Firefighters conduct work while Smoke rises from a building after it was attacked by Russian suicide drones in Kyiv, Ukraine on Oct. 17, 2022. On Monday, a Canadian-Russian woman pleaded guilty to participating in a scheme that shipped components to Russia that were used in drones in the Ukraine theater. File Photo by Vladyslav Musiienko/UPI
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Feb. 13 (UPI) — A Russian-Canadian woman has pleaded guilty in the United States for her role in a sophisticated multimillion-dollar scheme to illegally ship electronic components to Russia that the Kremlin has used in the war in Ukraine.
Montreal resident Kristina Puzyreva, 32, pleaded guilty Monday in a federal Brooklyn courtroom to money laundering charges, for which she faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, the Justice Department said in a release.
Puzyreva admitted to laundering money as part of the procurement scheme involving SH Brothers Inc. and SN Elecontrics Inc., two Brooklyn-based companies, that illegally sourced, purchased and shipped millions of dollars worth of U.S.-manufactured dual-use components to sanctioned entities in Russia.
According to prosecutors, the shipments were valued at more than $7 million and included electronic components and integrated circuits that were later found in seized Russian weapons in Ukraine, including drones and guided missiles.
Puzyreva and her husband, Nikolay Goltsev, were arrested and charged in October for the scheme along with Salimdzhon Nasriddinov.
While Puzyreva was charged with money laundering as she operated numerous bank accounts and conducted financial transactions for the scheme, Goltsev was accused of receiving orders from Russian entities in the defense and technology sectors and communicating with the U.S. manufacturers of the desired components.
Prosecutors said that through the use of aliases, Goltsev and Nasriddinov bought the components via the two Brooklyn-registered companies and had them shipped to Russia despite sanctions and export controls through various countries and territories, including Turkey, Hong Kong, India, China and the United Arab Emirates.
Court documents state the conspiracy lasted from about January 2022 to their arrests in October 2023. Authorities said Goltsev and Purzyreva were arrested in a Manhattan hotel on Halloween during one of their frequent trips to the United States where they’d meet up with Nasriddinov.
U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York described Puzyreva in a statement Monday as a “necessary player” in the export scheme.
“Without the defendant laundering the proceeds of the scheme, the export scheme would not have worked,” Peace said. “Today’s plea demonstrates that the Eastern District of New York will not allow criminals to endanger national security by supplying Russia with U.S.-sourced military technology.”
Copyright 2024 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
This story was originally published February 13, 2024, 2:50 AM.
Sophomore Sam Baumgartner celebrates winning a singles match in back to back 6-2 sets against a Bulls tennis player at the Schiff Tennis Center on Jan. 19, 2024. Photo credit: Trevor Castleman
Miami tops USF in back-and-forth battle
On a chilly Thursday afternoon in Coral Gables, The Miami Hurricanes men’s tennis team earned its sixth match win of the season with a 4-3 victory over the USF Bulls.
The match was initially scheduled for Sunday afternoon but was postponed to Thursday due to weather issues.
Both teams fought hard in the doubles courts, with the Hurricanes winning the No. 1 doubles and the Bulls taking the No. 3 doubles. On court one, UM’s #30-ranked duo of Vladislav Melnic and Adrien Burdet defeated South Florida’s #17-ranked duo of Alvin Tudorica and Erik Grevelius, 6-3. On court three, the ‘Canes pair of Martin Katz and Nacho Serra Sanchez dropped a set to USF’s Oliveira and Hudson, 6-4.
With the doubles point coming down to court two, the Hurricanes doubles team of Antonio Prat and Sam Baumgartner triumphed in a tiebreaker over the Bulls Tom Pavlekovich-Smith and Agustin Cuellar, 7-6 (5).
Taking the 1-0 lead into the singles courts, Miami’s Antonio Prat quickly notched a second point for his team, beating USF’s Pavlekovich-Smith in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3.
The match’s momentum rapidly shifted, with the Bulls taking the 3-2 match lead by winning three straight courts. On court one, USF’s #35-ranked Alvin Tudorica took down ‘Canes No. 1 Vladislav Melnic, 7-5, 6-0. On court six, USF’s Elijah Cham defeated Sam Baumgartner, 7-5, 6-2. The Bulls took the lead with a dominant win from Bruno Oliveira over UM’s Adrien Burdet, 6-3, 6-1.
However, the ‘Canes would not go down without a fight. On court five, Nacho Serra Sanchez tied the match with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Tom Pisane.
With the match on the line in the No. 2 singles, Miami’s Martin Katz came up with a substantial three-set victory over USF’s Erik Grevelius, 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-0.
The Hurricanes moved to 6-1 on the season, tying their best season start through 7 matches under head coach Aljosa Panic.
Hurricanes fall to UCF in early season away test
Shortly after claiming their sixth win of the year, the University of Miami men’s tennis team traveled a few hours north to Orlando on Sunday to face the UCF Knights. The Knights ended up coming away with the 4-3 victory, marking the ‘Canes second loss of the young season.
Miami took early control by sweeping the doubles courts, taking a 1-0 match lead. Martin Katz and Antonio Prat defeated Santiago Giamichelle and Francisco Llanes, 6-3, on court three, being quickly followed by Nacho Serra Sanchez and Sam Baumgartner winning 6-4 over Liam Branger and Lleyton Cronje on court two.
As the team transitioned to singles, UM’s Martin Katz continued the ‘Cane’s great play with a straight-set, 6-4, 6-4 victory on court two over UCF’s #100-ranked Cronje.
However, like in its last match, Miami’s opponent stormed back just minutes later and took the lead with three straight singles victories, all coming in straight sets.
UCF’s Yassine Dlimi defeated Vladislav Melnic, 7-5, 6-2 on court one, while Santiago Giamichelle beat Adrien Burdet, 6-3, 6-3, on court three. Court six was a closer affair, with the Knights’ Paul Colin still winning despite Miami’s Sam Baumgartner pushing the first set to a tiebreak, 7-6 (5), 6-3.
