ATHENS, Greece — This was an animal airlift. Dozens of dogs and cats arrived in Athens on Wednesday with their owners aboard a special evacuation flight for Greeks with pets who were trapped by the current war in the Middle East.
Emotional scenes unfolded at Athens airport as small dogs leaped for joy after being let out of their special travel carry cases. The government-organized Aegean flight from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates carried 45 pets and 101 people.
“Our pets are not luggage, they are part of our families,” said the Greek Interior Ministry’s Special Secretary for the Protection of Companion Animals Nikos Chrysakis. He said the interior and foreign ministries had worked together for days “so we can have this good result, for the animals and people to return home safely.”
The Israeli and U.S. attack on Iran has wreaked havoc on airline travel across the Middle East. Countries have been forced to repeatedly shut their airspace and cancel thousands of flights in major airline hubs such as Dubai and Qatar as missiles flew overhead. Hundreds of thousands of travelers found themselves stranded.
For Danai Koukoulomati, finding a flight that would also take her cat Muay Thai was non-negotiable.
“To me, my pet, my cat is my family. There is no chance I’m going to leave him behind,” she said. But she couldn’t find any flight accepting animals in the cabin or in the cargo hold. “It is very, very difficult to fly out of the country with your pets.”
As for dealing with the war, Muay Thai was far more stoic than she was herself. When explosions sounded, “he would hide in the bathroom and that would be all. He was a calm cat,” Koukoulomati said. “I was not as calm as my cat. I need to take some lessons from him.”
Alexandra Papayanis, who has been living in Dubai for five years, arrived with her dog Sirtaki – named after a Greek dance – and a second dog she brought out for a friend. She too said she had struggled to find an evacuation flight that would take animals.
“It’s so important. I mean, our pets are part of our family,” she said. “And in these very difficult circumstance, the challenges we are facing is how to bring our dogs and our cats back.” Returning to Greece with Sirtaki “was absolutely fantastic,” she said.
For another passenger, Maria Theochari, leaving Dubai without her dog Matisse was unthinkable. “Like my kids, I have Matisse,” she said. “This is important for me. I don’t separate my animal or my kids, it’s the same for me.”
A 31-year-old Arkansas man, known for formerly being a personality on a popular reality television show, has been arrested and charged in Bay County, Florida, in connection with allegations that he sexually abused a minor during a family vacation in 2020 in Panama City Beach, according to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.Investigators were contacted on March 18 by a detective with the Tontitown Police Department about a report of past sexual abuse, the sheriff’s office said. A 14-year-old girl later took part in a forensic interview and disclosed several incidents involving Joseph Garrett Duggar that she said happened when she was 9 years old.Joseph Duggar is known to many audiences as a member of the Duggar family, which rose to national prominence through the TLC reality television franchise “19 Kids and Counting.”Authorities said the alleged incidents occurred in 2020 while the family was staying at a residence on Danny Drive in Panama City Beach. According to investigators, the girl said Duggar repeatedly asked her to sit on his lap. She also told investigators that he later asked her to sit beside him on a couch under a blanket, where he manipulated her underwear, grazed her genitals and rubbed her thighs.The girl told investigators Duggar later apologized and that the conduct stopped afterward, authorities said.Investigators said the girl’s father confronted Duggar on March 17. During that confrontation, Duggar admitted his actions to the father and later to Tontitown detectives, according to the sheriff’s office.Duggar was arrested out of state and charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim younger than 12 and lewd and lascivious conduct by a person 18 or older, authorities said.He is awaiting extradition to Bay County.
A 31-year-old Arkansas man, known for formerly being a personality on a popular reality television show, has been arrested and charged in Bay County, Florida, in connection with allegations that he sexually abused a minor during a family vacation in 2020 in Panama City Beach, according to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators were contacted on March 18 by a detective with the Tontitown Police Department about a report of past sexual abuse, the sheriff’s office said. A 14-year-old girl later took part in a forensic interview and disclosed several incidents involving Joseph Garrett Duggar that she said happened when she was 9 years old.
