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Belarus sentences independent newspaper editor to 4 years in prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:51 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarusian authorities on Friday convicted the chief editor of a prominent independent regional newspaper of “discrediting the Republic of Belarus” and sentenced him to four years in prison, as the country continues its crackdown on dissent.A court in Molodechno, a city in central Belarus, also ordered Aliaksandr Mantsevich, chief editor of the popular Regionalnaya Gazeta newspaper, to pay a fine of 94,000 Belarusian rubles (about $30,000), the Belarusian Association of Journalists reported.The authorities accused Mantsevich and his newspaper of using content that had been declared extremist — a label loosely applied in recent years to any materials critical of the Belarusian government.Belarus was rocked by mass protests after a disputed presidential election in which authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner, giving him a sixth term in office. The protests lasted for months, the largest and most prolonged show of dissent since Luk...

Emotional outburst on live TV from Gaza over death of reporter encapsulates collective grief

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:51 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — The on-air outburst of grief by TV correspondent Salman al-Bashir seemed to channel the mood of all Gaza. From the crowded halls of Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza Strip late Thursday, al-Bashir was reporting on the waves of wounded and dead Palestinians arriving from Israel’s heavy bombardment on the southern strip. One of the victims, loaded into the hospital morgue with 10 of his family members, was his own colleague, veteran Palestine TV correspondent Mohammed Abu Hatab, 49. A mere hour earlier, Abu Hatab had delivered a live report on the Israel-Hamas war’s casualties from that very location for Palestine TV, a network owned by the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, Hamas’ political rival.Searching for words to describe what Abu Hatab’s loss meant to him and to the network, al-Bashir cracked with emotion. He broke down, his voice holding sorrow and weariness in gruff, pleading phrases.“We cant take it anymore, we a...

Third suspect surrenders over Massachusetts shooting blamed for newborn baby’s death

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:51 GMT

HOLYOKE, Mass. (AP) — A third suspect has surrendered to police in connection with an investigation into a shooting in Holyoke last month where a pregnant woman on a bus was hit by a stray bullet and delivered a baby that later died. Kermith Alvarez, 28, of Holyoke, turned himself in to authorities on Friday, according to the Hampden District Attorney’s office. Alvarez was on the run since the Oct. 4 shooting and had been placed on the Massachusetts State Police’s 10 most wanted list.He is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday in Holyoke District Court on a murder charge. He has yet to be assigned an attorney who could speak on his behalf, according to the court clerk’s office.Five people have been named by prosecutors following the shooting. “All involved suspects are believed to have been identified and are now in custody,” Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni’s office said in a written statement.Johnluis Sanchez, 30, and Alejandro Ramos, 22, both of Holyok...

South Carolina city pays $500,000 to man whose false arrest sparked 2021 protests

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:51 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina city is paying a $500,000 settlement to a man whose treatment by a police officer during what turned out to be a false arrest led to days of protests.An attorney for Travis Price said the city of Rock Hill defamed Price by suggesting he was the aggressor in a June 2021 confrontation while he checked on his brother, who was being arrested after a traffic stop. A statement from police said Price bumped an officer and was “yelling belligerently.” But a video posted to Facebook showed an officer grabbing Price by the chest and pushing him into a nearby propane tank. The officer pinned Price down and yelled at him to fight.“Mr. Price is a father of three and a family man whose reputation was unduly impacted following the incident by statements put out by the city of Rock Hill. He was innocent and this settlement will allow him to move forward and continue to work hard to provide for his family,” Price’s attorney Justin Bamberg said...

Jamaican security forces shot more than 100 people this year. A body camera was used only once

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:51 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A government agency in Jamaica found that security forces were not wearing body cameras when they fatally shot or injured more than 100 people in the Caribbean island in the first half of the year.Only one body camera was worn during the 106 incidents — including 64 killings — reported from January to June involving Jamaica’s police and military, according to a report released Thursday by the Independent Commission of Investigations. Security forces have killed a total of 119 people as of Oct. 31, although it wasn’t clear if any body cameras were worn in the cases reported from July to October.The report on shootings comes after Jamaica’s government announced in April that it had distributed 400 body cameras to the Constabulary Force.“The body-worn cameras will give the account of what transpired without embellishment, without partiality or without bias,” Hugh Faulkner, who leads the commission, told reporters.Security forces in Jamaica have ...

