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Why new fighting in troubled Azerbaijan region may herald a new war with Armenia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:59 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Azerbaijan’s launch of reportedly intense artillery firing in the Nagorno-Karabakh region on Tuesday raised fears that another full-scale conflict with Armenia could be underway, less than three years after a war that killed more than 6,000 people.Nagorno-Karabakh, with a population of about 120,000, is an ethnic Armenian region of Azerbaijan that has been a flashpoint since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The region and sizable surrounding territories came under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by the Armenian military at the 1994 end of a separatist war. Azerbaijan regained the territories and parts of Nagorno-Karabakh itself in fighting in 2020.The latter war ended with an agreement to deploy Russian peacekeepers in the region, but tensions have soared since December when Azerbaijan began blocking the road that connects Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia proper. The artillery firing that Azerbaijan calls an “anti-terrorist operation” started hours...

Court hears arguments over injunction for Saskatchewan’s school pronoun policy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:59 GMT

REGINA — A Saskatchewan judge heard arguments Tuesday over an injunction application that aims to halt a policy requiring students under 16 to receive parental consent if they want to go by different names or pronouns at school.Lawyers for UR Pride, an organization representing LGBTQ people in Regina, argued for the injunction, describing the policy as discriminatory because it could result in teachers misgendering students unable to get parental consent.Adam Goldenberg, a lawyer representing the group, told court it could also out students, potentially putting them at risk if they aren’t accepted at home.He said these repercussions violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, including equality rights and the right to security of the person.The policy also does not account for the mature minor doctrine, a common-law rule that gives mature children autonomy, said Goldenberg.“There’s expert evidence establishing a range of irreparable harm, including extreme irrepara...

They said it: Leaders at the UN, in their own words

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:59 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Many leaders saying many things about many topics that matter to them, to their regions, to the world: That’s what the U.N. General Assembly invariably produces each year.And each year, certain voices dominate. Here, The Associated Press takes the opposite approach and spotlights some thoughts — delivered from the rostrum at the United Nations — from leaders who might have not captured the headlines and airtime on Tuesday, the first day of the 2023 debate.___“I look at the key menace of our time: disinformation. … It is an era of snack news, attention economy, the fabrication of facts, and of increasing disagreements about facts precisely because we no longer trust any narratives. We may have the freedom of information, but we are not protected against false information, manipulation and deceit.”— Nataša Pirc Musar, president of Slovenia___“Syrian refugees’ future is in their country, not in host countries. But until they are able to return, we must all d...

Bears raid Krispy Kreme doughnut van making deliveries in Alaska

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:59 GMT

Two bears on an Alaska military base raided a Krispy Kreme doughnut van that was stopped outside a convenience store during its delivery route.The driver usually left his doors open when he stopped at the store but this time a sow and one of her cubs that loiter nearby sauntered inside, where they stayed for probably 20 minutes Tuesday morning, said Shelly Deano, the store manager for Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson JMM Express.The bears chomped on doughnut holes and other pastries, ignoring the banging on the side of the van that was aimed at shooing them away, Deano said.“I was beating on the van, and they’re not moving. I could hear them breaking open the packages and everything,” she said. “I was like, ‘They don’t even care.'”This Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023 photo provided by Shelly Deano shows two bears getting into a donut truck in Anchorage. Alaska. Photo: Shelly Deano via AP.When the bears couldn’t be roused, base security was call...

Supporters of reparations for Black residents urge San Francisco to push forward

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:59 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Reparations advocates urged San Francisco supervisors Tuesday to adopt recommendations aimed at shrinking the racial wealth gap and otherwise improving the lives of Black residents as atonement for decades of discriminatory city policies, including the granting of a lump-sum $5 million payment to every eligible adult. San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors was expected to vote Tuesday to accept the final reparations plan issued by the city’s African American Reparations Advisory Committee. The city has set aside $4 million to open an office of reparations, but it has not acted on major recommendations. Supervisors have expressed enthusiasm for reparations but stopped short of backing individual proposals. The office of Mayor London Breed, who is Black, said in a statement Tuesday that she will “continue to lift up” marginalized communities but she believes that reparations are best handled at the federal level. San Francisco embraces its image as...

