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Firefighters monitoring smoky conditions following grass fire near Zoo Miami

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:22 GMT

On Monday morning, firefighters continued to monitor smoky conditions after a grass fire near Zoo Miami filled the sky with flames and smoke.Around 8:06 p.m. Sunday, the fire erupted in a grassy area off Southwest 119 Avenue and 168th Street, leaving locals in awe.Yarelis Pavon, a resident in the vicinity, described the scene “It was a lot of smoke and fire,” she said. “You saw red; you saw the firefighters coming with their big truck.”Pavon captured the intensity of the blaze on video as it grew dangerously close to homes, causing panic among residents. “Me and my family were super nervous. We were all outside, panicking because it just kept going for a very long time,” she recounted.Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to the emergency, deploying significant manpower to combat the flames that consumed approximately 5 acres. By nightfall, the situation was brought under control, with the blaze contained to about 85%. The efforts included aerial suppo...

New surveillance video shows police view of pursuit of stolen van on I-95

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:22 GMT

We are getting new video of what Florida Highway Patrol troopers saw as they tried to stop a runaway van on December 5th. The new video shows troopers colliding with the van various times, and creating multiple pit-maneuvers in an effort to stop the vehicle. According to Florida Highway Patrol, troopers attempted to stop the van on I-95 in the area of Northwest 69th Street but the driver did not stop. The vehicle ended up stopping on SR-112 in Miami Dade. That is when Jose Carlos Blanciquett jumped out of the stolen van and began running on foot, until he surrendered moments after. Florida Highway Patrol officials released the charges of his arrest; he now faces charges of grand theft, fleeing and eluding law enforcement, battery on a law enforcement officer, and sexual battery.Officials said no officer on scene of the pursuit was hurt. Blanciquett remains behind bars and was given a $50,000 bond in court.

German conservatives break with Merkel on migration

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:22 GMT

BERLIN — Germany’s center-right opposition took a step toward cementing a harder line on migration on Monday with the presentation of a new policy program calling for a sweeping overhaul of asylum rules.“We want to regain control of migration,” Mario Voigt, the head of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the German state of Thuringia and one of the party leaders responsible for composing the policy paper, said in Berlin on Monday. “We are a cosmopolitan and hospitable country. But hospitality doesn’t mean removing the front door. Instead, hospitality means deciding for ourselves who and how many come into our homes.”In a 71-page paper titled “Live in Freedom,” the party leaders proposed measures to limit the number of asylum seekers entering Germany and Europe. Most notably, the paper called for asylum seekers who enter Europe to be relocated to “safe third countries” for their asylum claims to be processed.“Everyone who applies for asylum in Europe should be transfe...

Rishi Sunak resists Boris Johnson pile-on at COVID inquiry

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:22 GMT

LONDON — They may be bitter Tory rivals, but Rishi Sunak rose above it all Monday as he resisted several chances to take potshots at his predecessor Boris Johnson.Sunak, now the U.K.’s prime minister, spent Monday being grilled by the independent inquiry about his time as Johnson’s top finance minister during the coronavirus pandemic. But he declined to join the Johnson pile-on, even after a host of witnesses described chaos in No. 10 Downing Street.Instead, Sunak — known for his occasionally tetchy demeanor under questioning — largely kept his cool during hours of probing. He faced tricky questions over the Treasury’s push to reopen parts of the British economy as the virus raged.Here are POLITICO’s five key takeaways from the prime ministerial interrogation.1) No go on BoJoJohnson has faced heavy criticism from the inquiry’s various witnesses over his style of management in No 10. But Sunak didn’t take the bait Monday — despite being the man who helpe...

Anger erupts as fossil fuel ‘phaseout’ is dropped from proposed climate deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:22 GMT

The prospect of a deal to end fossil fuels faded on Monday in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates, when organizers of the U.N. climate summit released a draft proposal that merely suggested reducing them instead.That outcome falls far short of the demands that environmental groups, the U.S., EU and vulnerable island nations had set before the summit in Dubai, with some activists saying the talks would be deemed a failure if they did not call for phasing out the production of coal, oil and natural gas.But summit president Sultan al-Jaber urged the nearly 200 governments assembled to be flexible and make a deal. The “world is watching” after almost two weeks of discussion, said al-Jaber, who is also the CEO of the United Arab Emirates’ state-owned oil company.Meanwhile, as ministers and their staff gathered in the plenary at the Expo City campus on the outskirts of Dubai, protesters stood outside chanting: “This text is bullshit.”Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore unloaded on the propos...

