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Italy reportedly refused Munich museum’s request to return ancient Roman statue bought by Hitler

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:40 GMT

MILAN (AP) — Italy’s culture minister is reportedly refusing a request by the German State Antiquities Collection in Munich to return an ancient Roman statue that embodied Hitler’s Aryan aesthetic, calling it a national treasure.The Discobolus Palombara is a 2nd Century Roman copy of a long-lost Greek bronze original. Hitler had bought the Roman copy from its private Italian owner in 1938 under pressure from Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and against the wishes of the education minister and cultural officials. The statue, unearthed at a Roman villa in 1781, was returned to Italy in 1948 as part of works illegally obtained by the Nazis.The dispute arose when the director of the National Roman Museum requested the statue’s 17th Century marble base be returned from the Antikensammlungen state antiquities collection. The German museum instead asked for the return of the Discobolus Palombara, saying it had been illegally transported to Italy in 1948, the Corriere della Sera news...

Ex-president barred from leaving Ukraine amid alleged plan to meet with Hungary’s Viktor Orban

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:40 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Former President Petro Poroshenko was denied permission to leave Ukraine for a planned meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Ukraine’s security service said Saturday.Poroshenko announced Friday that he had been turned away at the border despite previously receiving permission from Parliament to leave the country. Under martial law, Ukrainian men between 18 and 60 years of age are not allowed to leave the country without special approval.The 58-year-old, who lost his re-election bid in 2019 to current Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that he had planned to meet with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, and the Polish parliament during his trip. But security officials said that Poroshenko had also agreed to meet Orban, who has previously praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and refused to support Kyiv’s bid for EU accession. In a statement on social media, they said such talks would make Poroshenko a “tool in the hands of the Russian spe...

Breaches by Iran-affiliated hackers spanned multiple U.S. states, federal agencies say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:40 GMT

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A small western Pennsylvania water authority was just one of multiple organizations breached in the United States by Iran-affiliated hackers who targeted a specific industrial control device because it is Israeli-made, U.S. and Israeli authorities say. “The victims span multiple U.S. states,” the FBI, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, known as CISA, as well as Israel’s National Cyber Directorate said in an advisory emailed to The Associated Press late Friday.They did not say how many organizations were hacked or otherwise describe them. Matthew Mottes, the chairman of the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa, which discovered it had been hacked on Nov. 25, said Thursday that federal officials had told him the same group also breached four other utilities and an aquarium.Cybersecurity experts say that while there is no evidence of Iranian involvement in the Oct. 7 attack into Israel by Hamas that trigge...

Quebec teachers leaning on each other as negotiations to end strike grind on

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:40 GMT

The president of a striking Quebec teachers union says she hopes intense negotiation sessions with the government will continue all weekend as the two parties try to reach an agreement.The 66,000 members of the Fédération autonome de l’enseignement have been on an unlimited strike since Nov. 23, shutting around 800 schools across Quebec.Union president Mélanie Hubert provided a Friday evening update saying the labour group found aspects of the government’s latest offer “interesting,” but not enough to call off the strike.She says the union will submit a counter offer as soon as possible, but calls a potential return to class on Monday optimistic.Meanwhile, some teachers have had to lean on each other for financial support because the union does not supply strike pay.A Facebook page where striking teachers and their supports can swap financial aid, tips and other donations has amassed almost 5,000 members and hundreds of posts since it launched last week.

Study: High sugar levels could help pancreatic cancer treatments

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:40 GMT

CLEVELAND (WJW) - There's an urgent need for new ways to treat pancreatic cancer and Ohio researchers are on the cusp of a potential breakthrough.Early data shows a hyperglycemic state, elevated blood sugar, can make pancreatic cancer more responsive to chemotherapy, according to researchers at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio."Those with higher glucose levels, diabetics, uncontrolled sugar, actually live longer while getting chemotherapy," said Dr. Jordan Winter, Chief of Surgical Oncology at University Hospitals. "We're really excited about this research because it's an opportunity to improve survival of a very deadly disease without needing to develop a new therapeutic altogether." Why do we feel colder as we age? Study analysis showed patients in the high glucose group had a nearly 40% lower risk of dying, despite a higher level of a cancer antigen compared to people with normal glucose levels.Winter said pa...

