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Firefighters in Greece struggle to control wildfires, including the EU’s largest blaze on record

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:37 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Firefighters struggled Thursday against strong winds and hot, dry conditions to tame multiple wildfires ravaging Greece, including one in the country’s northeast that officials say is the largest ever recorded in the European Union.The wildfires have left 20 people dead over the last week. Eighteen of those, including two boys aged between 10 and 15, are believed to be migrants who crossed the nearby border with Turkey. Their bodies were found by firefighters near a shack in a burnt forest area near Alexandroupolis in northeastern Greece. Sixty firefighters have been injured, fire department spokesman Ioannis Artopios said.The wildfire in the Alexandroupolis region, burning for a sixth day, combined with smaller fires to create a massive inferno that has consumed homes and vast tracts of forest and triggered multiple evacuations of villages and of the city’s hospital. With more than 730 square kilometers (282 square miles) burned, the combined blaze...

The downed Russian jet carried Wagner’s hierarchy, from Prigozhin’s No. 2 to his bodyguards

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:37 GMT

The passenger manifest of the plane that went down in Russia is essentially a who’s who of Wagner mercenaries: Its second-in-command, who baptized the group with his nom de guerre. The logistics chief. A fighter wounded by U.S. airstrikes in Syria. At least one possible bodyguard.And, of course, Yevgeny Prigozhin himself, Wagner’s leader and mutineer who many believed was a marked man after his short-lived uprising in June against the Russian military.In all, the other passengers included six of Prigozhin’s lieutenants, along with the three-member flight crew.DMITRY UTKINFor a long time, Utkin was believed to be the founder of Wagner but many analysts now say that was a smokescreen for Prigozhin, who only recently acknowledged his leading role in the mercenary group.Utkin, a retired special forces officer, a member of the GRU military intelligence service and a veteran of Russia’s wars in Chechnya, was responsible for command and combat training, according to...

A Burmese hip-hop artist is jailed for 20 years for criticizing Myanmar’s military leaders

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:37 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — A 38-year-old Burmese hip-hop artist has been found guilty of criticizing Myanmar’s military-controlled government and sentenced to 20 years in prison, a family member said Thursday. The sentence given Wednesday to Byu Har, also known as Min Oat Myanmar, appeared to be the most severe so far given to any of the celebrities detained for criticizing the military rulers who seized power from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021. Byu Har was arrested at his apartment in Yangon on May 24, hours after he strongly criticized Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the military government, and the electric power minister. In a livestream on his Facebook page, he alleged they had failed to supply enough electricity to Yangon, Myanmar’s biggest city. In the livestream he called Min Aung Hlaing “incompetent” and the electricity minister a “fool”, saying electricity had been better supplied during Suu Kyi’s government.Five days after his arrest...

Ukraine marks Independence Day and vows to keep fighting Russia as it remembers the fallen

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:37 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine on Thursday marked its second Independence Day since Russia’s full-scale invasion, with officials vowing to keep up their fight to drive out the Kremlin’s forces and local people remembering their fallen loved ones.The national holiday coincided with the war’s 18-month milestone, giving a somber mood to the commemorations.“We remember everyone who gave their lives for freedom and independence, for the free future of Ukraine,” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a social media post.He said that an independent Ukraine is “what we are fighting for.”In the northeastern Kharkiv region, families visited a cemetery where fallen Ukrainian soldiers are buried.Kateryna Krotchenko, the mother of Serhii Krotchenko who was killed near Bakhmut, cleaned his grave.“He was an ordinary boy who loved life and dreamed of something,” she told The Associated Press.“Therefore, he did not accept the fact that war had come to our land and decided to (sign up) vol...

Fall books: Britney and Barbra’s memoirs are among major releases, but political books are fewer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:37 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — One year ahead of the 2024 election, don’t expect many new books about the presumed front-runners, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. The wave of Trump releases that began six years ago with his presidency has subsided, with Jonathan Karl’s “Tired of Winning” and former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson’s “Enough” among the handful of Trump-centered works due out this fall. Biden, meanwhile, continues to inspire far fewer publications than his immediate predecessors, whether by opponents or defenders.For now, says Shannon DeVito, Barnes & Noble’s senior director for books, there’s “an exhaustion of interest in political titles.”By this point in Trump’s administration, he had been the subject of unflattering bestsellers from journalists, takedowns by former government officials and books of praise from supporters. With the Biden administration in its third year, detractors have been as interested in attacking his...

