World
Boston mayor defends decision to host a holiday party for elected officials of color
BOSTON (AP) — Boston’s first Asian American mayor, Michelle Wu, is defending her decision to host a holiday party for elected officials of color.
Wu said the “Electeds of Color Holiday Party” held on Wednesday has been a fixture in Boston politics for more than a decade without any complaints.
Earlier this week, a member of Wu’s staff mistakenly sent the entire city council an invitation to the party at the city-owned Parkman House near the Massachusetts Statehouse. A short time later, a second email was sent out apologizing for the initial email. About half of the 13 people on the council aren’t white.
“There are many events that are private events for all sorts of groups, so we’ve clarified that and look forward to seeing everyone at one of the dozens of opportunities to celebrate the holidays,” Wu told reporters Wednesday.
She said the fact that the initial email went to all city councilors was “truly just an honest mistake that went out in typing the email field.”
Frank Baker, who was elected to the council in 2011, said a party limited to elected officials of color sends the wrong message.
“I think the holidays is a time for people — everyone — to get together. So we’ll see what happens,” Baker, who is white, told NBC10 Boston. “I do find it divisive, but what are you going to do about it?”
Baker did not seek reelection to another term next year.
“I don’t get offended.” Baker added. “You don’t want me at a party, I’m not going to come to a party.”
City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo, who is Latino, defended the holiday get-together,
“I think somebody wanted to make this an inflammatory issue and they’ve clearly succeeded,” Arroyo told reporters Wednesday.
Ricardo Patrón, Wu’s press secretary, said no city funds were used to pay for the party.
The fuss over the holiday party caps a year marked by infighting on the council that occasionally fell along racial lines. It wasn’t until 2020 that more than half of the city councilors were women and people of color.
It also comes amid pushback by conservatives against so-called diversity, equity and inclusion efforts around the country, including on college campuses and in the corporate world.
Many young people feel disillusioned by politics in the United Kingdom, as the country readies for a pivotal general election after 14 years of Conservative governments. Megan Specia, an international correspondent for The New York Times based in London, spoke with young voters in the northern English cities of Liverpool and Manchester to hear their perspectives on the election.
- One person was killed after a portion of the canopy at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport’s departure terminal collapsed on Friday.
- The collapse occurred due to monsoon rains that lashed the Indian capital, officials say.
- Six others were injured during the collapse.
A portion of a canopy at a departure terminal at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport in India collapsed Friday as monsoon rains lashed the Indian capital, killing one person and injuring six others, officials said.
All flight departures from Terminal 1 were temporarily suspended as rescuers cleared the debris to rescue anyone trapped there, the airport authority said.
Terminal 1 is used for domestic operations at New Delhi’s main airport.
DEATH TOLL LINKED TO METHANOL-LACED LIQUOR ILLEGALLY BREWED IN INDIA RISES TO 47
The fire services control room said the injured were taken to a hospital.
A crew inspects the damage to a part of a departure terminal canopy at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport that collapsed in heavy pre-monsoon rains in New Delhi, India, on June 28, 2024. (AP Photo)
“Due to heavy rain since early this morning, a portion of the canopy of the old departure forecourt” collapsed at around 5 a.m., an airport authority statement said.
In addition to the roof, some support beams also collapsed, damaging cars in the pickup and drop-off area at the terminal, the Press Trust of India news agency said.
One of the six injured people was rescued from a car on which an iron beam had fallen, PTI said.
Anees Khan, a taxi driver, said he was sleeping in his car. “Around 5:30 in the morning there was a very loud lightning sound. When I got out, I saw that the roof had collapsed and there were around eight to 10 cars under it.”
Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu visited the airport and said boarding operations at the damaged terminal were being shifted to two other terminals.
He told reporters that a thorough inspection of the damaged structure was being carried out.
An IndiGo airline official said passengers inside the terminal had already boarded their flights and those booked on flights later in the day would be offered alternatives.
Friday’s rain was the first big shower of the monsoon season in New Delhi, the India Meteorological Department said. It flooded New Delhi streets, causing traffic snarls. The monsoon season lasts until the end of September.
According to the department, as much as 9 inches of rain fell in New Delhi in the past 24 hours, nearly three times the amount the city usually receives in the entire month of June. The intense rain follows a punishing heatwave that claimed at least 100 lives across India, including in New Delhi.
India is among the most vulnerable regions in the world to the effects of climate change. A report by the Reserve Bank of India earlier this year found it could cost more than $1 trillion by 2030 for the country to adapt to the changes. Climate experts say monsoon rains have become more erratic, resulting in extreme rainfall events that cause landslides and flooding.
According to the Brussels-based NGO ILGA-Europe, Norway this year ranks the 8th best state in Europe for the LGBTQ community.
Revellers took to the streets of central Oslo this weekend to celebrate the city’s annual pride parade as June’s Pride Month draws to a close.
The two-hour march ended on Saturday at the so-called Pride Park, in the central Sofienbergparken.
Oslo Pride is Norway’s largest celebration of love and diversity and focusses on equal rights and human dignity.
It’s created by around 80 year-round volunteers with around 300 extra getting involved during the nine-day festival.
According to the Brussels-based NGO ILGA-Europe, Norway this year ranks the 8th best state in Europe for the LGBTQ community. The index takes into account the legal, political and social environment for LGBTQ people in each country in Europe.
However during 2022’s festival, a homophobic gunman opened fire in Oslo’s nightlife district, killing two people and wounding 20 others.
Heavy police presence at Pride parade in Greece
Meanwhile, in Greece, around 15,000 people attended the annual EuroPride parade on Saturday, police said, in support of the LGBTQ+ community in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki but police had to come out in large numbers to keep the parade safe.
“This participation from across Europe sends a message,” parade participant Michalis Filippidis told reporters. “It is very, very good. We are all united like a fist and, despite many things happening, we are all here to fight for our rights.”
There was a heavy police presence to prevent demonstrations against the parade. In the end, police said, 15 people were detained for shouting obscenities at parade participants and, in one case, trying to throw eggs at them.
Is Clark County’s $80M settlement with Red Rock developer the new model for land use disputes? – The Nevada Independent
Grand slam helps Yard Goats dominate in win over New Hampshire – The Collinsville Press
New Jersey woman was warned about 'strange' ex-boyfriend before murder, dad says
Severe weather hits urban New Mexico
NC lawmakers rushed dozens of bills over the finish line, but failed efforts stand out
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
At least 2 dead as tornadoes hit Alabama, damage homes across Southeast
Video: How Blast Waves Can Injure the Brain
The New Yorker editor calls for Biden to step down after 'antagonizing' debate performance
Norway's LQBTQ community party at the Pride parade in Oslo
Rescuers try to keep dolphins away from Cape Cod shallows after a mass stranding
Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorial board calls for Biden to drop out 'for the good of the nation'
-
News1 week agoTracking a Single Day at the National Domestic Violence Hotline
-
Fitness1 week agoWhat's the Least Amount of Exercise I Can Get Away With?
-
News1 week agoSupreme Court upholds law barring domestic abusers from owning guns in major Second Amendment ruling | CNN Politics
-
World6 days agoIsrael accepts bilateral meeting with EU, but with conditions
-
Politics1 week agoTrump classified docs judge to weigh alleged 'unlawful' appointment of Special Counsel Jack Smith
-
Politics1 week agoSupreme Court upholds federal gun ban for those under domestic violence restraining orders
-
World1 week agoNew Caledonia independence activists sent to France for detention
-
World1 week agoIs Israel’s Smotrich fulfilling his dream of annexing the West Bank?