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German curator on a mission to return silver heirlooms stolen from Jewish families by the Nazis

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:11:55 GMT

MUNICH (AP) — Matthias Weniger put on a pair of white cloth gloves and carefully lifted a tarnished silver candleholder, looking for a yellowed sticker on the bottom of it.The candlestick is one of 111 silver objects at the Bavarian National Museum that the Nazis stole from Jewish families during the Third Reich in 1939. That’s when they ordered all German Jews to bring their personal silver objects to pawn shops across the Reich — one of many laws created to humiliate, punish and exclude Jews.What started with anti-Jewish discrimination and persecution in 1933, after the Nazis were voted to power in Germany, led to the murder of 6 million European Jews and others in the Holocaust before World War II ended with Germany’s surrender in 1945.Weniger, who is a curator at the Munich museum and oversees its restitution efforts, has made it his mission to return as many of the silver objects as possible to the descendants of the original owners.“These silver objects handed in a...

What to expect when Trump appears in federal court in Miami to face felony charges

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:11:55 GMT

Donald Trump makes his first appearance in a Miami federal court on Tuesday facing 37 counts related to the mishandling and retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.Here’s a look at the charges, the special counsel’s investigation and how Trump’s case differs from those of other politicians known to be in possession of classified documents:WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?Trump was to surrender to federal authorities ahead of a hearing scheduled for 3 p.m. in federal court in Miami. He was to appear alongside his valet Walt Nauta, who is also charged in the case.Unlike his arraignment in New York, there won’t be photographs from the courtroom because cameras aren’t allowed in federal court. There may, however, be sketch artists, and theirs would be the only images from the actual courtroom appearance.There’s also a prohibition on reporters bringing electronic devices into the courthouse, so there won’t be live updates by tweet or text. That rule is usually up to to each federal j...

US lawmakers ask Biden administration to punish South Africa for alleged support for Russia

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:11:55 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers wants the Biden administration to punish South Africa for its alleged support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by relocating an important trade meeting to another country, according to a letter published Tuesday in The New York Times.The lawmakers said South Africa’s “aid” for Russia, including allegedly supplying Moscow with weapons, called into question its eligibility to receive trade benefits from the U.S. under a law that improved U.S. market access to qualifying sub-Saharan African countries.The letter, dated June 9, was sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.South African foreign ministry spokesperson Clayson Monyela said in a statement that the letter had been “noted” but South Africa still “enjoys the support of the U.S. government” for its hosting of the African Growth and Opportunity Act meeting.South...

Trump to appear in court in classified documents case | Live updates

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:11:55 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Follow along for live updates on former President Donald Trump, who is set to make his first court appearance Tuesday after being indicted on 37 charges related to the mishandling classified documents. The indictment marks the first time in U.S. history that a former president faces criminal charges by the federal government he once oversaw. ___What to know:— What to expect when Trump appears in federal court to face charges— A timeline of events leading to Trump’s indictment in the classified documents case— Trump’s GOP defenders in Congress leap into action after months of preparation— A look at the charges, the special counsel’s investigation and what’s next— Trump faces a string of inquiries in various states and venues as he campaigns for a return to the White House___MEDIA OUTNUMBERS TRUMP SUPPORTERS OUTSIDE COURTHOUSESecurity was tight outside the Wilkie D. Ferguson federal courthouse Tuesday ahead of the former president’s court appearance. But Trump supporters ...

British court orders company to compensate some Beirut port blast victims

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:11:55 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — A British court has ordered a London-based company that delivered the ammonium nitrate that exploded in 2020 at Beirut’s port to pay compensation to some families of the hundreds of victims, Beirut’s Bar Association said Tuesday.The verdict in the High Court of Justice on Monday came four months after the court ruled that London-registered chemical trading firm Savaro Ltd. is liable to the victims for the devastating blast.Hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive material used in fertilizers that had been improperly stored in the port for years, exploded on Aug. 4, 2020 killing nearly 220 people, injuring over 6,000 others and causing damage in the city worth billions of dollars.Savaro Ltd. is suspected of having chartered the shipment of the ammonium nitrate in 2013 that ended up in Beirut. In Lebanon, documents show a handful of senior political, judicial and security officials were aware of the chemicals in the port for years, but did not take decisi...

