By BRUCE SHIPKOWSKI, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — A woman on probation for stowing away on an international flight has been arrested again after sneaking onto a flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Milan, Italy, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the matter.

Svetlana Dali, convicted in 2024 for flying to Paris without a passport or ticket, was taken into custody Thursday at Milan’s Malpensa Airport, said the official, who was not authorized to disclose information publicly about the case and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

FBI spokesperson Emily Molinari said the agency’s Newark office was “aware of the alleged stowaway,” but didn’t immediately disclose additional information. The FBI is working with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates Newark Liberty International Airport, and the Transportation Security Administration “on this open investigation,” Molinari said.

United Airlines, which operated the flight, said it is “investigating this incident and working with the appropriate authorities.”

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Michael K. Schneider, Dali’s federal defender who was also handling her appeal of the prior charges, declined to comment Thursday. He also declined to comment on whether Dali had a mental health evaluation as the terms of her supervised release required.

“I can’t comment on what she’s done since her release. My office is handling the appeal, which is still pending,” Schneider said.

Dali had been convicted in May 2025 on a stowaway charge for slipping past security and airline gate agents at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York sneaking onto a flight from New York to Paris.

Surveillance video showed Dali, a Russian citizen with U.S. residency, slip in with a group of ticketed passengers to walk by Delta Air Lines staff unnoticed. In court, Dali said she walked onto the plane without being asked for a boarding pass. On the plane, prosecutors say she hid in a bathroom for several hours and wasn’t discovered until the plane was nearing Paris.

After being flown back to New York, she told an FBI agent she had to the leave the U.S. because she believed people who were poisoning her, according to court documents.

Before this latest incident, Dali was still on one year supervised release after being sentenced to time served last July. Among the standard conditions of probation listed is that she can’t knowingly leave the federal judicial district where she was authorized to reside without first getting permission from the court or the probation officer. She was also ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation and participate in treatment if deemed necessary.

Prosecutors have said Dali evaded security measures at two other airports before the JFK incident, and they believe she may have stowed away on another flight.

Two days before she sneaked on the Paris flight, she was able to get through TSA checkpoints at Bradley International Airport near Hartford, Connecticut, by hiding among other passengers. Authorities said she unsuccessfully tried to get on a plane and then left the airport.

In February 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents discovered Dali hiding in a bathroom at Miami International Airport, prosecutors said. Dali was escorted out of the airport after the agents couldn’t confirm her story that she had just arrived on an Air France flight, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said federal agents did not make any findings that Dali had illegally traveled as a stowaway to Miami, but her statements to law enforcement after her arrest in Paris appeared to indicate that she had flown into Miami illegally.

Associated Press writers Michael R. Sisak and Philip Marcelo in New York contributed to this report.

Imagine running 3.1 miles without ever touching the ground floor. St. Paul’s first-ever “Skyway 5K” on Saturday dares runners to traverse downtown St. Paul mostly from the second floor skyway system, moving between some of the city’s oldest commercial buildings without leaving them.

So far, at least 700 participants have signed up for the challenge, including St. Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker and Council Member Saura Jost.

“The tag line is ‘Run where no one has run before (Literally. They don’t let people do this.),’” said Noecker on Wednesday, addressing the council. “This is all being planned by folks who just love downtown and want to bring vibrancy to the skyways.”

Unlike a traditional 5K, the climate-controlled race — which will be chip-timed with staggered heats throughout the morning — features stairs, sharp turns and changes in flooring. It’s still compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as those who need to use an elevator will have access to one, and walkers and children in strollers are welcome.

As with any physical competition, there’s at least a modicum of danger along the course. How will runners share the road when there isn’t one? How many racers will suffer bruised knees on walls and skyway windows? If you abort the course or need a breather, where do you pull off?

“I’m very interested to see what it’s going to be like,” said Jost, a seasoned 10-mile and half-marathoner who plans to stick to her 7-year-old son’s running pace. “It’s going to be warmer running inside.”

It’s little secret that St. Paul’s downtown skyway system has taken its share of hits, even before the pandemic and remote work sent customers and then skyway vendors packing, and some long sections remain off-limits to the general public or have since closed entirely. The route map, for instance, avoids the shuttered Alliance Bank Center.

Still, downtown’s tilt toward residential living continues to draw skyway walkers, including a group of seniors who meet at U.S. Bank Center every Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. to explore the skyways together for camaraderie and exercise. A skyway run elevates the same concept to another level.

The Skyway 5K aims to “highlight the beauty and uniqueness of the St. Paul skyway system while giving runners an unforgettable experience to run through one of the things that makes Minnesota so ‘one of a kind,’” reads the marketing materials, which include offers of event t-shirts. Every runner will receive a branded winter beanie.

Sponsors and fundraising partners include Anderson Race Management, Summit Brewing Co., the District 17 CapitolRiver Council and the St. Paul Union Depot.

The event starts and ends at the Union Depot transit hub in Lowertown, with the first heat around 8 a.m. Admission is $39 to $52. More information is online at skyway5k.com.

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By MAE ANDERSON, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Delivery company FedEx said in a statement on Thursday that it will return any tariff refund it might get to shippers and customers who paid them.

The statement came after FedEx filed suit in the U.S. Court of International Trade to request a refund on what it paid for tariffs set by President Donald Trump under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled that the IEEPA tariffs are illegal.

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More than 1,000 companies have filed suit in the U.S. Court of International Trade in efforts to recoup costs from the illegal tariffs, including large U.S. corporations like Costco and Revlon.

