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When Lukashenko called Prigozhin, German spies were listening: reports

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:48 GMT

The German intelligence service listened in as Yevgeny Prigozhin negotiated with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin, to stop the Wagner Group’s march towards Moscow, according to German media reports. A joint investigation by German public-broadcasting outlets NDR and WDR claims the country’s intelligence service (BND) knew more about the Wagner discussions than was first reported, including the intermediary role played by Lukashenko, who negotiated the end to the attempted uprising.German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said BND had “not known in advance” about the uprising in a TV interview last week. The new reporting puts Scholz’s statement into question. According to the media reports, BND received intelligence about a possible uprising in Russia led by the Wagner chief a week before it occurred but they did not let the chancellor’s office know because they could not verify the information.

Man who killed 23 people in Texas Walmart shooting targeting Latinos sentenced to 90 life terms by federal judge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:48 GMT

El Paso, Texas (CNN) — Patrick Crusius, the mass shooter who killed 23 people at an El Paso Walmart in one of the deadliest attacks targeting Latinos in modern US history, was sentenced to 90 consecutive life terms by a federal judge on Friday.Prosecutors had recommended Crusius, 24, receive consecutive life sentences for each of the 90 federal charges, including hate crimes and firearms offenses, to which he pleaded guilty.Before the judge announced the sentence, Crusius’ defense attorney delivered an allocution – a defendant’s formal address to the court – on behalf of the shooter to the El Paso courtroom.A defense lawyer told the court Crucius took responsibility for the harm he had caused and that his rampage was due to severe mental illness.The prosecution vehemently rejected the assertion, with one US attorney calling Crucius a “vessel of insidious violence.”For Crusius, the punishment meted out Friday is just the beginning. He faces a potential death penalty in a separat...

Authorities ramp up shark patrols along New York’s Long Island after 5 people were bitten in 2 days

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:48 GMT

(CNN) — Shark patrols are ramping up off Long Island beaches after five people were bitten in two days by marine animals that are likely sharks, authorities say.Officials in Long Island’s eastern Suffolk County, where three of the attacks occurred, have increased beach patrols and are using drones to scour the water for potential threats, the Suffolk County Police Department said Tuesday.The spree of bites has left New York beachgoers on high alert and recalls a similar spate of non-fatal shark attacks last summer that triggered several beach closures.A 15-year-old girl was bitten while swimming at Robert Moses Beach on Tuesday, according to George Gorman, the Long Island Regional Director for New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.Though no sharks were seen by the girl or anyone nearby at the time of the incident, the bite was most likely from a shark, Gorman said.Also Tuesday, a 15-year-old boy was bitten on his foot by a...

No charges will be filed in altercation involving Britney Spears, Victor Wembanyama, Las Vegas police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:48 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — No charges will be filed following a brief investigation of the altercation involving pop star Britney Spears, San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama and a member of the player’s security team, Las Vegas police said Friday.Spears said she was struck by a security guard as she tried to approach Wembanyama near a restaurant in a Las Vegas casino complex on Wednesday night. Wembanyama said a person — he later was told it was Spears — grabbed him from behind.Spears filed a police report, alleging battery. The Las Vegas Metro Police Department said its investigation is over and “no charges will be filed against the person involved.”Wembanyama is scheduled to make his NBA Summer League debut for the Spurs in Las Vegas on Friday night. The 7-foot-3 French teen was the No. 1 pick in last month’s NBA draft and is entering the league with as much acclaim as anyone since LeBron James in 2003.The altercation happened Wednesday night; Spears s...

Surveillance footage shows Britney Spears hit herself in the face while trying to get Victor Wembanyama’s attention

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:48 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Surveillance footage shows Britney Spears hit herself in the face while trying to get Victor Wembanyama’s attention.

