Party of Guatemala’s president-elect appeals its suspension, calling it illegal

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:07:34 GMT

Party of Guatemala’s president-elect appeals its suspension, calling it illegal GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — The party of Guatemala’s president-elect Bernardo Arévalo appealed Tuesday to the country’s top electoral authority to lift a suspension by a lower election agency, saying it was an illegal move aimed at thwarting the anti-corruption campaigner.The petition by Arévalo’s Seed Movement comes after a night of political chaos in the Central American nation following one of its most tumultuous elections in recent history. Hours before the country’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal certified late Monday that Arévalo won this month’s presidential election, another government body — the electoral registry — suspended his party from all political activities.Arévalo and his party, posing a threat to those keen on hold onto power, had already faced a slew of legal challenges, allegations of irregularities, and assassination plots, according to international observers.Arévalo appears certain to take office as president in January, after beating former first lady Sandra Torres in...

Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin is buried in private, ending his tumultuous journey

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:07:34 GMT

Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin is buried in private, ending his tumultuous journey A portrait of the owner of private military company Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin is set at an informal street memorial for Wagner Group's military group members killed in a plane crash on Wednesday, near the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023. Prigozhin was aboard a plane that crashed north of Moscow killing all 10 people on board. On Sunday, Russia's Investigative Committee said forensic and genetic testing identified all 10 bodies recovered from the crash, and the identities "conform with the manifest." (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)(AP/Alexander Zemlianichenko) A portrait of the owner of private military company Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin is set at an informal street memorial for Wagner Group's military group members killed in a plane c...

Men who rushed Coors Field arrested for trespassing, disturbing peace

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:07:34 GMT

Men who rushed Coors Field arrested for trespassing, disturbing peace DENVER (KDVR) — The two men who rushed the field during the Colorado Rockies game against the Atlanta Braves were arrested for trespassing and disturbing the peace, according to the Denver Police Department.Jefferson Gonzales-Merida, 23, and Carlos Rivelo-Paiz, 21, were identified as the two men who ran onto Coors Field and accosted Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr.During the seventh inning of Monday night's game, Gonzales-Merida and Rivelo-Paiz got onto the field without permission and approached Acuña. According to The Associated Press, one of them was able to get his arms around Acuña, but DPD did not identify which suspect touched the outfielder. Fans rush Coors Field in Denver, accost Braves’ Acuna Jr. Shortly after entering the field, Coors Field staff grabbed the two suspects and escorted them away where Denver Police officers took them into custody. Field guards hold back a fan as he exchanges words with Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr., right, as second b...

Man arrested after passenger fatally falls from moving vehicle in North Lauderdale

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:07:34 GMT

Man arrested after passenger fatally falls from moving vehicle in North Lauderdale A Lauderhill man has been taken into custody following an incident where a passenger in his vehicle died after falling off the trunk.The incident occurred around 3:52 a.m. on Friday, August 11, when deputies from the Broward Sheriff’s Office responded to an emergency call reporting an injured person in the 1500 block of Southwest 81st Avenue in North Lauderdale. Upon arrival, authorities discovered an adult male lying in the roadway. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries.According to investigators, the driver, 18-year-old Kaiden Flunk, was operating a 2004 Volvo S60 and traveling westbound on West McNab Road. Flunk stopped at a traffic signal, according to police, intending to make a left turn onto Southwest 81st Avenue. At that point, one of Flunk’s passengers told him they wanted to ride outside the vehicle on the trunk. While the Volvo continued southbound on Southwest 81st Avenue, the passenger fell off the trunk, landing on t...

Commission snubs Charles Michel’s 2030 EU enlargement target

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:07:34 GMT

Commission snubs Charles Michel’s 2030 EU enlargement target BRUSSELS — The European Commission on Tuesday shot down Charles Michel’s 2030 target for EU enlargement.The top two institutions in Brussels clashed again as the EU executive pushed back against the European Council president’s remarks Monday that the bloc should be ready to accept new members in 2030.“We are not focused on a date, but focused on working very closely with candidate countries to get ready for joining the European Union,” the Commission’s deputy spokesperson Dana Spinant said at a daily press briefing Tuesday.She added that Michel had not consulted Commission President Ursula von der Leyen about the content of his enlargement speech Monday at a conference in Bled, Slovenia.The latest public disagreement between von der Leyen and Michel — dubbed “Europe’s odd couple” for their difficult relationship — comes as the topic of EU enlargement is gaining momentum in Brussels. Also Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron suggested a “multi-speed”...

