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Serbia to ignore US sanctions against Bosnian Serbs accused of undermining deal that ended the war

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:31 GMT

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Serbia will ignore U.S. sanctions recently imposed on top Bosnian Serb officials for undermining a 1995 peace agreement that ended a war that left more than 100,000 dead and millions homeless, the Serbian president said Friday.Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that the sanctioned ethnic Serb officials from neighboring Bosnia will still be welcome in Serbia. “The Republic of Serbia will treat the sanctions as if they did not exist,” Vucic said, during a visit to the Serb region of Bosnia. “It is hard, but that’s the only possible decision.”The four Bosnian Serb officials sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury on Monday include Zeljka Cvijanovic, a Serb member of the tripartite collective Bosnian presidency, as well as the prime minister of the Serb entity in Bosnia, Radovan Viskovic. The separatist leader of the Bosnian Serb entity, Milorad Dodik, has earlier been sanctioned by the U.S.The four are alleged to have taken part in drafting a law that...

Authorities to announce new break in long investigation of Gilgo Beach killings

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:31 GMT

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. (AP) — Law enforcement authorities in New York have scheduled a news conference Friday to announce a new development in their investigation of multiple sets of human remains found along the Long Island coast, some of which have been blamed on the work of a serial killer.Rex Heuermann was arrested last month in the deaths of three women and has been named a prime suspect in the killing of a fourth. The remains of those four women were discovered in 2010 along a coastal parkway near Gilgo Beach.Police, though, have continued to investigate the deaths of six other people whose skeletal remains were found along the same, long stretch of coastline.Among them was a woman, long nicknamed “Jane Doe No. 7” by investigators, whose partial remains were first discovered in 1996 on Fire Island. More of her bones were later found near Gilgo Beach in 2011.Police have been trying to figure out her identity for 26 years.Other unidentified remains belong to a woman nicknamed “Peaches”...

A cyberattack has disrupted hospitals and health care in five states

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:31 GMT

MANCHESTER, Conn. (AP) — A cyberattack has disrupted hospital computer systems in several states, forcing some emergency rooms to close and ambulances to be diverted, and many primary care services remained closed on Friday as security experts worked to determine the extent of the problem and resolve it.The “data security incident” began Thursday at facilities operated by Prospect Medical Holdings, which is based in California and has hospitals and clinics there and in Texas, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania. “Upon learning of this, we took our systems offline to protect them and launched an investigation with the help of third-party cybersecurity specialists,” the company said in a statement Friday. “While our investigation continues, we are focused on addressing the pressing needs of our patients as we work diligently to return to normal operations as quickly as possible.”In Connecticut, the emergency departments at Manchester Memorial and Rockville General hospital were...

Torrential rain and flash floods ravage Slovenia, killing at least 3 people and forcing evacuations

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:31 GMT

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Torrential rains and heavy floods ravaged Slovenia on Friday, killing at least three people, cutting off roads and bridges, surging into buildings and forcing evacuations. Slovenia’s environmental agency, ARSO, raised the weather alert to the highest level after a month’s amount of rain fell within 24 hours in northern, northwestern and central parts of the country.As rain continued to fall Friday, authorities warned of more floods in other areas because of swiftly swelling rivers.Slovenian police told the official STA news agency that three people have died since bad weather started late on Thursday evening: a Slovenian woman died in the central town of Kamnik, and two Dutch nationals in a mountainous area near the city of Kranj.“The death in Kamnik could have been caused by flooding, while the deaths in the mountains could have been caused by a lightning strike,” said police official Maja Adlešič Ciperle. “The circumstances of the death...

Kremlin critic Navalny expects a lengthy prison term as court readies his extremism trial verdict

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:31 GMT

MELEKHOVO, Russia (AP) — Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is preparing to hear the verdict Friday in his latest trial on extremism charges. The prosecution has demanded a 20-year prison sentence, and the politician himself said he expects to receive a lengthy term. If the court finds Navalny guilty, it would be his fifth criminal conviction, all of which his supporters see as a deliberate Kremlin strategy to silence its most ardent opponent. Navalny is already serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court. He also was sentenced in 2021 to two and a half years in prison for a parole violation. The extremism trial has taken place behind closed doors in the penal colony east of Moscow where he is imprisoned. The 47-year-old Navalny is President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe and has exposed official corruption and organized major anti-Kremlin protests. He was arrested in January 2021 upon returning to Moscow after recuperating in Germany from nerve agen...

