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Lebanon hands over to Italy suspected drug dealer arrested near Beirut

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:00 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon handed over to Italy on Thursday morning a suspected Italian drug dealer arrested last month north of the capital of Beirut, judicial officials said.Bartolo Bruzzaniti was flown to Italy on a private jet that took off from Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.The anti-Mafia prosecutors based in Reggio Calabria, a city in the region of Calabria in southern Italy, have called Bruzzaniti a major organized crime figure. He was also described as a prominent player in the Bruzzaniti-Morabito-Palamara clan, which is based near the Calabrian town of Africo and is known for criminal activities abroad.Bruzzaniti was arrested while dining in July at a restaurant in the coastal town of Jounieh, north of Beirut, in a joint action by Lebanon’s General Security Directorate and Italy’s financial police as part of an Interpol action and a crackdown on the prominent Italian organized crime sy...

Mexico recovers 2 bodies from the Rio Grande, one found near a floating barrier that Texas installed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:00 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities are trying to identify two bodies found in the Rio Grande this week, including one that was spotted along the floating barrier that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had installed recently in the Rio Grande, across from Eagle Pass, Texas.Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department reported for the first time Wednesday that a body had been found along the floating barrier. The Coahuila state prosecutor’s office later told local media outlets that the two bodies were recovered and that the process of identification was underway. The department initially said one body was found along the barrier, then hours later said a second body was found about 3 miles (5 kilometers) upriver, away from the area of the buoys. The cause of death was unknown in both cases.Many had warned about the danger of the barrier, designed to make it more difficult for migrants to climb over or swim under.The department said Mexico had warned about the risks posed by the bright orange,...

Weekly applications for US jobless aid tick up from 5-month low

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose slightly last week but remained at a historically low level that points to a robust job market. Applications for jobless aid rose 6,000 to 227,000 for the week ending July 29, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week moving average of claims, a less volatile measure, fell 5,500 to 228,250.Jobless benefit applications are seen as a proxy for the number of layoffs in a given week. Thursday’s report comes just a day before the July jobs report will be released, which will provide a broader and more detailed look at the labor market and economy. Economists forecast the report will show that employers added a solid 200,000 jobs last month, while the unemployment rate will be unchanged at 3.6%. The Associated Press

Lizzo says she’s ‘not the villain’ after her former dancers claim sex harassment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lizzo said Thursday that she’s “not the villain” that three of her former backup dancers falsely accuse her of being in a sexual harassment lawsuit.The civil lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court claims Lizzo pressured the dancers to engage with nude performers at a club in Amsterdam and shamed one of them for her weight gain before firing her.“I am not here to be looked at as a victim, but I also know that I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days,” Lizzo said in a statement posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself but I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not.”Plaintiffs Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez make numerous charges including sexual, religious and racial harassment, disability discrimination, assault and false imprisonment. They ...

Swaths of the US are living through a brutal summer. It’s a climate wake-up call for many

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:00 GMT

Veronica Iordanova remembers Octobers growing up in Arizona when it was too cold to trick-or-treat in a short-sleeved Halloween costume. She can’t imagine that anymore.The summer heat lasts longer and feels more intense now, and she knows that is a result of human-caused global warming. She worries about her and her family’s future.“We need to realistically look at the situation and realize it’s not going to get better,” said Iordanova, who lives in Tempe.Across the U.S., many people are living through one of the most brutal summers of their lives. And some psychologists believe the attention on a cascade of record-shattering heat, wildfire smoke, extreme flooding and Jacuzzi-hot ocean water could be “another turning point” in efforts to raise awareness about the everyday impact of climate change, as Cornell University climate scientist Natalie Mahowald put it. That’s a crucial step to prompt collective action on global warming.The recognition that human-caused climate c...

