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House of convict in notorious German cannibal case destroyed

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:56:18 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — The former home of a man serving a life sentence for killing and eating an acquaintance in a case that appalled Germany two decades ago burned down early Monday, police said.It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the overnight blaze in the small central town of Rotenburg an der Fulda, but police said they weren’t ruling out arson, German news agency dpa reported.Mayor Christian Grunwald said he hoped the fire would put an end to frequent trips to the site by people coming out of curiosity and for other reasons.“The ruin must be removed permanently; it must not become a pilgrimage site,” he said.The half-timbered house belonged to Armin Meiwes, who was convicted of murder and disturbing the peace of the dead, and was the scene of the crime. It had been empty for years. Meiwes was arrested in December 2002 over the death the previous year of Bernd Juergen Brandes. He has said that Brandes answered his internet posting seeking a young man for “slaughter and c...

Shooting of Black teen who went to wrong house investigated

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:56:18 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The investigation into the shooting by a homeowner of a Black teenager who went to the wrong house to pick up his younger brothers includes questions about whether it was racially motivated, authorities in Kansas City said.Police are quickly preparing evidence for prosecutors in Thursday’s shooting, Chief Stacey Graves said Sunday at a news conference at police headquarters.“I want everyone to know that I am listening,” Graves said, “and I understand the concern we are receiving from the community.” The Kansas City Star reported the 16-year-old, whom family members have identified online as Ralph Yarl, was hospitalized Thursday night after he was shot while trying to pick up his younger twin brothers from a friend’s house. Police said he went to the wrong house and was shot there. Officials would not confirm the number of times the homeowner shot the victim or where his injuries were. Police initially said Yarl was stable but had a life-threatenin...

Berlusconi’s treatment for infection continues in hospital

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:56:18 GMT

ROME (AP) — The doctors caring for former Premier Silvio Berlusconi in a Milan hospital, where he was admitted with a lung infection. said Monday that his treatment continues now that he is out of intensive care. His longtime personal physician, Alberto Zangrillo, and a hospital blood cancer specialist, Fabio Ciceri, signed off on the brief medical bulletin a day after the media mogul was transferred from the ICU at San Raffaele hospital to a regular-care section. Berlusconi, 86, was hospitalized on April 5. Days later, doctors revealed he has chronic leukemia as well as the lung infection. The latest medical bulletin gave no hint at when Berlusconi might be discharged. It said that “at the moment, the clinical status and the response to treatment allowed for the transfer” out of ICU. “The treatment and monitoring of functional parameters continue,” it said.The Forza Italia party he founded three decades ago is a partner in the coalition government of far-right Premier Giorgia...

Italian police scoop up 2 tons of cocaine bobbing in sea

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:56:18 GMT

ROME (AP) — Italian police scooped up two tons of cocaine, wrapped in protective plastic and bobbing in the sea off eastern Sicily, authorities said Monday.The financial police squad estimated that the recent “catch” would have fetched about 400 million euros (nearly $450 million) in street sales. The packages of cocaine were strung together with netting, police said in a statement. There was just enough plastic wrapping to keep the cocaine from getting wet without weighing it down and possibly sinking it. Investigators hypothesized that a cargo ship left it in the sea as part of a scheme for another vessel to come along and eventually bring it to land. Police aircraft flew over the area of sea as a precaution to spot any other cocaine bundles that might have separated from the netting.In all, police scooped up more than 1,600 packets of cocaine held in 70 bobbing bundles, the statement said.The Associated Press

Teck controlling shareholder calls Glencore bid the wrong one at the wrong time

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:56:18 GMT

VANCOUVER — The controlling shareholder of Teck Resources Ltd. rejected Glencore’s offer to buy the Canadian miner, but says he is open to talking about other possible deals once the company completes its own plan to split its business.Teck chairman emeritus Norman Keevil says Glencore’s proposal is the wrong one, at the wrong time. Teck’s board has rejected Glencore’s unsolicited takeover offer that would see shareholders receive a stake in a combined metals company as well as a choice of cash or shares in a company that would hold their merged coal assets.Instead, the company is pursuing a plan it announced in February to split up its metal and steelmaking coal businesses into two companies, Teck Metals and Elk Valley Resources. The proposal will be voted on by shareholders later this month. Keevil says he would support a transaction – whether it be an operating partnership, merger, acquisition, or sale – with the right partner, on the right terms for Teck ...