Joseph Duggar is known to many audiences as a member of the Duggar family, which rose to national prominence through the TLC reality television franchise “19 Kids and Counting.”
Authorities said the alleged incidents occurred in 2020 while the family was staying at a residence on Danny Drive in Panama City Beach. According to investigators, the girl said Duggar repeatedly asked her to sit on his lap. She also told investigators that he later asked her to sit beside him on a couch under a blanket, where he manipulated her underwear, grazed her genitals and rubbed her thighs.
The girl told investigators Duggar later apologized and that the conduct stopped afterward, authorities said.
Investigators said the girl’s father confronted Duggar on March 17. During that confrontation, Duggar admitted his actions to the father and later to Tontitown detectives, according to the sheriff’s office.
Duggar was arrested out of state and charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim younger than 12 and lewd and lascivious conduct by a person 18 or older, authorities said.
Former 19 Kids and Counting star Joseph Duggar is facing serious charges tied to an alleged incident involving a minor.
The 31-year-old has been charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a child under 12 and lewd and lascivious conduct by a person 18 or older, according to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities say the alleged incident dates back to 2020 and involved a young girl who was on vacation with her family in Panama City Beach, Fla.
Details of the Case
According to investigators, the case centers on allegations that Joseph had inappropriate contact with the child during that trip.
The victim, who was 9 years old at the time, recently participated in a forensic interview that led to the charges, officials said.
Authorities also say the victim’s father later confronted Joseph about the allegations, and that he allegedly admitted to the behavior to both the father and investigators.
Joseph was taken into custody on March 18 in Washington County, Ark., and is currently awaiting extradition to Florida.
A Case Years in the Making
Officials say the investigation stems from a report of past abuse, with the case moving forward following the recent interview.
Joseph rose to fame alongside his family on TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting, which followed the lives of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their large family.
His arrest comes years after separate legal issues involving his brother, Josh Duggar, which also brought national attention to the family.
Support Resources
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual abuse, help is available. You can call or text 988 in the U.S. or visit 988lifeline.org for confidential support.
Country Music’s Most Horrific Crimes
These 11 country stars were locked up for committing awful crimes. Some turned their life around while others (like No. 10) never seemed to have learned their lesson.
One of the most popular sporting events of the year has arrived, with the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket unfolding over the next three weeks. All four No. 1 seeds made the Final Four last year, but there have never been more than two No. 1 seeds in the Final Four in back-to-back years. At least one top-four seed has lost in the first round in 15 of the last 17 tournaments, so March Madness Cinderella picks have become a staple of the March Madness bracket. Which double-digit seeds should you target with your 2026 NCAA Tournament picks?
A double-digit seed has advanced to the Sweet 16 in each of the past 17 tournaments, and there are intriguing double-digit seeds in the 2026 March Madness bracket. March Madness bracket pools lock on Thursday morning, so there is not much time left to lock in your March Madness upset picks. Before making any 2026 March Madness bracket predictions, be sure to check out the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket picks from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
Their proven projection model has simulated every game in the tournament 10,000 times. It has absolutely crushed its March Madness picks recently, beating over 91 percent of all CBS Sports brackets in four of the past seven tournaments. It was all over UConn’s championship run two years ago and nailed 12 teams in the Sweet 16 last year. It also correctly predicted all four Final Four teams in 2025.
It knows how to spot an upset as well. The same model has produced brackets that have nailed 25 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds since its inception in 2016.
Three 2026 March Madness Cinderella teams to watch out for
One potential 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket buster is the Akron Zips. Akron is in the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in school history, but it is seeking its first-ever win in the Big Dance. The Zips won a school-record 29 games this season, surpassing their total of 28 from last season. They are riding a 10-game winning streak and have won 19 of their last 20 games, setting another school record with 88.4 points per game. Texas Tech enters this first-round matchup without star JT Toppin, so Akron has a clear path to make some noise this weekend.
