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Romanian premier resigns after his coalition's candidate fails to advance to presidential runoff

Romanian premier resigns after his coalition's candidate fails to advance to presidential runoff

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced his resignation on Monday, a day after the governing coalition's joint candidate failed to advance to the runoff in the European Union country's critical presidential election rerun.
The coalition's candidate, Crin Antonescu, finished third in Sunday's first round vote, putting him narrowly behind Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan, and far behind hard-right nationalist George Simion — who decisively took first place.

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DC prepares for Trump's military parade with 18 miles of fencing and 175 magnetometers
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  • Toronto Star

DC prepares for Trump's military parade with 18 miles of fencing and 175 magnetometers

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Peru reinstates full protection of Nazca Lines reserve after controversial cutback
Peru reinstates full protection of Nazca Lines reserve after controversial cutback

Winnipeg Free Press

timean hour ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

Peru reinstates full protection of Nazca Lines reserve after controversial cutback

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Peru's government has reversed its controversial decision to shrink the protected area surrounding the Nazca Lines, which had faced criticism for opening the area to informal miners. The country's culture ministry on Sunday nullified last week's resolution that had reinstated the boundary map set in 2004. The switch followed severe backlash after the government approved a 42% reduction in the zone — about 2,400 square kilometers (926 square miles) — and to allow miners to seek formal permits in previously restricted areas. The original protected zone — spanning 5,600 square kilometers (2,162 square miles) — will remain in effect. The ministry also ordered an update of the site's management plan within 10 days and the formation of a technical panel, which will include government representatives, academics, UNESCO, and civil society figures to define future use and conservation strategies. The area in question forms part of a UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site, home to the Nazca Lines — massive geoglyphs etched into the desert over 1,500 years ago — and one of Peru's most fragile desert ecosystems. 'Thanks to the strong rejection by national and international public opinion, the government revoked the reduction of the area of the Nazca Archaeological Reserve,' Mariano Castro, Peru's former vice minister of the environment, told The Associated Press. Castro said the government justified its decision by saying it had not previously discussed its decision publicly. 'In other words, it (the government) does not go so far as to admit the measure was wrong, despite evidence of the presence of illegal mining, which seriously endangers and threatens the integrity of the Nazca Lines and petroglyphs,' he said. The ministry said a new government entity will be created to oversee the site's management, and technical studies will be published to ensure transparency and accountability. Peruvian environmental lawyer, César Ipenza, who follows the issue closely, welcomes the technical panel, which will include local authorities, but he still has concerns. 'The truth is that the local authority is actually the one that has been calling for the reduction of the boundaries of the Nazca Lines,' Ipenza told the AP. 'There will also be strong pressure from miners for this to go ahead.' Ipenza is concerned that informal mining has been steadily expanding in the area, even though all mining activity is officially banned. 'The government hasn't taken action to remove these miners and as a result, there has been pressure to officially open the area to allow informal and illegal miners to become formalized,' he said. The AP contacted UNESCO for comment. The organization said it would aim to provide information on Tuesday, as Monday was a public holiday in France, where it is headquartered. —- The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at

Hearing held for judge accused of allowing immigrant to escape ICE custody
Hearing held for judge accused of allowing immigrant to escape ICE custody

Winnipeg Free Press

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Hearing held for judge accused of allowing immigrant to escape ICE custody

BOSTON (AP) — A hearing began Monday for a Massachusetts judge facing civil charges over allegations that she allowed an immigrant in her court to evade an immigration enforcement agent. The case stems from a 2018 incident in which Shelley Joseph, a district court judge, is accused of colluding with the immigrant's attorney and a court officer to allow him escape out a back door of the courthouse after a hearing on charges that included drug possession. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer had been waiting outside the courtroom to detain the defendant, Jose Medina-Perez. 'This case is about the integrity, impartiality and independence of the Massachusetts judiciary and the appearance of the integrity, impartiality and independence every judge must uphold,' Judith Fabricant, special counsel for the commission, told the hearing. A lawyer for Joseph, Elizabeth Mulvey, said the case had been distorted over time and that everyone had come to believe that her client 'let an illegal immigrant out of the door' with half of those people believing she should be jailed and the other half calling her a 'folk hero.' She argued Joseph had been vilified in the media and people were giving the impression that 'dozens of people' had seen Joseph 'get off the bench, escort the defendant to the door, give him a hug and wish him god speed.' 'Today in this court room and we are going to have opportunity to hear all the evidence,' Mulvey said. The case is similar to a Milwaukee judge accused in April of helping a man evade immigration authorities. The case has escalated a clash between the Trump administration and local authorities over the Republican president's sweeping immigration crackdown. Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan is accused of escorting the man and his lawyer out of her courtroom through the jury door after learning that immigration authorities were seeking his arrest. The man was taken into custody outside the courthouse after agents chased him on foot. In the Massachusetts case, federal obstruction of justice charges against Joseph were dropped in 2022 after she agreed to refer herself to a state agency that investigates allegations of misconduct by members of the bench. That agency, the Commission on Judicial Conduct, concluded last year that Joseph 'engaged in willful judicial misconduct that brought the judicial office into disrepute, as well as conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice and unbecoming a judicial officer.' Denis McInerney, the hearing officer assigned to the case by the Supreme Judicial Court, said he will hear the evidence and then make a recommendation afterward based on whether he find Joseph violated the Massachusetts Code of Judicial Conduct. The hearing is expected to last about a week. Much of the first day was dominated by the first witness, lawyer David Jellinek, who told the court he had been hired that day to represent Medina-Perez and had been granted immunity by federal prosecutors. Along with the drug charges, Medina-Perez was in court on a warrant out of Pennsylvania. After doing some research, Jellinek believed his client wasn't the same person wanted on the warrant. 'I was worried they were going to take a US citizen into custody,' he told the court. 'I was quite concerned for my client.' Jellinek failed to convince the ICE agent that they had the 'wrong guy' so he came up with a plan to release Medina-Perez out the back door. Fabricant argued that Joseph signal her approval for the plan – including an off the record conversation during a side bar — when she appeared sympathetic to Jellinek's desire for his client to avoid ICE. But another attorney for Joseph, Thomas Hoopes, suggest that Jellinek might have misinterpreted Joseph's comments when she raised the possibility that Medina-Perez could be detained, rather than be released. The prosecutor had agreed Medina-Perez wasn't the man wanted in Pennsylvania and moved to drop the fugitive from justice charge. She also wasn't seeking bail on the drug charges so he was free to go. Much will hinge on what was said during that off the record conversation, which lasted only 52 seconds and is being disputed by both sides.

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