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Albania’s former health minister accused by prosecutors of corruption in government project

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:32:11 GMT

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s former health minister, who is being investigated for alleged corruption, must report to police and not leave the country, prosecutors said Saturday.Prosecutors with the country’s Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime said Ilir Beqaj should report to prosecutors every Friday and may not use his passport or identity card to leave the country. The special prosecution agency was created in 2019 to handle corruption and other crime cases involving senior officials. Beqaj, 55, resigned his post as head of a government agency coordinating international assistance. He was the minister of health from 2013-2017 as part of the governing Socialist Party of Prime Minister Edi Rama. Beqaj is accused of corruption and abuse of power in a tender on a government project to sterilize medical items. He has denied the accusations but said he would respect the prosecutors’ order. He also resigned from the government post.Fighting corruption has been...

2 critically injured in 'major' northeast Austin collision

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:32:11 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services responded to a major collision between two vehicles in northeast Austin Saturday morning just after 8 a.m., ATCEMS said on X. The collision happened at 10100 Decker Ln and caused one person to eject from a vehicle, ATCEMS said. ATCEMS transported one adult patient to Dell Medical Center and one teenager patient to Dell Children’s Medical Center both with critical and life-threatening injuries.

Multiple crews battle house fire in Albany

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:32:11 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Multiple crews responded to a house fire in Albany on November 18. The fire occurred at a two-story home on the 200 block of Myrtle Avenue, between Delaware Avenue and Knox Street. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Crews reported to the scene just after 8:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. Upon arrival, firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the house's basement.Firefighters then located and battled flames around an electrical panel in the basement. The crews were able to get the fire under control by 9:36 a.m. NYSP search Vermont woods for evidence in 30-year-old homicide investigation The house's three adult residents were all evacuated safely, and no firefighters sustained injuries during the operation. The fire is deemed to be accidental, reportedly caused by an electrical surge from a power transformer into the house, according to the Albany Fire Department.

Cryptic banner hints at Rolling Stones’ return to Denver in 2024

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:32:11 GMT

When a red and black banner featuring the Rolling Stones’ iconic logo mysteriously appeared on the side of Mile High stadium (then called Invesco Field, now called Empower) in November 2018, rock-and-roll fans around Colorado began feeling some nervous satisfaction.Were the Stones returning to Denver to play a show? With Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts all being in their 70s at the time, it seemed like any chance to see the band — which has been rocking since 1962 —  was a gift worth accepting.The band did play, in August 2019 (the original May date was postponed after Jagged had heart surgery), to a sold-out crowd, and they absolutely crushed it. But that would be the last time Watts, the drummer, would be in town; he died two years later at the age of 80.Related: Rolling Stones conjure moments of awe in return to DenverLate last week, another banner was unfurled at the stadium — and Tweeted about by music promoter AEG Presents Roc...

Oakland: Pedestrian found dead on 12th Street off-ramp, near Interstate 980 Saturday morning

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:32:11 GMT

OAKLAND — A man believed to be the victim of a hit-and-run was found lying dead and wearing only underwear on the 12th Street off-ramp near I-980 shortly after 5:30 a.m. Saturday, according to the California Highway Patrol.CHP Officer Adib Zeid said the man appeared to have died after he was struck by a vehicle while walking on the roadway near downtown Oakland. The man had suffered major trauma and was confirmed dead by 6 a.m., not long after a passing motorist first reported the body.Authorities closed off the 12th Street exit around 6:15 a.m., but the roadway was reopened by 8 a.m.The identity of the man was not immediately available, pending efforts to notify his family by the coroner’s office.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Pedestrian killed in hit-and-run on Highway 4 near Discovery Bay Crashes and Disasters | Driver killed in rollover crash on Highway 4 near Crockett Crashes and Disasters | Driver flees after woman kill...

