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Bulgaria to purchase US Stryker combat vehicles and related equipment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:17:26 GMT

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria’s government has approved the purchase of U.S.-made Stryker combat vehicles to modernize the country’s land forces and bring them in line with NATO standards.The decision, announced Friday by the government’s press office, followed the approval by the U.S. State Department of the sale of 183 Stryker vehicles and related gear to Bulgaria for an estimated cost of $1.5 billion.“The aim of the project is for Bulgaria to achieve interoperability with the NATO allies, and also to acquire and maintain capabilities for the country’s defense independently, in a joint operation and in the collective defense system, as well as to participate in allied operations outside the country’s territory,” the government statement said.Bulgaria, which is located on NATO’s eastern flank, has intensified its military modernization by replacing its outdated Soviet-built weapons systems.In the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Bulgarian Defense ...

Shimano recalls 760,000 bike cranksets over crash hazard following several injury reports

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:17:26 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Cycling company Shimano is recalling some 760,000 bike cranksets in the U.S. and Canada due to a crash hazard that has resulted in several reported injuries.According to a Thursday notice from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the now-recalled crank parts can separate and break, risking crashes. More than 4,500 incidents of the cranksets separating and six injuries have been reported to date — including bone fractures, joint displacement and lacerations.The recall impacts Shimano Ultegra FC-6800, Dura-Ace FC-9000, Ultegra FC-R8000, Dura-Ace FC-R9100 and FC-R9100P 11-Speed Bonded Hollowtech Road Cranksets that were manufactured in Japan prior to July 2019. The cranksets were sold both individually and on bicycles sold by other companies, including Trek and Specialized, regulators said.Consumers can identify the recalled crank parts by their production date and two-letter codes. In the U.S., where about 680,000 cranksets are under recall, the products were s...

Leaders of Syria and China announce strategic partnership as part of Asian Games diplomacy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:17:26 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China and Syria announced the formation of a strategic partnership on Friday as Chinese leader Xi Jinping kicked off a series of diplomatic meetings ahead of the upcoming Asian Games.Xi met Syrian President Bashar Assad in the southern Chinese city of Hangzhou, which is hosting the 15-day sports competition. “In the face of the unstable and uncertain international situation, China is willing to work with Syria to firmly support each other … and jointly safeguard international fairness and justice,” Xi said in a video clip posted online by state broadcaster CCTV.Assad’s visit parallels in some ways that of Russian President Vladimir Putin last year for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Both leaders are virtual pariahs in the West but welcomed by China as it tries to expand its global influence and promote an alternative to the U.S.-led international order.The Syrian leader will attend the Asian Games opening ceremony on Saturday night alo...

Authorities search for suspect wanted in killing who was mistakenly released from Indianapolis jail

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:17:26 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A man wanted for a 2021 killing in Minnesota was mistakenly released from jail in Indianapolis last week and authorities are now offering a reward of up to $10,000 as they continue searching for him.Kevin Mason, 28, was arrested in Indianapolis on Sept. 11 but a preliminary review found he was released Sept. 13 due to a faulty records review by clerks with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, officials said.On Thursday, the sheriff’s office announced that the U.S. Marshals Office was offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to Mason’s arrest.“We will not stop and we will not sleep until he is back in custody,” Col. James Martin with the sheriff’s office said during Thursday’s news conference.Officials said more than 300 officers from local departments and the U.S. Marshals Service took part in manhunt overnight Wednesday in Indianapolis and other jurisdictions for Mason, The Indianapolis Star reported.Officials waited six days b...

Heads-up GO riders: No train service on Lakeshore East line Friday night into weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:17:26 GMT

For those planning to head into the city this weekend, keep in mind that GO train service on the Lakeshore East line won’t be available due to “important maintenance work.”An update posted on the GO website says trains won’t be running starting at 10 p.m. on Friday until end of service on Sunday.“These temporary service changes are critical for track maintenance near Durham College Oshawa GO, key infrastructure updates for East Harbour Transit Hub, Eglinton GO and further progress on adding a fourth track along the Lakeshore East Line,” Metrolinx says.The provincial agency says most of the train service will be replaced with shuttle bus service but that riders may experience longer than normal travel times due to capacity issues.From Friday night and over the weekend, some of the buses will only stop at Durham College Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, and Pickering GO stations and then continue express to Union Station.GO riders travelling to and from Union S...

