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Interpol at 100: A mixed legacy of hunting fugitives and merging police data from 195 countries

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:50 GMT

LYON, France (AP) — Interpol is turning 100 with a mixed legacy — as a misconstrued crime-fighting organization, a network that merges police data from authoritarian states and democracies, and a global adviser on how to handle criminal trends.Secretary-General Jürgen Stock, a German who took office in 2014, has said he believes all police officers ultimately have the same goal: stopping criminals. The challenge, he said in an interview with The Associated Press, is that Interpol brings 195 very different countries into a network of databases of crimes and wanted fugitives.Interpol has no police force of its own, no weapons stockpile, and certainly no fleet of helicopters to swoop in and pluck criminals off rooftops. Its power rests almost entirely in information shared by member nations.Critics, even those who praise Stock’s tenure as one of a new openness for Interpol, say that’s exactly the problem. They accuse many countries, notably Russia and China, of abusing the red notice s...

Air Canada apologizes for booting passengers who complained about vomit-smeared seats

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:50 GMT

Air Canada says it has apologized to two passengers who were escorted off a plane by security after protesting that their seats were smeared in vomit.The airline said Tuesday that the passengers “clearly did not receive the standard of care to which they were entitled.”The incident during boarding for an Aug. 26 flight from Las Vegas to Montreal was described in graphic detail by another passenger, Susan Benson of New Brunswick, who said she was in the row behind two women and a man.“There was a bit of a foul smell but we didn’t know at first what the problem was,” Benson wrote on Facebook three days later. “Air Canada attempted a quick cleanup before boarding but clearly wasn’t able to do a thorough clean.”Benson said workers sprayed the area with perfume to hide the smell. The passengers assigned to those seats told a flight attendant that the seat and seatbelt were wet and they could still see vomit. The attendant and a supervisor told them that the flight was full, and they woul...

The death toll from fierce storms and flooding in Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria rises to 11

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:50 GMT

ISTANBUL (AP) — The death toll from severe rainstorms that lashed parts of Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria increased to 11 Wednesday after rescue teams in the three neighboring countries recovered four more bodies.A flash flood at a campsite in northwestern Turkey near the border with Bulgaria killed at least four people — with two found dead Wednesday — and carried away bungalow homes. Rescuers were still searching for two people reported missing at the campsite.Another two people died in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, where Tuesday’s storms inundated hundreds of homes and workplaces in several neighborhoods.The victims in Istanbul included a 32-year-old Guinean citizen who was trapped inside his basement apartment in the low-income Kucukcekmece district, Turkish broadcaster HaberTurk TV reported. The other was a 57-year-old woman who died after being swept away by the floods in another neighborhood, the private DHA news agency reported.The surging flood waters affected m...

France boosts security at Rugby World Cup. The hosts don’t want another failure before Olympics

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:50 GMT

With no room for mistakes ahead of next year’s Paris Olympics, French authorities pledged Wednesday to mobilize a record number of police officers to guarantee a smooth Rugby World Cup in the wake of the chaos outside the stadium that marred the 2022 Champions League final.The tournament starts Friday at the same Stade de France where the security fiasco last year drew worldwide attention to heavy-handed policing, raising questions about how France manages security at big events.Speaking at a news conference in Paris, French Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin said more than 5,100 police officers will be mobilized every match day during the tournament, and up to 7,500 at peak times, including Friday’s opening match between France and New Zealand and the final on Oct. 28.“It’s unprecedented for a sporting event,” Darmanin said.He added the mobile forces deployed Friday will be used at the stadium and to monitor tourist areas and public transport, as well as fan zones....

Kim Jong Un’s possible trip to Russia could be like his 2019 journey. 20 hours on his armored train

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:50 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Reports that Kim Jong Un may travel to Russia soon have drawn attention to the traditional method of travel for North Korean leaders: luxury, armored trains that have long been a part of the dynasty’s lore and are symbols of its deep isolation.In what would be his first foreign travel since the start of the pandemic, Kim may visit Russia this month for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a U.S. official has said, possibly to discuss North Korean arms sales to refill Russian reserves drained by its war on Ukraine.According to U.S. reports, the two leaders could meet in the eastern city of Vladivostok, the site of their first get-together in April 2019, when Kim took his green-and-yellow train. Putin is expected in the city for the annual Eastern Economic Forum that runs from Sunday to Wednesday.The reports come at a time when the leaders’ interests are aligning in the face of their deepening, separate confrontations with the United S...

