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UAE releases Lebanese detainees after death in custody raised allegations of mistreatment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:49:17 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — A group of Lebanese citizens detained in the United Arab Emirates have been released, Lebanon’s foreign ministry said Saturday.Lebanon’s ambassador to the UAE notified the ministry of the release of 10 Lebanese detainees who had been arrested there about two months ago, the ministry said in a statement.The release comes after the death earlier this month of a Lebanese man who was detained in the UAE on unknown charges. A committee of family members of Lebanese citizens detained in the UAE alleged in a statement that Ghazi Ezzedine, 55, had died under torture, and rights groups raised concerns about the Emirati government’s lack of transparency regarding Ezzedine’s case and the linked detentions.Emirati authorities have not commented on the case or on the release of the other detainees.Afif Shouman, head of a group of Lebanese families with relatives detained in the Gulf country, said seven Lebanese citizens remain detained in the UAE, none of whom have been convicted o...

Impeachment vote nears for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in state’s Republican-held House

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:49:17 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas’ GOP-led House of Representatives was set to hold historic impeachment proceedings against Attorney General Ken Paxton on Saturday as the scandal-plagued Republican called on supporters to protest a vote that could lead to his ouster. The House scheduled an afternoon start for debate on whether to impeach and suspend Paxton from office over allegations of bribery, unfitness for office and abuse of public trust — just some of the accusations that have trailed Texas’ top lawyer for most of his three terms. The hearing sets up what could be a remarkably sudden downfall for one of the GOP’s most prominent legal combatants, who in 2020 asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn President Joe Biden’s electoral defeat of Donald Trump. Only two officials in Texas’ nearly 200-year history have been impeached. Paxton, 60, has called the impeachment proceedings “political theater” based on “hearsay and gossip, parroting long-disproven claims,” and an attemp...

Mexican authorities make arrest in mid-May killing of Quebec man in seaside town

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:49:17 GMT

Mexican authorities say they’ve made an arrest in the killing of a Quebec man earlier this month in the Pacific coast beach town of Puerto Escondido.The Oaxaca state attorney general says in a statement issued Friday that an arrest warrant was executed for a man in Puerto Escondido identified only by his initials in connection with the homicide of Victor Masson.Prosecutors said Masson was found dead in his car on May 15 in a neighbourhood where few tourists stay. A few days after the discovery, a senior prosecutor for the region said Masson’s killing stemmed from an altercation with people he had met the previous night over an unpaid bar tab at a local restaurant.Masson, 27, hails from the province’s Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region north of Quebec City.Mexican authorities said Masson was a tourist who had arrived in the port town the day before the killing with his Mexican girlfriend.This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2023.The Canadian Press

Florida man at center of fatal human smuggling case pleads not guilty in Minnesota

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:49:17 GMT

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Florida man charged with human smuggling after four migrants were found dead last year near the Canadian border has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges. Court records show that Steve Shand, of Deltona, Florida, entered the plea Friday in a hearing for his arraignment held via video conference. Federal authorities arrested Shand in January 2022 after authorities found the bodies of the four, who had frozen to death during a blizzard, near Emerson, Manitoba, which borders Minnesota and North Dakota. According to a federal criminal complaint, the dead were a family of four, including an infant and a teenager, and were identified by surviving immigrants as being Indian nationals.Five other Indian nationals were also found on foot in Minnesota and two more were found in Shand’s van, officials said.Shand is charged with bringing two people into the country illegally and illegally transporting them once in the U.S. His trial has been set for July 17, but that...

Taylor Swift fans have full-circle moment with singer over 8 years later

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:49:17 GMT

WEST HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) – A Connecticut woman and her son got the surprise of a lifetime from Taylor Swift last Saturday, when the singer singled out the boy to give him a special gift — for the second time in a decade.Stephanie and Leyton Barnett were in the crowd at Swift's concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts, when Swift hand-picked Leyton to come toward the stage. She then gave him her hat during a performance of her song “22," just as she has done for other attendees of concerts on her current Eras tour.“It was very exciting, it was amazing," Leyton said. NJ gov. renames 'official state sandwich' after Taylor Swift But Leyton's mother, speaking with Nexstar's WTNH, said this was not the first time Swift has reached out to them personally.Back in 2014, Stephanie Barnett shared a social-media post about her previous struggles with infertility issues, and how one of Swift's songs helped her to cope. Swift reached out in response, and later showed up at their West Haven home wit...

