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Miami-Dade County, Florida Keys introduce 645 area code

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:57:12 GMT

Following the sequence of change, where “305” made way for “786,” a new area code emerges in South Florida — the “6-4-5.” Residents of Miami-Dade County and the Florida Keys will wake up to the presence of this fresh addition as it officially takes effect Friday. This new area code, recognized as an “overlay,” is set to serve the same geographic areas currently covered by the 305 and 786 area codes.The introduction of the 645 area code comes as the burgeoning population and the proliferation of communication devices have led to an increased demand for phone numbers. Local authorities and telecommunications regulatory bodies have worked collaboratively to ensure a seamless transition for residents and businesses. This means that individuals who currently possess a 305 or 786 area code will retain their existing numbers, while any new numbers issued may receive the 645 code.

Trump could face a 4th indictment as Georgia DA probes allegations of election interference

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:57:12 GMT

Former President Donald Trump might be facing yet another indictment, this time in Georgia stemming from an investigation into allegations of election interference.A district attorney in Georgia has launched a probe to determine whether Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state. If charges are filed, this would mark his fourth indictment.The decision on whether to proceed with an indictment is anticipated to be reached before the first of September.Security measures have been significantly heightened at the Atlanta courthouse after recent death threats. In preparation for potential arraignments, teams of experts have been dispatched to both New York and Miami to study and adapt advanced security protocols. The goal is to maintain order and safety during any legal proceedings that may arise from the ongoing investigations.Furthermore, local authorities have announced a temporary road closure scheduled to commence on Monday and continue for a span...

Kenyan doctors say civilians were shot, and some killed, while running from police during protests

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:57:12 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Doctors in Kenya say the bullet wounds that civilians received during opposition protests in two counties last month show that most were shot while running from police or trying to surrender, according to a report released Friday.The report by the Kenya Medical Association, Amnesty International Kenya and the Law Society of Kenya looked at three days of protests in the western counties of Kisumu and Kisii, part of the opposition’s stronghold. It confirmed at least 11 people killed, most of them shot dead, and counted at least 47 others with gunshot wounds.“There was indeed the use of excessive force by the police” during the protests over the rising cost of living, the report said, noting that some victims were simply bystanders, including a woman watching the demonstrations from her shop. She was shot in the chest.The findings come less than a week after Kenya’s government said it would consider leading a multinational force in Haiti to take on gang warfare an...

Stock market today: Wall Street rises following reports on US job market, Big Tech earnings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:57:12 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are rising following mixed reports about the U.S. job market and profits at two of Wall Street’s most influential stocks. The S&P 500 was up 0.6% early Friday and heading for its first gain in four days. The Dow was up 136 points, or 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite was up 1%. Treasury yields dipped after the government said hiring was a touch weaker last month than expected. That could help keep pressure off high inflation. Amazon jumped 9.2% after reporting a much bigger profit than expected. Apple fell 3.1% after reporting revenue that just barely topped forecasts.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets rose Friday before a U.S. jobs update that could influence interest rate plans after Britain’s central bank raised its key lending rate.London, Shanghai, Paris and Tokyo advanced. Oil prices advanced.Wall Street futures rebounded. U.S. stocks fell for a third day Thursday after the Bank of Englan...

Serbia to ignore US sanctions against Bosnian Serbs accused of undermining deal that ended the war

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:57:12 GMT

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Serbia will ignore U.S. sanctions recently imposed on top Bosnian Serb officials for undermining a 1995 peace agreement that ended a war that left more than 100,000 dead and millions homeless, the Serbian president said Friday.Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that the sanctioned ethnic Serb officials from neighboring Bosnia will still be welcome in Serbia. “The Republic of Serbia will treat the sanctions as if they did not exist,” Vucic said, during a visit to the Serb region of Bosnia. “It is hard, but that’s the only possible decision.”The four Bosnian Serb officials sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury on Monday include Zeljka Cvijanovic, a Serb member of the tripartite collective Bosnian presidency, as well as the prime minister of the Serb entity in Bosnia, Radovan Viskovic. The separatist leader of the Bosnian Serb entity, Milorad Dodik, has earlier been sanctioned by the U.S.The four are alleged to have taken part in drafting a law that...

