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Kosovo receives $34.7 million US grant to fight corruption and strengthen democracy

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:37:50 GMT

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — The U.S. Agency for International Development has given Kosovo another grant to help the country’s integration into the European Union and Euro-Atlantic institutions, promote its growth and to support the development of democratic institutions, the U.S. Embassy in Pristina said Friday.The U.S. has invested $2 billion (1.86 billion euros) in Kosovo since 1999, including investments of over $1 billion (934 million euros) from USAID. The $34.7 million (32.4 million euros) is the last Congress-approved installment of agency funds for Kosovo.“Our USAID programs in Kosovo are all intended to ensure that all Kosovans can access effective and accountable services from their institutions, are empowered to demand accountability for these services, and can thrive through strong economic and democratic opportunities,” U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey M. Hovenier said.Kosovo’s president, Vjosa Osmani, said the government’s agreement with USAID “will contribut...

Bangladesh is struggling to cope with a record dengue outbreak in which 778 people have died

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:37:50 GMT

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh is struggling with a record outbreak of dengue fever, with experts saying a lack of a coordinated response is causing more deaths from the mosquito-transmitted disease.The World Health Organization recently warned that diseases such as dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever caused by mosquito-borne viruses are spreading faster and further because of climate change.So far this year, 778 people in Bangladesh have died and 157,172 have been infected, according to the government’s Directorate General Health Services. The U.N. children’s agency says the actual numbers are higher because many cases are not reported.The previous highest number of deaths was in 2022, when 281 people are reported to have died during the entire year.Dengue is common in tropical areas and causes high fevers, headaches, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain and, in the most serious cases, internal bleeding that leads to death.Mohammed Niatuzzaman, director of the state-run Mugda ...

Iowa man is found guilty in death of 10-year-old girl whose disappearance prompted a huge search

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:37:50 GMT

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A judge found an Iowa man guilty Friday in the murder of a 10-year-old girl who was missing for eight months before her remains were found in a pond.Henry Earl Dinkins, 51, was found guilty of first-degree murder and kidnapping in the death of Breasia Terrell, whose disappearance July 10, 2020, led to huge searches by dozens of volunteers and numerous law enforcement agencies. Fishermen found her body in March 2021 in a rural area north of Davenport.Sentencing was set for Oct. 11, at which he faces a mandatory term of life in prison.Prosecutors charged Dinkins with Breasia’s death in May 2021, alleging he kidnapped and then shot her to death. She had been staying the night with her half-brother and his father, Dinkins.Dinkins is a registered sex offender who was convicted of third-degree sexual abuse in 1990, when he was 17.During the two week trial, defense attorneys noted a lack of physical evidence, including no blood or semen linking Breasia and Dink...

Jury clears 3 men in the last trial connected to the 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:37:50 GMT

BELLAIRE, Mich. (AP) — Jury clears 3 men in the last trial connected to the 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.Source

Aurora neighborhood under a shelter-in-place

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:37:50 GMT

AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — Police have issued a shelter-in-place for an Aurora neighborhood due to SWAT activity.Just before 10:30 a.m. Friday, the Aurora Police Department tweeted about a shelter-in-place for a small community on the northeast corner of Airport Avenue and Colfax Boulevard. 1 killed in Aurora double shooting Police said it was due to SWAT activity in the area as they attempted to execute a warrant. Officers are evacuating residences that are directly affected and anyone else should avoid the area.This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

Are Colorado sports on a winning streak?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:37:50 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — With the Denver Nuggets' championship win in the spring and the University of Colorado Boulder's newfound success, Colorado may just be shaping up to be a state full of winning teams.While not every team will be champions in the same year, local sports have the potential to win more games than ever this season. Prime effect: 8.7M viewers watched Colorado defeat Nebraska FOX31 looked at the average winning percentage for Colorado's top seven teams since 2015. When it comes to winning percentages in the past 10 years, the highest average games won in Colorado were in 2016 and 2020.Colorado sports dominated in 2016 and 2020In 2016, the Broncos won the Super Bowl, the Buffs ranked 17th in the AP poll, the Colorado Mammoth were ranked high and the Rapids placed second overall.While only the Broncos won a championship, four of the seven teams performed well. In 2020, the Avalanche had one of the team's highest win percentages, while the Buffs and the Nuggets placed high...