Indict 2, Get None Free: Two Taunton women indicted for counterfeit coupon ring, stealing $27,000 worth of goods

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:07:34 GMT

Indict 2, Get None Free: Two Taunton women indicted for counterfeit coupon ring, stealing $27,000 worth of goods A grand jury has handed down indictments for two women who authorities say ran a counterfeit coupon ring that netted $27,000 worth of stolen goods.The Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office announced on Tuesday that Jacqueline White, 41, and Crystal Travis, 40, were indicted on multiple larceny-related charges following a months-long investigation by police in Hingham, Abington and the Coupon Information Center (CIC), a non-profit that focuses on fighting coupon fraud.“The indictments allege that from March 10, 2023 through June 2, 2023, White and Travis entered numerous Stop and Shop grocery stores in Massachusetts, and used counterfeit coupons to steal approximately $26,547 of products,” the DA’s office stated in a news release. “The indictments further allege that White and Travis operated a complex scheme using social media sites and apps like Facebook and Dropbox to purchase counterfeit coupons.”Authorities said the two women would allege...

The 2023 VMAs: From nominees to performers, here’s what to know

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:07:34 GMT

The 2023 VMAs: From nominees to performers, here’s what to know Alexandra Del Rosario | (TNS) Los Angeles TimesThe 2023 MTV Video Music Awards are just around the corner. In the words of this year’s top nominee, VMAs veteran Taylor Swift, “Are you ready for it?”On Sept. 12, silver statues of MTV moon people will be ripe for the picking by a handful of today’s top musicians. The annual ceremony will return to New Jersey for the second year in a row for what’s sure to be a night of bold performances, moving acceptance speeches and vital viral moments.“Celebrating one of our biggest nights in music with the Garden State’s incredible fans has been our goal since last year’s highly successful event,” Bruce Gillmer, president of music talent at Paramount, said in a statement.In the weeks leading up to this year’s awards show, MTV has unveiled honorees and artists who are set to take the stage. Here’s everything we know so far.Where is the show and how can I watch?The MTV Video Music Awa...

Hurricane Idalia chases Florida residents from the Gulf Coast as forecasters warn of storm surge

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:07:34 GMT

Hurricane Idalia chases Florida residents from the Gulf Coast as forecasters warn of storm surge By DANIEL KOZIN (Associated Press)CEDAR KEY, Fla. (AP) — Idalia strengthened into a hurricane Tuesday and barreled toward Florida’s Gulf Coast as authorities warned residents of vulnerable areas to pack up and leave to escape the twin threats of high winds and devastating flooding.Idalia was churning in the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 1 storm, but it was projected to come ashore early Wednesday as a Category 3 system with sustained winds of up to 120 mph (193 kph) in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula. The result could be a big blow to a state still dealing with lingering damage from last year’s Hurricane Ian.The National Weather Service in Tallahassee called Idalia “an unprecedented event” since no major hurricanes on record have ever passed through the bay abutting the Big Bend region.On the island of Cedar Key, Commissioner Sue Colson joined other city officials in packing up documents and el...

University of North Carolina graduate student charged in killing of faculty advisor denied bond

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:07:34 GMT

University of North Carolina graduate student charged in killing of faculty advisor denied bond By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM, GARY D. ROBERTSON and SARAH RANKIN (Associated Press)CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Authorities charged a University of North Carolina graduate student Tuesday with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of his faculty advisor, in an attack that caused a campus lockdown while police searched for the gunman.During a brief hearing, Orange County Superior Court Judge Sherri Murrell ordered 34-year-old Tailei Qi to remain jailed without bond as an interpreter explained to Qi in Mandarin what was happening in the courtroom. She scheduled his next court date for Sept. 18.Dana Graves, a public defender who represented Qi during the hearing, left the courtroom without talking to reporters.Qi is charged with first-degree murder and having a 9mm handgun on educational property in the the Monday killing of Zijie Yan inside of a science building on UNC’s flagship campus in Chapel Hill. The attack led to a roughly three-hour lockdown of the campus, a week after students return...

Life in a rural ‘ambulance desert’ means sometimes help isn’t on the way

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:07:34 GMT

Life in a rural ‘ambulance desert’ means sometimes help isn’t on the way Taylor Sisk | (TNS) KFF Health NewsCARROLLTON, Ala. — Annie Jackson can’t know whether her sister Grena Prude might have survived had an ambulance been more readily available when she went into cardiac arrest on May 10. But Jackson is convinced her sister would have at least had a chance.Prude, 55, died at the steps of Carrollton City Hall, less than a half-mile from her county’s only ambulance station. When someone called 911 to get her help, two ambulances were on duty: One was transporting a patient to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 45 minutes away, and the other a patient to Columbus, Mississippi, a 30-minute drive.“It was a horrible situation,” said Vicky McCrory, supervisor of the nonprofit Pickens County Ambulance Service, but not an isolated one. There have been multiple similar tragedies.That single ambulance station in Carrollton serves all of Pickens County, dispatching one and sometimes two ambulances to serve just under 20,000 residents spread across 900 square miles. The farthes...