Lizzo says she's 'not the villain' after her former dancers claim sex harassment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lizzo said Thursday that she's “not the villain” that three of her former backup dancers falsely accuse her of being in a sexual harassment lawsuit.The civil lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court claims Lizzo pressured the dancers to engage with nude performers at a club in Amsterdam and shamed one of them for her weight gain before firing her.“I am not here to be looked at as a victim, but I also know that I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days,” Lizzo said in a statement posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself but I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not.”Plaintiffs Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez make numerous charges including sexual, religious and racial harassment, disability discrimination, assault and f...

VIDEO: School bus crashes into Chicago home

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO (WGN) — At least one person was injured after a school bus crashed into a house on Chicago's Northwest Side.The accident happened around 8:20 a.m. Wednesday. Police said a 63-year-old bus driver hit a parked vehicle, a city utility pole and crashed into a home.There were three people on the bus at the time of the accident: the driver, a child in a wheelchair and the child's 43-year-old female caretaker — who was transported in stable condition to a hospital with neck pains. No major injuries were reported. Illinois family still shaken after vandals poured oil into their pool, breaking window Homeowner Myra Rivera was working from home when she was startled by the moment of impact. "I heard this big loud crash. It seemed like the whole house was coming down and I was afraid to look and I didn’t expect to see what I saw," Rivera said.When Rivera came to the front of the home with her puppy, she "saw the bus in my window."Rivera told Nexstar's WGN that she immediately calle...

Lizzo speaks out on allegations in lawsuit from former dancers: 'I am not the villian'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:00 GMT

(The Hill) -- Lizzo is speaking out for the first time after a lawsuit by three of her former dancers accused her of creating a “hostile, abusive work environment,” saying that she’s “not the villain that people and the media” have portrayed her to be."As an artist I have always been passionate about what I do," Lizzo, who was born Melissa Jefferson, said in a Thursday Instagram post. "I take my music and my performances seriously because at the end of the day I only want to put out the best art that represents me and my fans."“With passion comes hard work and high standards," the 35-year-old “2 Be Loved” singer added. "Sometimes I have to make hard decisions but it’s never my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable or like they aren’t valued as an important part of the team."She argued that she is "not here to be looked at as a victim.""I also know that I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days,” the Grammy Award winner continued...

Hyundai and Kia recall nearly 92,000 vehicles over fire risk

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:00 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Hyundai and Kia are telling the owners of nearly 92,000 vehicles in the U.S. to park them outside because an electronic controller in an oil pump can overheat and cause fires.The affiliated Korean automakers are recalling the vehicles and also are telling owners to park them away from structures until repairs are made.The recalls cover certain 2023 and 2024 Hyundai Palisades, as well some 2023 Tucson, Sonata, Elantra and Kona vehicles. Affected Kias include the 2023 Soul and Sportage as well as some 2023 and 2024 Seltos vehicles. Contraceptive recalled for potentially causing unexpected pregnancy The companies say in documents posted Thursday by U.S. safety regulators that a capacitor on a circuit board in the oil pump assembly for the transmission may have been damaged by the supplier during manufacturing. That can cause a short-circuit and increase the risk of a fire.Kia says it has six reports of melting components but no fires or injuries. Hyundai says it has co...

Viral kitten 'Tater Tot' dies suddenly

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:00 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (KTVX/KUCW) – A rescue kitten known as Tater Tot who had recently taken the internet by storm has died suddenly.The viral kitten from Utah — known for his messy hair and mismatched colored casts — died Wednesday after about a week of various symptoms. His foster mom, Ash Houghton, said his energy had decreased and he was exhibiting signs of pneumonia. Tater Tot was being treated with antibiotics when he passed away. READ NEXT: Utah Grandpa goes viral, now has thousands of ‘grandkids’ "Hey Spudbuds, I'm honestly not sure how to start this post, but here it goes," Houghton wrote in a post. "Today, our tiny spud, passed away suddenly in my hands."Houghton said she had thought there might be a possible heart condition, but he was too small to run tests. She believes he had an enlarged heart that "just couldn't keep up with him," she wrote.The kitten, who wore little casts usually referred to as "bonkers," went viral on social media this summer, raising awareness of anim...