Hoping to mirror his performance on Thursday, UM’s Nacho Serra Sanchez tied the match with a straight-set win over #120-ranked Mehdi Benchakroun, 6-4, 6-4, tying the match for the Hurricanes.
It all came down to the No. 3 singles, with Miami’s Antonio Prat and UCF’s Francisco Llanes splitting the first two sets, 6-4 and 1-6, respectively. In the final set, Llanes claimed the 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory, clinching the match and sending the Hurricanes home with a loss.
The men’s team returns to action on February 23 when they host the UTSA Roadrunners.
MIAMI (WSVN) – One of the victims injured in the Thriller tour boat crash in PortMiami, that injured more than a dozen people, is speaking out.
“We were on the speedboat with my parents,” said Mendy, a passenger on the boat.
The man said his family of six boarded the Thriller tour boat at Downtown Miami’s Bayside on Sunday. They sat down on the back right-side of the boat, expecting a family joyride but that expectation was short-lived.
“Probably about five minutes in, we started the actual speeding part. Next thing I knew, all of a sudden, there was a big impact,” said Mendy.
He said a private vessel crashed into the left-side of the speedboat while they were riding through Fisherman’s Cut.
New video of the vessel captured on Monday morning showed the side broken in with its chairs out of place from the impact.
“I saw a bunch of people on the left side of the boat just flying out of their seats. One woman, she landed right by my feet and she was unconscious, bleeding from her head. I was able to hear the blood in her lungs as she was breathing.” said Mendy.
Mendy told 7News that the woman was transported to Jackson Memorial by air. The rest were transported by Coast Guard boats or by speedboat to be taken to the shore.
The victim said a private boat collided into the Thriller speedboat. On Monday, his family walked out of Jackson Memorial, hours after the crash.
“Some fractured bones but nothing that time can’t heal with,” said the victim.
The victim’s parents are still recovering from non-serious injuries at Jackson Memorial.
Mendy said he has no resentment for anyone involved in this incident because he calls it. purely, a terrible accident.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are still investigating. Though investigation is ongoing, FWC announced on Monday that they will be releasing an initial report later in the day.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Dean of the FIU Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work Tomás R. Guilarte has offered intriguing scientific theories about why a ship carrying 309 crew went down in the famed Bermuda Triangle. The renowned neurotoxicologist sees a possible culprit in the dangerous cargo the vessel hauled from Brazil in 1918.
Guilarte joined host Wayne Abbott on History’s The Bermuda Triangle: Into Cursed Waters on February 6, 2024. The episode, Eye of the Cyclops, dove into the potential causes that could have led to the disappearance of the USS Cyclops, which vanished without a trace on its way from the West Indies to Baltimore.
Ship engine troubles and surging seas were among the theories, as well as its cargo: 10,000 tons of manganese ore, a natural mineral used in the production of steel.
Guilarte serves as the director of the Brain, Behavior and the Environment program at FIU, which brings together faculty, staff and students to explore how exposure to environmental metals like manganese—found in manganese ore—affect brain health.
On the show, Guilarte zeroed in on how manganese ore could have played a role in the Cyclops’ disappearance. “First of all, it’s very dense and if you do not have the correct distribution, it could potentially tip the ship one way or the other,” he said.
Bulk cargo ships like the USS Cyclops were built to carry coal – a rock far lighter in weight than manganese ore. The dense, undistributed weight of the Cyclops’ cargo could have caused the ship’s oar to “act like a pendulum,” putting it at high risk of tipping over into dangerous waters.
Guilarte highlighted other dangers the crew may not have known about. Manganese dust is combustible, meaning it could explode if packed in a confined space. It also poses a danger to health.
“The interesting thing about manganese is that it’s toxic at high exposure levels,” Guilarte shared. Exposure to manganese dust or fumes has been linked to damage to the respiratory system, liver, and kidneys. It’s also been associated with neurological diseases like schizophrenia and manganism—a disorder resembling Parkinson’s disease with symptoms including tremors and muscle spasms, which could have influenced the ability of some crew members in performing their duties on the ship.
RAFAH – Israeli forces rescued two hostages early Monday, storming a heavily guarded apartment in a densely packed town in the Gaza Strip as airstrikes carried out to cover the raid killed more than 60 Palestinians, including women and children.
The rescue in Rafah briefly lifted the spirits of Israelis shaken by the plight of the dozens of hostages held by Hamas. The nation is still reeling from the militant group’s cross-border raid last year that started the war.
The overnight bombardment brought devastation in Rafah, which is packed with some 1.4 million people, most of whom fled their homes elsewhere in Gaza to escape fighting. Associated Press footage showed a large area of flattened houses, tattered tents and lines of bloodied bodies brought into nearby hospitals.
Israel’s offensive has killed more than 28,000 Palestinians in the territory, displaced over 80% of the population and set off a massive humanitarian crisis.
More than 12,300 Palestinian children and young teens have been killed in the conflict, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Monday. About 8,400 women were also among those killed. That means children and young teens make up about 43% of the dead, and women and minors together make up three quarters.
The ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, provided the breakdown at the request of the AP. Israel claims to have killed about 10,000 Hamas fighters but has not provided evidence.
In Hamas’ cross-border raid on Oct. 7, an estimated 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed, and militants took 250 people captive, according to Israeli authorities.
Israel has described Rafah as the last remaining Hamas stronghold in the territory and signaled that its ground offensive may soon target the town on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip.
Israel says about 100 hostages remain in Hamas captivity after dozens were freed during a cease-fire in November. Hamas also holds the remains of roughly 30 others who were either killed on Oct. 7 or died in captivity.
The government has made freeing the hostages a top aim of its war, along with destroying Hamas’ military and governing capabilities. But as the fighting drags on, rifts have emerged in Israel over how to retrieve them.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says persistent military pressure will bring about the captives’ freedom even as families of the hostages and many of their supporters have called on the government to make another deal with Hamas.
A DRAMATIC RAID
Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said special forces broke into a second-floor apartment in Rafah under fire at 1:49 a.m. Monday, accompanied a minute later by airstrikes on surrounding areas. He said Hamas militants were guarding the captives and that members of the rescue team shielded the hostages with their bodies as the battle erupted.
