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Russia risks war with NATO in Black Sea, former top commander in Europe warns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:47 GMT

Moscow risks sparking a direct war with NATO by intercepting ships in international waters and seeking to impose an economic stranglehold on Ukraine, NATO’s former Supreme Allied Commander Europe is warning. Ex-U.S. Admiral James Stavridis, who led the alliance’s forces on the continent between 2009 and 2013, told POLITICO that escalations at sea — including the boarding of a Turkish ship on Sunday — could force Kyiv’s partners to intervene to prevent Ukraine’s economy being crippled.“Russia’s actions in the international waters of the Black Sea create a real risk of escalating this to a war at sea between NATO and the Russian Federation,” said Stavridis. NATO, he went on, “is not going to provide all the weapons and money for Ukraine, only to watch Russia strangle their economy with an illegal blockade.”On Tuesday, Russia’s defense ministry confirmed it had fired warning shots before boarding the Şükrü Okan, a Palau-flagg...

‘Barbie’ tops ‘The Dark Knight’ to become Warner Bros.’ biggest movie ever at the American box office

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:47 GMT

New York (CNN) — “Barbie,” which has broken numerous box office records since its July 21 opening, just broke another.The Greta Gerwig-directed film about the iconic doll, is now Warner Bros.’ highest-grossing domestic release, beating the former title holder, the 2008 film “The Dark Knight.” As of Tuesday, “Barbie” has made $537.4 million at the US box office, surpassing the haul of director Christopher Nolan’s Batman blockbuster, “The Dark Knight,” which amassed $536 million.Warner Bros. Discovery, which also owns CNN, announced Wednesday that “Barbie” had also crossed the $1.2 billion mark globally, after hitting the $1 billion milestone less than two weeks ago — a feat achieved only by about 50 films in history, adjusted for inflation, Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, previously told CNN. It also placed Gerwig as the highest-grossing woman movie director in history.The comedy raked in a stunning $155 million domestically in...

Another close call between planes at Boston Logan International Airport, FAA investigating

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:47 GMT

The FAA will yet again be investigating a close call between planes at Boston Logan International Airport after a flight had to cancel its takeoff.The close call was between an American Airlines flight and a Spirit Airlines flight at Logan early Monday afternoon, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.“An air traffic controller instructed American Airlines Flight 457Q to cancel its takeoff at Boston Logan International Airport after the controller noticed Spirit Airlines Flight 1444 coming close to the runway hold line,” the FAA said in a statement.“The controller canceled the takeoff clearance for the American Airlines Boeing 737 out of an abundance of caution,” the FAA added. “The FAA is investigating the incident that occurred around 12:50 p.m. local time on Monday, Aug. 14.”The American Airlines flight was traveling from Boston to Chicago. The plane returned to the Logan gate after the nixed takeoff.The flight later departed at 2:38 ...

SIU discontinues investigation after man fractured finger striking case of beer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:47 GMT

Pour decisions make great stories.The province’s police watchdog says it discontinued an investigation into the injuries of a Hamilton man after it was determined he fractured his finger striking a case of beer.The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said on April 18, 2023, officers in Hamilton were called to a home on Sherman Avenue North after an occupant phoned the authorities to report that he and a female acquaintance had been threatened with a knife by a man known to them.Responding officers located the man at another residence and arrested him without incident. The SIU noted the man was taken to a hospital and diagnosed with a fracture of the right pinky finger.SIU director Joseph Martino confirmed on Wednesday that the province’s police watchdog discontinued the case after it was determined that the man didn’t sustain the injuries in police custody.“It resulted when he struck a case of beer with his right hand at the Sherman Avenue North residence befor...

Kansas prosecutor says police should return computers and cellphones seized in raid on newspaper

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:47 GMT

MARION, Kansas (AP) — A Kansas prosecutor said Wednesday that he found insufficient evidence to support the police raid of a weekly newspaper and that all seized material should be returned in a dispute over press freedoms that the White House acknowledged it is watching closely.“This administration has been vocal about the importance of the freedom of press, here and around the globe,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at her daily briefing on Wednesday. “That is the core value when you think about our democracy, when you think about the cornerstone of our democracy, the freedom of press is right there.”She said the raid raises “a lot of concerns and a lot of questions for us.”On Wednesday, Marion County Attorney Joel Ensey said his review of police seizures from the Marion County Record offices found “insufficient evidence exists to establish a legally sufficient nexus between this alleged crime and the places searched and the items seized.”“As a resu...

