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Lebanon Central Bank chief questioned by European lawyers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:45 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Under heavy security, Lebanon’s embattled Central Bank chief was questioned Thursday for the first time before a visiting European legal team in a money-laundering probe linked to the governor. Several European countries are investigating Gov. Riad Salameh, who in recent years has been charged with a handful of corruption-related crimes. Salameh has been the head of Lebanon’s Central Bank since 1993.The questioning was originally scheduled for Wednesday, when Salameh failed to show up. According to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, Salameh’s legal team filed a complaint saying that the presence of foreign judges violates the country’s sovereignty. The judiciary later dismissed the complaint, saying their presence was in line with Lebanon’s international obligations.Lebanese Army soldiers and police officers stood guard around the Justice Palace in Beirut after Salameh arrived earlier in the day with his own five-lawyer team. ...

Women’s World Cup prize money gets big FIFA raise to $150M

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:45 GMT

KIGALI, Rwanda — The Women’s World Cup is getting an increase in prize money of more than 300% for this year’s tournament.The $152 million fund for the first 32-team tournament — covering prize money, team preparation and payments to players’ clubs — is a huge boost from the 24-team edition in 2019, and 10 times what it was in 2015.Some of the $110 million in pure prize money should be dedicated to paying players, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Thursday in Rwanda after being re-elected by acclamation through 2027.Infantino also again expressed his anger with broadcasters for offering too little for TV rights. He said FIFA will not sell broadcast rights for the tournament in Australia and New Zealand at the prices currently being offered.“Women deserve much, much more than that and we are there to fight for them and with them,” he said.Female players worldwide have been fighting for equal pay and equal respect with men’s national teams, including the defending champion Un...

UN-backed inquiry accuses Russia of war crimes in Ukraine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:45 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — Russian attacks against civilians in Ukraine, including systematic torture and killing in occupied regions, amount to war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity, according to a report from a U.N.-backed inquiry released Thursday.The sweeping human rights report, released a year to the day after a Russian airstrike on a theater in Mariupol killed hundreds sheltering inside, marked a highly unusual condemnation of a member of the U.N. Security Council.Among potential crimes against humanity, the report cited repeated attacks targeting Ukrainian infrastructure since the fall that left hundreds of thousands without heat and electricity during the coldest months, as well as the “systematic and widespread” use of torture across multiple regions under Russian occupation.A commission of inquiry is the most powerful tool used by the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council to scrutinize abuses and violations around the world. The investigation released Thursday was set up during a...

Mobile sports bets booming in some states as others shy away

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:45 GMT

The stakes are higher in Ohio this year for March Madness — and not just because it’s a regional host for the first round of the men’s NCAA basketball tournament. For the first time, Ohio sports fans can click on a mobile app or tap into kiosks at bars, restaurants or grocery stores and legally bet on the famed tournament. Kansas and Massachusetts also are new additions to the world of online sports betting since the NCAA tournament last tipped off. A total of 33 states and the District of Columbia now offer at least some form of sports wagering — each scrambling for shares of a multibillion-dollar enterprise that has rapidly expanded after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed it nearly five years ago. Ohio got off to a booming start when it launched sports betting in January. In its first month, Ohio bettors wagered more than $1.1 billion, generating more than $20 million in state tax revenue. That nearly tripled the revenue amount that legislative analysts had projected for ...

$250,000 reward offered for missing California girl whose mother was found murdered in 2016

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:45 GMT

(KTLA) – Authorities are offering a $250,000 reward for information on a missing girl whose mother was found murdered in San Francisco in 2016.The missing girl, Arianna Fitts, now 9 years old, disappeared on April 5, 2016, when she was only 2 after her mother, Nicole “Nikki” Fitts, was found murdered.An age progression image of how Arianna might look today was released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).Age progressed photo of how 9-year-old Arianna might look in 2023 from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.Arianna and Nikki Fitts in a photo from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.Arianna Fitts in a photo from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.Arianna Fitts in a photo from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.Arianna Fitts in a photo from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.Nikki Fitts in a photo from the National Center for Missing & Explo...