The army identified those rescued as Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, who were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on Oct. 7. They also hold Argentinian citizenship. They are among just three hostages to be rescued; a female soldier was rescued in November.
The rescue, which Hagari said was based on precise intelligence and planned for some time, is a morale booster for Israelis but a small step toward winning the release of the remaining hostages, who are believed to be spread out and hidden in tunnels.
Har’s son-in-law, Idan Begerano, who saw the released captives at the hospital where they were airlifted, said the two men were thin and pale, but communicating well and aware of their surroundings.
Begerano said Har told him immediately upon seeing him: “You have a birthday today, mazal tov.” The men held long, tearful embraces with their relatives at the hospital, according to video released by Netanyahu’s office.
DOZENS KILLED IN STRIKES
The airstrikes hit jam-packed Rafah in the middle of the night, and dozens of explosions could be heard around 2 a.m. Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman for the Health Ministry, said at least 67 people, including women and children, were killed in the strikes.
Al-Qidra said rescuers were still searching the rubble. An Associated Press journalist counted at least 50 bodies at the Abu Youssef al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah.
Mohamed Zoghroub, a Palestinian living in Rafah, said he saw a black jeep speeding through the town followed by clashes and heavy airstrikes.
“We found ourselves running with our children, from the airstrikes, in every direction,” he said, speaking from an area flattened by the bombardment.
Footage circulating on social media from Rafah’s Kuwaiti hospital showed dead or wounded children. The footage could not immediately be verified but was consistent with AP reporting.
A young man could be seen carrying the body of an infant who he said was killed in the attacks. He said the girl, the daughter of his neighbor, was born and killed during the war.
“Let Netanyahu come and see: Is this one of your designated targets?” he said.
CONCERNS ABOUT RAFAH
Netanyahu has said sending ground troops into Rafah is essential to meeting Israel’s war goals. On Sunday, the White House said President Joe Biden had warned Netanyahu that Israel should not conduct a military operation there without a “credible and executable” plan to protect civilians.
More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population is now crammed into Rafah, where hundreds of thousands live in sprawling tent camps and overcrowded U.N. shelters.
Discussion of the potential for a cease-fire agreement took up much of the call, a senior U.S. administration official said. The official said that after weeks of diplomacy, a “framework” is now “pretty much” in place for a deal that could see the release of remaining hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a halt to fighting.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations, acknowledged that “gaps remain” but declined to give details. The official said military pressure on Hamas in the southern city of Khan Younis in recent weeks helped bring the group closer to accepting a deal.
Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on the call. Hamas’ Al-Aqsa television station earlier quoted an unnamed Hamas official as saying any invasion of Rafah would “blow up” the talks mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar.
Biden and Netanyahu spoke after two Egyptian officials and a Western diplomat said Egypt threatened to suspend its peace treaty with Israel if troops are sent into Rafah.
___
This story has been updated to correct that the number of minors killed is about 43% of the overall death toll in Gaza, not 47%.
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Federman reported from Jerusalem and Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Colleen Long in Washington contributed to this report.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
A 29-year old man was arrested Sunday in Canada after the bodies of three children, burned in a car, and two women were found dead in different locations, police said.
“It is believed that the adult male in custody and all five deceased individuals are known to each other,” a Royal Canadian Mounted Police statement said.
The events took place on Sunday morning in the vicinity of the small town of Carman, home to 2,800 people, in central Manitoba province.
A woman’s body was first found along a road Sunday morning.
Several hours later the burning vehicle with the three children, who died on the spot, was found.
Investigators found the body of a second woman in a home shortly after, the statement said.
“As a parent, I simply can’t imagine the enormity of your loss,” Inspector Tim Arseneault of RCMP major crime services said at a news conference Sunday, according to the CBC. “The community of Carman and surrounding areas will also be grieving as they have lost some of their youngest residents in such a tragic way.”
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew sent condolences in a post on social media.
Sending comfort and strength to the families and community of Carman during this challenging time of loss. Our deepest sympathies go out to all those affected by this tragedy.
Dragon Dance Troupe Prepares to Perform. Chinese performers from a dragon dance troupe walk past members of the Peoples Armed Police on crowd control duty on their way to perform in the street for the Chinese Lunar New Year and Spring Festival in a historic neighborhood on February 11, 2024, in Beijing, China. The Chinese authorities are hoping for an uptick in births during the auspicious year of the dragon amid a declining birth rate.
Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
China hopes the year of the dragon will reverse-at least temporarily-the country’s population decline.
This “minor baby boom” will be brought about by the dragon’s high status in the Chinese zodiac, improved government support to encourage larger families, and the post-pandemic recovery, the state-backed Global Times wrote on Saturday, citing a Nankai University demographer.
China faces the twin challenges of a greying workforce and a falling birth rate as it struggles to revitalize a slowing economy. In 2022, the country’s population shrank for the first time since Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward era, which ushered in rampant famine in the 1960s. Last year’s 2.08 million-person drop was twice that of 2022, despite government efforts to incentivize having newborns.
Yuan Xin, a professor at the Tianjin University’s Institute of Population and Development, cited 2012-the previous dragon year-as a hopeful sign. That year, China enjoyed a modest bump of 0.22 births per 1,000 women.
Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea and the ethnic Chinese demographic in Singapore-all populations that observe the 12-zodiac lunar calendar-also posted small increases, University of Wisconsin-Madison demographer Fuxian Yi previously told Newsweek, citing China’s annual census data.
However, in the dragon year before that, 2000, China’s fertility rate was 0.23 births per 1,000, fewer than 1999’s year of the rabbit and 0.17 fewer than 2001’s year of the snake.
Despite the auspiciousness associated with the mythical beast, since the mid-1990s “the Chinese zodiac had little effect on births in China until at least 2010,” Yi said.
Marriages in China are “strongly and linearly positively correlated with births the following year,” Yi said. The number of weddings rose 4.5 percent in the first three quarters of last year after Beijing abandoned its strict yearslong zero-COVID policies.
