Italy's Sergio Mattarella sworn in for a second term
President Sergio Mattarella received an astounding 55 rounds of applause from an otherwise divided Italian parliament Thursday during a wide-ranging speech that underlined the need for national unity after he was sworn in to a second term in office.
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King and queen of Belgium commemorate Brussels attacks
Representatives of victims and others carry flowers and photos at Brussels Airport during events held for the fifth anniversary of the Brussels terrorist attacks, in Brussels, Monday, March 22, 2021. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde started the commemorations at Brussels airport alongside Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. Earlier this year, 10 people, including the lone known surviving suspect in the 2015 deadly Paris attacks, were ordered to stand trial in connection with the Brussels suicide bombings. Four days later, suicide bombers detonated their explosives in the Brussels airport and metro during the morning rush hour. Around 900 people suffered physical or mental trauma in the Brussels attacks, which were claimed by IS.
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Jill Biden promises free access to community college
First lady Jill Biden's necklace says "Mama," as she takes a tour of Whitman-Walker Health, Friday, Jan. 22, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)WASHINGTON – Jill Biden is pushing free access to community college and training programs, saying the schools will be an important part of Biden administration efforts to rebuild the economy. A longtime community college professor and advocate, the first lady said people struggling to get by during the coronavirus-induced economic slump need access to these schools. That's why we're going to make sure that everyone has access to free community college and training programs,” Jill Biden said in taped remarks broadcast Tuesday during a virtual legislative summit hosted by the Association of Community College Trustees and the American Association of Community Colleges. She helped a White House community college summit during the Obama-Biden administration.
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EU says looking forward to better ties with US under Biden
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell addresses the European Parliament on relations with the U.S. during a plenary session, in Brussels, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020. (Yves Herman, Pool via AP)BRUSSELS – The European Union on Wednesday said it looked forward to better relations with the United States under the leadership of President-elect Joe Biden, and expressed hope the presidential transition will not be “bumpy." EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell warmly congratulated “Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris for their historic victory" and said the 27-nation bloc looked forward to better relations than under President Donald Trump. “It is not a secret, (either), that in the past 4 years things have become complicated," Borrell told legislators at the European Parliament. Let’s hope it is not going to be a bumpy transition," Borrell said.
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Germany toughens punishment for child sex abuse, child porn
(AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, Pool)BERLIN – Germany's Cabinet on Wednesday approved draft legislation that will allow for tougher punishment of sexual abuse of children and the possession of child pornography. The government initiated the bill in the wake of prominent recent child abuse cases in Germany that feature large numbers of suspects. It uses the term “sexualized violence against children” instead of the current “sexual abuse” and raises the potential sentence to between one and 15 years in prison. And in the future, the statute of limitations will only fall on the production of child pornography when the victim turns 30. It foresees special qualification requirements for judges handling child abuse issues.
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Macron decries 'Islamic separatism,' defends blasphemy
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a ceremony to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic, at the Pantheon monument, Friday Sept.4. Speaking at a ceremony Friday celebrating Frances democratic history and naturalizing new citizens, the French president said, You dont choose one part of France. You choose France....The Republic will never allow any separatist adventure.Freedom in France, Macron said, includes the freedom to believe or not to believe. Macrons centrist government has promised a law in the coming months against Islamic separatism but it is not clear yet exactly what it would police. Some critics fear it could unfairly stigmatize Frances largely moderate Muslim population, the largest in western Europe.
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Mavs pull away while Doncic sits, beat Clippers 127-114
Two nights after scoring 42 points in the highest-scoring debut in postseason history, Doncic played just nine minutes in the second half. They beat the Clippers for the first time in five meetings this season and earned their first playoff victory since 2016. Kawhi Leonard had 35 points and 10 rebounds, but Paul George had a mostly miserable performance for the second-seeded Clippers. Clippers: Reggie Jackson started in place of Beverley and scored 11 points. The Clippers noticed the guard wasn't moving well at their shootaround and decided to scratch him.
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Donovan Mitchell scores 30 points, Jazz rout Nuggets 124-105
He helped the Jazz break open the game in the third quarter and increase the lead to 31 in the fourth. His performance was on the heels of scoring a Jazz playoff-record 57 points in a 135-125 overtime loss in Game 1. Jordan Clarkson scored a personal playoff-best 26 points on a day the Jazz shot 51.7% from the floor. We need the same energy and intensity.Nuggets rookie Michael Porter Jr. had 28 points, and Nikola Jokic added 28 points and 11 rebounds. All of our games are usually close games and this one got away from us, Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.
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Suns top Mavs to keep playoff hopes alive, go 8-0 in bubble
Dario Saric scored 16 points and Cameron Payne and Cameron Johnson each added 15 for the Suns. Dallas was already locked into a playoff matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers, so the starters played limited minutes. Luka Doncic, who had averaged 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11.3 assists in the bubble, finished with 18 points in just over 13 minutes. Booker scored 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting before the break. Suns: Either season over or will be in a play-in game against Memphis on Saturday.
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NBA releases testing results, no players confirmed positive
The league released its latest results Wednesday for coronavirus tests performed on players participating in the restarted season at Walt Disney World, and the numbers are still perfect. Of the 343 players tested since results were last announced July 29, none has been confirmed positive. That means no player has tested positive since entering the so-called bubble last month. There were two players who tested positive on arrival at Disney, with neither of those making it out of quarantine and potentially exposing anyone inside the bubble. I think not only has the league, but I think the players and everyone, theyve followed through.
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“Water safety cannot be understated”: Authorities urge pool safety during stay-at-home order
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Officials in Central Florida are urging families to stay vigilant and safe while staying at home during the coronavirus pandemic. According to officials, drowning is the leading cause of death for children under five in Florida. “With people staying home during the COVID-19 pandemic, pool season has started earlier than the traditional end-of-school-year,” officials said. Ron DeSantis imposed the stay-at-home order, Orange County Fire Rescue has responded to several pediatric drowning calls. “We want people to enjoy pool time, but we also want them to be safe,” OCFR said in a news release.