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Pakistani intelligence officer, driver killed, officials say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:37 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Suspected militants ambushed a vehicle carrying a senior military intelligence officer in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, killing him and his driver, security officials and police said. Brig. Mustafa Burki, who had been deeply involved in operations against the Pakistani Taliban in recent years, was “martyred” along with his driver as he traveled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, three security officials said. The province bordering Afghanistan is a former stronghold of militants. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to media on the record.There was no claim of responsibility for the attack on Burki.It was the second major assault on intelligence officers since January, when Pakistani Taliban killed another senior officer and his colleague in Punjab province. Burki and the officers killed in January were known for gathering information about militants and supervising raids on insurgents.Separately, the military said in a st...

Nuclear contamination testing planned at St. Louis-area park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:37 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to test for radioactive contamination at a suburban St. Louis park that sits along a notoriously toxic creek, a Corps official said Tuesday.The Corps of Engineers is seeking permission from St. Louis County to test soil and water at Fort Belle Fontaine Park, a popular spot for hikers with high bluffs and panoramic views. The park sits about 3 miles (5 kilometers) from where the Missouri River flows into the Mississippi River.Coldwater Creek runs through the park. The notoriously contaminated creek has been a headache for decades, since radioactive waste got into the waterway in the 1950s. Residents who lived along the creek as children in the 1960s and later have blamed illnesses, including rare cancers, on playing in the creek.“We were never, as kids, supposed to go down there, but of course we did,” said Kim Visintine, a member of the Coldwater Creek Group, which advocates for testing and cleanup.A division of the Corps of En...

Lawyers: Dispute over Van Gogh art in Detroit is settled

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:37 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — A deal has been reached over control of an 1888 painting by Vincent van Gogh, lawyers said, weeks after the custody fight created public buzz and much tension near the end of a rare U.S. exhibition in Detroit.Brokerarte Capital Partners LLC, which claims to own “The Novel Reader,” told a federal appeals court that it reached a confidential settlement with the unnamed entity who loaned the painting to the Detroit Institute of Arts for an exhibition of Van Gogh’s works that ended Jan. 22.Because of the dispute, the museum has been under orders to hold the painting while the court determined who would next get the art.Brokerarte Capital, an art brokerage, said it acquired the painting in 2017 for $3.7 million and gave temporary possession of it to a third party who absconded with it. The company filed a lawsuit on Jan. 10 seeking to seize the painting, and the museum subsequently posted a security guard next to it.The museum was caught in the middle but wasn’...

Navratilova says she is cancer-free, returns to her TV work

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:37 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Martina Navratilova returned to TV work at Tennis Channel for its coverage of the Miami Open on Tuesday, less than three months after saying she had throat cancer and breast cancer.“It’s great to be back. … Thrilled to be here,” said the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion and member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. “So happy to be working. How many people can say that?”The 66-year-old Navratilova said her sense of taste disappeared during the treatment for cancer and she lost 15 pounds. She did not appear on television during the Australian Open in January or the BNP Paribas Open this month.“It puts you face-to-face with your mortality, No. 1, because at the beginning, I wasn’t sure if it was treatable, so that was hard,” she said. “But once I got into the program, it was a little easier emotionally, but more difficult physically. … But I’m still standing.”In an interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV scheduled to air Tuesday, Navratilova said she h...

What to know about Alvin Bragg, Manhattan district attorney

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:37 GMT

A New York grand jury investigating hush payments made on Donald Trump’s behalf during the 2016 presidential campaign has refocused attention on the Manhattan district attorney steering the case. Alvin Bragg’s decision to convene the grand jury early this year could lead to the first criminal charge against a former U.S. president.Here’s what you need to know about Bragg:WHO IS THE MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY? Alvin Bragg became Manhattan’s first Black district attorney in 2022, following his election in November 2021.AS DISTRICT ATTORNEY, WHAT IS BRAGG’S JOB? The office prosecutes nearly all criminal cases in Manhattan, staffed by about 500 lawyers. The district attorney also is a key political figure, overseeing cases that often involve defendants with immense wealth, fame and influence. Manhattan district attorney is one of the most high-profile prosecution jobs in the world, dramatized on TV shows like “Law & Order” and “Blue Bloods.” Robert M. Morgen...

