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Guatemalan election observers’ report cites interference from parties, justice system

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:15:38 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Some Guatemalan political parties and other actors unnecessarily dragged the country’s June 25 elections into the courts in an attempt to ignore the will of the people, the Organization of American States observation mission has concluded.“The mission considers that the abuse of legal instruments by actors unsatisfied with the results introduced a high degree of uncertainty in the electoral process and put at risk the country’s democratic stability,” the election observers wrote in a report released Wednesday.For more than two weeks, the election results that put conservative former first lady Sandra Torres and progressive former diplomat Bernardo Arévalo in a runoff together went uncertified. Several losing parties requested injunctions and the Constitutional Court ordered a review of challenged precinct vote tallies.The observers said some political parties tried to use very isolated errors to sow doubt about the trustworthiness of the election and suggest th...

Military veteran who stormed Capitol with loaded pistol is sentenced to 7 years in prison

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:15:38 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A military veteran who stormed the U.S. Capitol with a loaded pistol, metal-plated body armor and a gas mask was sentenced on Wednesday to seven years in prison, one of the longest among hundreds of Jan. 6 riot cases.Christopher Michael Alberts isn’t accused of brandishing his concealed gun during the riot on Jan. 6, 2021. But he used a wooden pallet as a makeshift battering ram against police officers who were guarding a stairwell outside the Capitol, according to federal prosecutors.Alberts told U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper that he was trying to protect others outside the Capitol as police deployed tear gas and non-lethal munitions to hold back the mob.“I wasn’t trying to hurt anybody,” he said. “I just wanted it all to stop.”Cooper told Alberts that he was one of the leaders of the mob that day.“You were not simply a bystander,” the judge said.Alberts, a former Virginia National Guard member who lives in Maryland, spent six hours on Capitol...

The Dap Project brings DC communities together to discuss what ‘dap’ means to Black men

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:15:38 GMT

Aaron Stallworth, right, and Rhonda Henderson of The Dap Project. (Courtesy The DAP Project) Aaron Stallworth, right, and Rhonda Henderson of The Dap Project. (Courtesy The DAP Project) A D.C. group is creating conversation around a well-known gesture that has become a symbol of respect within the Black community.The Dap Project was founded by Rhonda Henderson and Aaron Stallworth back in 2019, after Henderson said she became more curious about the roots of the cultural embrace she witnessed everyday.“I have observed Black men giving daps for years, and I know I’m not alone,” Henderson said. “I remember I saw a lot of the Black men I knew in college greet each other. Why do Black men look s...

Fever beat Mystics 82-76 to snap an 8-game losing streak

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:15:38 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kelsey Mitchell had 18 points, five assists and four steals, Emma Cannon added 13 points and the Indiana Fever beat the Washington Mystics 82-76 on Wednesday to snap an eight-game losing streak.Indiana used a 15-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer by Amanda Zahui B., to go ahead 63-53 with 7:42 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Fever also scored seven unanswered points to make it 70-59 with 4:10 left.Washington made back-to-back 3-pointers in the final 30 seconds to get within 78-74, but Erica Wheeler sealed it by making two free throws with 7.5 seconds left. Aliyah Boston had 11 points and eight rebounds and Victoria Vivians also scored 11 points for Indiana (6-15). Wheeler finished with 10 points, going 6 of 6 from the free-throw line.Both teams were missing key players. Indiana was without NaLyssa Smith (foot) and Lexie Hull (nose). Washington was without Elena Delle Donne (ankle), Ariel Atkins (ankle), Shakira Austin (hip) and Kristi Toliver (plantar fasciitis). Na...

Mueren cinco dirigentes del Centro Democrático en accidente aéreo en Colombia

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:15:38 GMT

(CNN Español) — Seis personas fallecieron este miércoles en un accidente aéreo ocurrido cerca de San Luis de Gaceno, al noreste de Bogotá, informó la Aeronáutica Civil de Colombia.La avioneta cubría la ruta Villavicencio-Guaymaral y viajaba con seis personas a bordo. Los cinco pasajeros pertenecían al partido Centro Democrático y fueron identificados como Nohora Tovar, exsenadora; su esposo Guillermo Pérez, quien además era el coordinador departamental del Centro Democrático en el Meta; Dimas Barrero, diputado departamental del Meta; Óscar Rodríguez, concejal de Villavicencio; y Felipe Carreño, candidato a la gobernación del Meta.El piloto de la aeronave también falleció.Ascienden a 15 los muertos por avalancha en Quetame, ColombiaAeronáutica Civil informó que expertos recolectarán evidencias que permitan determinar las causas del accidente.En su cuenta de Twitter, el Centro Democrático lamentó el fallecimiento de sus militantes. “Las palabras se esconden cuando el corazón se ...