Michael Andlauer reaches agreement to buy NHL’s Ottawa Senators

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:11:55 GMT

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — A group led by Canadian businessman Michael Andlauer has reached an agreement to buy the NHL’s Ottawa Senators.The team announced Tuesday that Andlauer and his group will purchase 90% of the club from the Melnyk family. The deal is reportedly worth nearly $1 billion, which is “give or take” what Commissioner Gary Bettman expected the team in Canada’s capital to sell for.“Michael represents everything we could have hoped to find coming into this process — a passionate owner who is committed to Ottawa,” Senators chairman and governor Sheldon Plener said in a statement announcing the sale. “We believe it is a momentous day for the National Capital Region.”Anna and Olivia Melnyk, daughters of late former owner Eugene Melnyk, will retain 10% interest. Melnyk died of an undisclosed illness in March 2022 at age 62.Andlauer, 57, is the founder and CEO of a health care group with transportation options for that sector and started a private equity company ba...

CP NewsAlert: RCMP investigating foreign meddling attempts against three MPs

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:11:55 GMT

OTTAWA — The RCMP says it is investigating allegations of foreign meddling against three parliamentarians, including Conservative MPs Michael Chong and Erin O’Toole and NDP MP Jenny Kwan.More coming.The Canadian Press

‘Obamacare’ will still cover prevention for HIV, other illnesses amid court battle

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:11:55 GMT

The government can keep enforcing “Obamacare” requirements that health insurance plans cover preventative care — such as HIV prevention, some types of cancer screenings and other illnesses — while a legal battle over the mandates plays out, under a court agreement approved Tuesday.The pact approved by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals preserves — at least for now — cost-free preventive care coverage for millions of Americans under the Affordable Care Act. That coverage was thrown into question by a March ruling from a federal judge in Texas, who said some of the preventive care requirements under former President Barack Obama’s 13-year-old health care law are unconstitutional. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor had nationwide effects. The Biden administration had argued last week at the appeals court that the ruling should be stayed while appeals are pursued. The agreement was filed with the court Monday. In it, the plaintiffs in the case, including a Christia...

Police investigating suspicious fires at Vaughan business after several trucks destroyed

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:11:55 GMT

Police are searching for a suspect following two suspicious fires at a business in Vaughan.York Regional Police say a truck was lit on fire outside a business in the area of Highway 50 and Rutherford Road around 4:30 a.m. on Friday.Officers were called to the same location for another fire two days later. Investigators say multiple trucks with fixed trailers were allegedly set on fire around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday.Police say nine vehicles were damaged and seven were completely destroyed.Investigators have determined a male suspect deliberately set fire to one of the trucks. No suspect description has been released.No injuries were reported in either incident.The Ontario Fire Marshal is also investigating. Anyone with information is being asked to contact police.

The Beatles are releasing their ‘final’ record. AI helped make it possible

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:11:55 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Artificial intelligence has been used to extract John Lennon’s voice from an old demo to create “the last Beatles record,” decades after the band broke up, Paul McCartney said Tuesday.McCartney, 80, told the BBC that the technology was used to separate the Beatles’ voices from background sounds during the making of director Peter Jackson’s 2021 documentary series, “The Beatles: Get Back.” The “new” song is set to be released later this year, he said.Jackson was “able to extricate John’s voice from a ropey little bit of cassette and a piano,” McCartney told BBC radio. “He could separate them with AI, he’d tell the machine ‘That’s a voice, this is a guitar, lose the guitar’.”“So when we came to make what will be the last Beatles record, it was a demo that John had that we worked on,” he added. “We were able to take John’s voice and get it pure through this AI so then we could mix the record as you would do. It gives you some sort of leeway.”...