South Africa arrests 8 officers assigned to the country’s deputy president over highway brutality

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:40:54 GMT

South Africa arrests 8 officers assigned to the country’s deputy president over highway brutality JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Eight police officers assigned to a security team for South Africa’s deputy president appeared in court Monday facing assault and other charges after they were caught on video kicking and stomping two off-duty trainee soldiers whose car they pulled over on a Johannesburg highway. The plainclothes VIP protection officers were driving in a convoy escorting Deputy President Paul Mashatile when they dragged the two men out of their car and attacked them earlier this month. Some of the officers carried assault rifles.One of the trainees was kicked unconscious in the attack, which was caught on video by another motorist and shared widely on social media.The car carrying Mashatile continued on to his house, and the deputy president was not present when the alleged assaults happened. Mashatile has condemned the conduct of the officers, who have been suspended from work.The eight officers were arrested Sunday and held at a Johannesburg police station before they appeared ...

Corea del Norte dispara dos misiles balísticos, según el Ministerio de Defensa de Japón

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:40:54 GMT

Corea del Norte dispara dos misiles balísticos, según el Ministerio de Defensa de Japón (CNN) — Corea del Norte lanzó dos misiles balísticos desde el interior del país hacia el este, según el Ministerio de Defensa japonés.Los detalles están siendo analizados, pero se presume que ambos misiles cayeron en el mar de Japón, al este de la península coreana, fuera de la Zona Económica Exclusiva (ZEE) de Japón, dijo el Ministerio de Defensa.El primer misil se lanzó hacia las 23:54pJST(10:54aET) y voló unos 350 km a una altitud máxima de unos 100 km.Corea del Norte dispara varios misiles de crucero al mar, dice Corea del SurEl segundo misil fue lanzado alrededor de las 23:59pJST(10:59aET), y voló unos 400 km a una altitud máxima de unos 100 km.Por el momento no se han confirmado daños a los buques y aeronaves que se encontraban en la zona, según el Ministerio de Defensa.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.Source

Fin de semana violento en Ecuador: ocho muertos, incluido un alcalde, y 90 agentes de seguridad penitenciaria retenidos

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:40:54 GMT

Fin de semana violento en Ecuador: ocho muertos, incluido un alcalde, y 90 agentes de seguridad penitenciaria retenidos (CNN) — Más de 90 agentes de seguridad penitenciaria se encuentran “retenidos” en diferentes prisiones de Ecuador, informó este lunes en un comunicado el Servicio Nacional de Atención Integral a Personas Adultas Privadas de Libertad y a Adolescentes Infractores (SNAI).El organismo señaló que está ejecutando acciones junto a la Policía Nacional para la liberación y retorno a la normalidad. Agregaron que los agentes retenidos se encuentran en “buen estado”.Estas son las cárceles que registran agentes retenidos:CPL Napo N°1: 12CPL Cotopaxi N°1: 25CPL Azuay N°1: 40CPL Cañar N°2: 5CPL El Oro N°1: 14Fin de semana violento: un alcalde asesinato y seis presos muertosEl alcalde de Manta, sexta ciudad más grande de Ecuador, Agustín Intriago, fue asesinado este domingo en un atentado dirigido contra él, según un comunicado del ministro del Interior del país, Juan Zapata.Una mujer, Ariana Chancay, también murió en el ataque, según las autoridades. Cuatro personas resultaron heridas, entre...

Braves land relievers Pierce Johnson and Taylor Hearn in trades with Rockies and Rangers

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:40:54 GMT

Braves land relievers Pierce Johnson and Taylor Hearn in trades with Rockies and Rangers ATLANTA (AP) — The NL-leading Atlanta Braves traded for a pair of relievers Monday, acquiring right-hander Pierce Johnson from Colorado and lefty Taylor Hearn from Texas.The moves could help Atlanta (64-34) fortify its bullpen for the final two months of the season.The Braves gave up pitching prospects Victor Vodnik and Tanner Gordon to land Johnson. The 23-year-old Vodnik was 3-1 with a 3.10 ERA in 30 relief outings for Double-A Mississippi. The 25-year-old Gordon has split this season between Triple-A Gwinnett and Mississippi, combining to go 5-9 with a 5.86 ERA in 17 games.They got Hearn for cash considerations. He had been designated for assignment last week. He began the season with the Rangers and posted a 10.29 ERA in four relief outings before being optioned to Triple-A Round Rock in mid-April.Johnson should provide immediate help. The 32-year-old was 1-5 with a 6.00 ERA for the Rockies, having pitched 39 innings in 43 outings, striking out 58 and walking 25.He was a 2012 fi...

Denny Hamlin courts controversy, counts victories at Pocono after milestone 50th win in Cup

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:40:54 GMT

Denny Hamlin courts controversy, counts victories at Pocono after milestone 50th win in Cup LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — Denny Hamlin’s friends greeted him at the airport with a sparkling wine shower the instant he walked down the steps of his plane — and hours after he drove into victory lane at Pocono Raceway — in celebration of his 50th career NASCAR Cup win.Let’s put that milestone in perspective.Yes, with three Daytona 500 victories, crown jewel Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500 wins and expansion into team ownership, Hamlin already was headed to the Hall of Fame.But 50 wins in Cup stamps rockets him into rarified air. It’s the NASCAR equivalent of 3,000 hits and 500 home runs in baseball that puts Hamlin on the short list of the true elite.Consider, only 14 other drivers over NASCAR’s 75 years have hit that mark and all but three is in the Hall of Fame. Of those three on the outside, Jimmie Johnson is on the ballot this year, and Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick are sure to get there.The one caveat: Hamlin and Junior Johnson are the only ones in the 50 Cup Club without a champions...

