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Harry Belafonte, activist and entertainer, dies at 96

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:56 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Harry Belafonte, the civil rights and entertainment giant who began as a groundbreaking actor and singer and became an activist, humanitarian and conscience of the world, has died. He was 96.Belafonte died Tuesday of congestive heart failure at his New York home, his wife Pamela by his side, said Ken Sunshine, of public relations firm Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis.With his glowing, handsome face and silky-husky voice, Belafonte was one of the first Black performers to gain a wide following on film and to sell a million records as a singer; many still know him for his signature hit “Banana Boat Song (Day-O),” and its call of “Day-O! Daaaaay-O.” But he forged a greater legacy once he scaled back his performing career in the 1960s and lived out his hero Paul Robeson’s decree that artists are “gatekeepers of truth.” He stands as the model and the epitome of the celebrity activist. Few kept up with Belafonte's time and commitment and none his stature as a meeting poin...

Instacart delivery drivers’ vehicle was fired at after they mistakenly went to the wrong address while delivering groceries, South Florida police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:56 GMT

(CNN) — Two Instacart shoppers making a grocery delivery to a home in South Florida had their car shot at after they mistakenly ended up at the wrong address last week — an incident that police say didn’t lead to criminal charges.The homeowner who opened fire, a 43-year-old Southwest Ranches man, told police he shot his 9mm handgun at the car after it ran over his foot, and he feared for his life and the lives of his children, according to an incident report from the Davie Police Department.The April 15 incident — which didn’t lead to any injuries from the gunfire — comes amid a series of wrong-place, wrong-time shootings, including one that killed a 20-year-old woman in New York and another that wounded a teenager in Missouri.The Instacart shoppers, who are 18 and 19 years old, told police they were having trouble finding a customer’s home in Southwest Ranches, about 25 miles northwest of Miami, while delivering groceries and mistakenly pul...

Train of Rain Continues

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:56 GMT

Unsettled weather continues, as scattered to numerous showers and storms are expected to develop this afternoon/evening. A few could become severe producing lightning, damaging winds, hail, and a brief tornado.The Southern branch of the jetstream is going to keep deep moisture in the air to aid in shower and storm development this week. By Thursday, fewer storms likely and conditions turning hotter with winds veering out of the South. Heading into Friday a weak front approaches the Southeast U.S. and that could increase the coverage of showers and storms.Have a wonderful day South Florida and make it a safe one! Vivian GonzalezMeteorologist, AMS Certified WSVN Chanel 7

Lockdown lifted at Park Lakes Elementary after gun found on campus

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:56 GMT

Park Lakes Elementary has been placed on lockdown after a weapon was found inside a student’s backpack, but just before 11 a.m., the lockdown was lifted. On Tuesday, Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the scene around 9:15 a.m. after the call came in from the school, located at 3925 N. State Road 7 in Lauderdale Lakes. BSO released a statement that stated the lockdown was lifted and also noted that deputies came into contact with the student.“Deputies made contact with the student and the child’s father, who stated he accidentally placed the weapon in the wrong bag,” the statement read in part. “The father is being charged accordingly.”After searching the campus, the loaded gun was located and has since been confiscated. According to school officials, no threats were made to the school or staff. Several people are in police custody. Their identities have not yet been released. No injuries have been reported. The school’s facility...

EU transparency watchdog urges Parliament to deliver on post-Qatargate reforms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:56 GMT

BRUSSELS — EU Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly called upon the European Parliament president to deliver on transparency reforms she promised after the so-called Qatargate corruption scandal broke late last year.The ombudsman urged Parliament President Roberta Metsola to resist pressure from lawmakers and implement the 14 reform proposals that were floated in the wake of the alleged cash-for-influence scandal, in which European lawmakers were accused of taking bribes from foreign countries including Qatar and Morocco.Parliamentary political groups backed these proposals in February and they are in the process of being adopted by the EU’s assembly, Metsola wrote in a letter to O’Reilly dated March 20. “I’m sure President Metsola is getting pushback from MEPs and groups … It’s a very challenging position for her [Metsola] because I believe in her bona fide,” O’Reilly told reporters in a press conference Tuesday following the publication of the ombudsman’s annual report.O’Reilly warned th...

