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Azerbaijan claims full control of breakaway region and holds initial talks with ethnic Armenians

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:48 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Azerbaijan regained control of its breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in a deadly two-day military offensive and held initial talks with representatives of its ethnic Armenian population on reintegrating the area into the mainly Muslim country, Azerbaijan’s top diplomat told the U.N. Security Council Thursday.Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov reaffirmed Azerbaijan’s determination to guarantee Nagorno-Karabakh’s residents “all rights and freedoms” in line with the country’s constitution and international human rights obligations, including safeguards for ethnic minorities.He said the talks with Nargono-Karabakh in the Azerbaijani city of Yevlakh will continue.Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, declared victory in a televised address. Bayramov said there is now “a historic opportunity” to seek better relations after 30 years of conflict.Nagorno-Karabakh came under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by the Armenian military in separatist fighti...

Ancient ‘power’ palazzo on Rome’s Palatine Hill reopens to tourists, decades after closure

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:48 GMT

ROME (AP) — An ancient Roman imperial palazzo atop the city’s Palatine Hill was reopened to tourists on Thursday, nearly 50 years after its closure for restoration.The nearly 2,000-year-old Domus Tiberiana was home to rulers in the ancient city’s Imperial period. The sprawling palace allows for sweeping views of the Roman Forum below. The public is now able to tour it, following decades of structural restoration work to shore the palace up for safety reasons. Excavations uncovered artifacts from centuries of Roman life following the decline of the empire.The director of the Colosseum Archeological Park, which includes the Palatine Hill, in a written description of the restored palazzo, dubbed it “the power palace par excellence.” On the eve of the reopening, the official, Alfonsina Russo, quoted a first-century Roman poet as saying the sprawling palace seemed “infinite” and that “its grandiosity was just like the grandiosity of the sky.”Although the domus, or residence, ...

Surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada led to allegations around Sikh killing, official says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:48 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — The allegation of India’s involvement in the killing of a Sikh Canadian is based on surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada, including intelligence provided by a major ally, a Canadian official familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Thursday.The official said the communications involved Indian officials and Indian diplomats in Canada and that some of the intelligence was provided by a member of the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing alliance, which includes the U.S., Britain, Australia and New Zealand, in addition to Canada. The official did not say which ally provided intelligence or give specific details of what was contained in the communications or how they were obtained. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation first reported the intelligence.Earlier Thursday, India stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens and told Canada to reduce its diplo...

Brazil’s Bolsonaro denies proposing coup to military leaders

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:48 GMT

SAO PAULO (AP) — Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro denied a report Thursday claiming he consulted with top military leaders on staging a coup to stop Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from assuming the presidency last January.Three members of Bolsonaro’s legal team said in a statement posted on social media channels that the far-right leader “never took any measure that conflicted the boundaries and assurances established by the constitution.” Earlier in the day, the newspaper O Globo reported that a former Bolsonaro aide said in plea bargain testimony that the then president talked with the commanders of Brazil’s army, navy and air force about overthrowing the results of last year’s election won by Lula.The newspaper did not identify the sources for its story.Bolsonaro’s legal team also said that he did not take any action that violated hte law during his 2019-2022 administration. Bolsonaro has been targeted by several investigations since he left office, in...

Police discover bags of fentanyl beneath ‘trap floor’ of NYC day care center where 1-year-old died

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:48 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The owners of a New York City day care center where a toddler died and three others were sickened by opioid exposure last week were hiding bags of fentanyl beneath a trap door in the children’s play area, police said.New York City detectives were executing a search warrant on the Bronx apartment Thursday when they found the narcotics, including a large quantity of fentanyl, and other paraphernalia concealed by plywood and tile flooring. Photos shared by police show bags full of powder inside the “trap floor,” a few steps away from a shelf of children’s toys. The grim discovery came nearly a week after four young children attending the day care in the Bronx apartment were treated for opioid poisoning. One of the victims, 1-year-old Nicholas Dominici, is believed to have died from the exposure. The day care center operator, Grei Mendez, and a tenant of the building, Carlisto Acevedo Brito, were charged with murder of “depraved indifference” in Dominici’s death. Authori...