If the birth rate does track upward, Yi predicted it will be due to the end of pandemic-era measures rather than the zodiac.
The National Bureau of Statistics in China didn’t immediately return Newsweek‘s written request for comment.
As in neighboring South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, the diminishing number of births has raised concerns about future productivity.
In addition, by 2050 those 60 or older are forecast to comprise as much as 40 percent of China’s population. This threatens to further strain the country’s thin social safety net without major reforms.
In recent years, Beijing has introduced a variety of policies to encourage new families.
The central government replaced its decades-old one-child policy with a two-child one in 2016, and this was supplanted by a three-child policy in 2021. Meanwhile, city and provincial governments have offered modest cash subsidies to parents with newborns.
A study published last year in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found only 37 percent of Chinese women in urban areas intended to have up to two children. However, just 29 percent said the same in increasingly expensive first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.
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This story was originally published February 12, 2024, 5:26 AM.
“I feel like his whole brand is just being hot,” said Caroline Mueller, a junior legal studies and marketing major.
The person in question is actor Jacob Elordi, who got his big break in Netflix’s “The Kissing Booth” and HBO’s “Euphoria,” and has since starred in feature films “Priscilla” and “Saltburn.”
Throughout all of these movies, it seems as though his role remains pretty consistent: he is always the pretty boy.
So when Elordi made his Saturday Night Live debut on Jan. 21, he had an opportunity to show the world that he is more than just his looks. However, his role in the skits saw him playing this same type of character.
“I would have loved to see him showcase his personality more on SNL,” Mueller said. “I feel like that’s kinda the point of SNL — for hot actors to prove that they have a personality.”
Some of the highlights of the night included “Crown Your Short King,” a skit in which Elordi’s height alone secures him a win on a show with otherwise diminutive bachelors. Another skit featured a women’s Alcoholics Anonymous group that accommodates Elordi because he’s a handsome sex addict.
In a role that was on-the-nose, Elordi played a guest celebrity visiting an acting studio, sharing with the students that he has never had to audition for a role or struggle as an actor because of his good looks.
“To be honest, I haven’t even really thought about whether he’s a good actor or not,” junior communication major Murphy Degan said. “I don’t think that that’s what I am looking out for when I’m watching his movies. I also don’t think his roles are complex enough for his talents to show through. Most of his roles are the pretty boy everyone is in love with.”
Junior biochemistry major Bella Haham thought Elordi “seemed awkward” delivering his opening monologue.
“It was probably scripted, but I mean, some of his alleged jokes were just weird. I expected him to have more substance,” Haham said. “Maybe it’s because he has to preserve his ‘pretty boy brand’ by not being funny, or maybe he’s just not funny at all.”
SNL is a prime place for actors to let their true, humorous selves shine on the big screen and prove to the world there’s more substance to them. Better yet, they can let someone else write them a hilarious script, then pretend they came up with it themselves.
Whether Elordi has depth beyond his appearance continues to remain a mystery, but regardless, he’s created a successful career for himself. As long as his looks continue to pay his rent, that’s all that matters.
LONDON (AP) — King Charles III cheerfully waved to well-wishers on Sunday as he left church services near his country estate in eastern England, making his first public appearance since his cancer diagnosis was announced last week.
Wearing a tan overcoat against the February chill and carrying a rolled-up umbrella, Charles was joined by Queen Camilla at St. Mary Magdalene Church, just a few hundred yards from Sandringham House where the king is recuperating after his first treatment for an unspecified form of cancer.
The 20,000-acre Sandringham estate, some 110 miles (180 kilometers) north of London, is a favorite refuge of the king’s and offers a place of shelter where he can isolate from the risk of infection.
The appearance came a day after Charles expressed thanks for the messages of support he has received from the public. In a statement issued late Saturday, the monarch said that such thoughts are “the greatest comfort and encouragement.”
“It is equally heartening to hear how sharing my own diagnosis has helped promote public understanding and shine a light on the work of all those organizations which support cancer patients and their families across the U.K. and wider world,” he said in a statement, signed Charles R.
“My lifelong admiration for their tireless care and dedication is all the greater as a result of my own personal experience.”
Buckingham Palace announced the king’s diagnosis on Monday, less than three weeks after he was treated for an enlarged prostate. While palace officials didn’t disclose the type of cancer, they said it wasn’t prostate cancer.
On Sunday, a crowd of about 100 gathered outside the gates of the estate to show their support for the king. Charles and Camilla greeted a priest as they walked into the Anglican church, and waved to the crowd as they left.
St. Mary Magdalene is a medieval stone church that was restored in the 19th century. Protected as a historic building, the church includes memorials to the royal family stretching from Princess Alice in 1879 to King George VI, Charles’ grandfather, in 1952.
Nearby Sandringham House, the private home of the past six British monarchs, sits amid parkland, gardens and working farms. It has been owned by the royal family since 1862.
Charles has visited the estate regularly since he was a child, when he would run through the halls playing tag and hide-and-seek with his mother, according to biographer Jonathan Dimbleby. In later years he has retreated to the estate on the north coast of Norfolk to enjoy hunting and nature walks through the windswept countryside.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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CARACAS – The government of Venezuela accused neighboring Guayana Sunday of granting illegal oil exploration concessions in territory the two nations are disputing. Venezuela said it would reserve the right to take any diplomatic actions necessary.
The comments Sunday came after Guyana said Saturday that it has satellite imagery showing Venezuelan military movements near the South American country’s eastern border with Guyana.
Venezuela’s statement did not deny Guyana’s claim of a military and infrastructure buildup. Rather, it said it was within its rights to beef up its border forces.
Venezuela claimed Guayana had granted “illegal oil concessions … in a maritime area that is indisputably Venezuelan.”
Oil giant ExxonMobil has said it will keep ramping up production in offshore fields off Guyana despite the escalation of the territorial dispute.
The two sides have feuded over border lines for decades. Venezuela has been laying claim to the mineral-rich Essequibo region, which covers about two thirds of Guyana’s surface area.