Teenager charged after throwing gas on a bonfire, triggering explosion that burned 17

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:31 GMT

SHAWANO, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin teenager has been charged with triggering a bonfire explosion that injured more than a dozen people. Prosecutors in northeastern Wisconsin’s Shawano County charged Sam Armstrong, 18, on Thursday with 13 counts of injury by negligent handling of explosives or fire in connection with the Oct. 14 explosion outside the community of Pulaski, WLUK-TV reported.Armstrong was attending the bonfire with other teenagers when he threw a barrel containing a gasoline-diesel mix into the fire, sparking an explosion that burned at least 17 people, according to the criminal complaint.Armstrong, who was 17 at the time, later told police he didn’t know his actions would cause an explosion and injure anyone, according to the complaint. He told investigators he had been drinking beer.Armstrong waived his preliminary hearing Thursday. Judge William Kussel set a $100,000 signature bond, and Armstrong is due back in court Sept. 13 for an arraignment.Greg Petit, ...

Telus announces 6,000-person layoff, reports 61% drop in Q2 net income

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:31 GMT

VANCOUVER — Telus Corp. says it is cutting 6,000 jobs. The Vancouver-based telecommunications company said the reduction announced Friday includes 4,000 workers at its main Telus business and another 2,000 at Telus International.The cuts were made with “a very heavy heart” and prompted by the “evolving regulatory, competitive and macroeconomic environment,” Darren Entwistle, the company’s president and chief executive, said. “Against the backdrop of rapid transformation in our industry and the ways in which our customers want to engage with us, today we are announcing a significant investment in an extensive efficiency and effectiveness initiative across Telus,” he said in a news release.He added that Telus will also offer early retirement and voluntary departure packages.The company had 108,500 workers at the end of last year, financial markets data firm Refinitiv said.Telus’ plans to reduce its workforce were announced at the same time as ...

College Board shelves AP psychology class in Florida over guidance on gender content

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:31 GMT

The College Board says schools in Florida should not offer its Advanced Placement course in psychology to students, citing guidance from state officials to exclude content on sexual orientation and gender identity.The call to shelve the course marks the College Board’s latest clash with the administration of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who has pushed to regulate how schools deal with subjects such as race and gender.“We are sad to have learned that today the Florida Department of Education has effectively banned AP Psychology in the state by instructing Florida superintendents that teaching foundational content on sexual orientation and gender identity is illegal under state law,” the College Board said in a statement Thursday.Florida’s Department of Education rejected the assertion that it had banned the course.“The course remains listed in Florida’s Course Code Directory for the 2023-24 school year. We encourage the College Board to stop playing games with Florid...

'Asking for prayers': Steve McMichael admitted to ICU amid ALS battle

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:31 GMT

HOMER GLEN, Ill. — Bears legend Steve McMichael was admitted to the ICU Thursday night for sepsis amid his ALS battle.According to a statement from family, "like the tough warrior he is" McMichael is now awake after being admitted to the hospital unconscious.In Jan. 2021, McMichael was diagnosed with ALS and the Bears community and beyond has stood by his side in support.Last month, WGN's Larry Hawley spent time with McMichael and his wife Misty at their Homer Glen home.His wife said "Mongo" still has "a lot of personality in there.""He flirts with me, he does with his eyebrows,” Misty said. “He can be mad, too. Sometimes we’ll give him too much drugs and he’ll give us the ‘bulldog’ to let us know he’s had too much."Misty is asking for prayers.“He needs to see himself enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Please pray for him to get through this,” Misty said.McMichael was recently named one of the 12 players in the Seniors category that have moved on to the next round of voting for the Hall...

Two die days after apartment building fire on NW side

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:31 GMT

CHICAGO -- Two people who were in critical condition after an apartment building fire Monday have succumbed to their injuries. The medical examiner's office identified the victims as 45-year-old Ismael Romano and 63-year-old Margarita Romano. The fire started on the third floor of an apartment building located in the 2100 block of North Marmora Street around 5:00 a.m. Boy, 15, injured after drive-by in Roseland Fire officials said smoke detectors were working because one resident heard the alarm go off. The male resident was able to get most tenants out, while suffering from smoke inhalation.Firefighters had to rescue people from inside the building. One person was found collapsed on the floor and another was found in bed.Both individuals were taken to area hospitals in critical condition and suffered cardiac arrest. They were able to be revived but eventually succumbed to their injuries. The third person is still in fair condition. CFD is still investigating the cause of the fire.