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Top EU official switches jobs as Qatar questions linger

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:32 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — A top European Union transport official who accepted free flights and accommodation in Qatar has been transferred to another post at his own request, the European Commission said Wednesday, but it remains unclear whether the man is suspected of any wrongdoing.The head of the commission’s transport department, Henrik Hololei, traveled for free with Qatar Airways nine times between 2015 and 2021. Two flights were paid by Qatar; the others by lobby groups and conference organizers, according to online news outlet Politico.The trips were made when the department, known as DG MOVE, was involved in negotiating an EU-Qatar air transport agreement, which was signed on October 18, 2021. Hololei did not take part in the negotiations, but he did lead the department conducting them.The commission launched an investigation into whether his actions constituted a conflict of interest and the inquiry was still ongoing as of Wednesday. Top officials at the commission greenlight their...

Group: Oil tanker tied to US-traded firm receiving Iran oil

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:32 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An oil tanker owned by a major U.S.-traded transportation company appears to be taking on Iranian crude oil in a key Asian maritime strait in violation of American sanctions, an advocacy group alleges. The firm allegedly involved, Euronav, said Wednesday it will “take appropriate action when necessary.”Satellite photos and maritime tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press put the Belgian-flagged crude oil tanker Oceania just next to the Vietnamese-flagged tanker Abyss for a possible ship-to-ship transfer. The group United Against Nuclear Iran has warned the Oceania’s owner, the Antwerp-based Euronav, that it believes the Abyss took on Iranian crude oil in late February. The suspicion comes as Iran remains able to trade its crude oil at sea despite American sanctions snapping back into place after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2018. Now nearly five y...

UN atomic watchdog chief returns to Ukraine nuclear plant

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:32 GMT

DNIPRO, Ukraine (AP) — The head of the U.N.’s atomic energy watchdog returned Wednesday to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, a day after saying a deal to protect Europe’s largest nuclear power facility from a catastrophic accident due to the war in Ukraine was “close.”International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi crossed the war’s front lines for a second time to reach the plant, which is located in a partially Russia-occupied part of Ukraine where combat has intensified. The IAEA, which is based in Vienna, Austria, has a rotating team permanently based at the plant. Grossi told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday he feels it is his duty to ramp up talks between Kyiv and Moscow aimed at safeguarding the facility.He met Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and said he would “most probably” head to Moscow in the coming days. However, Zelenskyy said in a separate interview with the AP that he was less optimistic a deal was near. “...

Letters with powdered substance sent to Sweden’s counties

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:32 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Several county boards in Sweden received letters containing a powdered substance Wednesday, leading to the evacuation of employees in some places. At least two people were taken to hospitals, Swedish media said.Police in Jonkoping, a city 280 kilometers (174 miles) south of Stockholm, said no one was injured there after the arrival of ”a suspected dangerous object” — a letter with powder. “Because it cannot be ruled out that the powder is dangerous, we have been called in to check it more closely with the emergency services,” Katarina Rusin, a police spokesperson in southern Sweden told Swedish news agency TT.At least 18 of Sweden’s 21 counties received the letters, TT reported.Police said the contents were being analyzed. The Associated Press

Editorial Roundup: Mississippi

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:32 GMT

Columbus Dispatch. March 28, 2023. Editorial: A state up to the taskAs dawn broke Monday across a swath of destruction across central Mississippi, from Rolling Fork to Amory and continuing into Alabama, the sobering reality of what lies ahead was fixed in the minds of those who call these places home.Between Friday night, when tornadoes first touched down near Rolling Fork, and Monday, the politicians have come and gone, staying long enough to have their photos taken and make proclamations. These little towns aren’t likely to see hide nor hair of them again.By now, the curious gawkers have gone home, too, and the nation’s attention will turn to the next big event — the next storm, the next shooting — and the far less dramatic and less photogenic business of piecing together these little communities and towns will continue quietly. For days. For weeks. For months.There will be no official end to the recovery and perhaps no full recovery, in the sense that some of these places can onl...

