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A top Brazilian criminal leader is isolated in prison after he negotiated his own arrest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:39 GMT

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — One of Brazil’s top criminal leaders was locked up in a 6-square-meter (65-square-foot) isolation cell at a maximum security prison to avoid being killed by rivals, authorities said Tuesday.Luiz Antônio da Silva Braga, the boss of the largest militia group in the state of Rio de Janeiro, surrendered to federal police on Sunday. The criminal leader better known as Zinho was sent to the Bangu 1 prison, where drug traffickers and militia men are also held, Rio state’s public security secretary Victor Santos said. “Today, Zinho’s custody is a responsibility of the state,” he told TV channel GloboNews. “He is now in an isolated cell for us to secure his physical integrity.”Militias emerged in the 1990s when they originally were made up mainly of former police officers, firefighters and soldiers who wanted to combat lawlessness in their neighborhoods. They charged residents for protection and other services, but more recently moved into drug trafficking t...

Floods in a central province in Congo kill at least 17 people, a local official says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:39 GMT

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Flooding triggered by heavy rains in central Congo killed at least 17 people, including 10 from the same family, a local official said Tuesday.The hourslong rainfall in the district of Kananga in Kasai Central province destroyed many houses and structures, the province’s governor, John Kabeya, said as rescue efforts intensified in search of survivors.“The collapse of a wall caused 10 deaths, all members of the same family in Bikuku,” said Kabeya.The Hand in Hand for Integral Development nongovernmental organization gave a higher death toll, saying 19 died from the floods. There was also significant material damage, according to Nathalie Kambala, the group’s country director.Flooding caused by heavy rainfall is frequent in parts of Congo, especially in remote areas. In May, more than 400 people died in floods and landslides brought on by torrential overnight rains in eastern Congo’s South Kivu province.Among the structures damaged in the latest floo...

Colombia’s ELN rebels say they will only stop kidnappings for ransom if government funds cease-fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:39 GMT

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The head of Colombia’s largest remaining rebel group said on Monday it would only abide by a recent agreement to suspend the kidnappings of civilians for ransom if the government keeps its promise to finance projects that could provide the rebels with alternate sources of income. In a column published on Christmas Day, National Liberation Army commander Antonio García argued that Colombian officials and journalists had misinformed the public on Dec. 17, when they announced that the rebels had agreed to stop kidnappings, if a cease-fire with the government is extended next year.Colombians have grown angry at kidnappings by the guerrillas, known by their Spanish initials as the ELN. García said that while such an agreement was reached during a recent round of peace talks in Mexico City, the government had also agreed in the talks to create a committee that would find ways to finance the peace talks and the current ceasefire and determine what kind of activities...

UN appoints a former Dutch deputy premier and Mideast expert as its Gaza humanitarian coordinator

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:39 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Sigrid Kaag, the Netherlands’ former deputy prime minister and a Mideast expert, was appointed the U.N. coordinator for humanitarian aid to war-torn Gaza, the United Nations chief announced om Tuesday.The announcement by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres follows the Security Council’s adoption of a resolution on Friday requesting him to expeditiously appoint a senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, where more than 2 million civilians are in desperate need of food, water and medicine, Guterres said Kaag, who speaks fluent Arabic and five other languages, “brings a wealth of experience in political, humanitarian and development affairs as well as in diplomacy” to her new post. She is expected to start on Jan. 8.“She will facilitate, coordinate, monitor, and verify humanitarian relief consignments to Gaza,” he said, adding that Kaag will also establish a U.N. mechanism to accelerate aid deliveries “through states which are not par...

