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EU court dismisses claim by Syrian refugees for damages from Frontex border agency

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:06 GMT

LUXEMBOURG (AP) — A top European Union court on Wednesday dismissed a claim by several Syrian refugees for damages from the Frontex EU border agency because they were returned to Turkey after landing in Greece, where they expressed a wish to be granted international protection.The EU General Court ruled that “since Frontex does not have the power to assess the merits of return decisions or applications for international protection, that EU agency cannot be held liable for any damage related to the return of those refugees.”The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, widely known as Frontex, coordinates border control efforts.The refugees arrived in Greece in 2016 but were returned to Turkey in a Frontex operation and eventually ended up in Iraq. They sought a combined 136,000 euros ($146,000) in damages.The court insisted that “Frontex’s task is only to provide technical and operational support to the Member States. However, it is the Member States alone that are competent to assess...

War sanctions against Russia highlight growing divisions among the Group of 20 countries

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:06 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is facing growing skepticism from some leading rich and developing nations as the residual impact of sanctions against Russia is deepening divisions among the Group of 20 countries.With world leaders and finance ministers meeting this week in India for the G20 summit, fractures have came into the open, and alliances are tightening among some nations that have long been resistant to the U.S.-led efforts to exact economic punishment on Moscow for its war in Ukraine.The United States and its allies among the Group of Seven major industrial nations insist that the sanctions and a price cap on Russian oil have been successful at restricting revenue for the Russian economy, even though it grew, in a year-to-year comparison, by 4.9% in the second quarter of 2023. Russia and China, meanwhile, have declared a “no limits” partnership of their own. And the economic bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — known as BRICS — is tryi...

Joe Jonas files for divorce from Sophie Turner after 4 years of marriage

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:06 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Joe Jonas filed for divorce from Sophie Turner on Tuesday after four years of marriage and two children. The 34-year-old Jonas Brothers singer filed to end his marriage with the 27-year-old star of “Game of Thrones” in Florida’s Miami-Dade County Court.The filing says “the marriage between the parties is irretrievably broken.”Turner and Jonas married in a secretive ceremony at a Las Vegas wedding chapel on May 1, 2019, after the Billboard Music Awards. Country duo Dan + Shay performed at the wedding.The couple had a daughter, Willa, in 2020, and last year had another daughter whose name they have not made public.Jonas is seeking joint custody of the girls, according to the divorce documents. The two had a prenuptial agreement that Jonas expects will be enforced, according to the filing.Representatives for Jonas and Turner did not immediately respond to requests for comment. On Wednesday, Turner and Jonas each posted identical statements to their Instagram ac...

Ukraine’s Catholic bishops tell pope that his praise for Russia’s imperial past ‘pained’ Ukrainians

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:06 GMT

ROME (AP) — Ukraine’s Greek Catholic bishops told Pope Francis on Wednesday that his words praising Russia’s imperial past had pained the Ukrainian people, bringing complaints about the Vatican’s diplomatic neutrality in Moscow’s war on their country to the heart of the Holy See.The bishops were in Rome for a periodic meeting and met with the pope in person for nearly two hours.While thanking Francis for his prayers, the bishops said certain statements and gestures from the pope and the Vatican “are painful and difficult for the Ukrainian people, who are currently bleeding in the struggle for their dignity and independence,” according to a statement from His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Greek Catholic church in Ukraine.The 86-year-old Jesuit pope has enraged both sides in the war, repeatedly expressing solidarity with the “martyred” Ukrainian people but refusing to call out Russia or President Vladimir Putin by name. He seemingly expressed understanding for t...

Former Rep. Mike Rogers enters Michigan Senate race as the first prominent Republican

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:06 GMT

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Republican Mike Rogers, who served in Congress for 14 years and chaired the House Intelligence Committee, is running for an open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan that Democrats have held for over two decades.The announcement, which was provided to The Associated Press in a campaign video on Wednesday, instantly shakes up a Senate race that had been relatively quiet and dominated by Democratic candidates. It’s seen as a recruiting victory for Michigan Republicans, who have struggled to win statewide races with a state party in turmoil.An Army veteran and former FBI agent, Rogers was elected to Congress in 2000 and served seven terms in the House, the last two as chair of the committee that oversees U.S. intelligence agencies. He left office in 2015 and served briefly on Trump’s transition team as an adviser on national security issues.“I thought I put politics behind but, like you, I know something’s broken,” Rogers said in the campaign video that attacks Pres...