More robberies committed on Near West Side

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:17:26 GMT

CHICAGO -- More robberies were committed overnight on the Near West Side after a string of armed robberies on the North Side Thursday that included a 78-year-old man getting battered. In one incident, a 23-year-old woman told police she was robbed by a male offender near the 700 block of South Loomis Avenue around 11:03 p.m. Thursday night.Police said the offender fled on foot before he struggled over the woman's phone. There were no reported injuries and there is currently no one in custody. Woman killed in hit-and-run on South Side In another incident Thursday, police reported that a 78-year-old man was walking near the 1900 block of West Wolfram Street when he was approached by six male offenders.The individuals demanded the man to hand over his belongings and he complied. One of the individuals struck the man before fleeing in a dark-colored sedan.The man was transported to Illinois Masonic Hospital and has since been released.There is no one in custody and police are investi...

Fauci says DeSantis comments trigger 'crazy' people: 'reason why I have to have security'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:17:26 GMT

(The Hill) - Former White House pandemic chief Anthony Fauci said disparaging comments like those from presidential candidate Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) force him to have a security detail amid threats on his life.DeSantis and other Republicans have repeatedly attacked Fauci — who served in the Trump and Biden administrations — over pandemic policies including mask mandates and the COVID vaccine. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington on Dec. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)“I’m the one that had to, in an uncomfortable way... disagree with the President of the United States. That was very painful for me... but I felt that in order to just maintain my own personal professional integrity and responsibility to the American public that I had to say it like it was and I had to do it publicly,” Fauci said in an MSNBC interview Thursday. “That triggered a degree of negat...

Could a government shutdown impact student loan payments resuming?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:17:26 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — While a looming government shutdown has been getting a lot of attention recently, there is another impending due date coming on October 1: the return of student loan payments. Lawmakers are still working to prevent a government shutdown, which could come by the end of next week, but House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was dealt a heavy blow on Thursday. His latest attempt to move ahead with a traditionally popular defense funding bill was shattered by a core group of Republican colleagues who refused to vote for the endangered speaker’s plans. GOP leadership tells members to go home but be ‘on call’ amid funding stalemate A test vote to advance the bill failed, 212-216, as a handful of Republicans joined with Democrats to stop it. Once again, the House then came to a sudden standstill and declared itself in recess. Lawmakers will return to work on Tuesday.The federal government has until September 30 to reach a deal to avoid an October 1 shutdown. October 1 also marks the day...

Ohio police suggested charging an 11-year-old for her explicit photos. Experts say the practice is common

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:17:26 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (NEXSTAR) — When an Ohio father learned that his 11-year-old daughter had been manipulated into sending explicit photos to an adult, he turned to the police for help.But instead of treating the girl as a crime victim, an officer seemingly threatened to charge her under a law most people view as designed to protect child victims. Alleged drunk driver accidentally calls cops on himself after highway scare, 911 call reveals The shocking interaction was recorded last week on body camera audio and by the father's doorbell camera in Columbus, Ohio. The footage drew criticism from the public and from experts who said law enforcement officials have long misused laws meant to protect children by threatening to charge them with being part of the same crime.Experts said the incident also showed that training for officers on how to respond to child exploitation cases is spotty and not standardized between police departments.Watch the body camera footage below: ...

Hays CISD offers students opportunity to become a barber

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:17:26 GMT

KYLE, Texas (KXAN) — With each snip and buzz, the next generation of barbers is being built on a high school campus.Over at Lehman High School in Kyle, there’s a full barbershop called Lobo Cuts. It's where 101 students are taking a variety of courses for their future careers.Lehman High instructor Barbara Romerhausen says her program is keeping kids in school who may otherwise fall through the cracks.“We’re changing lives, getting kids to stay in school, watching them change and drop bad habits,” she said. “They’re picking up better habits and becoming employable.”Hays CISD's barbering program takes a total of four years to complete. The kids must clock 1,000 hours of work before being eligible to take a written test to earn their state license.Sergio Sanchez earned his license last spring and now works full-time as a barber.“When I was a kid watching my dad get his haircut, he'd be laughing and everything,” he said. “I decided that I wanted to be that person who provides a smile a...