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Kosovo’s new mayor takes up post peacefully in minority area as West warns against ethnic violence

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:15 GMT

MITROVICA, Kosovo (AP) — A new mayor has been sworn in in northern Kosovo after a vote in April that was boycotted by the ethnic Serb minority which dominates the area. Erden Atic, who is from the Bosnian minority, took up his post in the northern, Serb-dominated part of the divided city of Mitrovica on Friday, calling on citizens to cooperate. “We shall work for all citizens of Mitrovica’s northern commune, without any discrimination,” said Atic, who represents the Self-Determination Movement, or Vetevendosje! of Prime Minister Albin Kurti.A Kosovar police presence and officers from the European Union rule of law mission, or EULEX, were seen in the area. The ceremony was held peacefully.Local elections were held last month in four Serb-dominated communes in northern Kosovo after Serb representatives left their posts last year in protest at the establishment of the association, which would coordinate work on education, health care, land planning and economic development at the local...

Ukrainian president attends Arab summit in Saudi Arabia, where many leaders are close to Moscow

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:15 GMT

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of an Arab summit on Friday, where he was set to address leaders who have remained largely neutral on Russia’s invasion of his country, including many who maintain warm ties with Moscow.Among those in attendance is Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has been welcomed back into the Arab fold 12 years after Syria was suspended at the start of its civil war. Russian air strikes on civilian areas brought devastation to both countries, but in Syria they helped Assad cling to power.The odd pairing of the two leaders in the same forum is the result of a recent flurry of diplomacy by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is pursuing regional rapprochement with the same vigor he previously brought to the oil-rich kingdom’s confrontation with its archrival Iran. In recent months, Saudi Arabia has restored diplomatic ties with Iran, is ending the kingdom’s yearslong war aga...

How to vaccinate yourself (and others) against misinformation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:15 GMT

In today’s Big Story podcast, in recent years, misinformation has become increasingly common, and it will likely get worse due to the rise of Artificial Intelligence and deep fake technology. Now, even the most savvy news consumers need to be in the habit of checking things twice, but there may be a way to fight back against those who aim to mislead us.Sander van der Linden, author of Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity, says we can inoculate ourselves and the people around us from the threat of misinformation.“People keep repeating the same tropes over and over again, and they’re predictable. And so you can actually anticipate them and warn people in advance,” says Van der Linden.So, how do we protect ourselves from misinformation? What tropes do manipulators commonly use? And how should you go about protecting the people closest to you from misinformation?You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.Yo...

Pedestrian fatally struck on Stevenson Expressway

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:15 GMT

CHICAGO — A pedestrian was fatally struck on the Stevenson Expressway late Thursday night.According to Illinois State Police, officers received calls of a man walking on northbound I-55 at Damen around 11:55 p.m.The victim was struck and killed. His identity has not yet been released.It is not known why the man was walking on the expressway Man charged in shooting that injured 2 boys outside Chicago library ISP had all northbound lanes closed from Western to Damen early Friday morning for an investigation. Lanes reopened around 5 a.m.

Boy injured, apartment damaged in shootout on North side

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:15 GMT

CHICAGO — A boy was injured and several businesses, including an apartment were damaged after a shootout in Irving Park early Friday morning.According to police, a black Infiniti truck and red sedan were driving westbound near the 2800 block of West Irving Park Road around 3:05 a.m. when an anonymous witness said people in the vehicles began firing shots at one another. A 17-year-old boy was dropped off at a local hospital by the red sedan with a graze wound to the head. He is listed in good condition. Pedestrian fatally struck on Stevenson Expressway Police say the boy refused to answer questions. A neighbor described the shots going through his window."I heard gunshots and ran to my daughter's room and while I'm running, the shots go through my window." No one is in custody but police are investigating the incident.

Videos may show ivory-billed woodpeckers as feds move toward extinction decision

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:15 GMT

New video and photographs purporting to show ivory-billed woodpeckers flying in a Louisiana forest were published by researchers on Thursday, as government officials said they will make a final decision this year on whether the birds are extinct.The images — grainy and taken from a distance by drones and trail cameras — offer tantalizing hints the large woodpecker may yet exist almost 80 years after the last agreed-upon sightings, in Louisiana.Several experts said it adds to prior indications of their survival. They called on the government to drop the pending proposal to write off the so-called Lord God Bird — a nickname derived from the exclamation some viewers made upon seeing one.But others dismissed the new research as inconclusive, including a scientist who said some of the footage clearly depicts another type of woodpecker many amateurs mistake for the ivory-billed.The peer-reviewed research in the journal Ecology and Evolution comes from a ...

Dean's Weekender: 'Aladdin,' Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and more

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:15 GMT

Check out Dean's Weekender for the latest events coming to the Chicagoland area this weekends from comedians to timeless plays.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

Vermont hospital patient survives 6-story fall

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:15 GMT

(WFFF/WVNY) -- A patient at the University of Vermont Medical Center is in critical condition after surviving a six-story fall at the hospital.Hospital officials weren't releasing any information about the patient's identity or the specifics of injuries but said they think they know how the fall happened.Spokesperson Annie Mackin said the patient fell from the sixth floor of a stairwell that is used by hospital employees but not patients. Latest COVID variant spreading in Vermont, New Hampshire Based on their investigation so far, officials say think the patient opened a window inside that stairwell and exited it on their own.“This was an extremely distressing situation for everyone involved," said Dr. Stephen Leffler, the medical center’s president and COO. "I am grateful for the teams who provided life-saving care.” 

Refugee families face eviction following budget issues with resettlement agency

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:15 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Dozens of refugee families in Austin are facing eviction notices following issues with Refugee Services of Texas (RST), the state's largest refugee resettlement agency, according to an Austin church that is providing help to families. Alliance Samuragwa oversees the refugee ministry at Gateway Church. He said in the past week, 25 refugee families have reached out to the church for help, with some saying RST had not been paying their first three months of rent like they promised, and now were facing eviction. One multi-generational family at the church, who previously lived in a refugee camp in Rwanda for 20 years, said they arrived in the United States in late January. The family said RST picked them up from the airport and helped them find a place to live, with the promise the agency would pay for the first three months while family members looked for a job. But that family said after one month, it received an eviction notice from the apartment. When the family wen...

Bill reforming Texas law enforcement oversight inches forward

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:15 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A senate bill that would revamp the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement’s authority passed a second reading Thursday in the House, moving the legislation another step closer to the finish line after years of effort.Senate Bill 1445 by Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, would reform TCOLE’s role in overseeing law enforcement. As it currently stands, the expansive bill would create a definition for police misconduct and a process for reporting it to TCOLE, make a fit-for-duty examination for license holders, establish statewide conduct standards, create new standards for the formation of law enforcement agencies and set up a publicly searchable database of officer licensure information, among many other provisions, according to a House analysis. EXPLORE: Bargaining the Badge, how hundreds of accused Texas officers avoid prison The bill is expected to have a third reading Friday in the House. It will then head back to the Senate, which will approve changes and potential...