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Ex-Wagner Group member faces Norway court for bar brawl

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:25 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A former member of the Russian private military contractor Wagner Group who’s seeking asylum in Norway has admitted charges of resisting arrest after a bar brawl and carrying an air gun.Andrey Medvedev appeared in court in Oslo on Tuesday. He denied using violence against police officers who handcuffed him outside an Oslo pub in February, the Norwegian news agency NTB reported.“He didn’t quite understand what was going on and panicked,” his defense lawyer Brynjulf Risnes told NTB. “He believes that he did not kick, but that he spat because it hurt” when he was put in handcuffs.Medvedev has also pleaded guilty to carrying an air gun in another episode in March when he went to a pub in downtown Oslo.He would probably get a short sentence, prosecutor Vegard Gjertsen told NTB. It was not clear when the sentence would be pronounced.Medvedev who has said that he fears for his life if he returns to Russia, fled to Norway earlier this year, crossing illegally over...

WHO fires doctor after findings of sexual misconduct

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:25 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization says it has fired one of its doctors who faced allegations, first reported by The Associated Press, that he had repeatedly engaged in sexual misconduct. The U.N. health agency had come under pressure from the United States and other countries to do more in the fight against sexual misconduct in the wake of the claims against the doctor, Fijian national Temo Waqanivalu.“Dr. Temo Waqanivalu has been dismissed from WHO following findings of sexual misconduct against him and corresponding disciplinary process,” said WHO spokeswoman Marcia Poole in a email to the AP early Tuesday. “Sexual misconduct of any kind by anyone working for WHO — be it as staff, consultant, partner — is unacceptable,” she added. In January, the AP reported that Waqanivalu had been accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a Berlin conference in October and was flagged to senior WHO directors years ago for allegedly harassing another staffer. The earlier allegation didn...

GM, Samsung announce plan for new battery cell plant in US

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:25 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — General Motors and South Korea’s Samsung SDI plan to invest more than $3 billion in building a new battery cell manufacturing plant in the United States, the companies said Tuesday. They did not announce the intended location of the new factory, which is expected to begin operations in 2026, the companies said in a statement. GM and Samsung SDI plan to jointly operate the factory, which is expected to make nickel-rich prismatic and cylindrical cells.The project is GM’s fourth joint venture battery cell factory. It has announced three others with South Korea’s LG Energy Solution. The new factory will have more than 30 gigawatt hours of capacity and will increase GM’s total U.S. battery cell capacity to about 160 gigawatt hours when it is at full production, the companies said. GM has pledged to sell only electric vehicles by 2030. The Associated Press

Turkey: 110 detained over suspected Kurdish militant links

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:25 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Police in Turkey carried out raids on homes in 21 provinces on Tuesday, detaining some 110 people for alleged links to Kurdish militants, the country’s state-run news agency reported.The raids, which come weeks ahead of Turkey’s May 14 parliamentary and presidential elections, targeted politicians, journalists, lawyers and human rights activists, Tayip Temel, a deputy leader of the country’s pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party, or HDP, wrote on Twitter.“On the eve of the election, the government has resorted once again to detentions out of fear of losing power,” Temel tweeted.The detained are suspected of financing the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, of recruiting members or of engaging in propaganda on behalf of the group, Anadolu Agency reported. The group, which has led a decades-long insurgency in Turkey, is considered a terror organization by the United States and the European Union. The pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya agency reported that one of its ed...

Vermont woman arrested after disabled car investigation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:25 GMT

QUEENSBURY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Vermont woman was arrested on Thursday after a disabled car investigation, according to New York State Police. Danielle Peno, 34, faces multiple charges. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! On Thursday, around 7:29 p.m., troopers patrolling the area of Aviation Road in Queensbury found a disabled car in traffic. They identified the driver as Peno, who reported the car had mechanical issues.Police say through an investigation, they found Peno did not have a valid driver's license and had a forged one out of Maryland. Police also say she had illegally possessed metal knuckles and a controlled substance. Cobleskill woman killed in Montgomery County car crash Charges:Second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrumentFourth-degree criminal possession of a weaponSeventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substancePeno was taken to Queensbury State Police for processing. She was turned ov...