Dutch PM Rutte presses for EU to reach €50B Ukraine finance deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:22 GMT

BERLIN — EU leaders should back Ukraine with significant extra financing this week to avoid a “double block” to support for Kyiv on both sides of the Atlantic, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte warned Monday.“With the problems in the United States, where the fresh money is blocked, it’s quite crucial that we don’t have a double block against Ukraine,” Rutte said at the Hertie School in Berlin.The U.S. Congress is deadlocked over fresh funding for Ukraine, while the EU is yet to come to a deal on an extra €50 billion in financing for Ukraine and over the future of the off-budget European Peace Facility (EPF), a pot of cash used to partially reimburse states for arms deliveries to Kyiv. The call is for a €5 billion one-year addition to the EPF rather than €20 billion for four years pitched earlier this year.EU leaders meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to hash out a financing proposal.But with Germany in a budget crisis and Hungary threatening a veto, the ou...

Massive emergency response underway at Waltham medical facility

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:22 GMT

Emergency crews have been working to evacuate and clear a medical facility in Waltham, after authorities say a fire was reported on 2nd Avenue Monday morning.The Waltham Police Department said 2nd Avenue and Bear Hill Road were closed as firefighters and other emergency personnel responded to the area.The department did not mention a specific building, though SKY7-HD spotted what appeared to be patients, medical staff, and others being evacuated from the Mass General Brigham Health Center, where firefighters could be seen going in and out of the facility and its parking garage.Details on whether there were any injuries or the nature of the fire have not yet been released.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.https://twitter.com/WalthamMAPolice/status/1734254830804181056

9 left homeless by 2-alarm fire in Brockton

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:22 GMT

Brockton Fire responded to a 2-alarm fire in a building on Waverly Street that left nine residents homeless and one firefighter injured. Heavy smoke and fire damage was visible on the second and third floors as well as the attic and roof of the building.https://twitter.com/scooperon7/status/1734250465016115554A barber working down the street first noticed the flames and, along with a nearby police officer, got into the building and knocked on apartment doors to make sure residents got out safely. The two helped a woman and her small children were able to get out of the second floor before the fire got worse. One firefighter was seen taken from the scene on a stretcher.https://twitter.com/scooperon7/status/1734262549808341217The cause of the fire is under investigation, and residents of the building are working with the Red Cross. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Special counsel Jack Smith asks Supreme Court to rule quickly on whether Trump can be prosecuted

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:22 GMT

By MARK SHERMAN and ERIC TUCKER (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith on Monday asked the Supreme Court to take up and rule quickly on whether former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted on charges he plotted to overturn the 2020 election results.A federal judge ruled the case could go forward, but the Republican former president signaled he would ask the federal appeals court in Washington to reverse that outcome.Smith is attempting to bypass the appeals court. The request filed Monday for the Supreme Court to take up the matter directly reflects Smith’s desire to keep the trial, currently for March 4, on track and to prevent any delays that could push back the case until after next year’s presidential election.The earliest court would consider the appeal would be Jan. 5, the date of the justices’ next scheduled private conference. Underscoring the urgency for prosecutors in securing a quick resolution that can push the case forw...

Israel battles in Gaza’s main cities, with civilians trapped in the fighting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:51:22 GMT

By NAJIB JOBAIN and SAMY MAGDY (Associated Press)DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinians dug under crushed buildings Monday to recover the bodies of families killed in strikes around Gaza as Israeli forces battled Hamas in the territory’s two largest cities, where many thousands of civilians are still trapped by the fighting.Residents said battles went on in and around the southern city of Khan Younis, where Israeli ground forces opened a new line of attack last week. Battles were also still underway in parts of Gaza City and the urban Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza, where large areas have been reduced to rubble.Israel has pledged to keep fighting until it removes Hamas from power, dismantles its military capabilities and gets back all of the hostages taken by terrorists during Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack into Israel that ignited the war. The Israeli campaign has killed thousands of Palestinian civilians and driven nearly 85% of the territory’s 2.3 million people fro...