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Australia creates law to stop Russia from building new embassy near Parliament for security reasons

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s Parliament passed legislation on Thursday to prevent Russia from building a new embassy near Parliament House on security grounds as tensions grow between Moscow and a major supporter of the Ukraine war effort.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the legislation would extinguish Russia’s lease on the site based on the advice of security agencies.“The government has received very clear security advice as to the risk presented by a new Russian presence so close to Parliament House,” Albanese told reporters. “We are acting quickly to ensure the lease site does not become a formal diplomatic presence.” Albanese said Australia’s government condemns Russia’s “illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine.” Australia is one of the most generous providers of military hardware, training and aid to Ukraine of any country outside NATO and has escalated sanctions against Russia since the war began in February 2022.Albanese said opposition...

Harvard morgue manager and four others charged in theft and sale of human body parts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) — A former manager at the Harvard Medical School morgue, his wife and three other people have been indicted in the theft and sale of human body parts, federal prosecutors in Pennsylvania announced Wednesday.Cedric Lodge, 55, of Goffstown, New Hampshire, stole dissected portions of cadavers that were donated to the school in the scheme that stretched from 2018 to early 2023, according to court documents. The body parts were taken without the school’s knowledge or permission, authorities said, adding that the school has cooperated with the investigation.Lodge sometimes took the body parts — which included heads, brains, skin and bones — back to his home where he lived with his wife, Denise, 63, and some remains were sent to buyers through the mail, authorities said. Lodge also allegedly allowed buyers to come to the morgue to pick what remains they wanted to buy.Bodies donated to Harvard Medical School are used for education, teaching or research purposes. Onc...

A look at migration trends behind the latest shipwreck off Greece

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

ROME (AP) — Wednesday’s deadly shipwreck off southern Greece, involving a large boat carrying migrants that capsized after apparently rebuffing offers of help, is just the latest case of smugglers packing vessels full of desperate people willing to risk their lives to reach continental Europe. The trip from Libya or Tunisia through the Central Mediterranean and north to Europe is the deadliest migratory route in the world, according to the U.N.’s International Organization of Migration.Here’s a look at situation in the Mediterranean and some of the particulars of the latest tragedy:WHAT HAPPENED?Greek coast guard, navy and merchant vessels and aircraft launched a vast search and rescue operation after the overcrowded fishing boat capsized and sank early Wednesday some 75 kilometers (45 miles) southwest of the southern Peloponnese peninsula. So far, 79 bodies have been recovered and 104 people have been rescued. It was unclear how many were missing, but some initial reports sug...

Hong Kong protest song disappears from music streaming sites, social media platforms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — A popular Hong Kong protest song was no longer available Wednesday on several major music streaming sites and social media platforms, after the government sought an injunction to ban the tune.“Glory to Hong Kong” rose to popularity during the 2019 pro-democracy protests, and became an unofficial protest anthem. In 2020, the government outlawed the protest slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times” over secessionist and subversive connotations, and the song was widely considered to be banned in the city as its lyrics contained parts of the slogan.Hong Kong, once a bastion of free speech and expression, has come under tighter scrutiny by Beijing after the unrest in 2019. Since then, its political system has undergone a major overhaul to ensure that only “patriots” loyal to Beijing can hold office. More than 250 people have been arrested under a sweeping national security law passed in 2020 that critics say is aimed at suppressing dissent.The song rose to the...

Migrants bussed from Texas to Los Angeles in move mayor calls ‘despicable stunt’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A group of migrants who arrived by bus in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday were sent from Texas in a move the city’s mayor called a “despicable stunt” by a Republican governor. Forty-two people, including some children, were dropped off at Union Station around 4 p.m. and were being cared for by city agencies and charitable organizations, Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León’s office said. Their country of origin wasn’t immediately known. Mayor Karen Bass said she had instructed city departments to prepare to accept migrants from out of state, after GOP governors began sending asylum-seekers to Democratic states in recent months. “This did not catch us off guard, nor will it intimidate us,” Bass said in a statement. “Los Angeles is not a city motivated by hate or fear and we absolutely will not be swayed or moved by petty politicians playing with human lives.”Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the migrants were sent to Los Angeles because ...

