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Ethnic Greek candidate detained on vote-buying charges wins mayoral election in Albania

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:45 GMT

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Preliminary results of Albania’s municipal elections on Monday showed that a mayoral candidate from the Greek minority has won the post while he is in detention for alleged vote-buying.Friday’s arrest of Dhionisios Alfred Beleri, a candidate for mayor of the Albanian city of Himare — a town located in the Albanian Riviera 240 kilometers (150 miles) south of the capital, Tirana, that has a Greek minority presence — raised tensions between the two neighbors.Greece’s Foreign Ministry demanded Beleri’s immediate release, hinting that the case could negatively impact Albania’s application to join the European Union.Beleri was arrested by Albanian police while he was allegedly offering some 40,000 Albanian leks (360 euros; $390) to buy eight votes. A second person was arrested on the same charges and a court confirmed Saturday that they would both remain in custody.Beleri belongs to the Human Rights Union Party of the ethnic Greek minority, but in this municipal vot...

Vice Media files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the latest in a string of digital media setbacks

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:45 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Vice Media is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the latest digital media company to falter after a meteoric rise.Vice said Monday that it has agreed to sell its assets to a consortium of lenders — Fortress Investment Group, Soros Fund Management and Monroe Capital — in exchange for $225 million in credit. Other parties will also be able to submit bids.The bankruptcy filing arrives just weeks after the company announced it would cancel its flagship “Vice News Tonight” program amid a wave of layoffs — which was expected to impact more than 100 employees in the company’s 1,500-person workforce, the Wall Street Journal reported. The company also said it would end its Vice World News brand, making Vice News its only brand worldwide.Monday’s filing comes amid a wave of media layoffs and closures — including job cuts at Gannett, NPR, the Washington Post and more over recent months. In April, BuzzFeed Inc. announced that its Pulitzer Prize winning digital me...

Poland gets first U.S. HIMARS launchers amid security concerns over war in Ukraine

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:45 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland has received its first shipment of U.S.-made HIMARS rocket launchers, part of an upgrade of its defenses amid security concerns due to the war in neighboring Ukraine. Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak and other military officials attended the acquisition ceremony Monday at an air base in Warsaw. He stressed the HIMARS launchers had been proven in combat in Ukraine and that NATO member Poland was seeking to procure additional launchers, to reach a total strength of some 500 units. Under a 2019 contract, Poland is spending some $414 million (380 million euros) to buy 18 advanced combat HIMARS launchers and two HIMARS training launchers, with ammunition and related equipment. Poland is buying billions of dollars’ worth of weapons, chiefly from the U.S. and South Korea, to modernize its armed forces. The deal includes logistics and training.Some of the equipment will replace weapons – including over a dozen Soviet-made MiG-29 jet fighters –...

Government supporters call for Pakistani chief justice to quit over releasing ex-Premier Imran Khan

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:45 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Thousands of Pakistani government supporters converged on the country’s Supreme Court on Monday, in a rare challenge to the nation’s judiciary. Protesters demanded the resignation of the chief justice over ordering the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.The Pakistan Democratic Alliance, a grouping of 13 political parties affiliated with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League, called for the protests.Khan’s dramatic detention from a courtroom in Islamabad last week sparked outrage among legions of his supporters, who set buildings and vehicles ablaze across major cities and attacked military facilities. At least 10 people died in pitched battles with police. Dozens were injured and thousands of Khan’s supporters from his Tehreek-e-Insaf party were arrested.The Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, intervened and ordered him to be freed. Bandial criticized the way Khan was arrested and said that his detention was unlawful. But ...

Hormone therapy should be offered to more women with severe menopause: review

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:45 GMT

More women suffering from “debilitating” symptoms of menopause should be presented with the option of hormonal therapy, according to a paper published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) on Monday.“There’s a whole constellation of menopausal and perimenopausal symptoms, some of which can be extremely debilitating, especially to what is relatively a young woman in our day and age,” said Dr. Iliana Lega, an endocrinologist at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto and the paper’s lead author.“Every day we see how few women are asked about menopausal symptoms (and) are informed about the treatment options and we just feel there’s an ongoing need to improve education on this topic,” she said.Women in their 40s and 50s are raising children and could be at the peak of their careers while trying to live with distressing symptoms, she said.“Having disrupted sleep, having frequent hot flashes, having irritability a...