“If refunds are issued to FedEx, we will issue refunds to the shippers and consumers who originally bore those charges,” FedEx said in a statement on Thursday. “When that will happen and the exact process for requesting and issuing refunds will depend in part on future guidance from the government and the court.”

The Supreme Court ruling did not address implementation of any system by which the companies and individuals who paid those tariffs could be refunded.

Setting up a system for refunds will likely be a lengthy process. On Tuesday, the libertarian-leaning Liberty Justice Center, which represented some of the original plaintiffs that were part of the Supreme Court decision, said it, along with co-counsel Neal Katyal, filed coordinated motions in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit as well as the U.S. Court of International trade, to help set in motion a process for refunds. A response from the government is due Friday.

“We are committed to transparency and will communicate clearly as additional direction becomes available from the U.S. government and the court,” FedEx’s statement said.

By NASSER KARIMI and MEHDI FATTAHI, Associated Press

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Every day, Iranians go to stores and find prices rising. Some post photos on social media of the shrinking contents of their shopping carts as they struggle to buy enough basic staples for their families. The mounting cost of living is an extra weight bearing down as Iranians prepare for a possible war with the U.S. and wrestle with the aftermath of protests that swept the country last month.

“Everybody is under pressure: merchants, civil servants, laborers,” said Ebrahim Momeni, a 52-year-old retired civil servant. “The weaker class of people is being crushed.”

Iran’s economy has struggled for years because of international sanctions and mismanagement.

It experienced some relief under a 2015 nuclear deal that lifted many sanctions, until U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018. Since coming back into office more than a year ago, Trump revived a “maximum pressure” campaign, expanding sanctions that target Iran’s financial sector and energy exports. On Wednesday, his administration imposed new sanctions on 30 people and companies accused of enabling Iran’s production of ballistic missiles and drones, and illicit oil sales.

The pressure has accelerated the devaluation of Iran’s currency, the rial. In 2015, when the nuclear deal was signed, the rial traded at about 32,000 to the dollar. In late December, it was at 1.3 million to the dollar. On Wednesday, it had reached a new low at 1.65 million rials to the dollar — worsened by fears of a U.S. attack.

Women walk past a mural at a girls school at Enqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution Street in downtown Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Lower classes desperate for relief as prices jump

Inflation has surpassed 46% compared with January of last year. Economists warn that the rial’s accelerating decline risks feeding a vicious cycle of higher prices and reduced purchasing power. They expect double-digit inflation to plague Iran’s economy — which also suffers from high unemployment among younger people — for years to come.

People walk on a sidewalk at Enqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution, square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

The plunging value of the rial was one trigger for protests that began in late December in Tehran’s main bazaar and then spiraled nationwide.

Prices for everyday items, from groceries to toiletries, are soaring.

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Momeni said he makes about 700 million rials (about $540) a month. Just in the past month, a kilo (2.2 pounds) of red meat increased from 13 million rials ($10) to 22 million rials ($17). In the same period, the price of a liter of milk (a quarter of a gallon) doubled from 520,000 rials to 1.1 million rials, and a box of pasta rose from 340,000 rials to 570,000 rials.

“Those with lower incomes and fixed salaries are suffering because of the price hikes,” said Farhad Panahirad, a 44-year-old taxi driver. Together, he and his wife make about 600 million rials (about $460) a month, he said.

Several people in the markets on Wednesday explained how they try to deal with rising financial pressures — they check social media every day to see news about the latest prices, or go shopping at night, when some produce is marked down to half price to get rid of inventory before it spoils.

Fearing the U.S. could launch strikes at any time, Iranians are also scrambling to purchase emergency supplies. That includes flashlights, small gas ovens, and tape for securing windows against explosions, said the owner of a tool shop in central Iran, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

Some try to purchase bulk amounts of beans, bread, rice and canned food despite the high prices. “I am not happy to buy this much stuff, but my wife said we had to be prepared for uncertainty in the coming days,” said Saeed Ebrahimi, 43, an electrical technician and father of two.

Even items such as washing machines, vacuum cleaners, and refrigerators have doubled in price, according to Iranian media.

Women walk past an Islamic-themed painting on a wall at Enqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution, street in downtown Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

War fears hang over the economy

Tehran-based economist Farbod Molavi wrote in the independent Dona-e-Eghtesad newspaper that prices are higher because of uncertainty in the market and the rising costs of raw materials. Iran is suffering from both a recession and high unemployment, he added.

Unemployment was officially around 7.8% in October, up from 7.2% for the same period in 2024, and runs as high as 20% among young people. About 24 million Iranians are between 15 and 34 years old, according to official statistics.

Vehicles drive past the Saint Sarkis church and a painting of the late Iranian revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini in downtown Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Acknowledging the suffering, the government in January began distributing payments of 10 million rials a month each to some 70 million people, about 75% of the population, to spend on food. It has promised to increase the payments if prices go higher.

But the strain appears likely to continue. Trump has threatened strikes on Iran if it doesn’t agree to a new accord curtailing its nuclear program. He has massed the largest buildup of warships and aircraft in the region in decades. The two sides have held two rounds of negotiations in recent weeks and a third in Geneva on Thursday.

Panahirad, the taxi driver, said he is pessimistic the negotiations will bring any relief for those struggling to buy food. “(Trump) is bullying them, to some extent. After all, he is a superpower and says what he wishes must be done,” he said,

“Wherever you go now people are talking about war. If you go to a bakery to buy bread you see people talking about war,” said Momeni. “This state of limbo is worse than war.”