'I had 6 surgeries': Chicago teen, family speak out after hit-and-run incident near Midway

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

CHICAGO -- A hit-and-run incident left a Chicago teenager with life-threatening injuries and her family hopes that the driver will come forward.At the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in Streeterville, 15-year-old Mari is sitting up in good spirits and making strides towards recovery after the hit-and-run incident. Grocery, gas taxes set to rise in Illinois next month According to the Chicago Police Department, the incident happened in late May near 63rd Street and Kilpatrick Avenue near Chicago's Midway Airport.Mari said her and three other girls had just finished a school project at a friend's house and were on their way to grab a bite to eat when she was hit with a car while still standing on the sidewalk.Instead of sticking around, the driver took off from the scene. Family searches for answers after Chicago woman goes missing in Japan Mari's mom said she's grateful for the friends and a good samaritan who stayed by her daughter's side until first responders arrived.For the next sev...

Chicago woman who went missing in Japan located

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Kandace Schipper, a Chicago woman who was reported missing abroad in Japan earlier this week, has been located, according to a statement from her family Wednesday.“We’re relieved to share that we’ve obtained our beloved daughter, sister and cousin Kandace Schipper’s location. Thank you to everyone who helped us spread the word. We’re grateful for every email, call, and share and are now focused on bringing her home safely. After going through this process, we’re overwhelmed by the kindness of so many strangers. From Chicago to Tokyo, we were met with so much support and eagerness to help us find our loved one and have empathy for anyone seeking missing family members. It’s a complicated process trying to find information and it wouldn’t have been possible for us without the generosity of so many.”Schipper Family StatementA family member told WGN Tuesday that Schipper had landed in Tokyo back on May 8 for an extended vacation across the country, but went radio silent for mo...

Grand jury indicts man in chokehold death of New York City subway rider

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A man charged with manslaughter for putting an agitated New York City subway rider in a fatal chokehold has been indicted by a grand jury, an expected procedural step that will allow the criminal case to continue.Daniel Penny was charged by Manhattan prosecutors last month in the May 1 death of Jordan Neely, a former Michael Jackson impersonator who struggled in recent years with homelessness and mental illness.Grand jury proceedings are secret and spokespeople for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg declined to comment Wednesday, but the indictment was confirmed by New York City Mayor Eric Adams.“I appreciate DA Bragg conducting a thorough investigation into the death of Jordan Neely. Like I said when the DA first brought charges, I have the utmost faith in the judicial process, and now that the Grand Jury has indicted Daniel Penny, a trial and justice can move forward," Adams said in a statement.Neely was shouting at passengers and begging for money w...

Driver whose car vaulted over tow truck speaks out

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

VALDOSTA, Ga. (AP) — A woman whose car was captured on video vaulting into the air over a tow truck and crashing onto a Georgia highway says she's recovering after spending two weeks in a hospital and undergoing several surgeries.“I don’t really remember much, but I know that I thought I was going to die,” Tanaijsha Bruton told WALB-TV in an interview Tuesday. "It hurts really, really bad. I felt everything.”A Lowndes County sheriff's deputy was responding to an earlier wreck on May 24 when his body camera recorded Bruton's sedan flying into the air after driving up the ramp of a flatbed tow truck, which had stopped in the highway's opposite left lane. Teacher shot by first-grader was fired, attorney says. Email to division: ‘I wish to resign’ The car soared 120 feet (37 meters) before landing upside down, according to a police report. It struck another vehicle and tumbled end over end before coming to rest.“When I go to sleep that’s pretty much what I dream ab...

Liberty Hill pride proclamation met with boos

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

LIBERTY HILL, Texas (KXAN) – On Wednesday, the mayor of Liberty Hill officially declared June Pride Month.Amanda Crossland, who lost her son Jaycee to suicide shortly after he came out as gay, said she’s been speaking closely with the mayor about this.“I promised him after he died I would do everything I can to make sure this doesn’t happen to someone else,” she said. “To make sure people like him know they have support.”The proclamation reads as follows:Whereas, Liberty Hill is a Loving, Wholesome and Family-centered community; and Whereas, Liberty Hill is an inclusive and supportive community; and Whereas, We value all of our citizens because of the unique and precious nature of all of God’s children; and Whereas, We oppose hate, abuse, discrimination or bullying of any person, Now Therefore, I, Liz Branigan, as Mayor, do proclaim the month of June as Pride Month in Liberty Hill, in harmony with the larger community of the United States.The meeting room was packed with people part...