Texas gunman in Walmart shooting gets 90 consecutive life sentences and may still face death penalty

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:48 GMT

By MORGAN LEE and PAUL J. WEBER (Associated Press)EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A white gunman who killed 23 people in a racist attack on Hispanic shoppers at a Walmart in a Texas border city was sentenced Friday to 90 consecutive life sentences but could still face more punishment, including the death penalty.Patrick Crusius, 24, pleaded guilty earlier this year to nearly 50 federal hate crime charges in the 2019 mass shooting in El Paso, making it one of the U.S. government’s largest hate crime cases. Crusius, wearing a jumpsuit and shackles, did not speak during the hearing and showed no reaction as the verdict was read. U.S. District Judge David Guaderrama recommended that Crusius serve his sentence at a maximum security prison in Colorado.Crusius still faces a separate trial in a Texas court that could end with him getting the death penalty for carrying out one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.“We’ll be seeing you again, coward,” a family me...

IOC cites support from 120 non-aligned nations to let Russians try to compete at Paris Olympics

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:48 GMT

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The International Olympic Committee cited support from 120 nations on Friday for its moves toward letting some Russian and Belarusian athletes qualify for the Paris Olympics.The declaration by the Azerbaijan-chaired Non-Aligned Movement of nations said it “would be a strong symbol of unity of humanity” if all 206 national Olympic teams compete in Paris next year.“Thank you to the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, for taking the initiative for this important resolution,” IOC president Thomas Bach said in a statement.The IOC urged Olympic sports bodies in March to evaluate Russians and Belarusians for neutral status to compete — if they have not actively supported the war on Ukraine, nor have been contracted to military or state security agencies since February 2022.The Non-Aligned Movement document was published after a two-day meeting in Baku. Members include most countries in Africa and the Middle East, India and...

Aid group in Haiti suspends treatment after some 20 armed men storm hospital

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:48 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Doctors Without Borders announced Friday that it has suspended treatment at one of its hospitals in Haiti after some 20 armed men burst into an operating room and snatched a patient.The incident occurred late Thursday at the Tabarre hospital in the capital of Port-au-Prince shortly after the patient was admitted with gunshot wounds.The organization said two men faked a life-threatening emergency to gain access to the hospital, and that the armed group stormed in when the gate was opened.“The medical staff, who fight daily to save lives, are shocked by this violence and the contempt shown by these armed groups toward them,” the aid group said in a statement.The announcement comes amid a surge in killings and shootings across Port-au-Prince and beyond as gangs become more powerful and fight for control over territory since the July 7, 2021 killing of President Jovenel Moïse.The growing insecurity has forced Doctors Without Borders to take similar action in...

Baltimore police arrest 17-year-old suspect in block party shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:48 GMT

BALTIMORE (AP) — Authorities have arrested and charged a teen who detectives believe was involved in a mass shooting at a Baltimore block party over the holiday weekend that left two people dead and 28 others wounded, officials announced Friday.Members of the homicide and SWAT teams arrested the 17-year-old boy around 7 a.m. Friday after a search warrant was executed at a home, police said in a news release. He was taken to the Central Booking Intake Facility, where he was charged with possession of a firearm by a minor and possession of an assault weapon, as well as reckless endangerment and having a handgun in a vehicle, police said. Police referred to the teen in the release as a person of interest. He is charged as an adult, but police aren’t identifying him since he is a minor, according to department spokesperson Detective Freddie Talbert.Detectives are still actively investigating the shooting in the Brooklyn Homes area in the southern part of the city, Talbert said. A ...

Stefanos Tsitsipas ends Andy Murray’s Wimbledon by beating him in 5 sets over 2 days

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:48 GMT

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Stefanos Tsitsipas eliminated two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray 7-6 (3), 6-7 (2), 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4 on Friday in a second-round match that lasted more than 4 1/2 hours spread over two days at Centre Court.Murray was loudly supported by most of the 15,000 or so spectators, who all surely were aware that his 2013 title at the All England Club was the first there for a British man in 77 years. Murray also won Wimbledon in 2016, along with the 2012 U.S. Open and two Olympic gold medals.He is now 36, with an artificial hip after two operations on that joint. Murray could not hold onto the two-sets-to-one lead he built against Tsitsipas before play was suspended Thursday night because it was getting too late to play.On the point before action was halted, Murray slipped and fell at the baseline, but he did not appear to struggle with any sort of injury when they resumed nearly 18 hours later. After so much rain earlier in the week, the pale blue sky was unen...