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This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 STOCKHOLM (AP) — A right-wing populist party that received the second-most votes in Sweden’s general election last month landed the chairmanships of four parliamentary committees Saturday and with it, the ability to wield more influence in mainstream Swedish politics. The positions to be held by lawmakers from the Sweden Democrats include chairing the Riksdag's justice, foreign affair, business affairs and labor market committees. “It is important for us, a milestone in the party’s history,” legislator Richard Jomshof, a Sweden Democrat who was tapped to be the next chairman of the justice committee, told Swedish public broadcaster SVT. “It is an expression of the fact that we are Sweden’s second largest party.” In addition to the four chairperson posts, the party was allowed to name the vice-chairs of parliament's civil affairs, traffic, defense and tax committees. Sweden … [Read more...] about Sweden: Right-wing party get 4 chairmanships in parliament

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 11 MALANG, Indonesia (AP) — Panic at an Indonesian soccer match after police fired tear gas to stop brawls left 129 dead, mostly trampled to death, police said Sunday. Several fights between supporters of the two rival soccer teams were reported inside the Kanjuruhan Stadium in East Java province's Malang city after the Indonesian Premier League game ended with Persebaya Surabaya beating Arema Malang 3-2. The brawls that broke out just after the game ended late night Saturday prompted riot police to fire tear gas, which caused panic among supporters, said East Java Police Chief Nico Afinta. Hundreds of people ran to an exit gate in an effort to avoid the tear gas. Some suffocated in the chaos and others were trampled, killing 34 almost instantly. More than 300 were rushed to nearby hospitals to treat injuries but many died on the … [Read more...] about 129 dead after fans stampede to exit Indonesian soccer match

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 RENO, Nev. (AP) — Thousands of people in hundreds of cars took over northern Nevada parking lots and intersections Friday night and into Saturday, performing stunts in souped-up vehicles and leading to crashes and arrests, police said. Police beefed up nighttime staffing after social media posts urged people from San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, to come to the “sideshow” in Reno, Police Lt. Michael Browett said. The disturbances started late Friday as several hundred cars and their occupants met in the parking lot of a still-open Walmart store. Police tried to break up the crowds and drivers sped off, meeting up again at several intersections and industrial parks into Saturday morning. A dozen people were arrested, 14 cars impounded and 33 people were issued citations. Browett said Reno is just the latest city to see late-night takeovers by auto enthusiasts who ignore law … [Read more...] about Hundreds of cars pack Nevada streets for illegal stunts

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 6 WASHINGTON (AP) — The defense team in the Capitol riot trial of the Oath Keepers leader is relying on an unusual strategy with Donald Trump at the center. Lawyers for Stewart Rhodes, founder of the extremist group, are poised to argue that jurors cannot find him guilty of seditious conspiracy because all the actions he took before the siege on Jan. 6, 2021, were in preparation for orders he anticipated from the then-president — orders that never came. Rhodes and four associates are accused of plotting for weeks to stop the transfer of presidential power from the Republican incumbent to Democrat Joe Biden, culminating with Oath Keepers in battle gear storming the Capitol alongside hundreds of other Trump supporters. Opening statements in the trial are set to begin Monday. Rhodes intends to take the stand to argue he believed Trump was going to invoke the … [Read more...] about Trump at center of Oath Keepers novel defense in Jan. 6 case

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — When Michael Moore was released from prison after serving time for selling drugs, he realized that it was time to make a change in his life. With the help and guidance of the Delaware Center for Horticulture, Moore enrolled in a post-release program in public landscaping, which included job training for gardening, park maintenance and basic knowledge of planting. He completed the program in 2014. “I was encouraged to apply and I gave it a shot,” said Moore, who was approached about the program following his four-year prison term. “I ended up getting hired on their staff after the program because I was willing to learn.” The program helped him stay grounded, said Moore, who recently got pardoned for all of his charges with the help of the organization. The Branches to Chances Program provides classroom and hands-on training through professional development in the horticulture and landscape industry. The center hired Moore in February 2014, and he … [Read more...] about Gardening program helps ex-offenders start over

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 24 KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin signed treaties Friday to illegally annex more occupied Ukrainian territory in a sharp escalation of his war. Ukraine's president countered with a surprise application to join the NATO military alliance. Putin’s land-grab and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s signing of what he said is an “accelerated” NATO membership application sent the two leaders speeding faster on a collision course that is cranking up fears of a full-blown conflict between Russia and the West. Putin vowed to protect newly annexed regions of Ukraine by “all available means," a renewed nuclear-backed threat he made at a Kremlin signing ceremony where he also railed furiously against the West, accusing the United States and its allies of … [Read more...] about Putin illegally annexes Ukraine land; Kyiv seeks NATO entry