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Turkmenistan votes for new, opposition-free parliament

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:15 GMT

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) — Voters in Turkmenistan headed to the polls on Sunday to elect a new parliament that is expected to be opposition-free and loyal to the government of the gas-rich Central Asian nation. A total of 2,602 polling stations opened in Turkmenistan at 7 a.m. (0200 GMT) to accommodate about 3.5 million registered voters, with another 42 polling sites set up at embassies abroad. Voters will elect 125 members of parliament out of 258 candidates, put forward by three political parties or running independently. All of them support President Serdar Berdymukhamedov.Berdymukhamedov, 41, was elected last March to succeed his father, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, who had run the isolated ex-Soviet country for more than a decade. Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov came to power after the death of the eccentric Saparmurat Niyazov in 2006 and established a pervasive personality cult similar to that of his predecessor. Under his rule, Turkmenistan has remained difficult for outsiders ...

P.E.I. Green Party wasn’t ready for election, may lose seats from 2019: experts

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:15 GMT

CHARLOTTETOWN — As the Prince Edward Island election approaches its final week, the Green Party is fighting to hold onto its historic gains from the last provincial vote — a battle some experts say could result in lost seats.Hannah Bell, a Green MLA who decided not to seek re-election, says the party simply wasn’t ready for this campaign. While Progressive Conservative Leader Dennis King did call the vote six months before the province’s fixed election date, Bell says all political parties knew a campaign was coming this year. She says her party was not doing enough grassroots work or planning in the months and years leading up to the April 3 vote, leading her to believe the party’s seat count may suffer.“I do feel, and I have been saying this internally and externally, that the Green Party has missed an opportunity to build momentum in advance of an election,” Bell said.“You need to start planning for the next election the minute you finish an election. And in hindsight … the...

As economy faces potential recession, Liberals to release ‘tricky’ budget Tuesday

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:15 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal Liberals are set to unveil a budget on Tuesday intended to showcase their plans to keep Canada competitive amid the clean energy transition while supporting Canadians who are struggling with affordability.Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has promised to accomplish as much over the last few weeks, while also pledging to keep the budget fiscally restrained. But that balancing act isn’t expected to be easy. A slowing Canadian economy could weigh on government coffers.“It’s going to be very tricky for the federal government,” said Randall Bartlett, a senior director of Canadian economics at Desjardins. The Liberals are expected to invest considerably in Canada’s clean energy transition, in an attempt to keep Canada competitive with the United States as it launches its own aggressive measures.The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law last August by U.S. President Joe Biden, invests nearly US$400 billion in everything from critical m...

Israeli group asks court to punish Netanyahu over legal plan

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:15 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — An Israeli good governance group on Sunday asked the country’s Supreme Court to punish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for allegedly violating a conflict of interest agreement meant to prevent him from dealing with the country’s judiciary while he is on trial for corruption.The request by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel intensifies a brewing showdown between Netanyahu’s government and the judiciary, which it is trying to overhaul in a contentious plan that has sparked widespread opposition.The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, a fierce opponent of the overhaul, asked the court to force Netanyahu to obey the law and sanction him either with a fine or prison time for not doing so, saying he was not above the law.“A prime minister who doesn’t obey the court and the provisions of the law is privileged and an anarchist,” said Eliad Shraga, the head of the group, echoing language used by Netanyahu and his allies against pr...

Readers and writers: The latest from John Sandford, a trailblazer at the U, and more

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:15 GMT

Letty comes alive, something is in the basement, college freshmen tell stories, and a look at one of the first University of Minnesota Black athletes, all recommended this week just for you.“Dark Angel”: by John Sandford (Putnam, $29.99)‘ ‘Attagirl,’ Cartwright said, raising a finger to the waiter. ‘Nothing quite as exciting as getting drunk on your ass while angry and in possession of a dangerous weapon. Says so right in in the Second Amendment, I  think.’‘I am not that angry,’ Letty said.‘Yes, you are. You have been since birth. All us Ladies are angry.’ ” — From “Dark Angel”The “Ladies” are members of the Washington Ladies Peace-Maker Society, which is not a group of tea-drinking socialites. It’s a secret group of women in Washington, most of whom work for government agencies, who meet monthly to test their shooting skills and talk about their favorite guns. A few of them a...

Sunday Bulletin Board: Life on the hill: not-so-tough (maybe not-so-safe) sledding!

