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Ukraine trying to end battlefield stalemate; Russia says it repelled some attacks

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:48 GMT

By SUSIE BLANN (Associated Press)KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces were making a major effort to end months of a battlefield stalemate and punch through Russian defensive lines in southeast Ukraine for a second day, with Russian officials saying on Monday that Moscow’s forces have foiled at least one assault. Kyiv authorities said their forces were indeed increasing offensive operations and making gains, but suggested some of the Russian announcements were misinformation as speculation grows about a widely anticipated counteroffensive after more than 15 months of war. Vladimir Rogov, an official in the Russia-backed administration of Ukraine’s partly occupied Zaporizhzhia province, said fighting resumed on its border with the eastern Donetsk province on Monday after Russian defenses beat back a Ukrainian advance the previous day.“The enemy threw an even bigger force into the attack than yesterday (Sunday),” and the new attempt to break through the f...

Another landslide in San Clemente suspends rail service from Oceanside again

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:48 GMT

Rail service has once again been halted from Oceanside to Irvine after land under the historic Casa Romantica in San Clemente continued to slide Monday morning.The slide occurred sometime between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., San Clemente Mayor Chris Duncan told Nexstar's KTLA. There was significant movement on the slope and boulders and rocks remained on the tracks in the 10 a.m. hour, the mayor added.As of 11 a.m. , all train service been Oceanside and Irvine has been interrupted as a result and tracks near the San Clemente Pier are closed, shutting down both the Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner. Alternate transportation is being provided, according to Amtrak. Hillside collapses under historic building in San Clemente; rail travel halted The hillside had previously collapsed in late April, causing the landmark, located at 415 Avenida Granada, to close.The house, which sits on a bluff just north of the pier, had suffered cracks to its terrace before the collapse occurred. During the A...

‘It was tough’: World War II veterans return to Utah Beach to mark D-Day’s 79th anniversary

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:48 GMT

ON UTAH BEACH, France (AP) — World War II veterans shared vivid memories of D-Day and the fighting as dozens returned to Normandy beaches and key battle sites to mark the 79th anniversary of the decisive assault that led to the liberation of France and Western Europe from Nazi control.Looking at the vastness of Utah Beach, its sand blowing in strong wind and bright sunshine, 99-year-old Robert Gibson remembered: “it was tough.”Gibson landed there on June 6, 1944 alongside more than 150,000 other Allied troops.He said there were “lots of casualties. We had almost run over bodies to get in the beach. Never forget we were only 18, 19 years old. … I’m glad I made it.”The first job of his battalion, he said, was “to guard an ammunition dump and the first night it got struck. You didn’t know where you were to go. Bullets were going all over the place. But we ducked it.” On Monday, veterans have been greeted to the sound of bagpipes at the Pegasus Memorial, where they attended ...

Wildfires in Quebec force mining companies to suspend work and pull staff out

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:48 GMT

TORONTO — Mining companies in Quebec pulled employees out and suspended exploration work as forest fires forced thousands of people from their homes.Wallbridge Mining Company Ltd. said Monday it has temporarily evacuated the camp at its Fenelon Gold project and suspended all exploration activities on its Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend property in Quebec’s northern Abitibi region.The company made the decision after an emergency order from the Quebec government prohibiting access due to the forest fires.Wallbridge CEO Marz Kord said all of the company’s employees and contractors have been safely withdrawn and that it has worked to secure and mitigate risk to the Fenelon camp site. “Exploration activities at Fenelon and our other projects will resume as soon as practicable,” Kord said in a statement. There were 164 forest fires burning in Quebec on Monday, up from 155 the day before.At least 114 of those fires were out of control, according to the province’s forest fire pr...

Hoskin wins another 4-year term as chief of Cherokee Nation, country’s most populous tribe

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:48 GMT

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) — Cherokee Nation’s Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. won reelection to another four-year term as leader of the nation’s most populous tribe, according to unofficial results posted Monday on the tribe’s website.Those results, which are expected to be certified later Monday by the tribe’s Election Commission, show Hoskin won nearly 63% of the vote in the four-way race for chief, a position similar to the governor of a state. Hoskin’s running mate, Bryan Warner, won reelection to deputy chief with about 62% of the vote. Both needed to secure more than 50% to avoid a runoff.“Today, we celebrate not only a victory but a renewal of our shared commitment to the principles that have guided our nation for centuries,” Hoskin and Warner said in a joint statement. “Together, we will confront the challenges that lie ahead, united in our determination to uplift and empower every member of our Cherokee family.”Hoskin, a 38-year-old attorney, ran on a platform of p...

