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South Florida dentist gets life in prison in death of his ex-brother-in-law, a prominent professor

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:17:40 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A judge sentenced a South Florida dentist to life in prison on Tuesday in the shooting death of his former brother-in-law, a prominent professor at Florida State University, following a bitter custody battle.Charlie Adelson, 47, was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation last month in the 2014 killing of Dan Markel, who was gunned down in his car outside his Tallahassee home. Prosecutors contended that Adelson paid to have Markel killed, and jurors took just three hours to find him guilty.“I would just like to say that I maintain my innocence,” a stoic Adelson told the judge, who also sentenced him to 30 consecutive years on the lesser counts.Prosecutors laid out a case of wire taps and secretly recorded conversations that implicated Adelson during the eight-day trial.Markel’s father, Phil Markel, said he and his family have “suffered tremendously” adding that he not only lost his son, but also lost a relationship with his grandsons...

Car collides with home in NE Miami-Dade

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:17:40 GMT

A late-night impact unfolded in Northeast Miami-Dade as a car collided with a house, Monday. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (MDFR) units arrived at the scene just before 10:30 p.m. in the area of 213th Street and Northeast 12th Avenue.According to MDFR, the collision occurred when a woman making a turn attempted to outpace an oncoming driver. She then lost control of her vehicle which led to the collision. The impact resulted in exterior wall damage, and concerns arose regarding the structural integrity of the home.No injuries were reported from the incident, but an exterior wall was reportedly cracked, prompting the need for a thorough examination to determine the extent of the damage.As a precautionary measure, MDFR called a building inspector to assess the structural safety of the house.

Broward County man wins $1 million from scratch-off game

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:17:40 GMT

A Pompano Beach man hit the jackpot when he won $1 million from a scratch-off game.Ronald Marc, 51, claimed a $1 million top prize from the $5 GOLD RUSH DOUBLER Scratch-Off game at the Florida Lottery’s West Palm Beach District Office, the Florida Lottery said in a news release. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $685,000.00.The winning ticket was purchased at Publix, located at 1003 East Commercial Boulevard in Oakland Park. The store will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.According to the lottery, the $5 GOLD RUSH DOUBLER game offers over $188 million in cash prizes, featuring 28 top prizes of $1 million. The overall odds of winning in this game are 1-in-3.98.

‘End of reign’: Macron faces ungovernable France after shock immigration loss

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:17:40 GMT

PARIS — President Emmanuel Macron has been stopped dead in his tracks over the failure of a flagship immigration bill that shows how hard it will now be to run France without an absolute majority in the National Assembly.On Monday, the National Assembly rejected his flagship immigration bill in a dramatic vote that took the government by surprise. The defeat was made more humiliating by the fact that lawmakers didn’t even debate the text, but rejected it in a preliminary vote.The upset sent shockwaves through the political establishment and raised questions about whether France has become ungovernable.“It could mean we are reaching the end of his mandate faster than expected, that we are entering Emmanuel Macron’s end of reign. He’s running out of steam, and will find it harder and harder to keep his MPs in check,” said political analyst Chloé Morin.Doubts about Macron’s ability to govern France have been swirling since he lost the parliamentary e...

Meloni’s star Christmas guests: Rishi Sunak and (maybe) Elon Musk

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:17:40 GMT

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has invited the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to an upcoming right-wing event. And rumor has it that billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk is also attending, according to an Italian media report. Sunak, an ally of Italy’s right-wing leader, is expected at the event which takes place from Thursday to Sunday, Il Fatto Quotidiano and the Financial Times reported.On Monday, the annual Atreju festival — an event for Italy’s right-wing youth founded by Meloni in 1998 — gave a hint of another one of Meloni’s special guests, posting a picture featuring a silhouette of a male figure.The mysterious guest is none other than SpaceX and Tesla boss Musk, Italian news outlet Il Fatto Quotidiano reported Tuesday, without citing its sources. Musk will be interviewed Saturday morning by journalist Nicola Porro, the Italian outlet writes. Porro had already landed an interview with the tech tycoon in June, when Meloni and Musk met in Italy to discuss ...