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:15 GMT

The Permanent Family RecordKID IN A MIRROR: “I grew up in a small Minnesota town. The town is on a hill overlooking the Minnesota River.“One Christmas, in the early 1950s, my older brother received a new sled with a steel frame and runners and wooden slats. He willingly shared it with my younger sister and me.“The most fun was when we all piled on our stomachs — my brother, me, and my sister on top. We started at the alley above our house. Off we went! We barreled through our yard, a quick look left and right as we crossed Third Street and onto our neighbor’s property. Jumped a mogul and passed their outhouse. Pee-yew! On we went through their yard, across another alley and into another yard, where some older boys pelted us with snowballs from behind a retaining wall. We finally ended our run before crossing Second Street. A two-minute ride that felt timeless!“I often wonder if our mother, who was in the house, was aware of our adventure.”Dept. of Neat ...

John Phelan: Exempt Social Security from state income tax? Good politics. Bad policy.

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:15 GMT

Milton Friedman once said, “I am in favor of cutting taxes under any circumstances and for any excuse, for any reason, whenever it’s possible.” As much as it pains me to disagree with one of the greatest social scientists of the last century, it is possible for a tax cut to leave the tax system in worse shape. The current proposal to exempt Social Security income from state income taxation is a case in point.Economically speaking, the best tax system levies low rates on broad bases. Exemptions and credits go against this and ought to be used sparingly, if at all. So, if Minnesota state government is going to tax individuals’ incomes, why should it exempt income from Social Security?The only answer I’ve really had to this question is that this income was already “taxed” when the individual’s Social Security was withheld from their paycheck and that it is being taxed a second time when Social Security pays out and the state government taxes that.But this isn’t true.R...

MN Legislature: Proposed paid leave program comes with big startup costs, generous benefits

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:15 GMT

Minnesota Democrats’ ambitious two-year budget plan — with $17.9 billion in new spending — includes the creation of a paid family and medical leave program that has hefty startup costs.The joint budget targets announced by Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party leaders include nearly $670 million to kick-start the benefit program. But a fiscal analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Budget Office found getting the program up and running could cost as much as $1.7 billion.The high costs are largely to allow the state to begin paying benefits around the same time it starts collecting revenue from a new 0.7 percent payroll tax. The tax on wages could be split between workers and employees.The state Department of Employment and Economic Development would have to hire more than 400 workers by 2026 to administer the program, which proponents say would look a lot like Minnesota’s unemployment system. Only about 24 percent of workers currently have access to paid leave and 13...

Skywatch: The big cat of spring is chasing the dogs of winter out of the sky

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:15 GMT

Happy springtime! Winter, or at least the astronomical winter of 2022-23, is history. The vernal equinox took place last Monday. From now until late June, the sun will make longer and higher arcs from east to west across the sky as it crosses into the northern half of the sky for the first time since last September. Summer won’t be long.Even though it’s spring, Orion and the rest of the winter constellations still shine brightly in the southwestern sky. The big guy himself has three bright stars in a row that make up the hermit hunter’s belt. Orion’s brightest star is Rigel, marking Orion’s left knee, and Betelgeuse at the other corner marks Orion’s armpit. Betelgeuse is an Arabic name that roughly translates in English to “armpit of the great one.” Betelgeuse is a very significant star astronomically. It’s a super red giant star that sometimes bulges out to nearly a billion miles in diameter.On the southern and western side of O...

Literary pick: Three new children’s books

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:05:15 GMT

Laura Purdie SalasThe snow is melting, leaving behind water and more water. It’s the perfect time of year for three new books from Minneapolis children’s author Laura Purdie Salas, all connected by water. They are: “Zap! Clap! Boom!,”  “Finding Family: The Duckling Raised by Loons,” and a board book, “Puddle Song!”Purdie Salas, who’s written more than 130 books for the kiddos, will launch her new trio at a spring storytime at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 1, at Red Balloon Bookshop, 891 Grand Ave., St. Paul.  She promises “singing, storming, moving and reading.” After the program, she will sign books.Here’s a peek inside their covers.“Zap! Clap! Boom!”: This dynamic introduction to weather focuses on the life cycle of a thunderstorm that begins “no rain yet. It’s just a threat -/ a rising cloud,  a towering plume, then… ”  The text follows as the weather changes from a blue-sky d...