Author: Karl Morgan

Jerry Burns and his mistress, Amanda Love, are accused of conspiring to murder his wife, Velvet, in 2019. Burns allegedly hired a hitman to stab Velvet to death. Love was convicted earlier of second-degree murder and conspiracy for her role in the plot, and the trial for Burns began on Wednesday. The prosecution opened the trial by presenting evidence, with both sides delivering their statements. Burns is facing first-degree murder charges, which could lead to the death penalty in Florida. He is the final defendant to be tried in connection with Velvet’s death. Stephen Hand, the hitman who carried out…

Frankfurt, Paris (18/8 – 62.50) Ukraine has scored a series of victories in more than a week since launching a lightning offensive into Russian territory. Now the stakes are rising as its forces prepare to defend their gains and Russia begins to regain its footing. Last week, Ukraine deployed thousands of troops to the Kursk region in western Russia, removing Russian flags from captured towns and taking the initiative from Moscow for the first time in months. On Wednesday, officials in Kyiv said Ukraine would use seized Russian territory as a “buffer zone” to shield its north from Russian strikes.…

“When I was abroad, I saw them on pretty much every city block. I would love to have the same thing here in the US.” Whenever you visit a new place, there are likely to be aspects of daily life there that feel totally new. And personally, I love discovering international habits or customs I wish I could adopt back home. So Redditor u/danielgmal asked, “What did you experience in another country that you wish you could make a part of your regular life?” Here’s what people said. 1. “The cafe culture that is so common in France. I loved just sitting at an outdoor cafe…

Washington/Paris/Berlin (12/8 – 28.57). Today is the twenty-anniversary of the sinking of the Kursk. A painful experience. A true shocker. All hands are lost, the shortcomings of the Russian system fully exposed. But today is another experience. Kursk, the region. After ceremonial pageantry by the military commander, it is clear the great Red Army was ambushed. Hoodwinked by the Ukrainians who pulled off a surprise attack, a classic attack which has all the elements of a successful deception operation. Overwhelming strength, speed and first and foremost silence. Deception played a role keeping the Russian pre-occupied. Daily the news a filled…

Paris/Jakarta (24/7 – 28.57). “Coffee is the common man’s gold, and like gold, it brings to every person the feeling of luxury and nobility.” – Sheik-Abd-al-Kadir A friend recently opened a coffee shop is called after its owner, Muteeya. Though modest, it embodies the burgeoning coffee culture found in Paris, London, the US, and now Jakarta. The coffee is steaming hot, and soft tunes fill the air. Outside, rain pounds against the window, streaking down and forming small puddles on the street. As I gaze through the glass blurred by water, I take a sip of my warm coffee,…

The crew members stranded for a week on board a cargo vessel that collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore were worried what the world thought of them, an official said. The Singapore-flagged ship Dali, en route to the south Asian country, has been stuck with 4,000 containers and its mostly Indian crew since last Tuesday after the vessel lost power and collided with a support column of the bridge, leading to its collapse. The 20 Indian and one Sri Lankan sailors were in good health, including a member who suffered minor injuries, according to officials. The “rattled” sailors had adequate food on board but were…

A year ago Germany deported to Tajikistan an activist from that country’s exiled opposition movement who had been living in Dortmund since 2009. What happened next is a shocking example of what can occur when Germany fails to uphold safeguards in its increased efforts to deport unsuccessful asylum seekers. The Bundestag this month gave police greater powers to carry out deportations. The activist, Abdullohi Shamsiddin, 33, was deported to Tajikistan on January 18 2023. He was detained on arrival by the security services. Two months later he was convicted of trying to overthrow the constitution and jailed for seven years. No credible…

Global electricity production from nuclear energy dropped by 4% last year from 2021, with the technology’s share of gross electricity generation falling to its lowest since the 1980s, an industry report showed on Wednesday. Nuclear energy generated 2,546 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity worldwide last year, accounting for 9.2% of total gross electricity generation, the annual World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR) showed. Proponents of nuclear say as a low-carbon power source it could be vital in helping countries meet climate targets, but several plants around the world are coming to the end of their life expectancies and many new ones…

TITUSVILLE, Fla. – Hundreds of residents in the North Brevard County neighborhoods around the defunct Sherwood Golf Course are working to stop the development of 800 homes on the property. Many of those who live in the neighborhoods off Carpenter Road near Mims have said traffic, environmental and home value concerns have motivated them to stop the disused golf course from being rezoned for multifamily residential. Plans currently show 800 new homes, including apartments and townhomes, would be built at the site, creating further concerns over property values based on the proximity to the golf course. Sherwood Golf Course opened…

An alligator park in Florida announced the rare hatching of a solid white leucistic alligator at the facility. Gatorland Orlando announced in a Facebook post that the hatchling is the first solid white alligator to be documented since a nest of leucistic gators were discovered in Louisiana about 36 years ago. “This is beyond rare, it is absolutely extraordinary and the first one in the world,” the post said. Park officials said only seven leucistic alligators are known to still survive in the world, and three are housed at Gatorland. Leucism is a rare genetic condition in alligators. The condition “causes white…