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Von der Leyen heads to Lampedusa as Italy battles migrant surge

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:07 GMT

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel Sunday to the Italian island of Lampedusa, as the government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni struggles with a surge in migrant arrivals. Eric Mamer, the Commission’s chief spokesperson, said on Saturday that von der Leyen is heading to the island on the invitation of Meloni. The Italian leader on Friday vowed to take “extraordinary measures” to curb the influx of migrants to Italy and called on the EU to help with a naval blockade to stop crossings in the Mediterranean Sea. In a video posted on social media, Meloni promised to take action following a surge of irregular migrant arrivals this week on the Italian island of Lampedusa. The far-right leader said she wrote to European Council President Charles Michel asking to address migration during an October EU summit and also invited von der Leyen to see conditions on Lampedusa.“I intend to reiterate a request for an immediate EU missi...

Lee is now a post-tropical cyclone that’s still whipping hurricane-strength winds as rain lashes New England, Atlantic Canada

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:07 GMT

(CNN) — Now a post-tropical cyclone, Lee continues to churn hurricane-strength winds early Saturday morning while delivering rainfall to parts of southeastern New England and Atlantic Canada, according to the National Hurricane Center.Lee, which was a Category 1 hurricane earlier Saturday, is still expected to impact the region despite the status change.“Lee is expected to be at or just below hurricane strength when it reaches Nova Scotia later today. Weakening is forecast tonight and Sunday while Lee moves across Atlantic Canada,” the National Hurricane Center said Saturday in its 5 a.m. advisory, adding the storm has lost sufficient tropical characteristics to be considered a hurricane.The most significant impacts on the US are the possibility of some coastal flooding and tropical-storm-force winds churning in coastal New England, particularly Maine where a state emergency has been declared. A hurricane watch is in effect for the southern coasts of the Canadian prov...

Thousands without power as Lee sideswipes Massachusetts coastline

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:07 GMT

Thousands of customers were without power Saturday morning as Lee lashed southeastern Massachusetts with 40-50 mph winds. Nearly 3,000 customers were without power as of 7:45 a.m., primarily on Cape Cod, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency’s Outage Map.Stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest on Lee.

Residents in Orleans breathing a sigh of relief as Lee blows by

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:07 GMT

Residents who stopped out to take a look at Lee as it passed by on Saturday morning sighed a breath of relief, noting a direct hit would have been catastrophic.7’s Steve Cooper was out in Orleans, where residents had prepared their homes for the worst but were happy to see the storm staying out to sea.There were nearly 3,000 residents without power on Cape Cod as of 7:45 a.m., according to the MEMA outage map.Stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest on Lee.

High winds whip Dennis as residents keep an eye on the coastline

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:07 GMT

High winds battered Dennis on Saturday morning as Lee roared past New England, triggering warnings from local officials about possible localized flooding and storm surge.The sand was whipping up along Harborview Beach in Dennis after the rain died down around 7:30 a.m. but there was no visible tree or road damage.There were few power outages in the Dennis area so far this morning, according to the MEMA outage map.Stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest on Lee.

Choppy waves attract beachgoers to Plum Island as storm Lee heads east

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:07 GMT

Residents on the North Shore visited Plum Island early Saturday morning to get a look at the rough waves and gusty winds coming from post-tropical storm Lee.Lee, which was previously classified as a Category 1 hurricane earlier Saturday morning, is bringing choppy waves to Plum Island. The beach is breezy with occasional gusts of winds, and beachgoers are bundled up as temperatures remain chilled. With no power outages in the area, the weather is calm enough for walks on the beach.The area also faces a minor coastal flooding advisory between noon and 2 p.m. Saturday.The sky remained clear, allowing for nearby residents to check out the ocean in dry conditions.

Libya investigates dams’ collapse after a devastating flood last weekend killed more than 11,000

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:07 GMT

DERNA, Libya (AP) — Libyan authorities have opened an investigation into the collapse of two dams that caused a devastating flood in a coastal city as rescue teams searched for bodies on Saturday, nearly a week after the deluge killed more than 11,000 people.Heavy rains caused by Mediterranean storm Daniel caused deadly flooding across eastern Libya last weekend. The floods overwhelmed two dams, sending a wall of water several meters high through the center of Derna, destroying entire neighborhoods and sweeping people out to sea.More than 10,000 people are missing, according to the Libyan Red Crescent. Six days on, searchers are still digging through mud and hollowed-out buildings, looking for bodies and possible survivors. The Red Crescent has confirmed 11,300 deaths so far.Claire Nicolet, who heads the emergencies department of the Doctors Without Borders aid group, said that rescuers found “a lot of bodies” on Friday and were still searching.“It was a big number … the sea i...

Egyptian court gives a government critic a 6-month sentence in a case condemned by rights groups

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:07 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — An Egyptian court sentenced a fierce government critic Saturday to six months in prison over charges that stemmed from an online spat with a former minister and opposition figure. The case drew condemnation from rights groups and renewed global attention to Egypt’s poor human rights record.Hisham Kassem, who is a leading official with the Free Current, a coalition of mostly liberal parties, was convicted of slander, defamation and verbally assaulting a police officer, according to Hossam Bahgat, head of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, which represents Kassem before the court.Bahgat said the court in Cairo also fined Kassem 20,000 Egyptian pounds (around $647). Saturday’s verdict is subject to an appeal before a higher court.Kassem, who for decades ran a series of news outlets that helped keep alive pockets of independent, free press in the country, was arrested in August after persecutors questioned him on accusations leveled against him by Kamal Abu ...

Millions under storm watches as Lee is downgraded but bears down on New England and Canada

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:07 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The National Hurricane Center downgraded Hurricane Lee to a post-tropical cyclone but millions of people remained under storm watches and warnings early Saturday as the storm still could produce hurricane-force winds, torrential rain and coastal flooding. Severe conditions were predicted as a possibility across portions of Massachusetts and Maine and hurricane conditions could hit the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, where the storm had been predicted to make landfall later Saturday.The storm was located about 230 miles (365 kilometers) southwest of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and about 220 miles (355 kilometers) southeast of Eastport, Maine on Saturday morning. The hurricane center predicted hurricane-force winds extending more than 100 miles (161 kilometers) from Lee’s center with lesser but still dangerous tropical storm-force gusts up to 345 miles (555 kilometers) miles outward. States of emergency were declared for Massachusetts and Maine, t...

London police arrest 25-year-old who allegedly climbed over and entered stables at Buckingham Palace

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:07 GMT

LONDON (AP) — London police arrested a 25-year-old man early Saturday morning after he allegedly climbed over a wall and entered the royal stables at Buckingham Palace.The man was detained at 1:25 a.m Saturday for trespassing on a protected site, London’s Metropolitan Police Service said in a statement. He was taken to a London police station, where he remained by late morning.Officers found the man outside the royal stables following a search of the area. He didn’t enter enter the palace or its gardens at any time, police said.Buckingham Palace, which is some 300 years old, is undergoing renovations, and King Charles III does not live there. The monarch was in Scotland on Saturday.The Associated Press