Officer fatally shoots man who shot another person following crash in suburban Detroit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:39 GMT

GARDEN CITY, Mich. (AP) — A man who reportedly fired a gun at people and vehicles following a traffic crash Tuesday morning has been fatally shot by a police officer in suburban Detroit.State police said the man exited his vehicle about 9 a.m. at an intersection in Garden City after colliding with another vehicle.He shot a person who approached to offer help and then fired shots at several other vehicles, police said.He was confronted and shot by a Garden City officer. The man’s name was not immediately released. Police said he was 37 and lived in Hamtramck, an enclave of Detroit. Garden City is west of Detroit.The person shot by the man and the driver of the other vehicle involved in the crash were listed in stable condition at a hospital.The Associated Press

Court reverses former Nebraska US Rep. Jeff Fortenberry’s conviction of lying to federal authorities

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:39 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An appellate court on Tuesday reversed a 2022 federal conviction against former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska, ruling that he should not have been tried in Los Angeles. Fortenberry was convicted in March 2022 on charges that he lied to federal authorities about an illegal $30,000 contribution to his campaign from a foreign billionaire at a 2016 Los Angeles fundraiser. He resigned his seat days later following pressure from congressional leaders and Nebraska’s GOP governor.In its Tuesday ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit wrote that the trial venue of Los Angeles was improper because Fortenberry made the false statements during interviews with federal agents at his home in Lincoln, Nebraska, and in his lawyer’s office in Washington.“Fortenberry’s convictions are reversed so that he may be retried, if at all, in a proper venue,” the decision said.Patricia Hartman, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, de...

Uber driver charged after alleged sexual assault of passenger in Whitby: police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:39 GMT

Durham Regional Police officers say they have charged a Whitby man with sexual assault after an incident involving a female passenger who was acquiring his services as an Uber driver.According to a statement from police, officers responded to a sexual assault call in the area of Taunton Road and Garden Street on Sunday. The statement said the female victim reported being sexually assaulted by a male driving for Uber as she was being taken back to her home.Anees Ashraf, 32, from Whitby, was charged with two counts of sexual assault. He was released on a promise to appear in court.Investigators said they believe the accused might be offering ride-share services under different apps. The statement said officers are in contact with the companies, but wanted to warn the public to ensure there are no further victims.

U.S. strikes Iran-backed militia in Iraq

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) - On the day after Christmas, tensions are increasing between the US. and Iran.The president ordered the United States military to strike back against Iranian-supported militants in Iraq.The airstrikes were retaliation for a Christmas day drone attack on a U.S. air base in northern Iraq.Three U.S. service members were hurt, one critically.National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement: "The President directed strikes against three locations…focused specifically on unmanned aerial drone activities."U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the U.S. will not hesitate to, "take necessary action to defend the United States, our troops, and our interests."Iraqi officials say the U.S. attacks killed one militant and injured 18 others.This comes at a time when the U.S. is trying to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spreading beyond Gaza.On Tuesday in Iraq, anti-U.S.  protestors took to the streets in Baghdad and carried what they sa...

Harvard under growing pressure over plagiarism allegations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:39 GMT

(The Hill) – Pressure is growing on Harvard University amid calls for President Claudine Gay to resign after allegations of plagiarism, the latest controversy to engulf the prestigious institution in recent months.  Gay has had to issue numerous corrections to previous papers in the past few weeks after plagiarism allegations were raised for work by her that spanned decades.  The controversy is drawing fresh scrutiny over Gay and putting even more pressure on Harvard, which has been under a tense spotlight since October.  In an op-ed published by The Washington Post over the weekend, deputy editorial page editor Ruth Marcus called on the university president to step down.“She plagiarized her acknowledgments. I take no joy in saying this, but Harvard President Claudine Gay ought to resign. Her track record is unbefitting the president of the country’s premier university," Marcus wrote. "Remaining on the job would send a bad signal to students about ...

Teen brothers get into fight over Christmas presents, sister shot and killed, sheriff says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:39 GMT

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Two teenage brothers are facing charges after a family fight turned deadly on Christmas Eve in Largo, Florida, authorities said. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said the 14-year-old and 15-year-old got into an argument while Christmas shopping with the family on Sunday. According to the sheriff, the 15-year-old was jealous over the number of gifts their mother was buying his brother.After leaving the store, the brothers, their mother, their 23-year-old sister, and her 10-month-old and 6-year-old sons headed to their grandmother's home so she could watch the children while the sister went to work, the sheriff said.While at the grandmother's home, the 14-year-old allegedly pulled out his gun and told his brother he was going to shoot him in the head, authorities said. According to investigating authorities, the 15-year-old initially refused to engage in the fight and the boys' uncle separated them. The 14-year-old reportedly left the home and went ...