One of the hottest teams in the nation that nobody knows about is the High Point Panthers. The 12th-seeded Panthers enter the NCAA Tournament 2026 on a 14-game winning streak after winning the Big South Conference regular season and tournament championships. The Panthers can score in bunches and will be a thorn in the side of any big-time program. The Panthers also lead the nation in point differential at plus-19.7. High Point was a No. 13 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket and took Purdue to the wire before losing 75-63 in the first round.
Another Cinderella team to watch for is the 13-seed California Baptist Lancers. CBU is making its NCAA Tournament debut after a strong finish to the year, winning 15 of its last 17 and taking the WAC Tournament. It has one of the nation’s best scorers in Dominique Daniels Jr. (23.2 ppg), who led the WAC in points and is averaging 32 ppg over his last three games. Cal Baptist will see No. 4 Kansas in the first round, and the game will take place in San Diego — just 100 miles from CBU’s campus. Additionally, there have been seven 13-seeds to upset 4-seeds over the last seven NCAA Tournaments. Check out more of the model’s 2026 Cinderella picks and full 2026 NCAA bracket picks here.
An Iowa woman was arrested in connection with the death of a real estate agent whose killing nearly 15 years ago sent shock waves through the state and haunted realtors, authorities said Wednesday.
Kristin Ramsey was indicted by a grand jury on a charge of first-degree murder in the April 8, 2011, killing of Ashley Okland, West Des Moines Assistant Police Chief Jody Hayes told reporters.
“Ashley’s story has kept many of us awake at night revisiting details over and over in our minds, searching for that missing piece that would tie everything together and lead us down the right path to identifying a person hat was responsible for this act,” Hayes said.
Dallas County, Iowa, jail records show Ramsey, 53, was booked Tuesday and is being held in lieu of $2 million cash bail.
It was not immediately clear if she has a lawyer to speak on her behalf. A message left on a phone number listed under a relative’s name was not immediately returned.
No other arrests are expected, Hayes said. He declined to provide additional investigative details, including a possible motive or what evidence led to Ramsey’s arrest, citing the the judicial process.
Okland’s killing shocked Iowa, Hayes said, and “haunted a very frightened community of professional realtors who have forever changed how they conduct open houses.”
Okland, 27, was killed while working at an open house in a West Des Moines townhouse development, officials have previously said.
Okland was found by an employee of the development company after she was shot inside a model home, according to a summary of the case published by Iowa Cold Cases, a nonprofit organization that compiles information on unsolved killings.
The employee dialed 911 and Okland was later pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to the summary.
In a statement during the news conference, Okland’s younger sister said her family had lost“hope in finding answers and having any justice for Ashley. It was really difficult to accept that the case had gone cold.”
She thanked law enforcement and described their work on the case “as a true gift from God that we feel fortunate to be touched by.”
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team is playing Sam Houston State in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). The Lobos finished their season 23-10 and 13-7 in the Mountain West conference. Their Mountain West Tournament run came to an end with a 64-62 loss to San Jose […]
Akron, Ohio’s Radian are ready to drop their highly anticipated third album, Subterfuge, this Friday, March 20, via El Burno Records in collaboration with Third House Communications.
Frontman Corey Staley describes the record as “a pill to be swallowed by those coping with frustrations of loss, self-doubt, grief, and anxiety… all the while, this album is packaged with a fictional concept to escape real-world commentary, exploring timeless motifs such as tyranny, collapse, despair, and survival to create immersive imagery in the lyrical content. This approach lent more weight to the psychological space created on the album.”
Subterfuge is set in a reimagined, modern-day Egypt – a world that never fell to Roman conquest. The album follows a man determined to protect his home, people, and culture from a cabal of overlords bent on erasure. While steeped in alternate history, Staley notes the story resonates with contemporary themes of exploitation, manufactured collapse, and rebellion against systems designed to consume rather than sustain.
Musically, the album finds Radian blending groove-laden sludge with oppressive atmospheres, delivering a narrative arc that mirrors both the protagonist’s struggle and the band’s own journey.