Wednesday weather rollercoaster to bring brief winter blast to GTA

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:32 GMT

Winter is getting ready to clash with spring as the GTA braces for a weather rollercoaster on Wednesday.The daytime high will approach double digits, but the temperature is expected to plummet in the afternoon with a quick burst of snow, rain and wind to follow.“Quite an intense but brief mix of weather for the afternoon,” says CityNews meteorologist Jill Taylor.Taylor says showers beginning around 1 p.m. will turn into rain around 2 p.m., which will change to a quick burst of snow closer to 3 p.m. The burst of snow will taper to flurries with the precipitation expected to wrap up around 4:30 p.m.A clear start to our Wed for most areas BUT heads up for changeable weather today! Showers around 1pm, steadier rain by 2pm then quick burst of snow by 3pm. Should be out of the way by 4:30pm. Very strong gusty wind with falling temperatures. Guaranteed High 9°C dropping to 1°C— Jill Taylor (@JillTaylorCity) March 29, 2023Thundersnow is even a possibility. The city previou...

WWE’s WrestleMania extravaganza draws sponsors to the ring

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:32 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — WWE’s WrestleMania, the Super Bowl for the sports entertainment company, arrives this weekend to a massive audience and vastly larger sponsorship revenue as it seeks to establish itself as a serious contender for major dollars from such partnerships.Craig Stimmel, WWE’s senior vice president and head of global sales and partnerships, told The Associated Press in an interview that sponsorship revenue for this year’s event has doubled to more than $20 million, a record for any WWE event.Those numbers are critical in light of the return in January of Vince McMahon, the founder and majority shareholder of WWE, who said the sports entertainment company could be up for sale.There are numerous rumors circulating about who might be willing to buy WWE and for how much, and it’s unknown if anyone has stepped forward with a bid yet. But the company’s broadening presence everywhere from TikTok to streaming channels could lift its asking price. Marketing experts see W...

Should U.S. airlines pay passengers for delays like the EU?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:32 GMT

Southwest Airlines spent the early part of 2023 trying to make good after a historic meltdown resulted in more than 16,700 canceled flights during the 2022 holidays. The airline reimbursed passengers for the cost of alternative travel arrangements and sent many travelers additional loyalty points.Southwest wasn’t legally required to. The U.S. has no federal laws mandating that airlines compensate passengers for delays . Airlines are only obligated to offer refund s if they cancel a flight and the passenger decides not to travel.That’s hardly the case in Europe. An EU regulation, commonly referred to as EU261 , requires airlines to compensate travelers for cancellations, denied boarding or delays of two or more hours. It went into effect in 2005 and applies to most flights operated by airlines based in the 27 EU countries, plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.As long as the flight wasn’t disrupted due to an “extraordinary circumstance” such as weather , passengers are entitled to com...

Several 7-Elevens robbed across Chicago in last 3 days

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:32 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago police are investing a string of armed robberies at 7-Elevens across the city.Police say the robberies started early Monday when two 7- Elevens in Lakeview, one in Bucktown and another in Galewood were robbed.Four more stores were robbed early Wednesday; one in the 2700 block of West Touhy Avenue, one in the 6800 block of North Western Avenue, one in the 500 block of West Grenshaw Street and one in the 900 block of West Monroe Street. Up Next: Woman found shot to death in Chatham alley Police believe the robberies are being done by the same group of two to three men. They enter the stores armed with handguns and took cash from registers. In the West Monroe instance, police said the group also demanded car keys from a customer and fled the scene in the customer’s 2017 black Jeep Cherokee.Anyone with any information is asked to call police.

Basic training without the yelling: Army recruits get a second chance

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:32 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Last August, Daysia Holiday decided to try one more time to join the Army.She’d taken the academic test and failed three times. So, when she was offered a slot in a new Army prep course to help improve her scores and qualify for basic training, she jumped at the chance.Students enlisted in the new Army prep course work together in barracks at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C., Aug. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford, File)Students in the new Army Prep Course sit at desks at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C., Aug. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford, File)Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. James McConville left, listens to Daysia Holiday, a student in the Future Soldier Prep Course, right, at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C. Aug. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford, File)A student enlisted in the new Army prep course looks at their work at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C., Aug. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford, File)Seven months later, Pvt. 2nd Class Holiday is a proud graduate of Army ...