IRS is ending unannounced visits to taxpayers to protect worker safety and combat scammers

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:40:54 GMT

IRS is ending unannounced visits to taxpayers to protect worker safety and combat scammers WASHINGTON (AP) — The Internal Revenue Service said Monday it is ending its decades-old policy of making unannounced home and business visits, in an effort to help keep its workers safe and to combat scammers who pose as IRS agents. Effective immediately, revenue agents will no longer make unplanned visits to taxpayers’ homes and businesses “except in a few unique circumstances,” the Treasury Department said in a statement. The agency will instead mail letters to people to schedule meetings.“Today’s announcement is the right thing to do, at the right time,” new IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel told reporters on a call Monday.The change ends “an era at the IRS,” he said, reversing a practice by revenue officers whose duties include visiting homes and firms to resolve taxpayers’ liabilities by collecting unpaid taxes and unfiled tax returns.The agency in recent years has experienced more threats, in part tied to conspiracy theories that agents were going to targe...

Films starring Jamie Foxx, Jodie Comer to premiere in Toronto, but strike would impact premieres

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:40:54 GMT

Films starring Jamie Foxx, Jodie Comer to premiere in Toronto, but strike would impact premieres NEW YORK (AP) — The Toronto International Film Festival unveiled a starry lineup to its 48th edition on Monday, even if remains unclear if stars will be there to walk red carpets due to the ongoing actors and writers strikes.Among the films making their world premieres at TIFF this year are Craig Gillespie’s GameStop drama “Dumb Money,” with Paul Dano and Pete Davidson; Ellen Kuras’ “Lee,” starring Kate Winslet at war photographer Lee Miller and Tony Goldwyn’s Ezra,” with Robert De Niro and Rose Byrne. Also headed to Toronto are Michael Keaton’s “Knox Goes Away,” starring Al Pacino and James Marsden; Kristen Scott Thomas’ “North Star,” featuring Scarlett Johansson and Sienna Miller; David Yates’ Netflix drama “Pain Hustler,” starring Emily Blunt and Chris Evans; and Maggie Betts’ “The Burial,” with Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones.Those films, and many more including directorial debuts by Anna Kendrick (“Woman of the Hour”) a...

Dr. Fauci, Liz Cheney, Bill Nye among Colorado Speaker Series guests

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:40:54 GMT

Dr. Fauci, Liz Cheney, Bill Nye among Colorado Speaker Series guests DENVER (KDVR) -- A new event called the Colorado Speaker Series is coming to Denver this year and will feature seven unique events at the Bellco Theatre.While many of the speakers are household names, like Bill Nye and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the series also brings people who may not be as familiar such as Stacey Abrams, a former state representative in Georgia, and Robert Ballard, the man who led the team that discovered the wreck of the Titanic in 1985.The series will run from Nov. 14 through April 20, 2024, and include seven speakers:Dr. Anthony Fauci - Tuesday, Nov. 14Bill Nye - Wednesday, Dec. 6Liz Cheney - Friday, Jan. 26Captain Scott Kelly - Thursday, Feb. 15Dr. Robert Ballard - Thursday, March 7Stacey Abrams - Wednesday, April 3Ambassador "Sully" Sullenberger - Saturday, April 20Tickets as a subscription for the whole series are already available on presale. There are currently two pricing tiers available:Premium A VIP for $599 which includes a reception meet and greet with one o...

MDPD director shot himself while with wife, he survived

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:40:54 GMT

MDPD director shot himself while with wife, he survived FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP/WSVN) — The director of the Miami-Dade Police Department was in stable condition after surgery in a Tampa area hospital, the Miami-Dade mayor said Monday, amid reports from local media that he had shot himself.Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez, 52, was in Tampa for a law enforcement conference, officials said.“Following a critical injury in Tampa yesterday, Chief Ramirez is hospitalized and in critical but stable condition,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, adding that “that “All that matters right now is Chief Ramirez’s wellbeing.”Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister told Tampa TV station WFLA that Ramirez shot himself Sunday night during a domestic dispute after stopping his car along Interstate 75 south of Tampa, where the sheriff’s conference was underway.The Miami Herald reported that Ramirez’s wife was traveling with him at the time.According to Tampa Police, officers responded to reports of a man, just after 6:30 p.m., who...

Police arrest phone thief at Rolling Loud Miami

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:40:54 GMT

Police arrest phone thief at Rolling Loud Miami An off-duty officer’s keen eye led to the arrest of a phone thief who was found with a stash of stolen iPhones from the Rolling Loud music festival at Hard Rock Stadium.Authorities said the incident occurred Sunday evening. According to police, the off-duty officer noticed a Hispanic male walking through the event wristband and carrying an opaque book bag, a violation of the event’s rules.Concerned about the individual’s suspicious behavior, two officers approached the man identified as Kevin Andres Vargas Chistancho. The officers advised Chistancho that his bag violated the event rules and proceeded to remove it from his possession. Upon inspecting the bag, officers found a smaller black bag inside, which, when opened, revealed a metallic inner lining consistent with a Faraday bag – a device commonly used to block phone signals.To their surprise, the Faraday bag contained a total of 12 stolen iPhones of various models. One of the victims of the thefts was ab...