B.C. First Nation research finds 158 child deaths at four facilities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:48 GMT

MISSION, BRITISH COLUMBIA — An investigation into unmarked graves and missing children by British Columbia’s Sto:lo Nation has revealed at least 158 deaths, most of them at a hospital.But representatives from the Sto:lo Nation Chiefs’ Council and Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre said Thursday that their work has only just begun, and is being hampered by lack of access to information from the federal government and religious institutions that were involved in the schools. As part of the nation’s “Taking Care of Our Children” project, researchers provided Sto:lo members and the media with an update Thursday on archival research, field work involving ground-penetrating radar, and genealogical research into historical sites of three residential schools, cemeteries and a First Nation hospital. Researchers with the nation said the documents show most of the children reportedly died of diseases such as tuberculosis, with other deaths recorded as accidents, b...

An end in sight? Striking writers and Hollywood studios spend second full day in negotiations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:48 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hollywood studios and striking screenwriters spent Thursday in talks that could potentially put an end to the nearly five-month dispute that has brought many film and television productions to a halt.The Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the industry’s studios, streaming services and production companies, negotiated for a second full day at the latter organization’s headquarters in Los Angeles. Reports of progress heading into the day had observers watching the meeting closely, but there were no significant updates from inside the room Thursday. Present at the negotiations were a group of top entertainment CEOs including Disney’s Bob Iger, Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav, Universal’s Donna Langley and Netflix’s Ted Sarandos. On Wednesday night, CNBC reporter David Faber wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the writers and AMPTP were “near” an agreement and “hope to finalize the...

Weapons charges dropped in 2018 raid on family compound in desert that turned up child’s remains

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:48 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Two firearms charges were dismissed Thursday amid preparations for a trial against an extended family arrested in a 2018 law enforcement raid on a ramshackle desert compound in northern New Mexico and the discovery of a young boy’s decomposed body.The changes narrow the case to terrorism and kidnapping charges against five defendants in a trial scheduled to begin Monday with jury selection at U.S. District Court in Albuquerque.Authorities had been searching for a sickly 3-year-old who had been reported missing by his mother in Georgia when, in August 2018, they burst into a ramshackle encampment in the remote desert surrounded by berms of used tires with an adjacent firing range. Sheriff’s deputies and state agents initially found 11 hungry children and a small arsenal of ammunition and guns. After days of searching, they recovered the decomposed remains of the 3-year-old in an underground tunnel.The trail was delayed repeatedly amid the logistical challe...

Destructive West Kelowna blaze that spurred B.C.’s wildfire crisis is under control

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:48 GMT

WEST KELOWNA, B.C. — The large wildfire that destroyed dozens of homes in West Kelowna, B.C., and was a key front in the province’s most devastating fire season on record is now considered “held” after raging out of control since mid-August. The 139-square-kilometre McDougall Creek fire destroyed or damaged nearly 190 properties and forced the evacuation of thousands of people. The province’s wildfire service said that while holding the fire is an important milestone, there’s still much work ahead and multiple hazards are present in some areas.The classification means officials believe the blaze is not likely to spread past predetermined boundaries under current conditions.“The response to a fire of this scale requires strong teamwork and collaboration across jurisdictions,” an online statement by the BC Wildfire Service said.“Thanks to partner agencies, First Nations and local governments, national and international resources, as well as the many...

Tears of joy after Brazil’s Supreme Court makes milestone ruling on Indigenous lands

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:48 GMT

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Indigenous people celebrated Thursday after Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled to enshrine their land rights, removing the imminent threat those protections could be rolled back.The justices had been evaluating a lawsuit brought by Santa Catarina state, backed by farmers, seeking to block an Indigenous group from expanding the size of its territorial claim. Nearly all of the high court’s justices voted to support the Indigenous group, which has far-reaching implications for territories nationwide.Dozens of Indigenous people in traditional yellow feather headdresses and body paint danced, sang and jumped around in front of a multitude of flashing cameras in the capital of Brasilia after the decisive vote was cast. Some wiped away tears of joy.“I’m shaking. It took a while, but we did it. It’s a very beautiful and strong feeling. Our ancestors are present — no doubt about it,” said Jéssica Nghe Mum Priprá, who is from the Xokleng-Laklano Indigenous group.In...