Father of bride 'giving away' daughter at wedding: Love or hate?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:40 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" It's a phrase you've likely heard at a million weddings as the father of the bride presents his daughter at her wedding. But how do modern women really feel about it?A recent poll on wedding etiquette conducted by YouGov found that while the tradition is old and might be considered "old fashioned," a majority of women said they still "love it." YouGov explains that 1,000 U.S. adults participated in the survey. Can you get a refund for terrible in-flight Wi-Fi? The breakdown for women polled was:45% — Love the wedding tradition of the father of the bride giving her away25% — Like it17% — Neutral5% — Dislike it4% — Hate it4% — Not sureThe age of respondents is interesting, however, as only 10% of people ages 18-29 said they loved the idea of fathers giving away brides. The majority of this age group (41%) said they felt neutral overall about the tradition, while 7% said they dislike it and only 4% said they hate it.YouGov...

The new St. Paul school board — with 3 new members — will face challenges in 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:40 GMT

When three new members join the board in charge of St. Paul Public Schools in January, they’ll face significant challenges right away.The school district, which has 33,000 students and a $1 billion budget, will face not only a $150 million shortfall in the coming year as federal pandemic aid ends but also contract negotiations with the St. Paul Federation of Educators.There’s already a major gap between what the union is asking for and what the district is willing to spend on pay in the future. SPPS says it’s set aside a little more than $12 million for increases, while an early, incomplete estimate from the district found union asks could total at least $106 million. Teachers nearly went on strike in 2022 when the union and district positions were closer together.“They’re not coming into this placid scene where they have time to absorb, to evaluate, to bring their own good judgment to the table and to try to figure these things out,” said former St. Paul school board member J...

John Goodman leads effort to help support challenged St. Louis theater

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:40 GMT

WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. - One of the most accomplished actors in the St. Louis area hopes to help a local theater persevere amid financial challenges.John Goodman is leading a holiday benefit experience called "Rally For The Rep." It's a fundraiser to support the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in Webster Groves, which has served the community since 1966 but recently fallen on hard times. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Riverfront Times and others, "The Rep" announced in October that it was dealing with a $2.5 million budget shortfall. Essentially, the theater needs to cover these costs by the end of the year, or it could be at risk of closing doors. Lindenwood University drops 10 athletic programs, cuts several jobs According to the Riverfront Times, Goodman is expected to share "insights, anecdotes, and a special holiday treat" during his upcoming appearance. He told FOX 2 back in 2017 that he has been a longtime fan of "The Rep" and once auditioned for several roles at th...

7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes off the southern Philippines and tsunami warnings are issued

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:40 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 struck Saturday off the southern Philippine coast, prompting many villagers to flee their homes in panic around midnight after Philippine authorities issued a tsunami warning.The quake struck at 10:37 p.m. at a depth of 32 kilometers (20 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There were no immediate reports of major damage or casualties.The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially said that based on the magnitude and location, it expected tsunami waves to hit the southern Philippines and parts of Indonesia, Palau and Malaysia. But the center later dropped its tsunami warning.In Japan, authorities evacuation orders were issued in various parts of Okinawa Prefecture, including for the entire coastal area, affecting thousands of people.Teresito Bacolcol, the head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, told The Associated Press his agency advised residents along the c...

2 California cities among top 10 most expensive in the world, new data shows 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:53:40 GMT

The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Worldwide Cost of Living report for 2023 has been released, and three American cities are amongst the most expensive to live in on Earth. The report compares more than 400 prices across 200 products and services in 173 cities across the world and found that while supply chain disruptions and energy price hikes have eased, overall prices rose by an average of 7.4 percent. According to EIU, two cities are tied for the most expensive places to live: Singapore and Zurich, Switzerland.  7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes off southern Philippines; tsunami warnings issued This is the ninth time in 11 years that Singapore has been ranked as the most expensive city in the world to live in, EIU data showed. Three U.S. cities were included in this year’s list, including New York City, which tied with Singapore as the most expensive city in the world last year. In 2023, the Big Apple is tied for third place with another major Swiss city, Geneva. Los A...