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Swiss court acquits former Belarusian security operative in case of enforced disappearances

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:19 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — A court in northern Switzerland on Thursday acquitted a former security Belarusian operative over the enforced disappearances of three of President Aleksander Lukashenko’s political opponents in the late 1990s, said an advocacy group that spearheaded the case.Judges in the northern town of Rorschach said they were not convinced that the defendant, Yuri Harauski, a former member of a Belarusian military unit known as SOBR, was involved in the disappearances.According to the Geneva-based advocacy group TRIAL International, the court ruled that Harauski’s participation in the crimes could not be established beyond reasonable doubt.“The families of the victims remain in a state of uncertainty about the exact circumstances of their loved ones’ disappearances,” said the group.TRIAL International, the International Federation of Human Rights and Viasna — a Belarusian rights group whose founder Ales Bialiatski was a co-winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize — jointly...

Drive a Hyundai or Kia? See if your car is one of the nearly 3.4 million under recall for fire risks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:19 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Nearly 3.4 million Hyundai and Kia vehicles in the U.S. are under recall due to the risk of engine compartment fires and it’s important for drivers to check if their car is one of them.Both the companies and federal regulators are warning owners of the recalled vehicles to park them outdoors until repairs are made. Mail notifications about the recalls won’t begin until November, but owners can check right now to see if their vehicle in on the list — which covers multiple car and SUV models from the model years 2010 through 2019.Here’s what you need to know about the recalls and what to do if your car is impacted by it.Why are these Hyundai and Kia cars getting recalled?According to documents posted this week by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an anti-lock brake control module in recalled vehicles can leak fluid and cause an electrical short, which can touch off a fire whether the cars or being driven, or are parked. Hyundai h...

Shutdown’s shadow, Biden’s speech and arguing the case: Takeaways from the House impeachment hearing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans on Thursday are holding the first hearing of their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden and their effort to tie the him to the business dealings to his son Hunter. It’s a high-stakes opening act for Republicans as they begin a process that can lead to the ultimate penalty for a president, punishment for what the Constitution describes as “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Rep. James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, said the committee had “uncovered a mountain of evidence” that he said would show how the Democratic president abused his power and repeatedly lied about a “wall” between his political position and his son’s private business dealings. “There was no wall,” Comer said.Republicans have been investigating Hunter Biden for years, since his father was vice president. While questions have arisen about the ethics surrounding the Biden family’s international business, no evidence has emerged so far to pro...

First congressional hearing on Maui wildfire focuses on island’s sole electric provider and grid

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:19 GMT

Hawaii’s top public utility officials and the president of Hawaiian Electric testified Thursday in a congressional hearing about the role the electrical grid played in last month’s deadly Maui wildfire. Members of a U.S. House Energy and Commerce subcommittee question the utility officials about how the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century began — and whether the electrical grid in Lahaina was safe and properly maintained. The fire killed at least 97 people and destroyed more than 2,000 buildings, mostly homes. It first erupted at 6:30 a.m. on Aug. 8, when strong winds appeared to cause a Hawaiian Electric power line to fall, igniting dry brush and grass near a large subdivision.There is still much to sort out about the fire, Rep. Morgan Griffith R-Virginia said at the hearing’s start. Among questions that need to be answerered are how the fires spread and what efforts to reduce fire risk have been made in recent years. “It is extremely important that we ...

Furniture designer crafts a chair named ‘solace’ to aid those harmed by Fiona’s wrath

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:19 GMT

HALIFAX — Furniture designer Jonathan Otter has created a chair that suggests both a hurricane’s power and the support needed afterwards, as part of a fundraiser for those rebuilding after post-tropical storm Fiona.His work crafted from Nova Scotia red oak is up for auction at a starting bid of $30,000, and is among three artistic creations the United Way is selling to raise funds for those still recovering from the storm that hit Feb. 24, 2022.The auction also includes a hand-carved wood sculpture by Adam McNamara and an ink and water colour print of a tree ring by Kalen Roblee, and all three works were made from trees downed by Fiona.The storm was the costliest extreme weather event in the East Coast’s history, with about 100 houses destroyed by a tidal surge in southwestern Newfoundland, along with woodlands, farms, businesses and homes damaged across Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.Otter says the woodlands he grew up in on his parents’ farm in central Nova...

