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Albania returns 20 stolen icons to neighboring North Macedonia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:12 GMT

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania on Friday returned 20 icons to neighboring North Macedonia that were stolen a decade ago, Albania’s Culture Ministry said. The return marked the final stretch on a long, 10-year road with “much inter-institutional and international cooperation,” said Albania’s Culture Minister Elva Margariti. It also showed Albania’s commitment to “the fight against trafficking of the cultural inheritance objects,” she said.A handover ceremony was held at the National Historic Museum in the Albanian capital of Tirana. No further details were provided about the icons. In 2013, Albanian authorities in Tirana seized more than 1,000 stolen religious and secular pieces of art dating from the 15th to the mid-20th century and arrested two men suspected of planning to sell them abroad. The icons, frescoes and other pieces were taken from churches and cultural centers in southeastern Albania and in the neighboring North Macedonia, a police statement had said. ...

Doping law leads to two more indictments, this time against coaches who used to be elite sprinters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:12 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors have charged a pair of former elite sprinters as part of a widening case alleging a conspiracy to supply banned performance-enhancing drugs for athletes in advance of the Tokyo Olympics.An indictment unsealed Thursday in the Southern District of New York charges O’Neil Wright and Dewayne Barrett with working to provide sprinters from Nigeria, Switzerland and Britain with drugs to get them ready for the Tokyo Games.The indictment says Wright and Barrett worked with Eric Lira, who has already pleaded guilty under the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, which was passed in 2020 to target wide-ranging doping schemes across the globe.One of the athletes Lira worked with was Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare, a 2008 Olympic silver medalist who has been banned for 11 years for taking human-growth hormone and the blood-booster erythropoietin (EPO) and also for failing to cooperate with the investigation.EPO and HgH were among the drugs Barrett and Wright we...

‘I didn’t change my number’: Macron still open to dialogue with Putin if it helps to bring peace

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:12 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday he would still consider talking with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin if it helps creating a sustainable peace between Ukraine and Russia.Macron and Putin enjoyed a good working relationship before Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022. In weeks preceding the start of hostilities, Macron’s diplomatic efforts failed to stop the war but he then kept open a line of communication with the Russian president for months.Their diplomatic and personal links deteriorated badly as the war dragged on. Earlier this year, Macron weighed the possibility of stripping Putin of France’s highest medal of honor.Putin was asked Thursday during his year-end news conference by a journalist from the French channel TF1 about his views on France and Macron. Putin said: “At some point the French president stopped the relationship with us. We didn’t do it, I didn’t. He did. If there’s interest, we’re ready. If not, we’l...

Bell, Telus now offering equal wireless access to Rogers on TTC as key deadline looms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:12 GMT

TORONTO — Telus Corp. and Bell Canada customers now have wireless service in all TTC subway stations and additional tunnel areas after Rogers Communications Inc. expanded access for its own customers nearly a month ago.The move comes ahead of next Wednesday’s deadline for Canada’s four major wireless carriers to reach commercial agreements for subway service over the long term.Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne had ordered Rogers to grant its rivals access to its cellular network in Toronto’s subway earlier this fall while the companies continued to negotiate behind the scenes.Rogers, Telus and Bell have been at loggerheads over the best technical approach, and financial terms, for the coverage since Rogers acquired the subway system’s cellular network from BAI Canada in April and pledged to build it out.In September, Champagne handed down a decision that gave the carriers one month to reach a commercial agreement over wireless access on the TTC, o...

Trans Mountain warns regulator of potential ‘catastrophic’ two-year pipeline delay

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:12 GMT

CALGARY — The company building the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion is warning the project’s completion could be delayed by two years if the Canada Energy Regulator does not allow a previously rejected request for a pipeline variance.Trans Mountain Corp. is nearly finished building the expansion, which will boost the pipeline’s capacity to 890,000 barrels per day from 300,000 bpd currently and improve access to export markets for Canadian oil companies.But the Crown corporation has run into construction issues in B.C. and has asked the regulator to allow it to use a different diameter, wall thickness and coating for a 2.3 kilometre section of pipeline.The regulator denied that request earlier this month.But Trans Mountain says it now has reason to believe that proceeding with the current construction plan through complex hard rock conditions could compromise a borehole and result in the failure of drilling equipment.The company says if that happens, it would result in &...

