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Belarusian dissident who was pulled off forced-down plane says he has been pardoned

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:44 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The Belarusian state news agency on Monday reported that a dissident journalist who was pulled off a flight that was forced to land in the country and was later sentenced to eight years in prison says he has received a presidential pardon.“I literally just signed all the relevant documents that I was pardoned. This, of course, is just great news,” Raman Pratasevich was quoted as saying by the news agency Belta.Pratasevich was convicted and sentenced May 3 for organizing unrest and plotting to seize power.He ran a Telegram messaging app channel that was widely used by participants in mass protests against the disputed August 2020 election that gave authoritarian Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko a sixth term in office.The protests, which lasted for months, were the longest and largest demonstration of opposition to Lukashenko since he took power in 1994. Belarusian authorities responded to the demonstrations with a brutal crackdown that saw more ...

Vinícius Júnior gains more support as Spanish soccer again embroiled in racism

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:44 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Spanish soccer is again embroiled in racism, with the support for Vinícius Júnior growing rapidly after yet another case of abuse against the Brazil forward this weekend.Officials, players and former players showed solidarity with Vinícius, who on Sunday considered leaving the field after being insulted by fans during Real Madrid’s 1-0 loss at Valencia in the Spanish league.Vinícius said after the match the Spanish league “now belongs to racists” and that Spain “is seen as a racist country.”“Full solidarity to Vinicius,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said. “There is no place for racism in football or in society and FIFA stands by all players who have found themselves in such a situation. Events during the match between Valencia and Real Madrid show that this needs to be the case.”The support for Vinícius, who is Black and as been subjected to racist abuse since he arrived to play in Spain five years ago, came from former players and current stars.“You’re not alone,” ...

Fire razes school dormitory in Guyana, kills at least 20 children

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:44 GMT

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Fire raced through a school dormitory in Guyana early Monday, killing at least 20 students and injuring an undetermined more, authorities said.The Guyanese government said in a press statement that the fire broke out in the dormitory building of a secondary school in the southwestern border town of Mahdia, 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of the capital, Georgetown.“We have lost many beautiful souls in that fire,” the government said. It added that several other students are being treated for injuries and at least seven were flown to the capital for treatment.The fire began shortly after midnight at the school that serves mostly Indigenous children aged 12 through 18, according to security adviser Gerald Gouveia. He said it was too early to speculate what might have caused it.Local newspaper Stabroek News reported that the fire broke out in a girls’ dormitory, and that inclement weather was a challenge for those responding to the emergency by air.Oppo...

‘Brokeback Mountain’ brings two rising acting stars to the London stage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:44 GMT

LONDON (AP) — “Brokeback Mountain” was a star-making story onscreen. It may turn out to be the same onstage.Rising American stars Lucas Hedges and Mike Faist are making their London theater debuts in an adaptation of Annie Proulx’s short story about two star-crossed Wyoming shepherds whose love is stifled by the strictures of their society.Proulx’s tale of homophobia on the range, first published in 1997, reached a huge global audience through Ang Lee’s Academy Award-winning 2005 film, which cemented the stardom of Jake Gyllenhaal and the late Heath Ledger.A new stage version at London’s Soho Place theater, stars Hedges as taciturn ranch hand Ennis Del Mar and Faist as livewire cowboy Jack Twist, who fall passionately in love during a 1960s summer on an isolated mountainside.Both are already acclaimed young actors. Hedges got an Oscar nomination for playing a bereaved teenager in 2016 drama “Manchester by the Sea,” and Faist is a Tony Award nominee for “Dear Evan Hansen” and made a ...