Phillies deny emotional support alligator from entering ballpark

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:19 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Phillies fan and his emotional support animal, an alligator named WallyGator, were denied entrance to watch Philadelphia host Pittsburgh. Social media posts showed the gator on a leash with a harness with his name on it outside the stadium Wednesday.WallyGator is a working emotional support alligator owned by Joie Henney, of Jonestown, Pennsylvania. The reptile has a big presence on Instagram and TikTok.Citizens Bank Park’s policy on support animals is posted on the Phillies’ official website. It states, “Guide dogs, service animals, or service animals in training are welcome. All other animals are prohibited.” Henney spoke to The Philadelphia Inquirer last year and said WallyGator helps him battle depression and that “he likes to give hugs.” Henney said then that the gator had never bitten anyone.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlbThe Associated Press

Spotted lanternfly has spread to Illinois, threatening to crops and trees

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:19 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois is the latest state to find invasive spotted lanternflies, an winged insect that’s spreading across the eastern U.S. and is subject to squish-on-sight requests in New York and elsewhere.First detected in the U.S. nearly a decade ago, the hitchhiking pest and its eggs have been getting rides on vehicles and trains as they expand from southeast Pennsylvania across the country. Although the inch-long planthopper looks pretty with its distinctive black spots and bright red wing markings, the sap-sucking bug likes to mass and feed on plants. It then excretes a sticky, sugary waste called honeydew that attracts insects and a form of sooty mold that can finish off the already weakened plants, posing a danger to crops and native trees. The gunk can also collect houses, decks and outdoor furniture.The Illinois Department of Agriculture said a sighting of one of the winged adult insects was reported on Sept. 16 at an undisclosed location. Department sta...

Police release images of suspects after attacks at Earlscourt Park cultural festival

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:19 GMT

Toronto police have released images of suspects being sought in connection to violent attacks that took place at a cultural festival at Earlscourt Park in August.Officers were called to the park at around 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5, for reports of a heated protest at The Festival Eritrea Toronto — a scheduled two-day sports and cultural event.Police say some of the protesters became confrontational, damaging property and assaulting several people. At least nine people were reportedly injured. On Thursday, Toronto police released images of three unnamed suspects wanted in connection to the incident.Suspects sought in assault investigation at Earlscourt Park on Aug. 5, 2023. HANDOUT/Toronto Police ServiceThe City of Toronto ended up revoking the festival’s permit “in the interest of public safety,” cancelling the events planned for the second day on Sunday.“The City does not tolerate or condone violence of any kind and is committed to providing a s...

Cyberattacks hit military, Parliament websites as India hacker group targets Canada

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:19 GMT

The federal government is coping with apparent cyberattacks this week, as a hacker group in India claims it has sowed chaos in Ottawa.The Canadian Armed Forces says that its website became unavailable to mobile users midday Wednesday but was fixed within a few hours.The military says the site is separate from other government sites, such as the one used by the Department of Defence, and the incident remains under investigation.Various pages on the House of Commons website are continuing to load slowly or incompletely due to an ongoing attack that officials say started Monday morning.The Commons administration says it’s facing a distributed denial-of-service attack, which is when bots swarm a website with multiple visits and cause it to stop loading properly.A hacking group named Indian Cyber Force has claimed responsibility for the incident involving the military and appears to have managed to infiltrate a handful of websites owned by small businesses in Canada.

University of Alberta returns endowment honouring Ukrainian who fought with Nazis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:19 GMT

EDMONTON — The University of Alberta is returning endowment funds from the family of a Ukrainian man whose military service was linked to the Nazis.Since 2019, the university’s Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies has had a $30,000 endowment carrying the name Yaroslav Hunka.Hunka was introduced in the House of Commons last week during a visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.It was later revealed that Hunka had fought in a Ukrainian unit set up by Nazi Germany to fight the Soviet Union.The revelation forced the resignation of Anthony Rota as House Speaker and an apology on behalf of Parliament by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.The university has now closed the endowment and returned the money to the family. “The university recognizes and regrets the unintended harm caused,” said a statement from Verna Yiu, vice-president academic.“I want to express our commitment to address antisemitism in any of its manifestations, including the ways in which t...