Biden sending aides to Detroit to address autoworkers strike, says ‘record profits’ should be shared

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:37:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday dispatched two of his top aides to Detroit to help resolve the strike by unionized autoworkers, expressing sympathy for the union by suggesting that the Big 3 automakers should share their “record profits.”“No one wants to strike,” the Democratic president said in brief remarks at the White House. “But I respect workers’ right to use their options under the collective bargaining system and I understand the workers’ frustration.”The United Auto Workers announced a targeted strike at three factories after talks broke down with General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. Biden said he is sending Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su and senior aide Gene Sperling to Detroit to help reach a “win-win” contract for the companies and their employees.Biden said he called during the first day of negotiations and encouraged both sides to stay at the table as long as possible.“The companies have made some significant offers,” Biden said. “But I believe they sh...

Police arrest 7 teenagers accused of breaking into vehicles, committing armed robberies throughout Miami-Dade County

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:37:50 GMT

A group of teenagers accused of violently breaking into cars throughout Miami-Dade County for the last several months were arrested. Surveillance video captured the group as they tried to break into cars, with one of the suspects armed with a gun. “They were terrorizing our communities and using hand guns, rifles, stun guns and pepper spray,” said North Miami Beach Police Chief Harvette Smith. According to police, the seven suspects, raging from ages 16 to 18, were arrested after they terrorized people and committed more than a dozen crimes.Four of the seven suspects, police said, beat and robbed at least three people. “This group of individuals have confessed to committing three armed carjackings, five armed robberies, five auto thefts and at least 18 vehicle burglaries,” Smith said. “They also committed an aggravated battery on an elderly victim.”Now, they’re all behind bars facing felony charges.Police said that the group mostly targeted...

Florida mother arrested for child neglect after leaving toddler in running vehicle to ‘swim with sharks’

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:37:50 GMT

LEE COUNTY, Fla. (WSVN) — A Florida mother is facing child neglect charges after allegedly leaving her toddler son unattended in a running vehicle while she went for a daring ocean swim with a fascination for sharks.Authorities said Allison Daugherty, 41, was swimming near the Bokeelia Fishing Pier on Monday morning when a witness alerted a Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputy. Daugherty reportedly parked her SUV, cranked up the radio, and plunged into the water. Her actions drew the attention of onlookers who spotted a 2-year-old boy inside the running vehicle with the air conditioning on.According to witness statements, Daugherty ignored warnings from citizens about the presence of hooks and sharks in the water, responding that she “wanted to get hooked” and “would want to meet sharks.”Authorities mentioned that Daugherty left her son unattended in the vehicle for approximately 44 minutes. Thankfully, the child emerged unharmed from the ordeal and...

Spanish court imposes restraining order on disgraced football chief Luis Rubiales

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:37:50 GMT

Luis Rubiales, the former president of Spain’s football federation, cannot go within 200 meters of footballer Jenni Hermoso, the player he controversially kissed after Spain’s World Cup victory last month, a judge ruled on Friday. During the World Cup celebrations in Australia last month, Rubiales gave Hermoso a non-consensual kiss on the lips, igniting widespread criticism about sexism in the industry and later leading to his resignation.“We continue to maintain that it was a non-consensual kiss,” Hermoso’s lawyer Carla Vall said Friday, according to local news reports after the judge’s decision. “The whole country, and the whole world, has been able to observe that there was no consent whatsoever, which is what we will also demonstrate in court,” the lawyer added. Vall added the “humiliating act” had “tarnished a sporting milestone,” overshadowing the victory of the Spanish Women’s football team.Rubiales, who ...