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Turkey closes airspace to Armenian flights over monument

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:34 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey has closed its airspace to flights by Armenian aircraft in retaliation for the erection of a monument in the Armenian capital that Ankara says honors people responsible for the killings of Turkish officials, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday. In an interview with NTV television, Cavusoglu warned that Turkey would take further measures if the monument in Yerevan is not removed.The movecomes as Turkey and Armenia, which have no diplomatic relations, had been engaged in talks to normalize ties and put decades of acrimony behind. They appointed special envoys who have held several rounds of talks. Their discussions had resulted in an agreement to resume charter flights between Istanbul and Yerevan. The two countries have a more than century-old bitter relationship over the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians in massacres, deportations and forced marches that began in 1915 in Ottoman Turkey. Historians widely view the event as genocide...

Russia says it foiled an alleged drone attack on Kremlin

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:34 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian authorities accused Ukraine on Wednesday of attempting to attack the Kremlin with two drones overnight in an effort to assassinate President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin decried the alleged attack attempt as a “terrorist act” and said Russian military and security forces stopped the drones before they could strike. In a statement carried by Russian state-run news agencies, it said no casualties took place. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti that Putin wasn’t in the Kremlin at the time and was working from the Novo-Ogaryovo residence. The Kremlin added that Putin was safe and his schedule was unchanged. There were no immediate comment from Ukrainian authorities. The Kremlin didn’t present any evidence from the reported incident, and its statement included few details.Tass quoted the statement as saying that the Kremlin considered the development to be a deliberate attempt on Putin’s life ahead of the Victory Day that...

What to know about King Charles III’s coronation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:34 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Great Britain’s royal family turns the page on a new chapter Saturday with the coronation of King Charles III. The pomp, pageantry and symbolism dates back more than 1,000 years, but the crowning of this king will feature new twists on the tradition and changes from the coronation of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, 70 years ago. Plans for the ceremony at Westminster Abbey call for a more toned-down affair than the last one, even though royals from other nations, heads of state and most of Charles’ family will be there, and the monarch plans to wear the same vestments as Elizabeth did. Here are some things to know about the coronation:WHY HAVE THE CORONATION IF CHARLES IS ALREADY KING?Charles automatically ascended to the throne when Elizabeth died Sept. 8, and he was officially proclaimed Britain’s monarch two days later in an ascension ceremony broadcast for the first time on television. Charles said he was “deeply aware of this great inheritance and of the duti...

Brazil police search Bolsonaro’s home, seize his phone

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:34 GMT

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil’s Federal Police searched former President Jair Bolsonaro’s home on Wednesday and seized his phone, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity.The official, who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly, said that Bolsonaro will be deposed at Federal Police headquarters and also confirmed that one of his closest allies, Mauro Cid, was arrested.Asked about the search of Bolsonaro’s home, the Federal Police’s press office provided a statement saying officers were carrying out 16 searches and six arrests in Rio de Janeiro related to the introduction of fraudulent data related to the COVID-19 vaccine into the nation’s health system. The statement didn’t name Bolsonaro or Cid. Television network Globo broadcast images that showed police inside Bolsonaro’s condominium complex in Brasilia. Local media reported that the vaccine cards of Bolsonaro and his family members were altered. During the pandemic, Bolsonaro repea...

EU seeks to extend sanctions programs to include corruption

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:34 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union is working on plans to extend the sanctions regime that it uses to punish third countries for human-rights abuses to include grand corruption. The EU’s executive Commission on Wednesday proposed the expansion because it believes serious corruption can undermine the rule of law, human rights and democracy. If adopted, the plans would include asset freezes and travel bans.“Based on this framework, the European Union could ban perpetrators of corruption from entering the European Union to freeze perpetrators’ assets in the European Union and any European Union person from making funds and economic resources available to perpetrators,” said EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell.Grand corruption in third countries not only affects democracy there but can also turn against the EU when money is used to buy political influence in the 27-nation bloc. Belgian prosecutors are investigating several EU legislators and officials that are accused of ...