Halifax high school student charged with attempted murder after school stabbings

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:37 GMT

HALIFAX — A 15-year-old student has been charged with two counts of attempted murder after two staff members at a Halifax high school were stabbed on Monday.  Halifax Regional Police issued a statement Tuesday saying the two victims are recovering in hospital and are listed in serious but stable condition.They confirmed that the accused — a student at the school — was treated in hospital for stab wounds, but there was no indication of how he received those wounds. The teenager appeared in youth court in Halifax Tuesday morning with a bandage on the front of his neck, as the reading of charges was waived and a bail hearing was set for Thursday.He didn’t speak but appeared calm, and as he departed the room his mother touched her heart and gestured her hand towards him. There is a publication ban under the Youth Criminal Justice Act on the identity of the accused.Terry Nickerson, the youth Crown prosecutor, indicated to the court during a brief hearing that he expected a psychiat...

New Brunswick’s $12.2B budget tackles challenges that come with growth

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:37 GMT

FREDERICTON — The New Brunswick government has tabled a $12.2-billion budget that forecasts a small surplus and promises a funding boost to help stabilize the ailing health-care sector.Finance Minister Ernie Steeves said today the province is operating in a volatile economic environment where rapidly rising prices are putting pressure on household budgets and increasing costs for businesses.The budget provides $3.6 billion for the health-care sector, an increase of 10.6 per cent from last year.Steeves says the province has moved from a struggling economy to one dealing with challenges that come with growth.The province’s population topped 800,000 last year, adding more than 40,000 people over the previous five years, but despite a lowering of the average age, it remains one of the oldest provinces.The 2023-24 budget provides for a $40.3-million surplus on total revenues of $12.19 billion and expenditures of $12.15 billion.This report by The Canadian Press was first published M...

Illinois AG urges Hyundai, Kia to take 'comprehensive action' over car thefts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:37 GMT

CHICAGO — Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined several of his colleagues Tuesday urging Kia and Hyundai to take "comprehensive action" over car thefts in the Chicago area.Kia and Hyundai recently announced a customer service campaign to upgrade the software of affected vehicles. However, Raoul and the coalition said in a letter that the plan is insufficient, incomplete and long overdue.The AG's office said Hyundai and Kia failed to equip vehicle models with anti-theft immobilizers, which prevent the vehicle from operating without a key or key fob.“I urge Kia and Hyundai to accelerate a software upgrade to ensure consumers’ vehicles are properly equipped to guard against theft. Additionally, these companies need to provide free alternate protective measures to owners with vehicles that cannot support the software upgrade,” Raoul said. “I stand committed to protecting consumers and our communities, and I urge these car companies to do their part to prevent these thefts.” Sto...

Evergreen Park pastor reinstated following child sex abuse claim

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:37 GMT

CHICAGO — A pastor in Evergreen Park has been reinstated following a child sex abuse allegation.On March 11, Cardinal Blase Cupich asked Father Paul Guzman, who is an associate pastor at Moly Holy Redeemer, to step away from ministry due to the allegation.It stemmed from approximately 40 years ago when Guzman was a layman. "The Review Board has concluded that there is insufficient reason to suspect Father Guzman is guilty of this allegation. Having given careful consideration to their recommendation, which I accept, I now inform you that I am reinstating Father Guzman’s faculties and his position of Associate Pastor at Most Holy Redeemer Parish, effective immediately," Cupich stated. Stove left on determined cause of deadly fire in Ottawa Guzman was overseas on military duty when the archdiocese received the allegation, Cupich said.

Police looking for mother of newborn boy abandoned outside Massachusetts home

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:37 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) -- Police in Springfield, Massachusetts, are asking for the public's help in locating the birth mother of a baby found abandoned in front of a home.The newborn baby boy was found wrapped in blankets in a car seat outside a home on Entrybrook Drive. He was likely abandoned between 9 p.m. Friday and 12:40 a.m. Saturday morning, according to Springfield Police Department spokesperson Ryan Walsh,“You only see this on Lifetime movies, like this is a movie. I’m living a movie right now,” said Juliannys Aviles, of Springfield.Aviles and her husband came home Sunday evening to a car seat placed on their front porch. Inside was an infant, cold and crying.Photo of the scene (Credit: Juliannys Aviles)“When I took the blanket off the baby, his feet were super red and swollen and his skin was all cracked. And then I touched him, he was like super cold, so I re-wrapped him until the ambulance got here,” said Aviles.The newborn was taken to Baystate Medical Center and has...