Sudan conflict: UK starts evacuating British nationals amid shaky cease-fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:56 GMT

LONDON — Rishi Sunak ordered the evacuation of British nationals from Sudan amid a shaky cease-fire between warring sides in the northeast African nation.“We have started contacting nationals directly and providing routes for departure out of the country,” Foreign Secretary James Cleverly tweeted early Tuesday.The U.K. government has faced some criticism for the speed of its help to British nationals, but has insisted it cannot safely escort people out of the country without a pause in hostilities.A power struggle between Sudan’s military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemeti,” has plunged Sudan into fierce fighting. Around 500 people have died so far, with fighting across the African nation.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced overnight that the two groups had agreed to a 72-hour nationwide cease-fire, beginning at midnight. On Tuesday the RSF claimed that the S...

Foreign powers rescue nationals while Sudanese must fend for themselves

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:56 GMT

(CNN) — Foreign powers have rescued embassy staff, diplomats and nationals caught in Sudan’s deadly fighting, even as on the ground many Sudanese are stuck in deteriorating and deadly conditions.At least 50 people were injured and an unknown number killed in shelling that rocked the capital Khartoum on Monday, the Preliminary Committee of Sudan Doctors’ Union said in a statement.Meanwhile foreign governments led rescue efforts to evacuate civilians from the intense conflict. US special forces helped bring almost 100 people — mostly US embassy staff, as well as a small number of diplomatic professionals from other countries — to safety over the weekend, US officials said.Many other nations are scrambling to do the same, with more than 1,000 European Union nationals evacuated so far.The United Nations has temporarily relocated its Khartoum-based staff to Port of Sudan, it said in a statement.Around 700 UN, international NGO and embassy staff and...

Fake Craigslist ad costs New Hampshire man right to vote

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:56 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire man who posted a fake Craigslist ad for a free trailer with a legislative candidate’s number on the day of the election — saying it was a joke — has lost his right to vote in the state.Michael Drouin, 30, of Merrimack pleaded guilty Monday to creating a false document after a flood of unwanted calls and texts jammed up the candidate’s cellphone.That’s just a misdemeanor, but it still disenfranchises Drouin. Anyone convicted of a willful violation of the state’s election laws loses their right to vote in New Hampshire. His plea agreement also called for a 90-day suspended jail sentence, a $250 fine and 250 hours of community service.The special election was held in April 2021 to replace Republican New Hampshire House Speaker Dick Hinch, who died of COVID-19 in December 2020.The candidate, Bill Boyd, a Republican who went on to win, turned off his phone after receiving more than 37 phone calls or text messages in 45 minutes on the mornin...

Why don’t the Dolphins have a first-round pick in Thursday’s draft?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:56 GMT

Amid an abundance of excitement surrounding the Miami Dolphins’ offseason, the 2023 NFL draft is a painful reminder that the team was stripped of its first-round pick due to tampering violations.That’s why Thursday night’s first round will only consist of 31 picks, instead of the usual 32 — one for every NFL franchise. The league found Miami had “impermissible communication” with quarterback Tom Brady and coach Sean Payton while they were employed by other teams.The NFL, in August, docked the Dolphins their 2023 first-round draft selection and 2024 third-round pick. Owner Steve Ross was fined $1.5 million and suspended for the first six weeks of the 2022 regular season for the tampering findings.The Dolphins once held two first-round selections in the 2023 draft. They had another one from a previous trade with the San Francisco 49ers, but that one was later sent to the Denver Broncos at last season’s trade deadline for Pro Bowl outside lineb...

‘A beauty in the grind’ as Heat move on to Milwaukee with stunning 3-1 series lead

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:56 GMT

To fully appreciate this moment, the magnitude of this moment, this 3-1 lead in this best-of-seven opening-round Eastern Conference playoff series against the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks is to appreciate the road, the recent rocky road, that led the Miami Heat to this moment.On March 29, it was walking off the court at Madison Square Garden after a 101-92 loss to the New York Knicks, any shot of a top-five playoff seed all but gone as the losing streak reached three.On April 7, it was a road loss with a shorthanded roster against the Washington Wizards that eliminated the possibility of a top-six finish, dropping Erik Spoelstra’s team into the harrowing play-in round for the first time.On April 11, it was a humbling 116-105 home loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the play-in opener that reduced the season to one final winner-take-all game in order to make the playoffs.And on April 14, it was a fourth-quarter deficit to the visiting Chicago Bulls in that winner-take-all game before ra...