For open water swimmers, even chilly, choppy water beckons

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:34 GMT

Many beaches won’t open for weeks, but already one dedicated group is quietly pacing the shore.You might not have noticed them, but these quiet few are the ones who seem most keen on noting the shifting tides, the current, the wind. They’ll gush about the color of the water, the angle of the sun, the shape of the clouds. They are the first to plunge in when those on the shore are still shivering in sweaters. And they are the last to, very reluctantly, call it a season in late fall. And occasionally not even then.“A lot of us look longingly at the water all year long, but it’s still a little cold for me now,” says Dorothy Harza, 93, of Evanston, Illinois, who swims nearly daily in Lake Michigan from May to November.“It makes my body feel so good!” she exclaims. “Like most people my age, I have various aches and pains that one just lives with at my point of life. Swimming makes me feel so much better.”Her passion for open-water swimming is about much more than physical exercise.“It’s ...

Man critical after being stabbed multiple times following altercation on CTA Red Line train

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:34 GMT

CHICAGO — A man was stabbed multiple times following an altercation on a CTA Red Line train.The stabbing happened on a Red Line train in the 0-100 block of West 95th Street around 11:50 p.m. Tuesday.According to police, a 28-year-old man was in a physical altercation with a 21-year-old man on a train, when the 21-year-old took out a knife and began stabbing the 28-year-old.The victim sustained multiple stab wounds to the stomach, head and arms and was transported to Christ Hospital in critical condition. Man stabbed several times at CTA Orange Line station: police Police said the offender also sustained lacerations to the hands and was transported to the same hospital in good condition.Area Two detectives are investigating the incident at this time. A knife was recovered from the scene.This stabbing happened just hours before another stabbing at a CTA Orange Line station where a man was also stabbed several times.

Man stabbed several times at CTA Orange Line station: police

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:34 GMT

CHICAGO — A 40-year-old man was stabbed at a CTA Orange Line station on the city's South Side.The incident happened at the Orange Line station in the 4900 block of South Western Avenue around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday. Police said the 40-year-old was approached by another man who stabbed him and then robbed him of his personal belongings. The offender then fled the scene. 7 dead, more than 30 hospitalized in I-55 crash The 40-year-old sustained several lacerations and was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital in serious but stable condition.No one is in custody. Area One detectives are investigating.This incident happened just hours after a stabbing on a CTA Red Line train where a man suffered multiple stab wounds to the stomach, head and arms following an altercation.

Senator: Texas Medical Board not doing 'vital job' protecting patients from harm

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:34 GMT

Investigative Summary: For more than a year, KXAN investigators told you about doctors with hidden problems in their pasts coming to Texas to practice. Our reporting led to a Texas Medical Board rule change and several bills filed this legislative session to protect patients, including one that seeks to hold the TMB accountable in a new and "unique" way. KXAN brought the findings of our investigations straight to lawmakers amid ongoing concerns for Texas patients. AUSTIN (KXAN) — On the floor of the Texas Senate, KXAN took patient concerns directly to lawmakers, testifying about what our year-long investigation found: Patients don't have full transparency necessary to make informed healthcare decisions when choosing a doctor. "The Texas Medical Board's goal is to 'protect and enhance the public's health, safety and welfare,'" KXAN investigative reporter Matt Grant told members of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on April 19. "But, we've discovered, in case after case,...

Tuition costs could increase for non-resident, graduate students in University of Texas system

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:34 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The University of Texas System Board of Regents will discuss and possibly take action on increasing tuition for non-resident and graduate students, and non-academic mandatory fees during its May meeting on Wednesday. UT Chancellor James Milliken made the recommendation to the board to increase the tuition costs by no more than 5.2% by the start of the 2023-2024 academic year. Chancellor Milliken used the Higher Education Price Index (HEPI) data compiled by Commonfund, an asset management firm, to make his recommendation. Higher Education Price Index The HEPI is a tool used to calculate inflation for colleges and universities. It takes into account eight components that make up the operating costs for schools. Those include faculty salaries (35%), clerical (18%), fringe benefits (13%), administration salaries (11%), service employees (8%), utilities (7%), supplies and materials (6%), and miscellaneous services (2%). This year, Commonfund reported the HEPI rose 5.2% f...