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Work begins in Spain to exhume bodies of 128 Franco victims buried anonymously at mausoleum

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:02 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Initial forensic work was to begin Monday to try to exhume the bodies of 128 victims of late dictator Francisco Franco’s forces who are among tens of thousands of people buried anonymously in wooden boxes underground in a mausoleum. The team of some 15 forensic experts, archeologists, scientific police and odontologists will work on extracting samples of the remains at the Valle de Cuelgamuros mausoleum, formerly known as the Valle de los Caídos, or Valley of the Fallen, and try to match them with DNA of surviving relatives. A special laboratory has been set up within the mausoleum.More than 30,000 Franco victims are buried without identification in the mausoleum. The 128 the experts are looking for are the ones whose families have so far asked for their bodies to be identified and returned. The experts do have some indications of where the boxes are that they are looking for.The exhumations, if successful, will be the first for victims under Spain’s historical m...

Russia’s improved weaponry and tactics pose challenges to Ukraine’s counteroffensive

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:02 GMT

Ukrainian troops are probing Russian defenses as spring gives way to a second summer of fighting, and Kyiv’s forces are facing an enemy that has made mistakes and suffered setbacks in the 15-month-old war. But analysts say Moscow also has learned from those blunders and improved its weapons and skills.Russia has built heavily fortified defenses along the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, honed its electronic weapons to reduce Ukraine’s edge in combat drones, and turned heavy bombs from its massive Cold-War-era arsenal into precision-guided gliding munitions capable of striking targets without putting its warplanes at risk.The changing Russian tactics along with increased troop numbers and improved weaponry could make it challenging for Ukraine to score any kind of quick decisive victory, threatening to turn it into a long battle of attrition.U.S. Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Mark Milley said in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday that while Ukraine’...

Toronto, GTA under special weather statement with wet, muggy start to work week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:02 GMT

It’s a wet and muggy start to the work week with some much needed rain falling across the GTA on Monday.A special weather statement is in effect for Toronto and neighbouring regions calling for heavy rain until the afternoon.“Rain associated with a low pressure system will continue to push into the region early this morning and tapering off this afternoon,” reads the statement from Environment Canada. “Heaviest rainfall is expected later this morning.”The weather agency is calling for rainfall amounts of 30 to 50 millimetres, but says there is some “uncertainty with rainfall amounts and the exact track of the low.”Environment Canada says an upgrade from a weather statement to a warning could be required.Special Weather Statement for rain at times heavy continues this morning for #Toronto GTA and a large portion of southern Ontario. It’s a windy, wet morning. Give yourself some extra time!— Jill Taylor (@JillTaylorCity) June 12, 2023Cit...

Long commutes start after part of I-95 collapses in Philadelphia following tanker truck fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:02 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Drivers began longer commutes Monday after an elevated section of Interstate 95 collapsed in Philadelphia a day earlier following damage caused by a tanker truck carrying flammable cargo catching fire.Sunday’s fire closed a heavily traveled segment of the East Coast’s main north-south highway indefinitely. Newscasts warned of traffic nightmares and gave advice on detours, urging drivers to take more time to travel.“This is really going to have a ripple effect throughout the region,” AAA spokesperson Jana Tidwell said Monday. She advised people to avoid peak travel times.Tidwell also anticipated that drivers will incur additional costs — “more gasoline, more wear and tear on their cars, additional tolls, in terms of leaving Pennsylvania into New Jersey and then back into Pennsylvania.”The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority said it was operating three extra morning and late afternoon trains on its Trenton, New Jersey, line, and adding ca...

Analysis: Novak Djokovic has 23 Slams, so is he the ‘GOAT’? He leaves that debate to others

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:02 GMT

PARIS (AP) — The query was swift and direct. Novak Djokovic’s reply was slow, thoughtful and revelatory, delivered in paragraphs.“How does it feel,” a reporter wanted to know, “to be the greatest male player in history?”First, a quick bit of background: Djokovic’s championship at the 2023 French Open, earned via a 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5 victory over Casper Ruud on Sunday that included a so-so start and then a cascade of brilliance, provided his 23rd Grand Slam title.No man has won as many. After spending his entire career trying to accumulate as much hardware as rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Djokovic now stands alone atop the list. He had been tied at 22 with Nadal; Federer, who announced his retirement last year, has 20.So, now, back to that question. For years, as that so-called Big Three dominated men’s tennis, the debate has swirled over which should be considered the “GOAT” — “Greatest of All-Time.”Federer has his backers. So does Nadal. Djokovic, too.There are those who wa...