GoFundMe created by mother of boy shot and killed in Palatine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:37 GMT

PALATINE, Ill. -- A GoFundMe page was created by the mother of a15-year-old boy who was shot and killed in Palatine Aug. 17. Damian Hernandez was shot multiple times in the upper body and remained in critical condition for several days before he was pronounced dead Tuesday. His mother, Brisa Montes, said in the post that her son fought for his life with damage to the spine. He was paralyzed from the neck down and remained attached to a machine until he passed. North suburban bicyclist critical after hitting back of van "My heart is broken, as my family is as well to have lost Damian and such a tragic way and useless way to gun violence," Montes said.Montes described herself as being a single mom with three other sons. The money would go towards funeral expenses, hospital bills, food and shelter. A 14-year-old was charged in juvenile court for his role in the shooting and is facing multiple felony charges. Police issued an arrest warrant for 18-year-old Jesus Pantoja, of Palatine....

Man critical after Old Town shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:37 GMT

CHICAGO — A 34-year-old man was critically wounded during a shooting Wednesday night in Old Town.Just after 8:30 a.m., police said the man was involved in a physical altercation with an unknown suspect when a group of three approached.Shots were then fired and the 34-year-old sustained two gunshot wounds to the right leg and one to the left leg.He was transported to Northwestern in critical condition.No suspects are in custody.

Woman in TikTok video of racist outburst at California McDonald's is no longer employed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:37 GMT

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - A racist outburst at a McDonald's in Fresno, California, went viral on social media with hundreds of thousands of engagements since being posted over the weekend.The man in the video said he stepped in when the woman was degrading McDonald's employees. Now, he's being called a hero.The woman's employer, a dental office, said she no longer works for the business.Luis Aceves is the man who confronted the woman in the video, which now has hundreds of thousands of views. WATCH: Woman goes viral after using racial slurs at Fresno McDonald’s His friends were recording the whole incident while they were at lunch together. He said the woman exploded at employees over a soda."You [can't] come in here and try to degrade people. (bleep) you, you (bleep) Mexican. Hey!"The video purportedly shows a Central Valley woman using a racist term toward a man at the McDonald's on Friday."I felt like that was when I needed to step in," said Luis Aceves."Employees were ...

What on Earth is föhn? Explaining unusual weather system names around the world

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:37 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The world is full of unique weather events, but many of them aren't as unique as you may think. Sometimes weather systems are given wild names, but they're actually the same type of system.In this First Warning Weather University lesson, we look at some of these weather systems and the wild names they have.In this FWWU lesson you'll learn:What's the difference between a hurricane and a cyclone?Where do typhoons happen?What is a chinook and a föhn?There's more in the First Warning Weather University:How are hurricanes being effected by climate change?Why do some clouds look weirder than others?How does an old tool help meteorologists forecast the weather?

Comic-con style event coming to Austin Labor Day weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:37 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – A comic-con style convention featuring celebrities, creators, cosplayers and voice actors is coming to the Austin Convention Center Sept. 1-3. The organizers of GalaxyCon Austin said the three-day convention will feature more than 150 guests as well as photo ops, Q&As, panels, costume contests, cosplay events, workshops, parties, gaming tournaments and celebrity meet and greets.According to GalaxyCon, the guest list includes: Charlie Cox - Daredevil, The Defenders, Spider-Man: No Way HomeKrysten Ritter - Jessica Jones, The Defenders, Breaking BadDavid Boreanaz - Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, BonesMike Tyson - Legendary Boxing Champion, The Hangover, Mike Tyson MysteriesAndy Serkis - The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Planet of the Apes, The Batman, Black PantherVincent D’Onofrio - Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Daredevil, Hawkeye, Full Metal JacketStephen Amell - CW’s Arrow, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Supergirl, HeelsKayvan Novak - What We Do in...