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Italian court OKs Qatargate MEP’s extradition to Belgium

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:57 GMT

Italian judges gave the go-ahead to MEP Andrea Cozzolino’s extradition to Belgium on Tuesday night.Cozzolino is a key suspect in the European Parliament’s cash-for-influence scandal, known as Qatargate, but denies any wrongdoing.His lawyer Federico Conte confirmed to POLITICO that over the next five days he will lodge an appeal to Italy’s high court, which has the power to overrule the decision by the judges in Naples. Italy’s top tribunal could also ask the Court of Appeal in Naples to reconsider their decision, said Conte.Cozzolino is currently under house arrest in Naples and will not be extradited to Belgium until the High Court gives its go-ahead.The Belgian authorities accuse the European lawmaker of accepting bribes from foreign countries, including Morocco, in exchange for favoring their interests in the EU assembly, and are pushing to interrogate him in Brussels.Judges in Naples put off a decision on whether to extradite Cozzolino five times, calling on their Belgian collea...

Flirting with climate danger: UN forecasts 2 in 3 chance of briefly hitting key heat limit soon

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:57 GMT

There’s a two-out-of-three chance within the next five years that the world will temporarily reach the internationally accepted global temperature threshold for limiting the worst effects of climate change, a new World Meteorological Organization report forecasts.It likely would only be a fleeting and less worrisome flirtation with the agreed-upon climate danger point, the United Nations weather agency said Wednesday. That’s because scientists expect a temporary burst of heat from an El Nino will supercharge human-caused warming from the burning of coal, oil and gas to new heights and then slip back down a bit.The 2015 Paris climate agreement set 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) as a global guardrail in atmospheric warming, with countries pledging to try to prevent that much long-term warming if possible. Scientists in a special 2018 United Nations report said going past that point would be drastically and dangerously different with more dea...

Get to know Gervon Dexter: Q&A with the new Chicago Bears defensive tackle’s college coach

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:57 GMT

Entering the draft last month, a strong case could be made that the Chicago Bears’ greatest roster need was on the defensive line — specifically a three-technique tackle to help make coach Matt Eberflus’ defense go.General manager Ryan Poles passed on the consensus best defensive tackle in the draft — Georgia’s Jalen Carter — and that move will be evaluated for some time. But the Bears got a young player with upside at the position in the second round, choosing Florida’s Gervon Dexter with the 53rd pick.David Turner, currently the defensive line coach at Mississippi State, coached that position for the Gators from 2019 through 2021. He was part of not only recruiting Dexter, but also coaching him for Dexter’s first two seasons in Gainesville, Fla.Turner spoke to the Tribune recently to provide insight into Dexter’s game and how he projects in the NFL. Here’s that interview, edited for clarity.Note: This is part of a series ...

Colton Cowser and Jordan Westburg present Orioles a new prospect promotion puzzle | ANALYSIS

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:57 GMT

To this point, when the Orioles have for the first time called up a young hitter acquired during Mike Elias’ tenure as the executive vice president and general manager, that debuting player has been one of two types of prospect.One group is the No. 1 overall prospects. Catcher Adley Rutschman and infielder Gunnar Henderson were Baltimore’s first two draft picks under Elias, with Rutschman taken with the first overall selection in 2019 and Henderson selected atop the second round. Both rose to the top of prospect lists, and when they ascended to the majors, they immediately became regulars in manager Brandon Hyde’s lineups.On the other end of the spectrum have been players who either narrowly cracked publications’ lists of the game’s top 100 prospects or never made them at all. Outfielder Kyle Stowers, infielder Joey Ortiz and utility player Terrin Vavra have found themselves shuffled through the same roster spots thus far this season, often serving in s...

How Ravens could utilize rookie linebacker Trenton Simpson in one of NFL’s best defenses

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:57 GMT

Trenton Simpson’s first moment as a Raven got off to an amusing if not clumsy start.Entering Day 2 of last month’s NFL draft, Baltimore had seven players targeted for its Round 3 pick, No. 86 overall. By the time their turn came up, the Clemson linebacker was the last name still available on the list, so general manager Eric DeCosta phoned Simpson to let him know he was the Ravens’ choice. The only problem: Simpson hung up on him.It was of course just a momentary hiccup amid the emotion and excitement emanating from Simpson’s Stanfield, North Carolina, home.As for the Ravens’ selection of Simpson, it was mildly surprising, given they already had two of the NFL’s best linebackers last season in All-Pro Roquan Smith and rising 23-year-old Patrick Queen and a more pressing need to find a cornerback to play opposite Marlon Humphrey. But in many ways, it wasn’t.Simpson fit the Ravens’ M.O. of taking the best player available, Queen’s ...