Man accused in London, Ont., attack has mental health issues: expert

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:51 GMT

A forensic psychiatrist is testifying that a man accused of killing four members of a Muslim family in London, Ont., was suffering from mental health issues at the time of the attack that might have impacted his ability to plan his actions.Defence witness Dr. Julian Gojer says his report has concluded that Nathaniel Veltman doesn’t qualify to be considered not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder, despite having mental health issues.Gojer says he diagnosed Veltman with severe depression, autism spectrum disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, among other conditions that may have impacted his ability to plan his actions and understand their consequences.Twenty-two-year-old Veltman is accused of deliberately hitting the Afzaal family with his truck on June 6, 2021, while they were out for a walk in London _ prosecutors have alleged his actions amount to an act of terrorism.He has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attemp...

First Quantum shares stage partial rebound after Panama’s congress backtracks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:51 GMT

VANCOUVER — Shares of Vancouver-based mining company First Quantum bounced back almost nine per cent in midday trading Friday after falling by nearly half this week.The rally comes after Panama’s National Assembly on Thursday scrapped a provision to revoke a controversial mining contract that had sparked nationwide protests over the past two weeks.An indefinite moratorium on new mining activities passed a second vote in the chamber, but not before the article nixing the government’s contract with First Quantum subsidiary Minera Panama was stripped.In response, shares of the Vancouver-based company had rebounded by $1.38 to $17.10 on the Toronto Stock Exchange by early afternoon — after plunging from an Oct. 27 close of $27.96.First Quantum says production at its Cobre Panama mine remains uninterrupted, though protests and road blockades have caused supply shortages and disruptions at the site.Laurentino Cortizo, Panama’s president, initially gave final approval on ...

Kendrick Lamar plans to bring major concerts to Africa through new Global Citizen initiative

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:51 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Rapper Kendrick Lamar will headline Move Afrika: A Global Citizen Experience, a new initiative to establish an international touring circuit on the continent of Africa launching with a concert in Kigali, Rwanda on Dec. 6.Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans said Lamar’s show at the BK Arena will be financed with a mix of philanthropic donations and corporate funding in hopes the Pulitzer Prize-winning, “Humble” rapper will show the opportunities for artists who appeal to Africa’s booming generation of young people.“Move Afrika is about social enterprise – and over time, it provides certainty to our vendors and partners, enabling them to scale and expand,” Evans told The Associated Press. “Our goal is that this tour will spur the growth and development of small businesses across the region to deliver both our events and many more year round, as other artists take advantage of the tour routes.”African artists — including Burna Boy, Rema, and Davido — have had rece...

Pan American Games give Chile’s Boric a break from political polarization

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:51 GMT

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chile’s President Gabriel Boric faces a deeply polarized country, rising crime and a divisive upcoming vote on a new constitution. But his life is like a dream while attending the Pan American Games in his country’s capital. Boric drew loud applause at the National Stadium on Oct. 20 when he opened the 41-nation games, which have given him with both a respite from politics and an easy way to generate positive publicity amid his deeply faltering popularity.He looked glad to be filmed as he punched the air during a Chile vs. Argentina women’s basketball match, signed autographs during the judo, sat casually in sunglasses at the beach volleyball and showed surprising interest for swimming as he stood up during the races.The 37-year-old Boric is expected to remain in fan mode until the closing ceremony Sunday, and has been busy using social media to highlight his attendance and his support of all Chileans, while glossing over glitches including reports of thefts a...

Ohio will vote on marijuana legalization. Advocates say there’s a lot at stake

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:51 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Voters in Ohio will decide next week whether to legalize recreational marijuana, but people on both sides of the issue say more hangs in the balance than simply decriminalizing the drug. Supporters of legalization say Ohio can reclaim tax revenue being lost to states such as Michigan, where marijuana is legal, and take power from illegal drug markets through government regulation. But opponents warn of increased workforce and traffic accidents by people under the influence, and argue much of the revenue will land in the pocket of the marijuana industry, not taxpayers. Issue 2 on the Nov. 7 ballot would allow adults 21 and over to buy and possess up to 2.5 ounces (71 grams) of cannabis and 15 grams (about a half-ounce) of extract, and to grow up to six plants per individual through a government program. A 10% tax would be imposed on any purchases, with those proceeds going toward administrative costs and addiction treatment in the state and to municipalities tha...