Authorities to announce new break in long investigation of Gilgo Beach killings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:57:12 GMT

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. (AP) — Law enforcement authorities in New York have scheduled a news conference Friday to announce a new development in their investigation of multiple sets of human remains found along the Long Island coast, some of which have been blamed on the work of a serial killer.Rex Heuermann was arrested last month in the deaths of three women and has been named a prime suspect in the killing of a fourth. The remains of those four women were discovered in 2010 along a coastal parkway near Gilgo Beach.Police, though, have continued to investigate the deaths of six other people whose skeletal remains were found along the same, long stretch of coastline.Among them was a woman, long nicknamed “Jane Doe No. 7” by investigators, whose partial remains were first discovered in 1996 on Fire Island. More of her bones were later found near Gilgo Beach in 2011.Police have been trying to figure out her identity for 26 years.Other unidentified remains belong to a woman nicknamed “Peaches”...

A cyberattack has disrupted hospitals and health care in five states

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:57:12 GMT

MANCHESTER, Conn. (AP) — A cyberattack has disrupted hospital computer systems in several states, forcing some emergency rooms to close and ambulances to be diverted, and many primary care services remained closed on Friday as security experts worked to determine the extent of the problem and resolve it.The “data security incident” began Thursday at facilities operated by Prospect Medical Holdings, which is based in California and has hospitals and clinics there and in Texas, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania. “Upon learning of this, we took our systems offline to protect them and launched an investigation with the help of third-party cybersecurity specialists,” the company said in a statement Friday. “While our investigation continues, we are focused on addressing the pressing needs of our patients as we work diligently to return to normal operations as quickly as possible.”In Connecticut, the emergency departments at Manchester Memorial and Rockville General hospital were...

Torrential rain and flash floods ravage Slovenia, killing at least 3 people and forcing evacuations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:57:12 GMT

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Torrential rains and heavy floods ravaged Slovenia on Friday, killing at least three people, cutting off roads and bridges, surging into buildings and forcing evacuations. Slovenia’s environmental agency, ARSO, raised the weather alert to the highest level after a month’s amount of rain fell within 24 hours in northern, northwestern and central parts of the country.As rain continued to fall Friday, authorities warned of more floods in other areas because of swiftly swelling rivers.Slovenian police told the official STA news agency that three people have died since bad weather started late on Thursday evening: a Slovenian woman died in the central town of Kamnik, and two Dutch nationals in a mountainous area near the city of Kranj.“The death in Kamnik could have been caused by flooding, while the deaths in the mountains could have been caused by a lightning strike,” said police official Maja Adlešič Ciperle. “The circumstances of the death...

Kremlin critic Navalny expects a lengthy prison term as court readies his extremism trial verdict

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:57:12 GMT

MELEKHOVO, Russia (AP) — Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is preparing to hear the verdict Friday in his latest trial on extremism charges. The prosecution has demanded a 20-year prison sentence, and the politician himself said he expects to receive a lengthy term. If the court finds Navalny guilty, it would be his fifth criminal conviction, all of which his supporters see as a deliberate Kremlin strategy to silence its most ardent opponent. Navalny is already serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court. He also was sentenced in 2021 to two and a half years in prison for a parole violation. The extremism trial has taken place behind closed doors in the penal colony east of Moscow where he is imprisoned. The 47-year-old Navalny is President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe and has exposed official corruption and organized major anti-Kremlin protests. He was arrested in January 2021 upon returning to Moscow after recuperating in Germany from nerve agen...

Teenager charged after throwing gas on a bonfire, triggering explosion that burned 17

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:57:12 GMT

SHAWANO, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin teenager has been charged with triggering a bonfire explosion that injured more than a dozen people. Prosecutors in northeastern Wisconsin’s Shawano County charged Sam Armstrong, 18, on Thursday with 13 counts of injury by negligent handling of explosives or fire in connection with the Oct. 14 explosion outside the community of Pulaski, WLUK-TV reported.Armstrong was attending the bonfire with other teenagers when he threw a barrel containing a gasoline-diesel mix into the fire, sparking an explosion that burned at least 17 people, according to the criminal complaint.Armstrong, who was 17 at the time, later told police he didn’t know his actions would cause an explosion and injure anyone, according to the complaint. He told investigators he had been drinking beer.Armstrong waived his preliminary hearing Thursday. Judge William Kussel set a $100,000 signature bond, and Armstrong is due back in court Sept. 13 for an arraignment.Greg Petit, ...