Chathams' Thorsen tosses shutout against Catskill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:25 GMT

CHATHAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Chatham Panthers showed a balance of steady pitching and timely hitting in their 10-0 win over Catskill Monday afternoon. The defending class c state champs' offense smashed two home runs in the second and fourth inning. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Right-hander Matt Thorsen was dominant on the mound giving up zero runs on one hit over five innings and sat ten batters along the way. The final nail in the coffin came at the bottom of the fifth inning. L.J. Morse came off the bench and hit a single down the right-field line, which allowed Jameson Balich and Logan Smalley to cross home plate.The Panthers will be in action again on Wednesday, April 26, at 4:30 PM against Coxsackie-Athens.

Belarus units complete training on Russian tactical nuclear missile system

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:25 GMT

The Belarusian Defence Ministry announced that on 22 April, units from Belarus returned from Russia after completing training in the use of the Iskander missile system for nuclear weapons.The announcement came exactly four weeks after President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would deploy nuclear tactical weapons in Belarus. This was a warning sent to NATO regarding its military support of Ukraine.Early February, Belarus announced that its armed forces had taken control of the mobile guided missiles systems provided by Russia.When the units were sent back to Russia for further training on April 4, Minsk stated that their sessions would also include "the maintenance and usage of tactical nuclear weapons of the Iskander system of missile defense".The defence ministry announced on Telegram that these units had returned to Belarus.Putin has said that the construction of the storage facilities in Belarus should be completed by the beginning of July.This will be the first time that a...

Horoscopes April 25, 2023: Al Pacino, don’t let stubbornness stand in your way

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:25 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Jason Lee, 53; Renee Zellweger, 54; Hank Azaria, 59; Al Pacino, 83.Renee Zellweger (Photo by Presley Ann/Getty Images) Happy Birthday: Share your thoughts, formulate your goals for the year and balance your life with a mixture of hard work, exercise, healthy living and love. Push forward with gratitude; what you attract will complement your dreams, hopes and wishes. Don’t let stubbornness stand in your way. Having flexibility and the willingness to work with others will be the keys to success. Your numbers are 6, 14, 21, 25, 33, 38, 40.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Take a moment to examine your plans before you begin. A couple of tweaks will make the difference between OK and spectacular. Aim to open a window of opportunity that will allow you to show everyone what you have to offer. 2 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Do your part and everything else will fall into place. Make the time to visit someone who both grounds and inspires you, and you...

Frosty, a rare white orca, spotted off California coast

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:25 GMT

Orcas spotted off the coast are always a treat – but seeing a rare “ghost” orca is a sight few people have had the chance to witness.When word spread that Frosty, an orca first spotted as a calf locally in 2019, had been seen off Palos Verdes on Sunday, April 23, wildlife enthusiasts rushed to get a look.The sighting was first reported by Harbor Breeze, a Long Beach-based boat that was on its way back from Catalina Island transporting school kids returning from a field trip.A unique orca named “Frosty” was spotted off Palos Verdes on April 23, 2023, traveling up the Santa Monica bay with its pod of killer whales. (Photo courtesy of Ryan Lawler/Newport Coastal Adventure)“Frosty” the unique orca with a white-grayish hue, spotted off Santa Monica Bay on April 23, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Mark Girardeau/Newport Coastal Adventure)A unique orca named “Frosty” was spotted off Palos Verdes on April 23, 2023, traveling up the Santa Monica bay with its pod ...

Proposed California laws aim to reduce number of guns in wrong hands

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:25 GMT

Standing outside Monterey Park City Hall on Monday, April 24, state and local officials trumpeted three proposed state bills they say are aimed at reducing the number of guns among those not allowed to have them and at getting timely messages out in languages other than English if a threat exists.The bills were publicly supported three months after a shooting at Monterey Park’s Star Ballroom Dance Studio killed 11 people and injured nine as patrons celebrated Lunar New Year.A memorial to the 11 victims slain in a mass shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, Jan. 21, still stands outside the front door of Monterey Park City Hall Monday, April 24. (Nathaniel Percy, Star News/SCNG)Monterey Park Mayor Jose Sanchez speaks outside City Hall in support of Assemblymember Mike Fong’s (D-Alhambra) three new bills aimed at gun safety on Monday, April 24. (Nathaniel Percy, Star News/SCNG)Three signs, representing three bills authored by Assemblyman Mike Fong (D-Alhamb...