Chicago cousins exonerated after serving longest wrongful conviction sentence in Illinois history

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:12 GMT

CHICAGO — Two Chicago men wrongfully convicted of murder more than 40 years ago will be home with their families for the holiday season.The pair of cousins spent 42 years in prison for a McKinley Park double murder — the longest serving wrongful conviction in Illinois history. Jimmy Soto's wife says the ruling is a long time coming. "We're grateful to the judge," she told reporters in the Cook County Criminal Courts Building lobby. Family questions CPD’s response after Midway Airport worker shot, killed Soto and David Ayala were wrongly arrested and later convicted in 1981 in connection with two Chicago murders. Under coerced testimony, both were convicted, with Soto being the shooter and Ayala a gang leader who allegedly ordered the hits. Lawyers with the University of Chicago Exoneration Project took up their cases and proved corruption.While in prison, Soto earned a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University, recently took the LSAT and is planning to apply to law sch...

Thousands of propane grills recalled over possible fire hazard

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:12 GMT

(WHTM) – About 37,000 propane grills have been recalled over a possible fire hazard, according to a notice posted by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).The recall affects Traeger Flatrock Flat Top Propane Grills with the SKU number 1DFL42LLA. Nationwide recall issued for sundried tomatoes According to the recall notice, the issue stems from the grills' burner control knobs. "The burner control knob can be incorrectly labeled, which can result in the grill being unintentionally left on, posing a fire hazard," the site reads.Recalled Traeger Flatrock Flat Top Grill(Photo courtesy: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)Silver Color label Located on the Rear With SKU Number 1DFL42LLA(Photo courtesy: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)The recalled grills are described as being about 74 inches long, 27 inches wide and 36 inches tall. They weigh about 189 pounds. Each grill is black, with a silver handle on the closeable lid.The SKU number can be found on ...

NASA's Artemis II crew visits the White House

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:12 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – The team of NASA astronauts set to fly around the moon paid a visit to the White House on Thursday. The Artemis II crew, made up of three Americans and one Canadian, will be the first team to fly around the moon in 50 years.“The President was very proudly showing us an Apollo sample that is in the Oval Office that he treasures, right underneath a picture of his Corvette,” said commander Reid Wiseman. The crew spent time with President Joe Biden as well as Vice President Kamala Harris.“It’s really been nice to just shake their hands and tell them thank you for their leadership and making it possible for us to have this amazing journey,” said pilot Victor Glover.Mission specialist Christina Koch expressed her gratitude to the President for his continued support.“It was a wonderful opportunity to thank him for his leadership and to get to know him a little bit better and to share our gratefulness for this mission and for what he’s done for the space program,...

Delta Air Lines expanding at Austin airport, adding three new nonstop routes in 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:12 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Delta Air Lines is expanding operations at Austin's airport, with 11 new flights scheduled for 2024, including three new nonstop routes."For the first time, Delta is positioning Austin as a key access point to facilitate connections to its larger global network," a press release from the airline said.New year-round routes to Nashville, Midland/Odessa and McAllen will launch on April 22, each with three flights per day. Meanwhile, existing routes to Cincinnati and Raleigh/Durham will receive an extra daily flight beginning the same day.The Nashville route is currently served by American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, while Southwest serves Midland/Odessa. The route to McAllen is not currently served by any airline from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Austin airport passenger totals still on track for record-breaking year… again The new flights will all be operated by Delta Connection. The airline said the expansion means Delta will have a 20% increased cap...

For first time ever, 'exceptional drought' declared by Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer District

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:12 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The leaders managing the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District took the unprecedented step Thursday night of moving to a Stage 4 Exceptional Drought declaration, meaning tougher water-saving measures are coming for well operators. The district's board of directors voted for the first time in the organization's history to take this step, even though they predicted it may eventually come to this. According to a news release from the district Friday, crossing into Stage 4 drought status means significant pumping restrictions and permanent reclassification for certain District permittees starting Jan. 1, 2024.  FORECAST: Wet weather Friday followed by beautiful weekend This happened as a result of levels dropping at the Lovelady monitor well, which is one of the two drought trigger determinants. "This decline is representative of the alarmingly low water levels of the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer, which serves as a drinking water source ...