Correctional Service of Canada to review Bernardo’s medium-security prison transfer

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:48 GMT

The Correctional Service of Canada said its commissioner has ordered another review of the decision to move serial killer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security prison.The Correctional Service of Canada confirmed it wants the review to ensure it was appropriate, evidence-based, and considerate of Bernardo’s victims.“We want to acknowledge that our decisions have an impact on victims. These were horrific crimes, and we regret any pain and concern this has caused,” the statement read. “We want to assure Canadians that this offender continues to be incarcerated in a secure and controlled institution — with every precaution in place to maintain public safety.”Last week, officials with the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers confirmed to CityNews that Bernardo was transferred from Millhaven Institution just outside Kingston to La Macaza Institution northwest of Montreal.A spokesperson with the Correctional Service of Canada would not comment specifical...

With new video, Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota edges closer to Republican presidential race

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:48 GMT

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum took another step toward entering the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, posting a YouTube video on Monday touting his rise from a small town boy to a self-made software entrepreneur and a successful governor who has cut red tape and taxes.Although the video doesn’t mention it, Burgum has signed several new laws this year that restrict abortion rights and the rights of transgender people. One law bans schools and government agencies from requiring their employees to refer to transgender people by the pronouns they use. Another law — among the strictest in the nation — bans abortions throughout pregnancy with only slim exceptions up to six weeks’ gestation.Burgum is expected to announce his candidacy on Wednesday at a midday event in Fargo, two GOP operatives who had knowledge of Burgum’s plans told The Associated Press last month. The 66-year-old would enter an increasingly crowded field dominated by ex-President Donald Trump and Flor...

Prison service to review decision to transfer killer Bernardo to medium security

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:48 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal prison service says it will have a second look at its decision to move convicted killer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security facility as political leaders of all stripes react to the news with shock and outrage.In a statement, the Correctional Service of Canada says it will make sure the decision was appropriate, based on evidence, “and more importantly, adequately considered victims.”The service says Bernardo’s crimes were horrific, but it remains mum on the reasons for the transfer from a maximum-security prison.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday he understands how “shocked and appalled” Canadians are at the decision.Trudeau said that’s why Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino will be raising the matter with the commissioner of the correctional service this week. Bernardo’s move to a facility in Quebec was made public last week after the correctional service notified the lawyer representing the families of 15-ye...

US sanctions Russian intelligence-linked group over efforts to destabilize pro-Western Moldova

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:48 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. imposed sanctions Monday on a group of people linked to Russian intelligence who it said had helped the Kremlin destabilize Moldova’s democratically elected, pro-Western government through protests in the Moldovan capital earlier this year.The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated seven members of a group linked to a sanctioned Moldovan oligarch, Ilan Shor, who fled Moldova in 2019 to evade a string of corruption charges and has since lived in Israel, where he was born. Shor, 36, is also the leader of Moldova’s Moscow-friendly Shor Party, which has held recurring anti-government protests since last fall. The protesters have demanded that the government fully subsidize citizens’ winter energy bills during a cost-of-living crisis and “not involve the country in war.” They also have called for Moldovan President Maia Sandu to step down.“These actors are a part of Russia’s global information operations that have also tar...

Mississippi harms free speech by requiring state permits before protests, lawsuit says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:48 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A new Mississippi law will restrict free speech by requiring people to obtain permission from state law enforcement officials for any protest near the statehouse, Governor’s Mansion or other state government buildings in the capital city of Jackson, according to a lawsuit that seeks to block the mandate from taking effect July 1.“Those who peacefully protest without state government authorization and who are charged with crimes for doing so may be prosecuted and sentenced to prison. This chills protected speech,” said the lawsuit filed on behalf of the Mississippi Poor People’s Campaign and several other organizations.The federal lawsuit was filed Thursday against the two people authorized to issue permits for protests or other events in parts of the majority-Black city: Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell and the chief of the state-run Capitol Police department, Bo Luckey.“These two officials, both white men, wil...