Tuohys’ lawyers respond to Michael Oher’s accusations as he fights conservatorship

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:47 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A lawyer for a prominent Memphis couple with a longstanding relationship to former NFL player Michael Oher says that they want to end a conservatorship that he’s challenging in court.Lawyer Randall Fishman told reporters on Wednesday that his clients Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy intend to enter into a consent order to end the conservatorship. Oher filed a petition Monday in a Tennessee probate court accusing the Tuohys of lying to him by having him sign papers making them his conservators rather than his adoptive parents nearly two decades ago.Oher, now 37, wants a full accounting of assets considering his life story produced millions of dollars, though he says he received nothing from the Oscar-nominated movie “The Blind Side.” He accuses the Tuohys of falsely representing themselves as his adoptive parents.The Tuohys have called the allegations ridiculous and part of a shakedown attempt.In a statement released by their lawyers Tuesday, the Tuohys said Oher’s acc...

Stock market today: Wall Street falls as the bond market cranks up the pressure

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:47 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street weakened Wednesday to worsen what’s already been a messy August.The S&P 500 was 0.7% lower in late trading, following up on its prior day’s loss of 1.2%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 186 points, or 0.5%, to 34,759, as of 3:25 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite fell 1%.Increased pressure came from the bond market, where yields have recently neared their highest levels since the Great Recession triggered a collapse in interest rates. Yields climbed more following the afternoon release of the minutes from the Federal Reserve’s latest meeting. The minutes suggested Fed officials are unsure about their next move after catapulting the main interest rate they control to its highest level in two decades. Hopes had been rising among investors that last month’s rate hike by the Fed would prove to be its last.High rates work to grind down inflation by bluntly slowing the entire economy and hurting investment prices. The Fed’s minutes show...

Bacteria found in raw shellfish linked to two Connecticut deaths also blamed for New York death

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:47 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The death of a Long Island resident has been linked to a bacteria found in raw shellfish or seawater that has also been blamed for two deaths in Connecticut, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday.The Vibrio vulnificus bacteria was identified in a Suffolk County resident who died recently, Hochul said.“While rare, the vibrio bacteria has unfortunately made it to this region and can be extraordinarily dangerous,” Hochul said in a news release. Precautions for avoiding the potentially deadly bacteria include protecting open wounds from seawater and, for those with compromised immune systems, forgoing raw or undercooked shellfish, she said.The death in Suffolk County is being investigated to determine if the bacteria was encountered in New York waters or elsewhere, the governor said, adding that health care providers should consider Vibrio vulnificus when seeing patients with severe wound infections or sepsis.Health officials say anyone can get vibriosis, the illness...

Plea negotiations could mean no 9/11 defendants face the death penalty, the US tells families

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:47 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The suspected architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and his fellow defendants may never face the death penalty under plea agreements now under consideration to bring an end to their more than decadelong prosecution, the Pentagon and FBI have advised families of some of the thousands killed.The notice, made in a letter that was sent to several of the families and obtained by The Associated Press, comes 1 1/2 years after military prosecutors and defense lawyers began exploring a negotiated resolution to the case. The prosecution of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others held at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been troubled by repeated delays and legal disputes, especially over the legal ramifications of the interrogation under torture that the men initially underwent while in CIA custody. No trial date has been set. “The Office of the Chief Prosecutor has been negotiating and is considering entering into pre-trial agreements,” or PTAs, the l...

14 more members of Minneapolis gangs are charged in federal violent crime initiative

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:47 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Officials announced Wednesday that 14 members of Minneapolis-based gangs have been charged with crimes including possession of machine guns, fentanyl trafficking and firearms violations as part of a federal initiative to crack down on violent gangs.“It’s a small group of violent offenders that are responsible for the vast majority of violence that rocks our communities,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said at a news conference. “These arrests represent our commitment to reducing the tragedy and trauma” of that violence, he said.U.S. Attorney Andy Luger said told reporters that the department is investigating the gangs as “criminal organizations, focusing on their most violent members and leaders.”The people charged are suspected of using machine guns, engaging in beatings and armed robberies, and planning revenge killings for the murder of their fellow gang members, Luger said. He added that this is the second round of charges against Minneapoli...