Woman dead after cement bags fall from overturned truck on California interstate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:49:17 GMT

SAN DIEGO (KSWB) – A woman is dead after bags of cement fell from a truck that overturned on an interstate offramp in San Diego on Friday afternoon, according to California Highway Patrol.The incident occurred around 1 p.m. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) said a Chevrolet pick-up truck with a one-ton stake bed was traveling from the southbound side of the freeway at about 60 miles per hour, toward the offramp. As the truck continued onto the ramp, CHP said the driver felt his load — which included bags of cement and other construction materials — shift in the bed of the truck. The driver then lost control of the truck, causing it to overturn. Students poured cement in toilets as ‘senior prank,’ NC school officials said The cement bags spilled onto the roadway, and several fell from the ramp onto the Route 52 lanes below the offramp. One, or possibly two bags of concrete fell directly from the road onto the windshield of a black Mercedes traveling on Route 52, CHP said.A woman...

4 Ohio prison employees placed on leave after inmates escape in dumpster

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:49:17 GMT

LIMA, Ohio (WKBN) – Four employees of an Ohio prison have been placed on administrative leave following the announcement that two inmates escaped from the facility earlier this week.Bradley Gillespie and James Lee escaped from the Allen/Oakwood Correctional Institution in Lima, Ohio, on Monday "after concealing themselves in a dumpster," officials said. They were noticed missing the following day during a prisoner count, according to a news release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.Law enforcement officials, pursuing the two after they were spotted driving a stolen car, apprehend Lee on Tuesday after the car crashed. Gillespie, however, got away and remains at large.A major and three corrections officers have been placed on paid administrative leave as a result of the incident, officials said. Additional employees may be placed on administrative leave as the investigation continues. An investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol is also ongoing. Former ‘Family Feud’ contestant...

Authorities ask for help in finding missing Bemidji woman, 32

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:49:17 GMT

Investigators are asking for the public’s help in finding a 32-year-old Bemidji woman whose family hasn’t heard from her since February.Chessna Lalgie, also known as Samara McLean. (Courtesy of Beltrami Sheriff)The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office and the Bemidji Police Department are asking for information about the location of Chessna Lalgie, age 32, also known as Samara McLean.Lalgie is 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs 105 pounds, authorities say. She has brown hair and hazel eyes.If you have seen her or know where she is, authorities ask that you call 911 or call the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Center at 218-333-9111 (option 2).Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | Body recovered near where missing teen fell into St Croix River Crime & Public Safety | Burnsville man sentenced in Eagan teen’s fentanyl death Crime & Public Safety | What’s in MN’s $72B budget: Legal ...

Big D and The Kids Table coming to Empire Underground

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:49:17 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Empire Underground in Albany has announced they will be hosting the group Big D and the Kids Table. The performance is scheduled for July 24. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The ska-punk band hailing from Boston formed in 1995. The group has released 11 studio albums and are known for their energetic live shows, with a vast cast of players led by founder and lead vocalist David McWane. Empire Underground is the sister venue to Empire Live. The two-floor venue is located at 93 North Pearl Street, Albany, NY. Great Escape water park opens Memorial Day weekend Tickets can be purchased online. The box office hours for the venue are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The extraordinary events of the Watseka Wonder

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:49:17 GMT

WATSEKA, Ill -- The information below comes from news stories and a book that were written about the event. But just because something is written down doesn't mean it's true. This story should still be looked at with skepticism.The Watseka Wonder is a story that gained attention during the late 1800s and early 1900s in the town of Watseka, Illinois. It revolves around a young girl named Mary Lurancy Vennum, whose life became the focus of widespread fascination.At the age of 13, Vennum started exhibiting peculiar behavior when she fell ill in July 1887. She claimed to hear ghostly voices calling out to her at night, but there was never anyone else in the room. She also experienced stomach pain and entered trance-like states where she believed she saw ghosts around her.Her parents were concerned about Vennum's condition, family members and others suggested sending her to an asylum for proper care. However, her family decided to pursue spiritual means instead and enlisted the help of D...