What’s the carbon footprint of March Madness?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:45 GMT

(The Conversation) - March Madness means 68 teams vying to become champion, Cinderella runs for a few underdogs and big business for the NCAA, which earns 85% of its annual operating budget during the men’s basketball tournament.But all of that comes at a tremendous cost: An estimated 463 million pounds (210 million kilograms) of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions are released into the atmosphere during the three-week event. That’s similar to all the emissions of a large university – such as 2019 champion University of Virginia – for an entire year.CC BY-NDThese greenhouse gas emissions warm the planet, contributing to heat waves, sea level rise and extreme weather. Carbon dioxide equivalent is a way of measuring the impact of several different greenhouse gases at once.Crunching carbon for large-scale eventA colleague, Alex Cooper, and I came up with this figure based on data for the 2019 NCAA Tournament.Past research on the carbon footp...

Flying cars in Japan; Austin-based company takes flight overseas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:45 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The future of flying cars is closer now than ever before. Austin-based LIFT Aircraft announced Thursday that they achieved their first piloted test flight in Osaka, Japan. The company's eVTOL, or electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing vehicle, named HEXA, completed nine flights as part of the demonstration.eVTOL or Air Taxis are, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, part of the "new era of aviation." The FAA oversees certification of these vehicles in the U.S. According to LIFT, Japan does not have an equivalent regulation.LIFT CEO Matt Chasen said in a statement that the successful demonstration is "a strong indication to the world, and especially the thousands on our waitlist, that they will have the opportunity to fly very soon." The Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) oversees flying vehicles in Japan. The agency reviewed HEXA before the demonstration.Japanese internet company GMO Internet Group participated in the demonstration. The flights were done...

UT staff member assaulted, robbed on campus

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:45 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- University of Texas Police are investigating after a staff member was assaulted and robbed on campus. UTPD officers responded to the lobby of the University Club at 700 Clyde Littlefield around 1:42 p.m.According to a release from UTPD, the staff member said she drove a vehicle that was loaned by the suspect's ex-boyfriend. The suspect is not affiliated with UT.The suspect confronted the staff member as she turned to walk away, then punched her in the face and took her cell phone, according to the release. The staff member refused medical treatment. According to UTPD, the suspect and victim both knew each other. UTPD says there is no ongoing threat to the community. UTPD is actively investigating this incident. If you have any information about this crime call 512-471-4441 and select extension 9.

Wild drop eight goals on the Blues

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:45 GMT

ST. LOUIS — Ryan Hartman had two goals and an assist and the surging Minnesota Wild beat St. Louis 8-5 on Wednesday night in a game in which Blues goalie Jordan Binnington was ejected for throwing a punch.Binnington was whistled for a match penalty with 7:35 left in the second period. After giving up a goal — the Wild’s fifth — to Hartman, Binnington left the crease and went after Hartman, swinging his blocker glove at the forward’s face.Minnesota goalie Marc-Andre Fleury skated the length of the ice to confront the unmasked Binnington, but the two were separated by officials and Binnington was sent off the ice.“I mean, those blockers aren’t soft,” Hartman said. “We don’t have much protection on our face. I’d say so (it was a cheap shot). It’s nothing new from him. He’s been doing stuff like this for a while.”Binnington said he has no grudge against Hartman.“We know the type of player he is. I actually like his game, to be honest,” Binnington said. “I’ve played against him since the...

Letters: We all know what fundamental values are, right?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:45 GMT

It’s time to thinkIn his column on March 10, Kendall Qualls argues “For a better Minnesota, we need to go back to our fundamental values.” It seems the discussion at hand should be the nature of those fundamental values. It would also seem this is fairly easy to determine, because we all know what those are, right?Not necessarily.Two decades ago, during a presentation to a parish pastoral council, one of the attendees said, “If I didn’t know better, I would say you’re asking us to think.” I responded, “Yes, sir, that is exactly what I am asking you to do,” to which he responded, “Do you know how much easier it was just to follow the rules?” I said, “Yes, sir, I do.”We are no longer at a time when we can blindly follow a leader, trusting that he or she has our best interests in mind. We must take the responsibility to form our responses to the laws being enacted and make decisions that will determine the way forward for our children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren. If we...