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Pirates hold hostage some crew of oil tanker off West Africa

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:25 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Several members of the 16-man crew on a Liberia-flagged tanker are being held hostage by pirates who boarded the ship in West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea last week, the Danish shipper that owns the vessel said Friday.Pirates boarded the Monjasa Reformer southwest of Port Pointe-Noire, Congo, on March 25 and five days later, the French Navy that was patrolling the area, found the ship off the small island nation of Sao Tomé and Principe north of where it had been attacked.In a statement, company spokesman Thorstein Andreasen said that “the pirates had abandoned the vessel and brought a part of the crew members with them.” It did not say how many had been kidnapped or how they were taken. The online shipping magazine Trade Winds said it was three crew members.After the pirates had boarded the tanker, the crew sought refuge in a citadel — a safe area on the ship — in line with the onboard anti-piracy emergency protocol. However, the pirates somehow managed to tak...

Europe’s inflation eases to 6.9% as energy falls but food up

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:25 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Inflation in the 20 countries that use the euro currency slowed to 6.9% in March, the lowest level in a year, with food costs still on the rise while energy prices fell, making a sharp turnaround after months of punishing increases. Consumer prices in the eurozone dropped from the 8.5% recorded in February, according to data released Friday by the European Union’s statistics agency, Eurostat. The inflation has dropped to its lowest level in a year since since peaking at 10.6% in October. But prices for food, alcohol and tobacco rose by a painful 15.4%, faster than the previous month’s 15%, in a sign that European consumers are still getting squeezed. Energy prices, however, fell 0.9% — an abrupt change of direction after rising at double-digit rates over the past year.Russia’s war in Ukraine pushed up prices for natural gas used to heat homes and generate electricity, fueling overall inflation, but the latest reading indicates that a mild winter and Europea...

Michael Cohen says he believes Trump is 'petrified' over indictment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:25 GMT

(The Hill) - Michael Cohen, the onetime attorney of former President Trump and key witness in the Manhattan district attorney’s case, said on Thursday that he believes Trump is “petrified” over his indictment.Trump was indicted on criminal charges Thursday over his role in hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. “I believe that Donald right now is petrified,” Cohen told MSNBC, just minutes after media outlets began reporting the indictment. “This is one of his biggest fears, that he would be called out for who and what he is.”Cohen, who served as the former president’s personal attorney and longtime fixer, pleaded guilty in 2018 to campaign finance violations in connection with the $130,000 payment that sought to buy Daniels’ silence about an alleged affair with Trump.“What I did, I did at the direction of, for the benefit of, and in cooperation with Donald J. Trump,” Cohen said on Thursday. “And so, I ended being forc...

Greene County men admit to tax evasion conspiracy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:25 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Two Elka Park men pleaded guilty on Thursday to conspiring to evade taxes on income they earned from stock sales. Dennis Radcliffe, 51, and Kenneth Radcliffe, 49, each of Elka Park, will face up to 5 years in prison when they are sentenced this August. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Dennis and Kenneth Radcliffe, who are cousins, each admitted to two conspiracies. In the first, they failed to report millions of dollars they earned from penny stocks to the IRS. The money was earned from 2014 through 2017, according to court documents. The stock sales occurred in brokerage accounts that the duo controlled, which stood in the names of their companies Crackerjack Classics LLC and Universal Consulting LLC. Traffic stop ends in drug charges for Catskill duo In the second conspiracy, Dennis and Kenneth Radcliffe conspired with each other and with Joseph Radcliffe, Dennis' father, to avoid taxes on aroun...

Traffic stop ends in drug charges for Catskill duo

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:25 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A traffic stop on Washington Avenue Thursday afternoon ended in drug charges for two people, according to a press release from the Albany County Sheriff's Office. Deputies stopped a car around 3:45 p.m., near the intersection of Washington Avenue and Lark Street. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! According to the release, Bilal Ahmad, 22, was behind the wheel. Police say he had a revoked license, which resulted in a misdemeanor charge of aggravated unlicensed operation. The car's two passengers were identified as Wayne J. Vandiver, 29, and Ashley R. Steenburn, 36, both of Catskill. Deputies found cocaine on Vandiver and fentanyl on Steenburn, the release stated. Cohoes man sentenced for 2022 fatal shooting Steenburn was charged with two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, both felonies. She was also charged with the misdemeanor of criminally using drug paraphernalia and sent to ...