Kimberly Palmer: How to set and vet money goals midyear

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:44 GMT

If you set money goals for 2023 back in January, now can be a smart time to check in on your progress. And if you didn’t, it’s not too late to create goals for the next six months and beyond.“If you don’t have your goals, everyone is so busy with life that a year will whiz by and you’ll have forgotten to start,” says Dan Casey, owner of Bridgeriver Advisors, a financial firm in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.With many people’s money goals hampered by the dual headwinds of inflation and economic uncertainty, it’s easy to get discouraged if you haven’t made as much progress as you’d hoped. Financial experts offer these five strategies for using the midyear point as a way to get back on track, or to embrace a slightly altered course.DEFINE AND REFINE WHAT YOU WANTRebecca Eve Selkowe, New York City-based accredited financial counselor and owner of the financial counseling firm RebeccaEve.com, urges people to first define what they want their money to accomplish, noting that those goals can ...

National police force grapples with calls for change, shifting role as it turns 150

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:44 GMT

As the RCMP marks its 150th anniversary, a familiar, nagging question about the storied national police force is resurfacing: Should the Mounties withdraw from small communities across Canada to fully concentrate on big-ticket federal files such as cybercrime, fraud and human trafficking?The notion of a more focused version of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, a sort of “FBI North” that leaves provincial and municipal policing to others, has rarely been far from conversations about the force’s mandate and future direction.But debate and introspection about aspects of what the RCMP does have come to the fore following crises including the 9/11 attacks, the 2014 storming of Parliament Hill by a gunman,and the 2022 blockades of border crossings and downtown Ottawa.In recent years, calls for change have been driven by the force’s reckoning over harassment and bullying of members, public anger about police brutality and racism, shortcomings in the force’s r...

RCMP at 150: Key events in the evolution of the national police force

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:44 GMT

OTTAWA — A timeline of some key events in the evolution of the RCMP’s structure and responsibilities:May 3, 1873: Act establishing the North-West Mounted Police introduced by then-prime minister John A. Macdonald.May 23, 1873: Bill passes unopposed through Parliament and receives royal assent. However, it does not immediately establish NWMP, as it is merely an emergency measure.Aug. 30, 1873: Order-in-council brings NWMP into existence. Oct. 18, 1873: George Arthur French becomes first permanent commissioner. Nov. 3, 1873: First 150 recruits for the NWMP gather at Lower Fort Garry, Man., north of Winnipeg. July 8, 1874: March West to what is now Alberta begins at Fort Dufferin in Manitoba.1876: First public performance of riding skills at Fort Macleod in Alberta. 1887: Musical Ride first performed at Regina.June 5, 1895: A NWMP contingent leaves for Yukon, extending presence to northern frontier. June 24, 1904: King Edward VII confers title of “Royal” upon North-We...

Bicyclist, 62, attacked and beaten with construction sign, own bike in South Loop

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:44 GMT

CHICAGO — A 62-year-old bicyclist is in critical condition after he was attacked with a construction sign in the South Loop.The attack happened around 1 a.m. Monday in the 2200 block of South State Street.According to police, a witness said the 62-year-old man was riding a bicycle on the sidewalk when another man began hitting him with a construction sign and then with his own bicycle. Tinley Park police cancel carnival after flash mob involving 400 teens The 62-year-old was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and is listed in critical condition.No one is in custody. Area Three detectives are investigating.

Monday Forecast: Mostly sunny, cooler lakeside

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:44 GMT

Monday: Mostly sunny, cooler lakeside, E 5-15. High: 79, Low: 70Monday Night: Mostly clear, E 5-10. High: 57Chicago Weather | Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center's Forecast (wgntv.com)Tuesday: Mostly sunny, cooler lakeside, SSE 5-10 G20. 83/727DAY: wgntv.com/weather

Manor police investigating after body found near Hwy 290

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:44 GMT

MANOR, Texas (KXAN) -- The Manor Police Department is investigating after a body was found overnight Sunday into early Monday morning. Manor police said a call came in at 2:48 a.m. about a body in a ditch near Gregg Manor Road and Hwy 290 westbound. Police found a dead woman in the ditch and said it's not yet clear how she died. Her identity is being released until family members are notified. The Travis County Medical Examiner is examining the cause of death, according to Manor police. Drivers taking Hwy 290 Monday morning should expect delays.