Under the Argyle Agreement signed on the island of St. Vincent in December, the two countries agreed not to use force or to threaten each other. The talks were brokered by Brazil and Caribbean governments.
The images showed significant infrastructure improvement of roads and other facilities near the two areas, the CSIS said. Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud noted that “Guyana will continue to respect the Argyle Declaration and hopes that Venezuela will do the same.”
Guyana argues that an 1899 international boundary commission settled the border demarcation once and for all.
But for more than 60 years Venezuela has accused the commission of cheating it out of the Essequibo region.
Guyana has taken the issue to the World Court in the Netherlands for a definitive ruling, while Venezuela has said it prefers direct bilateral talks as the way forward.
On Friday, the Venezuelan defense ministry accused Guyana of threatening the St. Vincent agreement by irresponsible actions and media deception, maintaining that the “Essequibo is ours.”
It also said that ExxonMobil, which is producing 645,000 barrels of offshore oil daily from Guyana, is collaborating with the government and the US military to exploit oil and gas resources in waters claimed by Venezuela.
Guyanese President Irfaan Ali is expected to meet his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolás Maduro in March for a second summit on the border issue.
Several top American administration and military officials have visited Guyana in recent weeks as a show of support.
The U.S. also supplied military overflights monitoring Venezuelan troop and other activities at the height of tensions in December, in the days leading up to a Dec. 3 referendum in Venezuela that had authorized the annexation of the Essequibo.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Nineteen priests kicked out of the country, dozens of incidents of harassment and church desecrations, rural areas lacking worship and social services: the situation for Catholic clergy and faithful in Nicaragua is only worsening in 2024, according to exiled priests, laypeople in the Central American country and human rights advocates.
The fear of the ongoing crackdown by President Daniel Ortega – on the Catholic Church in particular but not sparing evangelicals – has become so pervasive that it is silencing criticism of the authoritarian government and even mentions of the repression from the pulpit.
“All the time the silence gets deeper,” said Martha Patricia Molina, a Nicaraguan lawyer who fled to the United States. Her work recording hundreds of instances of church persecution recently won her an International Religious Freedom Award from the U.S. State Department.
“If it’s dangerous to pray the rosary in the street, it is exceedingly so to report attacks,” Molina said.
“Many priests believe that if they make reports, there will be more reprisals against the communities. We as laypeople would like for them to speak, but the only alternatives are cemetery, prison or exile.”
She counted 30 church desecrations in the past year, only a few reported to authorities. Recently, she heard of a priest who went to the police after a theft in his church – only to be cursed at and told he was a suspect.
“Life in Nicaragua is hell, because surveillance is brutal. You can’t say anything that’s against the government,” said an exiled priest. Like him, most exiles interviewed for this story spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution against their families or communities in Nicaragua.
“People now keep their heads down, as they wonder, ‘If they do this to the priests, what will they do with us?’” the clergyman added. He was barred from returning to Nicaragua, where he, like many priests and nuns, drew the government’s ire for providing shelter and first aid to those injured when the Ortega government violently repressed massive civic protests in 2018.
The unrest then, which started against proposed social security cuts, broadened to demand early elections and to accuse Ortega of authoritarian measures after hundreds of demonstrators were killed by security forces and allied civilian groups.
Like several Latin American governments tracing their roots back to socialist revolutions, Nicaragua’s has had an uneven relationship with faith leaders for decades. But those protests triggered an escalating and systematic targeting of the church in what the U.S. government’s Commission on International Religious Freedom calls a “campaign of harassment and severe persecution.”
Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo, who also is the vice president, blame “terrorist” clergy for supporting the civil unrest they claim amounts to plotting a coup against them. Clergy and lay observers say the government is trying to quash the church because it remains the rare critic in Nicaragua that dares to oppose state violence and whose voice is respected by many citizens.
The “unprecedented exiling of critical voices” – from religious leaders to journalists and artists – in Nicaragua amounts to a “total censorship plan,” said Alicia Quiñones, who leads the freedom of expression organization PEN International in the Americas.
It’s become nearly impossible to do independent reporting in Nicaragua, she added, citing last year’s imprisonment of a journalist on the charge of “fake information” after he covered an Easter celebration when public Catholic feasts have largely been barred.
“The pressure is becoming unsufferable,” said one priest now in the United States. Like others, he says Mass-goers have started noticing people in the pews they have never seen before and fear they’re there to report on any whiff of opposition to the government, even if only a prayer for the safety of clergy imprisoned in often dangerous conditions.
In a country where more than 80% of the population is Christian – about 50% Catholic and more than 30% evangelicals, according to the U.S. religious freedom commission – the repression cuts deep both spiritually and materially.
It has hit not only clergy and religious orders but college students, minority and marginalized populations, even tiny businesses in rural towns that relied on now often prohibited or indoors-only religious processions and patron saints’ feasts for their income.
In November, Molina said many priests were even prevented from celebrating traditional Masses in cemeteries for the Day of the Dead, an important holiday across Latin America.
Nicaragua’s congress, dominated by Ortega’s Sandinista National Liberation Front, has shuttered more than 3,000 nongovernmental organizations, including Mother Teresa’s charity, creating a major gap in social services especially in rural areas. In addition to many diocesan assets, the government confiscated the prestigious University of Central America, whose Jesuit leaders had opened the doors to student protestors fleeing police and paramilitary attacks.
Despite the growing fear, many faithful continue to attend church services – where they remain available. Especially in rural areas, parishes and chapels are left without priests, though the seminaries still have students so some faithful hope they will be able to eventually replace those exiled or forced to flee.
Many of the senior leaders of the Catholic Church, including Bishop Rolando Álvarez who was jailed for more than a year, were released from prison and sent overseas in negotiations with the Vatican last month. A dozen jailed priests had similarly been sent to the Vatican in October.
The Holy See has offered little public comment on the situation other than calling for dialogue. The Vatican spokesman didn’t respond when asked by the AP if Nicaragua’s highest-ranking cleric, Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, is in Rome, as some Nicaraguan sources reported.