Liz Weston: 3 steps to downsize in a hurry

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:45 GMT

Ideally, you’d spend months or even years carefully purging excess belongings — but life may have other plans. Maybe you or someone you love has a health crisis and needs to move into assisted living. Or someone has died and their home has to be cleared before next month’s rent is due. Maybe you’re just moving soon and want to significantly lighten your load.If you need to downsize in a hurry, here’s how to go about it while minimizing stress — and avoiding sending something valuable to the dump.1. GATHER PAPERWORK, PHOTOS, PRESCRIPTIONS, PERISHABLESDealing with paperwork and photos takes time you may not have, says professional organizer Katherine Lawrence of Ashland, Virginia. Consider boxing unsorted documents and photos for temporary storage in a climate-controlled area, Lawrence suggests.Make a plan to sort through the boxes later, since you don’t want to store old bills and blurry photos indefinitely any more than you want to risk throwing away something important if you rush....

South Korean president urges expanded technology cooperation with Japan

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:45 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Japanese business leaders on Monday and called for expanded technology cooperation between the countries, which he described as a key element in broader efforts to improve relations.Yoon has met twice with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in recent weeks, demonstrating their intent to overcome historical grievances that have strained ties for years and to strengthen cooperation in response to shared challenges, including a nuclear-armed North Korea and growing Chinese assertiveness in the region.They will meet again this weekend at a summit of the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations in Hiroshima, where they will also hold talks together with U.S. President Joe Biden, who has been seeking to strengthen alliances with Japan and South Korea to counter North Korea and China.Meeting with a delegation led by Mikio Sasaki, the former chairman of the board of Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp. who heads the J...

Brandon Johnson to be sworn in as Chicago's 57th mayor Monday

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:45 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago will get a new mayor Monday when Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson is sworn in.Johnson will arguably be the most progressive mayor Chicagoans have elected. WATCH: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot leaves city hall for last time He will become the 57th mayor and the leader of America's third-largest city.His administration will face several challenges on day one, including choosing a new police superintendent and coming up with a plan to fight violence, which normally spikes during the upcoming Memorial Day weekend and summer. On Saturday, Brandon Johnson resigned as a Cook County Commissioner. His full resignation letter is below. “Today, I announced my resignation from the Cook County Board of Commissioners. As excited as I am about my future as mayor of Chicago, I am also sobered and humbled to be leaving my constituents and colleagues on the Board, because together, we have done so much important work to transform Cook County government.“As I look back on these last fou...

Woman found in U-Haul during traffic stop; Maryland man arrested for kidnapping

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:45 GMT

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. (WDVM) - A 62-year-old Maryland man was arrested Friday night after allegedly kidnapping a woman and making her sit, naked, in a U-Haul as he drove around for hours. Maryland State Police said Dennis Bell of Lanham faces 14 criminal charges including first-degree assault, kidnapping, false imprisonment, fourth-degree sex offense, possession of suspected crack cocaine, and driving while impaired. Bell also faces 19 traffic charges related to the incident. Who is Tonya Dawn Hughes? The story behind Netflix’s new true crime doc According to authorities, Bell was driving a U-Haul truck in Washington, D.C. Friday morning when he encountered the victim at a convenience store. He allegedly pushed her into the truck and threatened to kill her if she didn't do what he told her, the woman explained to police. The woman said Bell drove around all day as she sat on the floorboard, Maryland State Police wrote in a press release. She added that, at one point, Bell ...

Under the sea: Florida professor sets record for living underwater

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:45 GMT

KEY LARGO, Fla. (AP) — A university professor broke a record for the longest time living underwater without depressurization this weekend at a Florida Keys lodge for scuba divers.Joseph Dituri’s 74th day residing in Jules’ Undersea Lodge, situated at the bottom of a 30-foot-deep lagoon in Key Largo, wasn’t much different than his previous days there since he submerged March 1.Dituri, who also goes by the moniker “Dr. Deep Sea,” ate a protein-heavy meal of eggs and salmon prepared using a microwave, exercised with resistance bands, did his daily pushups and took an hour-long nap. Unlike a submarine, the lodge does not use technology to adjust for the increased underwater pressure.The previous record of 73 days, two hours and 34 minutes was set by two Tennessee professors -- Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain -- at the same location in 2014.But Dituri isn't just settling for the record and resurfacing: He plans to stay at the lodge until June 9, when he reaches 100 days and com...