King Charles III’s visit to France will include a state dinner at Versailles and a stop in Bordeaux

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:50 GMT

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III will travel to France later this month for a state visit that was postponed in March due to fears that protesters demonstrating against President Emanuel Macron’s economic policies would disrupt the pageantry.Charles and Queen Camilla will visit Paris and Bordeaux from Sept. 20-22, Buckingham Palace announced Wednesday. The visit underscores Britain’s aim to bolster ties with its closest European neighbor after years of sometimes prickly relations strained by Brexit and disagreements over the growing number of migrants crossing the English Channel on small boats.“The state visit will celebrate Britain’s relationship with France, marking our shared histories, culture and values,’’ said Chris Fitzgerald, deputy private secretary to the king. While Britain’s royal family long ago ceded political power to the country’s elected leaders, they remain the U.K.’s pre-eminent ambassadors as presidents and prime ministers jockey to bask in the glamor and pageantr...

Suspect in explosives attack on Japan’s prime minister is indicted on attempted murder charge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:50 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese prosecutors formally indicted a 24-year-old man Wednesday on attempted murder and other charges in the explosives attack on Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in April, court officials said. Kishida was campaigning for elections in a small fishing port in Wakayama in western Japan when a man threw a homemade pipe bomb at him. Kishida was unhurt, but two people received minor injuries. Suspect Ryuji Kimura, 24, was arrested on the spot and underwent a three-month psychiatric evaluation sought by local prosecutors to determine that he is mentally fit for trial. Police and prosecutors determined that the bomb used in the attack was potentially lethal, according to local media reports.Prosecutors indicted Kimura on an attempted murder charge and four others, including violation of the gun and swords control law and the explosives control law, according to the Wakayama District Court, which accepted the indictment. A trial date has not been decided, court officials said. ...

Divorce after 60: What happens to your health benefits?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:50 GMT

More than 1 in 3 people who divorce in the United States are age 50 or older, and 1 in 4 are 65 or older, according to a 2022 analysis published in the Journals of Gerontology.Divorcing as you near retirement — or after you’ve retired — comes with considerations: Are you (or your spouse) losing health insurance? If you’re retired but not yet eligible for Medicare, where will you find coverage? How does being an ex-spouse affect your Medicare costs?If you have health insurance through your own employer, not much will change, but if you’re on Medicare or your partner’s employer policy, you’ll have to ask some questions. And you may want to help your ex make the transition, if they’re on your policy.Here are the points to consider:DOES YOUR EMPLOYER OFFER BENEFITS?If you’re still working, does your employer offer health coverage? If so, divorce is considered a life event that will qualify you to make changes to your benefits, such as enrolling in a health insurance plan. You have 30 da...

Wednesday Forecast: Scattered storms with temps in mid 80s

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:50 GMT

CHICAGO — Scattered thunderstorms Wednesday morning will give way to partly cloudy skies by midday.  Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here A Flash Flood Warning has been issued for southern Cook County, including Orland Park, Tinley Park and Chicago Heights, and parts of Will County until 9:45 a.m.The rain is complicating the morning commute, causing crashes and delays on area expressways and tollways. Allow extra time and drive with caution.Isolated showers are possible late this afternoon as temperatures fall from highs in the mid-80s to the upper 70s for the evening commute.  Isolated showers are possible this evening, then temperatures fall into the mid-60s under mostly cloudy skies.  Future Forecast: Thursday and Friday will stay mostly cloudy with inland highs in the lower 70s, but mid to upper 60s lakeside.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

New Biden student loan repayment plan enrolls 4 million borrowers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:50 GMT

(The Hill) - The Biden administration announced on Tuesday that 4 million student loan borrowers have been enrolled in the new Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) income-driven repayment (IDR) plan two weeks after it was officially launched.The administration has touted SAVE as the “most affordable IDR plan” ever offered to borrowers, officially launching it right before interest began accruing again on student loan payments after a three-year pandemic-related pause.Officials said most of the 4 million people SAVE enrollees are those who were automatically transferred from the Revised-Pay-As-You-Earn IDR option. "Millions of borrowers are already benefitting from enrollment in the SAVE plan, and I'm thrilled to see so many Americans submitting applications every day so that they, too, can take advantage of the most affordable student loan repayment plan in history," said Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.The application for the SAVE plan was officially launched on the Federa...