Top human rights prize targeted by Qatargate corruption suspects

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:17:40 GMT

BRUSSELS — The EU’s highest honor for human rights work was targeted by an allegedly corrupt network operating on behalf of foreign governments at the heart of the European Parliament, according to a cache of leaked documents. The annual Sakharov Prize was among the aspects of parliamentary work mentioned in a file where one of the key suspects logged activities that were allegedly part of the biggest corruption scandal in the history of the EU’s Parliament. The award, which hands €50,000 to an individual or group that has made an outstanding contribution to freedom of thought, is the EU’s most prestigious honor in the field of human rights. Past winners include Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, and the Ukrainian people. On Tuesday, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola unveiled the 2023 Sakharov Prize, awarding it posthumously to Jina Mahsa Amini, the women’s rights activist in Iran whose murder sparked a wave of protests called the Women, Life, Freedom...

Poland’s laws on same-sex couples violate human rights code, court rules

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:17:40 GMT

The European Court of Human Rights ruled Tuesday that the lack of any form of legal recognition and protection for same-sex couples in Poland breaches the European Convention on Human Rights.The court’s decision refers to five same-sex Polish couples whose application for marriage was rejected by the authorities as marriage can only be between a man and a woman, according to the Polish law.In a press release Tuesday, the Strasbourg-based court said it considered that Poland — which was governed for most of the last decade by the populist-nationalist Law and Justice party — had failed to comply with its duty to ensure that the applicants had a specific legal framework providing for the recognition and protection of their same-sex unions.That failure had resulted in the applicants’ inability to regulate fundamental aspects of their lives and amounted to a breach of their right to respect for their private and family life, the court added.EU-member Poland has long been accused by right...

EU takes first step to raise money for Ukraine from Russian frozen assets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:17:40 GMT

BRUSSELS ― The European Commission presented a plan on Tuesday to funnel the proceeds from Russian assets frozen in the EU to help rebuild Ukraine.But the proposal — which has to be unanimously approved by EU countries — is merely a first step in what will probably be a drawn-out process that means the war-torn country is unlikely to see the money anytime soon.The issue is loosely tied to a wider discussion about a dedicated fund for Ukraine that will be held by EU leaders in a summit on Thursday and Friday.For months, EU officials have been exploring ways to skim off the earnings from assets worth some €200 billion that were immobilized in the EU since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.As Russian securities reach maturity and are reinvested by financial intermediaries, they generate a profit. The EU wants to target those revenues, said an EU official who was granted anonymity as they were not allowed to speak on the record.The Commission’s initial pr...

Patriots lose backup QB to AFC rival after minimal playing time

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:17:40 GMT

The Ravens are signing Patriots practice-squad quarterback Malik Cunningham to their active roster Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.Cunningham, an undrafted rookie who played in one game this season, released a statement to ESPN.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Will Taylor Swift be in Boston for the Patriots-Chiefs game? New England Patriots | Bailey Zappe credits Patriots O-line with fast start, takes blame for later struggles New England Patriots | Patriots defender has message for fans who want team to tank for draft pick New England Patriots | Bill Belichick gives detailed assessment of Patriots QB Bailey Zappe’s recent play New England Patriots | Patriots-Steelers film review: Did Bailey Zappe prove something in Pittsburgh? “I wanted to thank Mr. Kraft and coach Belichick for giving me (an) opportunity to play with the Patriots. I learned a lot from them,” the...

Biden will meet with families of Americans taken hostage by Hamas on Wednesday at the White House

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:17:40 GMT

By ZEKE MILLER and COLLEEN LONG (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday will hold his first in-person meeting with the families of Americans taken hostage by Hamas during its brutal attack on Israel on Oct. 7, two White House officials said.It was not immediately clear how many families would be attending the White House meeting in person, or via videoconference. Biden has previously met with some family members virtually and spoken to others on the phone, officials said. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Biden’s schedule.“We’re not going to stop until every hostage is returned home,” Biden told donors in Washington on Friday, saying the U.S. commitment to Israel is “unshakable.”Seven Americans remain unaccounted for after Hamas’ surprise air, sea and land incursion into Israeli towns, where the group killed about 1,200 Israelis — mostly civilians — and took more than 240 people hostage. Four Americans were released as part of ...