Managua’s Auxiliary Bishop Silvio Báez has been one of the most outspoken critics of Nicaragua’s repression from the Miami area, where he is based after the pope asked him to leave his country to avoid violent threats. In late January, he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he was at the Vatican to meet with Pope Francis, who had “shown his interest and love for Nicaragua.”
Many exiles argue that while negotiating to release priests and other political prisoners marks progress, sending them into exile cannot become an acceptable practice.
“Exile cannot be normalized,” said Dolly Mora, who was forced to flee to the United States, where she’s helping campaign against the practice alongside other Nicaraguan activists. “It’s as unjust as prison. The international community cannot say it’s okay that they’re expelled.”
Without stronger protests from the Vatican and foreign governments, many exiles fear that any church representatives left in Nicaragua will be cowed into accommodating the Ortega government, which now only a minority of clergy supporters.
So they hope that continuing to call out the repression and to document each beaten-up priest, each desecrated tabernacle will eventually lead to justice.
“The dictatorship, what it wants is to completely eliminate the Catholic faith, because they haven’t succeeded in making the church kneel before them,” Molina said. “And they will not succeed.”
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Associated Press correspondent Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed to this story.
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Players on the Miami women’s basketball team celebrate after defeating Clemson on Thursday, Feb. 8 at the Watsco Center Photo credit: Miami Athletics
It’s hard to imagine anyone other than 18-year Miami Hurricanes’ head coach Katie Meier could’ve seen it coming when she did.
“We found it towards the end of the first half,” Meier said, referring to the ‘Canes offense which overcame a 17-point halftime deficit for a 75-72 overtime win over the Clemson Tigers (11-13, 4-8 ACC) on Thursday.
It was the third-largest halftime comeback in program history.
Miami (15-7, 5-6 ACC) trailed by as much as 18 and looked flustered at times. Many would have doubts before their belief, naturally. But in Meier’s case, believing was never in question.
“At the end of the first half our offense was not bad, we just did not hit good, ‘Miami,’ shots,” elaborated Meier.
However, Miami wasn’t just dealing with cold shooting. In the second quarter, transfer guard Lemyah Hylton went down with an apparent knee injury. The ‘Canes were going to need another gear.
As the second half developed, Miami shrugged off a cold 20 minutes and improved its shooting in field goal, three-point and free-throw percentage in the final frames. In the third quarter alone, UM went 5-of-9 from three, a stark contrast to their 0-for-11 start.
Behind the charge was Miami’s offensive rebounding, catalyzed by sophomore forward Lazaria “Zee” Spearman. Aside from finishing with the highest plus-minus of plus-13, Spearman grabbed seven rebounds, four of which were offensive, to go along with 14 points.
“Zee was very calm, she wasn’t as rough,” Meier said.
It was this even-keeled-ness, which reverberated throughout the ‘Canes demeanor and ultimately won them the contest. There may have been no overtime, however, without the poise of junior guard Ja’Leah Williams.
With a minute to go, Williams made the tying free throw, knotting the game at 61. With under 10 seconds to play, the junior stole the ball off a bad pass from the Tigers’ Harris. Williams finished with 11 points and 9 rebounds.
The x-factor, however, was forward Latasha Lattimore. The junior collected four offensive rebounds of her own. When she shared the court with Spearman, UM’s size proved formidable. Spearman spoke about the on-court dynamic between her and Lattimore.
“We got the same mindset, we both want to go out there and win or compete every time we get on the court,” the sophomore said. “I feel like just combining that really turned us into a different beast tonight.”’
It was Meier, of course, who elected to play them on the floor together for the majority of the second half. She did so for good reason.
“I thought Zee and [Latasha] really started to talk and compete,” Meier said. “When those two are talking, our defense is a lot better.”
Clemson was led by its graduate tandem of Amari Robinson and Dayshanette Harris, who had 24 and 22 points respectively, to lead all scorers. Shayeann Day-Wilson scored 17 for the ‘Canes.
UM heads to Georgia Tech, where it will take on the Yellow Jackets on Sunday. Tip-off is at 2 p.m.
PLANTATION, FLA. (WSVN) – A martial arts academy in Plantation is ready to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
A Chinese New Year festival is underway Saturday at John Wai Martial Arts, located along South University Drive. Performers donned dragon and lion costumes and danced to live music.
The holiday marks the beginning of the new year, according to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar.
Head instructor John Wai described what he believes this year has in store.
“It’s the year of opportunity. You have to go after what you want,” he said, “so, if you have goals, have financial goals, you have relationship goals, business goals, go out, get after it, don’t sit around, and really make 2024 the best year yet.”
2024 is the Year of the Dragon. Next year will celebrate the Snake.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Five people were onboard the jet when it crashed, according to the Florida Aviation Administration.
The two victims who died were pilot Edward Daniel Murphy, 50, of Oakland Park, along with second in command Ian Frederick Hofmann, 65, of Pompano Beach, CCSO officials announced on social media Saturday.
The people who survived are crew member Sydney Ann Bosmans, 23, of Jupiter, as well as passengers Aaron Baker, 35, and Audra Green, 23, both of Columbus, Ohio, authorities confirmed.
Five people were in The Bombardier Challenger 604 when it departed from Ohio State University’s airport in Columbus for Naples, according to the FAA.
Murphy was trying to land at the Naples airport when there was an emergency, according to a recording of his communication with an airport controller.
“Hop-A-Jet 823, lost both engines, emergency. I’m making an emergency landing. We’re clear to land but we’re not going to make the runway. We’ve lost both engines,” the pilot told the controller before the crash at about 3:15 p.m., on the southbound lanes of I-75.
Local 10 News obtained video from good Samaritan Kyle Cavaliere showing the aftermath of the fiery crash that sent plumes of black smoke into the sky as three survivors walked away claiming both pilots were still inside.
NTSB reported an investigator arrived at the site on Friday and several more were going to arrive on Saturday to “document the scene and examine the aircraft. The aircraft will then be recovered to a secure facility for further evaluation.”
The plane is registered to Fort Lauderdale-based East Shore Aviation LLC, according to the FAA. Fort Lauderdale-based Hop-a-Jet lists it as part of the charter company’s fleet.
