

Indigo union demands support for affected workers of cyberattack

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

A union representing 200 employees of Indigo Books & Music Inc. is calling on the retailer to disclose more information about the scope of its recent data breach and offer additional support to staff affected by the cyberattack.United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 1006A say it is “increasingly alarmed” by new information that has come to light about a Feb. 8 cyberattack on Canada’s biggest bookstore.The union says it is concerned that current and former Indigo workers, who learned this week that their medical and immigration data were part of the breach, still have several unanswered questions.Those include whether the company is aware of any unauthorized use of personal info and what measures it is undertaking to better safeguard data.The union demanded answers to these questions in a letter it says it sent to Indigo that also asked the company to support workers who may face identity theft or other damages because of the attack.Indigo...

Bud Grant, legendary coach who led Vikings to 4 Super Bowls, dies at 95

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

Bud Grant, the legendary coach who led the Vikings to four Super Bowls and the team’s only NFL championship, died Saturday morning at the age of 95, the team announced on its web site.Grant, who was born Harold Peter Grant in Superior, Wis., in 1927, coached the Vikings from 1967-1983, then one last season in 1985, retired with a career record of 158-96-5. That includes the team’s only Super Bowl appearances after the 1969, 1973, 1974 and 1976 — all losses.“We are absolutely heartbroken to announce that legendary Minnesota Vikings head coach and Hall of Famer Bud Grant has passed away this morning at age 95,” the Vikings said in a statement. “We, like all Vikings and NFL fans, are shocked and saddened by this terrible news.”Grant might have been born in Wisconsin, and started his coaching career in Canada, but he was a Minnesotan through and through. He was a three-sport athlete at the University of Minnesota — football, basketball and baseball — and twice all-Big Ten in...

Suspect arraigned in connection to Plattekill homicide

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

KINGSTON, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Ulster County District Attorney’s Office arraigned Junando Dawkins, 29 of Newburgh on March 10. Dawkins was arraigned in connection with an indictment stemming from a homicide investigation in Plattekill. Police: Body found in abandoned Troy house The homicide investigation conducted by the New York State Police, Highland in collaboration with Investigators and assistant district attorneys of Ulster County District Attorney’s Office looked into the death of Daniel Spotards, 41. A local sanitation worker found the body of the father of two at the end of his driveway in Plattekill on January 2. The investigation showed that Spotards was shot multiple times on January 1. The indictment charged Dawkins with second-degree murder and three counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. The defendant was remanded to Ulster County Jail without bail following his extradition from North Carolina. Dawkins faces up to 25 years to life in state priso...

Saunders: Will crazy-spending Padres change Dick Monfort’s Rockies blueprint?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

You might recall what Dick Monfort said in late January.When the Rockies owner was asked about the need to spend more money to compete in the National League West with teams like the crazy-spending Padres and the perennial powerhouse Dodgers, he said: “That puts a lot of pressure (on us). But it’s not just the Padres, it’s the Mets, it’s the Phillies. This has been an interesting year.“What the Padres are doing, I don’t 100% agree with, though I know that our fans probably agree with it. We’ll see how it works out.”Monfort, as we all know, prides himself on being a prudent, cautious businessman. Far too cautious, many (most?) Rockies fans would say.Caution is not part of the blueprint for Padres billionaire owner and chairman Peter Seidler, a two-time cancer survivor. He’s betting big that big money can bring San Diego a championship.“There’s never been a major championship in this city, ever,” Seidler told Sports Illustrated recently. “We listen ...

Man shot in Denver’s Montbello area dies, a homicide investigation is underway

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

A man was shot dead in Denver and a homicide investigation is underway, police said.The shooting happened in the Montbello area, near East 50th Avenue and Quentin Street, the Denver Police Department said in a 1:51 a.m. Saturday tweet.At 7:41 a.m. police announced on Twitter that the victim has died. Police did not release any information on a suspect in the shooting. The Denver Office of the Medical Examiner will release the identity of the victim.The victim, an adult male, has been pronounced deceased and this incident is now being investigated as a homicide. #Denver Office of the Medical Examiner will provide victim information and cause of death.— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) March 11, 2023