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Albania’s Constitutional Court blocks Parliament’s ratification of deal with Italy on migrants

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:33:24 GMT

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday blocked, at least temporarily, the ratification by lawmakers of a contentious deal that Tirana signed with Rome to process asylum applications of some migrants arriving in Italy by sea in Albania instead. The court’s chief judge, Olta Zacaj, said the court would hold a public hearing on Jan. 18 to determine whether the agreement violates Albania’s constitution. The decision means the Parliament will not vote on whether to ratify the deal, a session that had been planned for Thursday. It was not immediately clear when — presumably after the January debate — the lawmakers could vote. The court’s decision followed a petition from the opposition, which has argued that the agreement runs counter to Albania’s constitution and international law. Under the five-year deal announced in November, Albania was to shelter up to 36,000 migrants for a year, or about 3,000 a month, trying to reach Italy withou...

Judge questions whether legal cases cited by Michael Cohen’s lawyer actually exist

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:33:24 GMT

A lawyer for Michael Cohen, the fixer-turned-foe of former President Donald Trump, appears to have cited court rulings that do not exist in a legal filing seeking to have Cohen’s post-prison supervision end early, according to a federal judge in New York who is threatening penalties.U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman issued an order Tuesday telling attorney David M. Schwartz to provide by Dec. 19 copies of three rulings Schwartz cited in the motion he filed last month. If the copies cannot be produced, the judge said Schwartz should explain in writing why he should not be sanctioned.“As far as the Court can tell, none of these cases exist,” Furman wrote. He added that if copies of the rulings aren’t submitted, he wanted “a thorough explanation of how the motion came to cite cases that do not exist and what role, if any, Mr. Cohen played in drafting or reviewing the motion before it was filed.”Schwartz did not immediately respond to phone and email messages Wednesday.A new ...

Self-defence or deliberate killing: Final arguments in trial of Saskatchewan Mountie

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:33:24 GMT

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. — Crown prosecutors say a Saskatchewan Mountie deliberately lured his lover to an isolated area to kill him, but the officer’s lawyer argues the shooting was in self-defence.Bernie Herman, who is 55, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of 26-year-old Braden Herman.The two men are not related.Braden Herman’s naked body was found in 2021 in a park on the outskirts of Prince Albert.Prosecutor Jennifer Schmidt says in the trial’s closing arguments that Bernie Herman’s testimony about not being able to remember what happened cannot be believed. Defence lawyer Darren Kraushaar told court the men’s relationship was violent and toxic and the shooting was not planned or deliberate. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2023.The Canadian Press

Armenia and Azerbaijan exchange POWs in line with agreement announced last week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:33:24 GMT

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Armenia and Azerbaijan on Wednesday exchanged prisoners of war, in line with an agreement announced last week that also promised the two countries would work towards a peace treaty and was hailed by the European Union as a major step toward peace in the tumultuous region.Azerbaijan brought back two servicemen, while 32 soldiers returned to Armenia, officials in both countries reported.Azerbaijan waged a lightning military campaign in September in the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The offensive ended three decades of rule there by ethnic Armenians and resulted in the vast majority of the 120,000 residents fleeing the region, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.In their joint statement last week, the two countries said they “share the view that there is a historical chance to achieve a long-awaited peace.” They said they intend “to normalize relations and to reach the peace treaty on the basis of respect for the principles of sove...

Body of missing Carpentersville teen pulled from retention pond in Vernon Hills

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:33:24 GMT

VERNON HILLS, Ill. — The body of missing Carpentersville teen Brissa Romero has been recovered from a retention pond in Vernon Hills.The body was located Tuesday morning near the area where emergency crews resumed their search for the missing teen. The Lake County Coroner's Office officially identified her on Wednesday afternoon and said her cause of death was consistent with drowning.Romero, 17, was on her way to a work holiday party last week when police said she lost control of her Nissan Rogue at an intersection and drove into a pond.She had been missing for one week.“The car was accidentally driven into the pond after the driver failed to navigate the intersection. Video from a nearby fast food restaurant taken shortly before the phone's last communication with area cell towers suggests Brissa was driving at the time.” Vernon Hills police said in a release.Authorities said a review of Romero’s cellphone data brought investigators to the retention pond Monday and while on the s...