Park Ridge PD looking for dine and dash suspects

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:59 GMT

PARK RIDGE, Ill. — The Park Ridge Police Department is looking into a pair of service thefts where a group of men appear to have dined and dashed, skipping out on paying hundreds of dollars in bills for their meals.Park Ridge dine and dash suspectsPark Ridge dine and dash suspectsPark Ridge dine and dash suspectsPark Ridge dine and dash suspectsPolice said four men entered Nonna Silvia's Trattoria and Pizzeria on Sept. 9 around 6:30 p.m. and asked to be seated on the patio at a table located furthest away from the main door to the establishment.After consuming $155.33-worth of food and beverages, they left without paying. FBI releases photo, video from armored truck robbery at Chicago Heights grocery story A day later on Sept. 10 around 5:10 p.m., police said a group of four men walked into Poke Burrito and requested to sit on the patio.After eating and drinking $172.03-worth of the establishment's products, the men left without paying.According to police, the men appear to be the...

'I was laughing and crying': Man retires after winning $2M on scratch-off ticket

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:59 GMT

ILLINOIS (WGN) — An Illinois man who spent $20 on a scratch-off lottery ticket saw a massive return on investment after winning a $2 million top prize, according to the Illinois Lottery.The 66-year-old man, who has asked to remain anonymous, picked up the life-changing ticket at a Pilot Travel Center along Illinois Route 47 in Morris.“My wife and I stopped for gas and I picked up a scratch-off ticket. She said, ‘Don’t scratch it in front of me, I’m bad luck.’ So once we got back home, I scratched the ticket alone, and I couldn’t believe it, the ticket was a $2 million winner! I was laughing and crying at the same time. We are just ecstatic,” the lotto player said.  No winner for Powerball; jackpot climbs to $672 million Over 50 different Instant Ticket games are offered by The Illinois Lottery across the state, but the player's lucky twist of fate was due in part to his granddaughter.“I picked the pink ticket because it’s my granddaughter’s favorite color,” the big winner sai...

Man was punched before he died at New England Patriots game, witness says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:59 GMT

DEDHAM, Mass. (AP) — A man who died at a New England Patriots home game last weekend was punched at least twice in the head during a fight in the stands with a rival fan, a witness said Tuesday.Police and safety personnel responded to the upper deck at Gillette Stadium shortly before 11 p.m. Sunday and found Dale Mooney, 53, of Newmarket, New Hampshire, "in apparent need of medical attention,” the Norfolk County district attorney’s office said in a statement Monday.Mooney was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Massachusetts State Police are investigating what the district attorney termed an “incident” at the stadium.Witness Joey Kilmartin shot video of what he said was a brutal fight. Instagram post may shed new light in death of former NFL player’s mother In interviews with several local media outlets, Kilmartin said he saw Mooney, a Patriots fan, confront a Miami Dolphins fan who he had been arguing with during most of the game, which the Dolphins won.“He bas...

Texas State Parks offering viewing for upcoming solar eclipse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- An annular solar eclipse will be visible across skies in Texas on Oct. 14, and Texas State Parks will offer prime viewing opportunities for the unique event.Due to the eclipse's anticipated popularity, entry to state parks on the day of the eclipse will be restricted to those who pre-purchased day passes or camping permits, according to TPWD. NEXT: Texas eclipse The agency said a state park pass does not guarantee entry, and it recommends people reserve a campsite or day pass as soon as possible.The annular eclipse will pass over the state from Midland/Odessa to Corpus Christi, according to TPWD. Seventeen Texas State Parks will be along the eclipse's path.An eclipse happens when the sun, moon and earth align in space."During an annular eclipse, the moon appears slightly smaller than the sun, covering only a portion of it. This creates the illusion of a ring of fire in the sky," the release said in part.The moon will begin blocking the sun around 10:20 a.m. on Oct...

Apple Valley, White Bear Lake pull school resource officers. Republicans call for hearings.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:59 GMT

Some police departments that started the school year with school resource officers have now paused their programs, including in Apple Valley and White Bear Lake, leading to Republican legislators calling on their Democratic counterparts Tuesday to hold informational hearings.A change in state law, which was part of a sweeping education bill this year, has led about 40 law enforcement agencies to pause their school resource officer programs.The law says school resource officers can’t restrain students face-down or put a student in a hold that restricts their ability to breath or communicate distress, except when necessary “to restrain a student to prevent bodily harm or death to the student or to another.”Law enforcement leaders say the change imposes two standards on officers: School resource officers working under a contract with a school district are subject to the law, while a patrol officer responding to a school is not. They also interpret it to mean a school resource off...