Patients and staff leave Gaza’s biggest hospital as dozens are killed at a crowded refugee camp

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:32:11 GMT

Palestinians look at destruction after an Israeli strike on the Gaza Strip in Nusseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Marwan Saleh)(AP/Marwan Saleh) Palestinians look at destruction after an Israeli strike on the Gaza Strip in Nusseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Marwan Saleh)(AP/Marwan Saleh) KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Patients, staff and displaced people left Gaza’s largest hospital Saturday, with one describing a panicked and chaotic evacuation as Israeli forces searched and face-scanned men among the evacuees and took some away.Israel’s military has been searching Shifa Hospital in Gaza City for traces of a Hamas command center th...

AP PHOTOS: Emotions run high at pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations around the world

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:32:11 GMT

In the weeks since the Israel-Hamas war erupted on Oct. 7, people across the globe have taken to the streets en masse — some in support of Israel, some in support of Palestinians and some calling for an end to the bloodshed, or for more to be done about the deepening humanitarian crisis..In Tel Aviv, Israel, friends and family of some 240 hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip call for their return as they participate in a five-day “March for the Hostages” that will take them the prime minister’s office in Jerusalem.In Manila, capital of the Philippines, activists scuffle with police while marching toward the United States Embassy in solidarity with the Palestinians. In Washington, D.C., a river of people turns the National Mall into a sea of Israeli and U.S. flags.Emotions run high. Fear and fury, disbelief and despair flicker on the faces of the grieving.The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is only deepening with the United Nations saying it lacks the resources for aid deliveries in ...

Adam Johnson’s UK team gets back on the ice in a memorial game weeks after the player’s tragic death

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:32:11 GMT

NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — A makeshift shrine for Adam Johnson keeps growing outside the arena where the Nottingham Panthers play hockey.Fans have left flowers, wreaths, jerseys, team scarves and handwritten notes to honor the 29-year-old American who died after an opposing player’s skate cut his neck during a game last month in Sheffield.“We’re not just hockey fans — we’re a hockey family,” Panthers fan Margaret Cartwright said Saturday.The death of the former Pittsburgh Penguins player has not only forced the sport to reexamine safety regulations but also sparked a criminal investigation locally that led to an arrest of a man on suspicion of manslaughter.The Panthers haven’t played since that Oct. 28 game and will take the ice on Saturday at Motorpoint Arena against the Manchester Storm in a memorial game “to celebrate the life of Adam and the remarkable person he was,” the team said.The game, which will be broadcast free on YouTube, does not count in the Elite Ice Hockey Le...

Milan Lucic is taking an indefinite leave of absence from the Bruins after an undisclosed incident

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:32:11 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Bruins say Milan Lucic is taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team after he was involved in an undisclosed incident Friday night.The Bruins in a statement released Saturday did not provide any details about the incident other than to say the organization is aware of the situation and “takes these matters very seriously.” The team said it would work with Lucic’s family to provide any support and assistance needed.Boston Police said it could neither confirm nor deny arresting Lucic early Saturday morning. A message sent to Lucic’s agent was not immediately returned.Lucic, 35, is a veteran of over 1,300 NHL games with the Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames. He won the Stanley Cup with Boston in 2011 and is back with the team after signing a one-year free agent contract last summer worth $1 million with $500,000 in possible additional incentives.The Vancouver native has not played since Oct. 21 because of injury. The B...

Police investigate bomb threat against Arlington Co. synagogue

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:32:11 GMT

Police were on the scene at Congregation Etz Hayim in the Arlington Heights neighborhood on Friday evening after receiving reports of a bomb threat, though no evidence of a crime was found.The suspect is alleged to have made the bomb threat to the Virginia house of worship after contacting a crisis hotline. Police arrived at the 2900 block of Arlington Boulevard just before 5:30 p.m. No evidence of a bomb or other violent crime was found by police that searched the synagogue, although the investigation is ongoing.The incident comes at a time of rising antisemitism and Islamophobia as the Israel-Hamas war continues. Some Muslim and Jewish Americans have been changing how they express their faith, in fear of hate crimes.On Friday, major companies yanked ads from X after Elon Musk endorsed an antisemitic conspiracy theory.Source