Santa’s home is on Zillow, and you can take an AI-powered tour

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:33:24 GMT

BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. Details.Don’t worry, it’s off the marketEver wondered where Santa lives when he isn’t circumnavigating the globe delivering presents to all the world’s boys and girls? Well, thanks to Zillow, you can take an AI-powered tour of Santa’s home and explore every nook and cranny via photos, a detailed floor plan and fun, family-friendly interactive activities.  Santa’s home has been featured on Zillow since 2016 — but don’t worry; it’s not for sale. Still, during the holiday season, you can explore the listing to see where Santa lives by viewing the photos and floor plan.Best gifts for people who are always coldExplore Santa’s North Pole home on ZillowThis year, Santa has added fun features like a virtual treasure hunt. You can search for mistletoe, fruitcake and 15 other holiday items hidden around his North Pole cabin. The Clauses have also made so...

Oprah Winfrey's portrait on display at Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:33:24 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Oprah Winfrey’s portrait is now on display at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. The full-length portrait was painted by Chicago-based artist Shawn Michael Warren.Winfrey is pictured wearing a floor-length purple gown holding an olive branch on her Montecito, California estate.Winfrey attended the invitation-only unveiling ceremony in the museum’s Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard on Wednesday morning.The National Portrait Gallery says the portrait was commissioned for the museum’s permanent collection and will be open to the public on the museum’s first floor starting Wednesday, Dec. 13.

It's cheaper to get a divorce in Illinois than many areas of the country

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:33:24 GMT

(KTLA) - There’s no doubt most people go into matrimony, holy or otherwise, with every intention of it lasting through “richer and poorer,” “sickness and health” and “’til death do we part.”  It’s also true there are an unlimited number of reasons, none of which there is time to discuss here, which can drive a wedge between married partners and result in divorce.  For those in California who are considering divorce, it might come as yet another blow to learn the Golden State ranks as the most expensive place in the United States to dissolve a marriage at an average cost of $10,159, according to a recent analysis. Illinois was a good bit cheaper, expensive states, coming in at No. 39. The state's median divorce cost clocked in at $6,697.52.!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;rIn order to find the m...

Repairs coming soon to infamous Jarrell pothole known as 'Lake Sonterra'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:33:24 GMT

Editor’s note: The above video shows KXAN’s morning headlines for Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023.JARRELL, Texas (KXAN) — An infamous pothole in Jarrell could be repaired in the near future, according to Williamson County.On Tuesday, Williamson County Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles said as part of the road bond election voters passed in November, the pothole off Sonterra Boulevard would be fixed."We're in the process of getting our Requests For Quotes out to the engineers to make sure that we can design it properly,” Boles said. RELATED: Texas pothole so big and long-lasting, neighbors named it The pothole, previously named “Lake Sonterra” by residents, has caused quite a stir."It is quite the feature in the road and so I'm glad that the voters approved the bonds, and it's going to allow the county to go in and address what's a dangerous situation,” Boles said.According to the county's page on the road projects, the estimated cost of the overall Sonterra Blvd. project ...

Peter Pan Mini-Golf's lease extended through late 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:33:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — After an initial lease expiration at the end of March 2024, Peter Pan Mini-Golf announced Wednesday its lease had been extended through Sept. 30, 2024.The latest news came after months of uncertainty surrounding the future of the 75-year-old Austin business. ‘Happiest memory of all’: Austinites rally behind Peter Pan Mini-Golf amid land uncertainty The property underneath the mini-golf course and the now knocked-down McDonald’s at South Lamar and Barton Springs Road are presently owned by a trust left behind by John C. Wende. Wende's trust was designed to benefit orphans in Texas, a spokesperson for the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TTJD) previously told KXAN.For the past seven decades, the trust was managed by the TTJD board and before that the Texas Youth Commission (TYC) board, according to the TTJD. However, because of a mandate by the Sunset Advisory Commission, the trust now has to be transferred to a third-party trustee, the TTJD told KXAN in August. ...