Italy pushes crackdown on migrants reaching its shores

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:56:18 GMT

ROME (AP) — Italy’s right-wing government pressed ahead with plans to crack down on migrants as they arrived by the hundreds on Monday at a Sicilian port after a Coast Guard rescue. Dozens more were taken on board a charity boat from an unseaworthy vessel operated by smugglers, while others came ashore unaided.This week, the Senate is due to take up proposed legislation put forward by the government of far-right Premier Giorgia Meloni that aims to make it harder for migrants to gain temporary permission to stay in Italy.Coalition ally Matteo Salvini, who leads the anti-migrant League party, wants the country to eliminate a status known as “special protection” for many of the tens of thousands of migrants who have come ashore in Italy for years now aboard smugglers’ boats launched from Libya, Tunisia, Turkey and other places. That status allows migrants who are unlikely to win refugee status to stay in Italy for two years, pending renewal. During this time, they can work ...

Senegal musician Maal named UN ambassador on desertification

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:56:18 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Senegalese singer-songwriter Baaba Maal on Monday was named a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. Covention to Combat Desertification.Maal has long been an activist on climate change and refugees. Since 2003, he has been committed to various development challenges in Africa, working with different U.N. family organizations.His NANN-K Trust recently opened a solar-powered irrigation project in Senegal to fight desertification, which is one of the main drivers of people leaving the country on dangerous migration routes. The project will train people to start similar projects in their own communities. In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Maal said he is a believer in putting power in the hands of young people and women.“We are tackling climate change impact, but also fighting desertification on the African continent, especially in my region where we are just not far away from the desert and we see it coming to us,” he said. “And it had an impact because peo...

Alves tells judge he had consensual sex with alleged victim

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:56:18 GMT

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Dani Alves testified in court on Monday and told the judge investigating a sexual assault accusation against him that he had consensual sex with the alleged victim.Alves has been in jail since Jan. 20 after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a nightclub in Barcelona on Dec. 30. The Brazilian soccer player has denied wrongdoing.Alves had initially said he hadn’t had sex with the woman but eventually changed his version. He said he was trying to save his marriage by not admitting to the sexual encounter at first. The player reportedly told the judge that there was a mutual sexual attraction between him and the woman from the time they met at the nightclub.The court had denied Alves’ request to be freed on bail while the investigation continues, saying he was a flight risk. A trial has not been set.The victim’s lawyer, Ester García, said Monday she expected Alves to remain jailed during the investigation. Alves’ lawyer, Cristóbal M...

2-year-old girl in serious condition after South Side car crash

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:56:18 GMT

CHICAGO — Multiple people were injured, including a 2-year-old girl, in a car crash on the South Side Sunday night.According to police, two vehicles collided at the intersection of the 51st and Champlain Avenue when a sedan travelling eastbound on 51st street attempted to turn on Champlain but failed to yield and struck another vehicle. The sedan was occupied by a 56-year-old driver and a 25-year-old passenger. Both individuals were not injured and refused EMS, police said. 2 teens shot in the Loop during large disturbance The vehicle that was struck was had a 20-year-old female driver who sustained minor injuries and an 18-year-old female passenger who sustained injuries to the face. Both were transported to a hospital in fair condition. A 2-year-old girl who was also a passenger in the car sustained trauma to the body and was transported to Comers Hospital in serious condition. Citations are pending and police are still investigating the incident.

200 Chicago-area moms join march to ban assault weapons in D.C.

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:56:18 GMT

CHICAGO — For one of the Highland Park survivors, Ashley Beasley, this will be her thirteen time to lobby for an assault weapons ban.The 'Save Our Students' march is set to take place Monday in Washington D.C. with about 200 Chicago-area moms joining 1,000 participants. The marchers plan to visit congressmen and senators to lobby for their support and Congress returns from recess.They will begin on the National Mall Lake and make their way to the Capitol. 2 teens shot in the Loop during large disturbance 'March Fourth,' an organization founded by a Winnetka mom is leading the event. "What we're asking for isn't hard and it's not complicated. Surviving a mass shooting is hard, banning assault weapons is not hard," Kitty Brandtner, the founder of "March Fourth" said.Joining Brandtner in the march is Higland Park survivor, Lindsey Hartmann and her husband who threw themselves on their daughter when people next to them were shot during the parade. Seven people were killed when a...