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Ex-Kosovo president tells international judges he’s innocent

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:31 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci on Tuesday insisted he is an innocent man as he addressed a panel of international judges hearing his trial on 10 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.At the end of his lawyers’ opening statement to the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, Thaci stood up, buttoned up his gray pinstripe suit jacket and told black-robed judges that he expects evidence to lead to his acquittal saying that “victims do not obtain justice when the innocent are pursued.”Thaci was a student who came out of what he described as political exile in Switzerland to join Kosovo’s struggle for independence from Serbia. He was embraced by Western leaders who invited him to 1999 peace talks in France in his role as political director of the Kosovo Liberation Army and was seen as a leader who could guide the country toward independence.Thaci said he regretted that late U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and other international d...

NHL’s Pride nights collide with LGBTQ+ political climate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:31 GMT

Sports leagues and teams often use Pride nights to raise the visibility and acceptance of LGBTQ+ people — as well as sell them tickets — and the NHL has been a leader. They can include special jerseys designed by LGBTQ+ artists, performances, information tables, even drag performances. And they’re largely a hit.But six NHL players recently opted out of wearing rainbow-colored jerseys on their teams’ Pride nights for the first time, leading the league’s commissioner to say it is weighing the future of the events. That worries some fans and LGBTQ+ supporters, who say it’s a sign that a political climate that has led to restrictions on expression, health care and transgender sports participation both in the U.S. and internationally is now threatening events that are meant to be fun and affirming.“It’s definitely fair to say that this political landscape is helping to sort of normalize people for opting out of the optional ways that they have been asked to show s...

Another Northern Virginia delegate retires, clearing way for Marcus Simon in 13th

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:31 GMT

This article was written by WTOP’s news partner, InsideNoVa.com, and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today. Del. Kaye Kory, D-Fairfax, announced her retirement Monday from the Virginia House of Delegates.Del. Kaye Kory, D-Fairfax, speaks on the floor of the Virginia House of Delegates at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Monday, Feb. 22, 2010. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)Kory’s decision clears the way for fellow Democrat Marcus Simon to run for the 13th District seat this fall. The 2021 redistricting placed both Kory and Simon in the Falls Church-based district, and they would have had to run in a June primary for the Democratic nomination. Kory had represented the 38th District since first being elected in 2009.“Serving the people of Fairfax County, first on the School Board and then in the House of Delegates, has been the honor of my life,” she said in a statement. “My first priority was always to take incredible care of m...

New images from inside Fukushima reactor spark safety worry

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:31 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Images captured by a robotic probe inside one of the three melted reactors at the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant showed exposed steel bars in the main supporting structure and parts of its thick external concrete wall missing, triggering concerns about its earthquake resistance in case of another major disaster.The plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, has been sending robotic probes inside the Unit 1 primary containment chamber since last year. The new findings released Tuesday were from the latest probe conducted at the end of March. An underwater remotely operated vehicle ROV-A2 was sent inside the Unit 1 pedestal, a supporting structure right underneath the core. It came back with images seen for the first time since an earthquake and tsunami crippled the plant 12 years ago. The area inside of the pedestal is where traces of the melted fuel could most likely be found.An approximately five-minute video — part of 39-hour-long im...

Donald Trump ante la corte en Nueva York, en vivo: noticias, última hora y reacciones

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:31 GMT

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'Meth contaminated' condo in Denver could be yours for $252,000

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:31 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- A condominium recently listed on Zillow in Capitol Hill is turning some heads for its property overview.The condo is located at 985 N. Corona Street in Denver for $252,000. It has one bedroom and one bathroom with 567 square feet.Problems with the condoAccording to the listing, the condo has potential, as well as some issues."Due to methamphetamine contamination, it has been tagged by the City & County of Denver. There is an ORDER TO VACATE/ACCESS RESTRICTED/NO TRESSPASSING NOTICE placed on the front door by Denver Public Health & Environment," the listing said. Denver-area homes still selling faster than nearly any other US metro area What will need to be fixed before you can live in this condo? The listing said a licensed and certified industrial hygienist verified by the DDPHE will have to bring the property into compliance. The property will also need the following, according to the listing:The kitchen will need to be gutted and the appliances will nee...

Colorado has gained back all restaurant workers it lost during COVID

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:31 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado has finally recovered from one of the most spotlighted issues it faced in the roughly two-year stretch of COVID pandemic problems - its food service workforce. When COVID restrictions were first put in place in the spring and summer of 2020, restaurants that were unable to seat customers lost employees by the millions nationwide. As the country lifted restrictions, restaurants and bars were faced with the lingering side effect of inflation. Does Colorado have more natural disasters than other states? Former workers refused to come back without wage increases to balance the rising cost of living. This partially contributed to food inflation as both restaurants and grocery stores passed increased wage costs onto customers. It's taken close to three years, but Colorado now has as many food and accommodations workers employed as it had the month before the pandemic broke.There were 289,200 food and accommodations workers in Colorado in February 2020. In April...

Commissioners set to vote on permanent name for Miami-Dade arena

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:31 GMT

Miami-Dade County is set to vote on the permanent name for the Miami-Dade Arena after negotiating for weeks with Kaseya US LLC, a business that creates and markets software. The final negotiations will take place on Tuesday morning and if the deal goes through, the new name, Kaseya Arena, will go into effect immediately for the next 17 years.The Kaseya Arena will continue to host the Miami Heat games and other events, and the new naming rights deal is expected to bring in significant revenue for the county. The home of the Miami Heat was temporarily named the Miami-Dade Arena after its previous sponsor, FTX, filed for bankruptcy in November. The cryptocurrency company’s founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of conspiracy and wire fraud and conspiring to violate US campaign finance laws by making political donations through straw donors.

Von der Leyen to speak with Zelenskyy ahead of China visit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:31 GMT

BRUSSELS — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will speak to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of her visit to China later this week.Von der Leyen will hold a phone call with the Ukrainian president “in the context of her preparation for this trip [to China],” Commission spokesperson Eric Mamer confirmed at a media briefing Tuesday.In her meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, slated for Thursday, von der Leyen is expected to broach the topic of China’s role in Russia’s war on Ukraine.In a speech last week, she rejected China’s peace proposal for Ukraine — which recognizes seized Ukrainian territory as Russian — as “simply not a viable plan” and expressed concerns that the country may be siding with Russia in the ongoing conflict.Today, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said: “[China’s] position on Russia’s atrocities and war crimes will determine the quality of our relationship.’’ Borrell also announced Tuesday ...

Finland is now officially a NATO member

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:31 GMT

BRUSSELS — Finland formally joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Tuesday, becoming its 31st member on the same day as NATO’s 74th anniversary. The country applied to join NATO last May in a foreign policy U-turn prompted by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Finland’s entry brings to the alliance a new 1,340-kilometer border with Russia — as well as its own significant military capabilities. Finland and Sweden initially planned to join the alliance together. But Turkey and Hungary dragged out the ratification process for the two countries, ultimately signing off on Finland’s bid last week but leaving Sweden hanging in the wind. On Tuesday this week, Turkey and Finland completed the final steps in the process, handing over accession documents to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Standing alongside NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Blinken declare...