Romanian minister says drone pieces from Russian attacks in Ukraine found in the NATO member

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:06 GMT

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania’s defense minister said Wednesday that pieces apparently of a drone from Russia’s recent attacks on Ukraine’s port on the Danube River have been found on the territory of his country. Romania is a NATO member.Angel Tilvar, the minister, told local news channel Antena 3 CNN that parts of what was most likely a drone were discovered in the eastern Tulcea county, an area of the Danube that forms a natural border between Romania and war-torn Ukraine.“I confirm that in this area, pieces that may be of a drone were found,” he said, adding that the pieces did not pose a threat. It’s unclear if Romania has determined when or from where the drone was launched. There has been a series of recent attacks by Russia on Danube ports in Ukraine, which are close to Romania, a NATO member since 2004.Tilvar’s comments come after Romania’s Ministry of National Defense “categorically denied” claims made on Monday by the spokesperson of Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreig...

Woman killed in early morning Globeville shooting

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:06 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — A woman was shot and killed early Wednesday morning in Denver's Globeville neighborhood. At 3:14 a.m., the Denver Police Department tweeted about a shooting investigation in the area of 45th and Washington near the off-ramp from Interstate 70. Reward offered in High Line Canal Trail killing According to police one victim, an adult female, was located. She was pronounced dead a short time later.At this time, the case is still being investigated and no suspect information has been released. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and still be eligible for a cash reward.The Denver Office of the Medica Examiner will release the woman's identity at a later date.

Longmont police officer saves man from burning vehicle

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:06 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — In the early hours of Sept. 2, Longmont Police Officer Justin Hill pulled a man out of a vehicle just seconds before it was fully engulfed in flames. Littleton officer receives Medal of Valor from Biden for heroic action Hill responded to a single-vehicle crash at Clover Basin and Larkspur just after 2 a.m. At the scene, Hill found three passengers, two of whom escaped from the car, but the other person was still stuck in the vehicle. The front of the car had caught on fire, and the flames were slowly spreading to the rest of the vehicle.As seen in Hill's dashcam footage, the officer was able to bend the car's window frame off of the vehicle with the help of a passenger and a citizen. The male was pulled out of the car and away from the vehicle right as the rest of it caught on fire. The remarkable video is posted on Longmont Public Safety's Facebook. The video material may be disturbing to some viewers. The man can be heard screaming from the car. Officer adop...

Best hikes to see the fall colors in Colorado in 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:06 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — In just two weeks, leaves will begin to change colors in northern Colorado. It's time to start planning those leaf-peeping trips and decide which picturesque hikes to take to see the best fall foliage.Colorado is having one of its wettest years on record. All that rain may have set the state up for a particularly vivid year for fall colors. Colorado fall colors forecast 2023: When and where to see peak colors The Pinpoint Weather team released its forecast of when you can expect peak colors across the state. Now that you know when colors will peak, it's time to grab those hiking boots.Otis, Hallett and Flattop Mountains seen from Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park in northern ColoradoViews at Kenosha PassA woman photographs the brilliant colors in the changing Aspen trees on Guanella Pass near Georgetown, Colo., on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2005. Leaf peeping, a nickname given to the tradition of viewing autumn foliage, is a healthy business generating hundred...

2 suspects who barricaded selves at home in Lauderhill taken into custody

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:06 GMT

After an hours long standoff, two suspects that barricaded themselves at a South Florida home were taken into custody. Broward Sheriff’s Office SWAT arrived at the home, located at 1410 NW 33rd Way, Tuesday evening. 7News camera captured several fire rescue trucks at the scene, as well as officers armed with long guns. A tank with a battering ram with also at the scene. According to BSO, VIPER detectives were attempting to serve a warrant at the home when the subjects barricaded themselves inside and refused to come out. Neighbors in the area were told to remain in there homes as deputies continued to work the incident. The suspects were identified as 35-year-old Roosevelt Permenter and 36-year-old Kaishonta Thomas.Both of them are facing multiple charges, which include aggravated assault with a firearm, identity fraud and grand theft.