Spanish government criticises TV celebrity for alleged child surrogacy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:25 GMT

Spanish ministers criticized a 68 year-old TV actress for allegedly adopting a child through a surrogate in the United States. This practice is illegal in Spain.Ana Obregon (pictured), a Spanish actress who rose to fame in the 1980s, was featured on the cover for !Hola! Outside Miami's Memorial Regional Hospital, Ana Obregon is seen in a wheelchair holding a baby girl and holding the magazine.The headline of the article is 'Ana Obregon: Mother of a surrogate baby girl' and it claims to be exclusive. Obregon does not quote, cite sources or state whether she was financially compensated by a surrogate mother.She shared a photo of the magazine cover on Instagram and wrote: "We've got caught!" My darkness was brought to my attention by a light filled with love. I will never again be alone. I AM ALIVE AGAIN."Obregon's biological only child, Aless Lequio (age 27), died from cancer in 2020.Spain is among EU countries that ban surrogacy.Three ministers from the Spanish government publicly cr...

Horoscopes March 31, 2023: Ewan McGregor, look on the bright side

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:25 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Jessica Szohr, 38; Ewan McGregor, 52; Christopher Walken, 80; Shirley Jones, 89.Jessica Szohr (Photo by Morgan Lieberman/Getty Images) Happy Birthday: Use your downtime wisely. Your objective is to ease stress, have fun and chase your desired happiness. Look on the bright side of life and use your energy and quick response to seize the moment and take what you want. It’s time to reboot your objective and make the adjustments that encourage success. Make every move count. Your numbers are 6, 17, 24, 27, 35, 41, 46.ARIES (March 21-April 19): You’ll get a bird’s-eye view of what’s possible. Follow the dots and make a difference for yourself and others like you. Channel your energy constructively. Less arguing and more hands-on help will give you the leverage you need to reach your objective. 5 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Outside interference is likely. Focus on what you want to accomplish, not on criticism or negativity that...

Word Game: March 31, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:25 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — THREATS (THREATS: THRETS: Expressions of intention to inflict evil, injury or damage.)Average mark 30 wordsTime limit 40 minutesCan you find 40 or more words in THREATS? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — LENGTHENS length lengthen lens lent lest egest else nene nest nestle gene gent gentle ghee glee glen teen tense thee then these heel seen sent sheen sheet sleet steelTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.Contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe at kzsa...

Ask Amy: The neighbor’s teenager is home alone. Should I call CPS?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:25 GMT

Dear Amy: I’ve become aware that my neighbor has been leaving her 13-year-old at home alone while she goes to work on Saturdays.I’m concerned about this child and wonder if I should call CPS to report this parent for neglect? Concerned NeighborDear Concerned: Thirteen-year-olds are capable of being home for a number of hours on their own. For many of us who were raised by single parents (or raised our children as single parents), this “latch-key” life is completely normal.A few years ago, I became curious about the longer-term impact on children who had been left on their own at home after school while parents worked.I asked a group of young adults about this and they all claimed that they usually had a few chores they were expected to do, that their parent checked in regularly, and that they filled the rest of their time doing homework, watching TV, and basically enjoying their independence.Obviously, there are risks for anyone being alone in a house. If you are truly concerned, yo...

Harriette Cole: I showed up at my wife’s ‘stressful’ job and was surprised by what I found

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:23:25 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: My wife has been complaining about her job lately and insisting I could never handle the work that she does.She’s an administrative assistant for a major company. Recently, I surprised her with lunch at work, and I was astonished at how nice the environment was. Her boss was extremely kind, and all of her co-workers were pleasant to be around. To top it off, my wife wasn’t even working at the time. She was busy scrolling through TikTok on her phone!I know this may not be the biggest issue in the world, but I find it annoying that my wife continues to insist she’s in an impossible working situation. I work a manual labor job that causes me to have back issues. I just don’t care to hear the constant complaints anymore.Do you have any advice on how to gently suggest she reframe her perspective and look at the positive aspects of her job?Frustrated HusbandDEAR FRUSTRATED HUSBAND: Have a heart-to-heart with your wife. Tell her that your observation...