The album was recorded and engineered by Mike Burns, with bass tracked by Brian “BeZo” Zorich. Sanford Parker (Voivod, Darkthrone, YOB) mixed the record at Hypercube, while mastering was handled by Collin Jordan (Ministry, Eyehategod, Spirit Adrift) at Boiler Room Mastering. Artwork and layout were crafted by Radian and Derek Vaive, respectively.
It was a performance from Hansi Flick’s side that demonstrated the attacking prowess that makes them a real candidate to win their first UEFA Champions League in a decade. An 8-3 aggregate win saw them safely through to a quarterfinal against either Atlético Madrid or Tottenham Hotspur, but more importantly, it was a party that everyone was invited to.
Yamal converted a penalty and helped set up two more goals, Raphinha scored two and made two, there was a goal and an assist for Fermín and a much needed brace for Lewandowski after three games without a goal. Teenage midfielder Marc Bernal was also on target for the fifth time in his past nine appearances.
All this on a night when Barça played their first Champions League knockout tie at Spotify Camp Nou with fans since 2019. A combination of the pandemic and relocating to the Olympic Stadium for two years meant it had been seven years since they had played a game of this stature in front of their own support at their own stadium. The atmosphere at the revamped arena, which won’t be finished until 2028, was electric at times. It felt significant as Barça laid down their credentials to win this tournament for the first time since 2015.
“We have had big nights, but with the two tiers fully open and the crowd back up to 60,000, this was the first,” Raphinha said after the game. “With the fans supporting us like that, it’s going to be tough for anyone to beat us at home.”
Potential future opponents in the competition will once again take some hope from the defending. Newcastle actually played their part in this tie, both in last week’s 1-1 draw at St. James’ Park and in the first half here. They twice came from behind, capitalizing on poor play from Barça, including a badly executed Yamal back-heel on the edge of his own box, to level in a thrilling opening 45 minutes.
Anthony Elanga scored both goals, having only netted once since joining the Magpies last summer, as Barça’s weakness at the back was exposed. They have now conceded two or more goals in four of their past seven knockout games at home in the Champions League — four against Paris Saint-Germain twice, three against Inter Milan and now two against Eddie Howe’s side.
However, after working their way back into the game, Newcastle were behind again by the break when Yamal scored from the spot. They were then ruthlessly taken apart in the second half by one of Europe’s best attacking teams.
The tie was over by the hour mark. Newcastle did not defend well at times but it’s hard to blame them when they have Yamal and Raphinha running at them with the ball and Fermín running in behind. It was Fermín, collecting a fine pass from Raphinha, who made it 4-2 early in the second period. He now has 10 goals contributions in the Champions League this season (six goals and four assists).
Sandro Tonali, a fitness doubt before the game, was then substituted off with an injury for Newcastle and it felt like the gig was up. Even still, they probably didn’t expect to end up being so comprehensively hammered.
First, Lewandowski headed in a Raphinha corner; then he finished cooly after superb work from Yamal. The Poland striker is now the oldest player ever to score twice in a Champions League match, overtaking Filippo Inzaghi.
At 37, Lewandowski is, it’s fair to say, the old man of this team. Three teenagers started — Pau Cubarsí, Bernal and Yamal — in a team that had an average age of 25 years and 18 days. Flick — who has spent less than €90 million on transfer fees for new players in his two years in charge — has built a side for the present and the future. Even Raphinha, at 29, is a veteran compared to the rest, and it was the Brazil international who completed the rout, scoring the seventh after a moment to forget for Jacob Ramsey, who passed straight to him.
That is now 30 goals in 10 Champions League games for Barça this season. Only PSG (34 in 12) and Club Brugge (32 in 14) have more, but both have played more matches as well.
Atlético or Spurs await. A potential semifinal against Arsenal may follow with PSG, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich all on the other side of the draw. There are goals in this side to go all the way. The only doubts are at the back. With Jules Koundé and Alejandro Balde both out injured, Barça also lost Eric García and goalkeeper Joan García to knocks against Newcastle, with Wojciech Szczesny introduced late on.
Luckily, Barça have a plan to counter those problems at the back: they will simply try and outscore you.