A Local 10 News was at the crash scene Saturday evening where the charred jet suspended in the air as crews worked to remove the aircraft from the highway.
Debris remained scattered as charred marks could be seen along the barrier wall of the highway.
Federal authorities said a preliminary report about the cause of the crash can be expected in 30 days.
Chris Hoffman, Frederick Hoffman’s son, created a GoFundMe account to honor his father’s memory.
He wrote on the GoFundMe page that his father was “the ultimate professional pilot with over 40 years and 25,000 hours of experience at Piedmont, USAirways, Virgin America and Hopajet.”
For nearly two decades, the Baltimore-based Future Islands have wowed audiences around the world with their heartfelt anthems and bold live performances. The group just released their seventh album and announced a new tour, bringing their music to a whole new audience. From their new album “People Who Aren’t There Anymore,” here is Future Islands with “The Tower.”
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Retail store clerks are not trained or qualified to detain people suspected of shoplifting. That’s something that criminals, both petty and organized, have long exploited.
In many cases, stores have actually instructed workers to not interfere in minor instances of theft. Instead, they ask the employee to report it to store safety personnel who then build a case against the thief.
If shoplifting is accidental, it generally does not happen repeatedly. Many retailers check to see if certain customers have a pattern of not scanning expensive items at self-checkout or leaving a few items on the bottom of their cart.
It’s a challenge even for large retailers like Walmart (WMT) and Target because even though they have loss prevention departments, they don’t have their own police force. Neither retailer fully shares the steps it takes to prevent shoplifting and retail theft, but in some cases, store employees get the police involved.
A new program being tested by smaller retailers in the Bronx, N.Y., may actually have a solution to at least some of the retail theft problem plaguing both chains.
Target has scaled back self-checkout at select locations. Image source: Joe Raedle/Getty Image source: Joe Raedle/Getty
Small retailers try a basic tech solution
Sometimes, the old-school way of doing business does not work all that well. If, for example, you’re having a problem with a store, an airline, or any other big brand, it actually makes more sense to either call out your problem on X, the former Twitter, or direct message the company.
When you hashtag a company on social media highlighting something it has done wrong, that usually leads to a quick response. Brands don’t want their dirty laundry in public, so they will also generally respond quickly to customer service complaints made via direct message.
That’s similar to a new program being tested in the Bronx where small retailers are using WhatsApp instead of calling 911 to communicate with the police.
“NYPD detectives at the precinct also have set up new WhatsApp chat group where retailers can upload photos and videos of shoplifters swiping merchandise in real-time,” the New York Post reported. “While the pilot is only weeks old, Bronx business owners say that having direct access to officers has already resulted in arrests.”
That pilot program was put into place after stores had better luck stopping crimes by contacting officers directly who had given their contact info to store owners.
Police can use the channel to identify theft patterns and find people who are exceeding the standard from a misdemeanor to a felony. It’s a simple solution that could easily be applied at Target and Walmart locations.
Retail theft has grown
While there has been a lot of debate as to whether retailers have overstated how big a problem theft has become. shrink rate — which includes more than just stolen items — has gone up, according to the National Retail Security Survey from the National Retail Federation (NRF).
“This year’s study found that the average shrink rate in 2022 increased to 1.6%, up from 1.4% in 2021 and in line with shrink rates seen in 2020 and 2019. When taken as a percentage of total retail sales, that represents $112.1 billion in losses in 2022, up from $93.9 billion in 2021,” the trade association reported.
Shrink also includes damaged items and items lost in other ways, but theft is a core part of it.
“While retail shrink encompasses many types of loss, it is primarily driven by theft, including organized retail crime. Theft – both internal and external – accounts for nearly two-thirds (65%) of shrink overall and up to 70% in some retail sectors,” the report shared.
Target closed nine stores last year in order to prioritize the safety of its staff members and customers.
“In this case, we cannot continue operating these stores because theft and organized retail crime are threatening the safety of our team and guests, and contributing to unsustainable business performance. We know that our stores serve an important role in their communities, but we can only be successful if the working and shopping environment is safe for all,” the chain shared on its website.
For more Miami community news, look no further than Miami Community Newspapers. This Miami online group of newspapers covers a variety of topics about the local community and beyond. Miami’s Community Newspapers offers daily news, online resources, podcasts and other multimedia content to keep readers informed. With topics ranging from local news to community events, Miami’s Community Newspapers is the ideal source for staying up to date with the latest news and happenings in the area.
This family-owned media company publishes more than a dozen neighborhood publications, magazines, special sections on their websites, newsletters, as well as distributing them in print throughout Miami Dade County from Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Brickell, Coconut Grove, Pinecrest, South Miami, Kendall, Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay and Homestead. Each online publication and print editions provide comprehensive coverage of local news, events, business updates, lifestyle features, and local initiatives within its respective community.
Additionally, the newspaper has exclusive Miami community podcasts, providing listeners with an in-depth look into Miami’s culture. Whether you’re looking for local Miami news, or podcasts, Miami’s Community Newspapers has you covered. For more information, be sure to check out: https://communitynewspapers.com.
Speaker Alan Dershowitz discusses topics of the Israel-Palestine conflict during his talk at the Shalala Student Center on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024. Photo credit: Alexandra Fisher
By: Jenny Jacoby and Caroline Val
The University of Miami became a platform for free-speech and Israel when Alan Dershowitz took the stage on Wednesday night at the Shalala Student Center to lead students in a “Conversation about Israel.”
The prominent and controversial Harvard Law professor emeritus, best-selling author and pro-Israel advocate was invited to campus by Students Supporting Israel (SSI). While the crowd was mostly supportive, some protestors disrupted the event with shouts of genocide and demands for a ceasefire.
As the 150 evening attendees trickled in, they found on each seat a printed copy of an op-ed written by Dershowitz the day before. Dershowitz requested the op-ed, titled “To Stop My Pro-Israel Speech, I’m Falsely Accused Again,” to be placed on every chair.