Denver has one of the higher shares of luxury homes in the country

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:15:38 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- It's not Los Angeles, but Denver does have one of the highest shares of luxury homes among the U.S.'s large cities.Real estate analysts at Point2Homes crunched national listings data to see which U.S. cities have the highest shares of so-called "luxury" homes - that is, homes listed for more than $1 million. In a nation of rising housing costs, however, luxury has become a loose term. The median home price is above $1 million in two cities. In others, as many as one in three homes are listed for $1 million or more. How homelessness in Denver compares to other cities In Denver, 27.3% of home listings are for more than $1 million, roughly equivalent to the share of $1 million homes in Washington, D.C. While this is one of the higher shares of $1 million homes, other cities have much higher shares. In Los Angeles, nearly two-thirds of homes (63.6%) are listed for $1 million or more. The same is true for San Francisco, San Jose and San Diego. In Boston, just over hal...

Federal judge nixes Donald Trump’s bid to move hush-money criminal case, keeping it in state court

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:15:38 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump can’t make a federal case out of this one.U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein on Wednesday rejected the former president’s bid to move his hush-money criminal case from New York state court to federal court, ruling that Trump’s lawyers had failed to meet a high legal bar for changing jurisdiction.Hellerstein found that the allegations pertained to Trump’s personal life, not presidential duties that would have merited a move to federal court.“The evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the matter was a purely a personal item of the President — a cover-up of an embarrassing event,” Hellerstein wrote in a 25-page ruling. “Hush money paid to an adult film star is not related to a President’s official acts. It does not reflect in any way the color of the President’s official duties.”Hellerstein’s decision sets the stage for Trump to stand trial in state court in Manhattan as early as next spring, overlapping with the 2024 presidential primary s...

‘Cracks’ visible in Putin’s leadership, senior U.K. officials say

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:15:38 GMT

ASPEN, Colo. — Russian President Vladimir Putin is under pressure as “cracks” have formed in his power structure following the Wagner Group’s munity, two senior British officials said in separate events Tuesday.Richard Moore, the head of MI6, assessed in a rare public address that the Yevgeny Prigozhin-led revolt against the Kremlin served as one of the greatest challenges to the autocrat’s two-decade rule.“I think he probably feels under some pressure. Prigozhin was his creature, utterly created by Putin, and yet he turned on him,” Moore said in Prague during a POLITICO event. “He really didn’t fight back against Prigozhin. He cut a deal to save his skin using the good offices of the leader of Belarus.”Hours later, U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told reporters on the sidelines of the Aspen Security Forum audience that “an attempted coup is never a good look because there’s no way that Putin can spin this as business as usual or good news.”“What we’re seeing is that the ...

Police raid MEP’s house as Qatargate corruption probe widens

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:15:38 GMT

BRUSSELS — Police raided the house of Belgian Socialist MEP Maria Arena on Wednesday as part of the Qatargate investigation — a corruption scandal that has centered on the European Parliament.Several lawmakers from Arena’s center-left Socialists & Democrats grouping have been caught up in the probe but, to date, Arena was not charged or even questioned by Belgian prosecutors.She was, however, mentioned in an arrest warrant earlier this year naming a group of MEPs who would allegedly do former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri’s bidding to alleviate Qatar’s influence in Brussels.She has denied any involvement in the scandal. Arena has carried on performing her duties as an MEP since the scandal erupted last December. She stepped down as chair of the subcommittee for human rights — a position she inherited from Panzeri, after POLITICO revealed she had failed to declare a subsidized trip to Qatar in line with Parliament’s rules.She is the fourth sitting MEP to be impl...

University of Vermont fires men’s hockey coach over ‘inappropriate’ text messages

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:15:38 GMT

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Vermont has fired men’s hockey coach Todd Woodcroft over what were described as inappropriate text messages with a student.Woodcroft was fired Tuesday following an internal investigation by the university’s Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity, athletic director Jeff Schulman said in a statement.“The specific conduct leading to the investigation involved inappropriate text messages with a UVM student on multiple occasions that failed to maintain professional boundaries,” the statement said.A voicemail was left with a listed number for Woodcroft.His attorney disputed the investigation’s findings.“We vehemently disagree with the process and the findings of a proceeding that lacked fundamental fairness and due process,” Andrew Miltenberg said in an email. “We strongly believe the University’s decision was contrary to the facts and the law. We intend to pursue justice for Mr. Woodcroft, who has been an outstanding coach and communit...