US decides to rejoin UNESCO and pay back dues, to counter Chinese influence

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:02 GMT

PARIS (AP) — U.N. cultural and scientific agency UNESCO announced Monday that the United States plans to rejoin — and pay more than $600 million in back dues — after a decade-long dispute sparked by the organization’s move to include Palestine as a member.U.S. officials say the decision to return was motivated by concern that China is filling the gap left by the U.S. in UNESCO policymaking, notably in setting standards for artificial intelligence and technology education around the world.U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard Verma submitted a letter last week to UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay formalizing the plan to rejoin.Applause rang out in the solemn UNESCO auditorium as Azoulay announced the plan to ambassadors at a special meeting Monday, and delegate after delegate stood up to welcome the news — and the new influx of money. The return of the U.S., once the agency’s biggest funder, is expected to face a vote by its 193 member states next m...

Fukushima nuclear plant begins tests of wastewater release plan; fishing officials remain opposed

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:02 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant began tests on Monday of newly constructed facilities for discharging treated radioactive wastewater into the sea, a plan strongly opposed by local fishing communities and neighboring countries.The tests at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant use fresh water instead of the treated water, operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said. Plant workers examined pumps and emergency shutdown equipment at the newly constructed seaside facility, which will dilute the treated water with large amounts of seawater. The diluted water then enters an undersea tunnel and is released into the ocean about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from the coast. The undersea tunnel and other key facilities are near completion. TEPCO says the voluntary tests are expected to continue for about two weeks ahead of mandatory pre-operation checks to be conducted by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, possibly in early July.Japan’s government an...

German shepherd wounded in Ukraine gets new start as police dog

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:02 GMT

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — After a rocket attack in eastern Ukraine, half of Rambo's face was mangled and bloody. Shrapnel had ravaged the right side of his head, and it was uncertain if he would survive.The 3-year-old German shepherd, who had accompanied Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines of the war, underwent emergency surgery that saved his life. Now, Rambo is training with the Budapest police department in neighboring Hungary and serving as a reminder that dogs — and people — with disabilities can do great things.Rambo, a German Shepherd, who was injured in Ukraine's embattled Kharkiv region and was later adopted by the Budapest Police's dog squad is photographed, in Budapest Hungary. June 6, 2023. Rambo is now training with the Budapest Police in neighboring Hungary, and setting an example that dogs and people, can do great things despite their disabilities. Three-year-old Rambo accompanied Ukrainian soldiers on the front line in Ukraine's Kharkiv region when a rocket att...

AMBER Alert discontinued for Dallas girl

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:02 GMT

TEXAS (KXAN) — An Amber Alert for a seven-year-old girl was discontinued overnight. The alert was issued shortly after 7 Sunday p.m. as the Dallas Police Department was searching for the girl. The alert was discontinued at 1:20 a.m. Monday.

Post-Lumberjack Days, there’s a major road closure planned for downtown Stillwater

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:02 GMT

Stillwater businesses and residents are bracing for a major disruption downtown this summer.Starting July 17, the day after Lumberjack Days, Main Street will be closed from Myrtle Street to Olive Street for two months as crews finish work on the $3.6 million Chestnut Street Plaza. Traffic will be detoured around the area.A drone image captured Wednesday, June 7, 2023, showing the progress on the Chestnut Street Plaza in downtown Stillwater. (Courtesy of city of Stillwater)The work, including installation of utilities, a traffic signal, lighting and sidewalk, was supposed to have been done this spring, but the late winter and spring flooding curtailed those plans, said Shawn Sanders, the city’s director of public works.Officials decided to wait and close Main Street – also known as Minnesota 95, the main thoroughfare through downtown – until after the Fourth of July and Lumberjack Days celebrations. Lumberjack Days, the city’s annual summer festival, runs July 14-16.“We decided to wa...