It was written in response to an article published by The Miami Hurricane on Feb. 4 that previewed Wednesday’s event and referenced the allegations raised in an Instagram post by Canes for Palestine, an unofficial student group, calling Dershowitz a “known pedophile.”
Dershowitz has not faced any criminal charges of sexual misconduct or pedophilia and forcefully denied the allegations of pedophilia brought about by ‘Canes for Palestine, adding that he would sue whoever posted the claims for defamation.
“Let’s be absolutely clear about one conclusion,” Dershowitz wrote in the article. “Were I not invited to speak in defense of Israel, none of these issues would have been raised.”
Dershowitz became a household name for his career as a criminal lawyer for high-profile clients including OJ Simpson, Donald Trump and Harvey Weinstein in addition to Epstein.
He has also been a significant pro-Israel voice in the media, advocating for Israel and commenting on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing military operation against the terrorist group Hamas in Gaza, following the Oct. 7, 2024 attack on Israel. Dershowitz was even mentioned as a candidate to represent Israel in South Africa’s 2024 International Court of Justice case against the country. During the event, he promoted his most recent book on the subject entitled “War Against the Jews: How to End Hamas Barbarism.”
University of Miami student asks a question to speaker Alan Dershowitz during his talk at the Shalala Student Center on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024. Photo credit: Alexandra Fisher
Despite the controversy ahead of his arrival on campus, Dershowitz began the conversation by emphasizing his desire to still discuss varying viewpoints on the Israel-Palestine conflict, telling the audience: “I even appreciate ‘Canes for Palestine for asking me hard questions.”
He went on to offer his views on the Israel-Hamas war, whether there would be a future for the Netanyahu administration and the potential for a two-state solution.
“The only two-state solution that’s possible is to have a state without an army, without an air force and with security controlled by Israel for maybe 50 years, maybe 100 years,” he said.
“You can have a full blown [Palestinian] state, but the idea of allowing the state – which would have elements of Hamas in it – to have an air force, an army, to be able to be armed by Iran, would be a suicide pact.”
Most of the audience nodded and clapped in agreement.
He later addressed antisemitism on college campuses – which has risen significantly according to a report by the FBI since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October – and praised the leadership of UM President Julio Frenk throughout the conflict as an aspirational model for other universities.
“Miami seems to have a policy of equality, not a double standard, and that’s why I was willing and anxious to speak here and to lend support to President Frenk’s administration and his policies of allowing free speech on an equal basis for everybody – not picking and choosing,” Dershowitz explained in a later interview with The Hurricane.
Antisemitism, he continued to explain, is “the new McCarthyism.”
“The new McCarthyism is if you’re a Jew, people won’t listen to you,” Dershowitz said to The Hurricane. “It lumps people together based on identity politics, and it divides the world into two: the oppressors and the oppressed.”
But Dershowitz gave the primarily pro-Israel crowd encouragement that evening to continue advocating for Israel.
“We have nothing to fear,” he said. “We are on the right side of these issues morally, historically, in every possible way.”
University of Miami student debates a topic with speaker Alan Dershowitz during his talk at the Shalala Student Center on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024. Photo credit: Alexandra Fisher
About half-an-hour into the evening, two student protestors affiliated with ‘Canes for Palestine stood and disrupted the event, shouting that “genocide” is unfolding in Gaza.
“Thousands of parents and children are dead in the West Bank,” they added amid boos from the crowd, before being quickly escorted out by Dean Steven Priepke, who oversees student conduct, as well as several officers.
The pair faced no legal punishment after showing their ‘Cane Cards that identified them as students. The Hurricane does not know if the University took any other disciplinary action against the students.
Outside the venue, a few students affiliated with ‘Canes for Palestine, such as junior Miranda Rodriguez, came to morally support those who caused the event’s disruption.
“Coming out here is very important, for me especially as I know many people who are in SSI who are boldly proud of their stance, so I will be proud of my stance that I think that we need an immediate ceasefire in Gaza,” said Rodriguez.
Rodriguez also addressed Dershowitz’s op-ed written in response to ‘Canes for Palestine’s inflammatory Instagram post.
“It’s off-putting and kind of scary to have someone of such a high position call out our group without any understanding of what we’re truly for and no compassion for the fight we’re trying to fight.”
Other attendees arrived with some hesitance. When sophomore political science major and chair for Jewish Life at Hillel Jonathan Amaral first heard about the SSI event he asked himself, “Why him?”
“I could name 50 people off the top of my head that could have said relatively similar things,” Amaral said. Just the week before, Amaral attended an event with the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, an organization dedicated to combating antisemitism, Jonathan Greenblatt.
However, Amaral walked away “pleasantly surprised,” noting that he did not think Dershowitz crossed any major lines, was “fair” and agreed, for the most part, with Dershowitz’s description of Israel.
Speaker Alan Dershowitz discusses topics of the Israel-Palestine conflict during his talk at the Shalala Student Center on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024. Photo credit: Alexandra Fisher
Towards the end of the conversation, Dershowitz shifted his focus to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives on college campuses, a pillar of higher education he believes needs to be “completely dismantled and abolished.”
“DEI is a disaster,” Dershowitz said at the event. “Diversity explicitly excludes Jews, no matter how diversified you are, no matter how different you are. Diversity means only more people of color, more people of minorities. That’s what it means. It’s nothing to do with intellectual academic diversity, or even ethnic diversity. It’s only more blacks and more people of color.”
Dershowitz further explained in the interview with The Hurricane that colleges “should go back to meritocracy, equality and real inclusion.” Instead, he argues universities should uphold affirmative action on “an individual basis” and have specialized offices that combat discrimination.
He also made the point that universities should not have specialized departments (including Judaic studies) and alternatively incorporate subjects like indigenous, women’s and African history into all curriculums.
In a statement to The Hurricane, SSI organizers said they were thankful to attendees and police who were on hand to deal with any possible security threats. “Supporters and opposition alike, we believe that this was a very productive evening in which free speech and ideals were respectfully exchanged between both parties,” SSI said, adding, “Whether or not we as a club or as a campus community agree with everything Dershowitz said, we cherish the exchange of ideals.”