Chicago Bears Q&A: When will the NFL pick a team for HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’? How is WR Darnell Mooney’s health?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:57 GMT

Is it finally the Chicago Bears’ time to be featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks”? Is there any chance the Bears don’t eventually move to Arlington Heights? And what’s the succession plan for offensive coordinator Luke Getsy? The Tribune’s Brad Biggs answers these questions and more in his weekly Bears mailbag.When do you expect the featured team for “Hard Knocks” to be announced? Is it a foregone conclusion it will be the Jets now that they officially have Aaron Rodgers? — @mobhg54If that was a slam dunk, you’d figure the Jets already would have been announced. Last year the announcement of the Detroit Lions came on March 28, so we’re considerably behind that timetable.Only four teams can be forced to appear on the show by the league — and the Bears are one of them. A team can decline if it meets one of the following three criteria:It has a first-year head coach.It has qualified for the playoffs in the past two...

How the 2019 Cape Cod League became a pivotal point in Chicago Cubs slugger Matt Mervis’ career

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:57 GMT

In the lead-up to the 2019 Cape Cod League season, a player landed on Mike Roberts’ radar.Roberts loves left-handed hitters. So when Duke coach Chris Pollard called to tell Roberts of a strong, athletic left-handed hitter Pollard wanted to send to him for the Cape Cod League, Roberts welcomed the opportunity to work with Matt Mervis.The first priority for Roberts, the Cotuit Kettleers manager, was simply assessing, can Mervis hit? Roberts figured the two-way player always could go back to pitching if the hitting route didn’t pan out.But he wanted to get an idea of Mervis’ mechanics and skill set at the plate. One element of Mervis’ approach immediately stood out: a huge, problematic loop in his swing.“It was just a circle. He cut out on everything, so he never gave his hands a chance to work,” Roberts told the Tribune. “I’m really old-fashioned and am not a shoulders hitter like you see taught today — I’m not an upper-cut g...

Thai police arrest 2nd teenager for defaming monarchy amid renewed debate over rigorous law

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:57 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Authorities in Thailand have charged a 16-year-old girl with defaming the monarchy for two messages she allegedly posted on Facebook two years ago, adding to an increasingly active debate over whether the law allowing her arrest should be reformed.Police charged the girl in the northern province of Phitsanulok on Monday with violating the lese majeste law and the Computer Crime Act, according to a statement from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, a legal advocacy group. It said on Wednesday that police originally summoned her in 2021 when she was 14 years old, which appears to make her the youngest person in Thailand to face the charge.The lese majeste law, also known as Article 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code, makes insulting the monarch, his immediate family and the regent punishable by three to 15 years in prison.It has long been controversial, especially because anyone, not just the royal family, can file a complaint with police. Critics say the law is often used as a...

Ford recalls 310,000 trucks to fix problem with driver’s front air bag

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:57 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Ford is recalling more than 310,000 trucks in the U.S. because the driver’s front air bag may not inflate in a crash.The recall covers certain F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty trucks from the 2016 model year. The company says dust can accumulate in a cable inside the steering wheel, interrupting the electrical connection. Ford says it’s not aware of any crashes or injuries caused by the problem.Dealers will replace the steering wheel wiring assembly at no cost to owners, who will be notified starting July 5.Owners may hear popping or clicking noises inside the steering wheel, or steering wheel switches and the horn might not work. They may also see an air bag warning light notifying them of the problem..The Associated Press

Russia freezes bank accounts of Finland’s diplomatic missions, prompting cash payments

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:57 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — Russia has frozen the bank accounts of Finland’s diplomatic representations in Moscow and St. Petersburg, disrupting money flow and forcing the country’s missions to resort to cash payments, the Finnish foreign minister said Wednesday.Pekka Haavisto said Moscow’s move at the end of April breaches the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and Helsinki has delivered a diplomatic note on the matter to Russia.“We’re not alone with the money traffic problem,” Haavisto told reporters during a news conference. “Also some other European Union nations have encountered problems with money traffic in Russia. But according to our information, restrictions on Finland are among the tightest.”He said Moscow’s measure affects, among other things, payment of rents, electricity and water bills by the Finnish Embassy in Moscow and the Consulate General in St. Petersburg, which now have to rely on their cash assets.The move does not, however, affect salary payments to staff an...