A 1,500 year old Byzantine tomb complex is discovered in Syria
A contractor digging into the earth where the rubble of a destroyed house had been cleared away in northern Syria stumbled across a surprise: the remains of an underground Byzantine tomb complex believed to be more than 1,500 years old. (AP video shot by Omar Albam )
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Hamilton Spectator
13 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
University of Michigan drops private security after reports of surveillance
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The University of Michigan said it's cutting ties with a private security company that was accused of following pro-Palestinian activists on and off campus. The university said it found the actions of one security company employee 'disturbing, unacceptable and unethical.' It did not elaborate. 'Going forward, we are terminating all contracts with external vendors to provide plainclothes security on campus,' President Domenico Grasso said in a statement Sunday. In a Guardian story last week, students said they were surveilled around Ann Arbor. The news outlet posted video from a member of a Muslim group who decided to confront a man who was watching him from a car last summer. That man in turn yelled and accused him of trying to steal his wallet. Tensions have been high between the university and pro-Palestinian student groups . A student encampment stood for a month on campus last year before authorities shut it down citing safety issues. Seven people were charged with felonies related to the encampment's removal, though charges were dropped in May. The university, which has campus police, said it hired private security about a year ago to report suspicious activity in high-traffic areas, not to perform surveillance. 'No individual or group should ever be targeted for their beliefs or affiliations,' Grasso said. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Day of the Jackal' author Frederick Forsyth dies at 86
LONDON (AP) — Frederick Forsyth, the British author of 'The Day of the Jackal" and other bestselling thrillers, has died after a brief illness, his literary agent said Monday. He was 86. Jonathan Lloyd, his agent, said Forsyth died at home early Monday surrounded by his family. 'We mourn the passing of one of the world's greatest thriller writers," Lloyd said. Forsyth served as a Royal Air Force pilot before becoming a foreign correspondent and a novelist. In 2015, he told the BBC that he had also worked for the British intelligence agency MI6 for many years, starting from when he covered a civil war in Nigeria in the 1960s. 'The Day of the Jackal,' published in 1971, propelled him into global fame. The political thriller about a professional assassin was made into a film in 1973 and more recently a television series starring Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch. He wrote more than 25 books including 'The Afghan,' 'The Kill List,' 'The Dogs of War" and 'The Fist of God" that have sold over 75 million copies, Lloyd said. His publisher, Bill Scott-Kerr, said that 'Revenge of Odessa,' a sequel to the 1974 book 'The Odessa File" that Forsyth worked on with fellow thriller author Tony Kent, will be published in August.
San Francisco Chronicle
26 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
A New Orleans police officer who fatally shot a puppy is facing a jury lawsuit trial
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A New Orleans police officer who shot and killed a puppy while responding to a call is set to go to trial Monday in a federal lawsuit filed by the dog's owners. The Catahoula Leopard dog ran up to Officer Derrick Burmaster after he entered the yard in response to a report of a domestic disturbance in 2021. The department's internal investigators said the dog did not pose a threat. Multiple internal investigations by the New Orleans Police Department found that the lethal shooting of the 18-week-old, 22-pound (10-kilogram) rescue dog Apollo violated department policies and was 'unjustified.' But after Apollo's owners sued Burmaster and the city of New Orleans in 2022, department leadership in July 2023 cleared him of wrongdoing for his use of force during the final step in the review. New Orleans Independent Police Monitor Stella Cziment, whose office has closely followed the case, said that she saw no reason — save the civil lawsuit — for the department's reversal. 'I don't see how it aligns with policy; I don't understand how he was exonerated and I disagree with that finding,' Cziment said. Longstanding federal oversight of the city's police department put in place after a decades-long history of misconduct and culture of impunity is in the process of winding down. Department leaders have sought to reassure the public that they have built a system of transparency and accountability. The dog's owners, Derek Brown and Julia Barecki-Brown, say Burmaster violated their constitutional rights by shooting Apollo on their property 'in the absence of an objectively legitimate and imminent threat." They are seeking damages for emotional distress after they held Apollo in their arms as he died. They declined to comment via their attorney. A fatal encounter On the evening of April 10, 2021, Burmaster and his partner responded to a nighttime call that a woman had been screaming inside a home in the city's Lower Garden District. Body camera footage reviewed by The Associated Press, police investigation records and court documents detail what happened next. Burmaster approached the gated yard making what he described as 'kissing noises' to assess whether any dogs were present and said aloud there were none. Soon after the officers entered through the gate, two dogs — Apollo and another larger dog owned by the family — came running while barking. The larger dog approached Burmaster's partner, who exited back through the gate. Apollo moved toward Burmaster, who covered his crotch with one hand and fired three shots with the other. The owners of the dogs then ran out from the home, screaming at the officers. 'Oh my god, what did you do, what did you do,' Barecki-Brown shouted. 'No! No! No!' 'That's a baby, that's a puppy,' she continued, sobbing hysterically. Burmaster identified himself as a police officer, apologized repeatedly, and asked them why they let the dogs out. 'I made kissy noises — to get, if there was a dog behind this fence,' Burmaster said. 'How could you shoot a puppy?' Barecki-Brown responded. 'This is the love of our lives.' Burmaster repeatedly told investigators he fired his gun because he was afraid Apollo would bite him in the genitals. In 2012, Burmaster also fatally shot another dog while grabbing his crotch for protection, police records show. There have been 11 fatal shootings of animals between 2012 and 2022 by New Orleans police officers, according to police records shared in court filings. During a hearing held by the department's Use of Force Review Board — which unanimously ruled Burmaster was not justified in firing his weapon — Deputy Superintendent Christopher Goodly stated 'the smaller dog posed no threat.' Investigators noted Burmaster did not consider non-lethal options such as kicking the dog or using his Taser. In violation of department policy, he was not carrying his baton or wearing his body armor. Sgt. David Duplantier of the department's training academy later testified that he felt Burmaster had acted properly under difficult circumstances, court records show. Burmaster's partner was sent to the hospital to treat a minor wound caused by the firing of Burmaster's gun. Burmaster trained other field officers in the department at the time. In the five years leading up to the incident, he used force 11 times and all instances were found to be justified by the department, according to court records. Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick acknowledged in a deposition that she signed off on the decision to exonerate Burmaster without reviewing the bodycam footage. The officer received an 'oral reprimand' for not being properly equipped. Apollo was a Catahoula, a medium-sized breed known for hunting and tracking prowess and is Louisiana's state dog. The United Kennel Club, a global dog registry, describes Catahoulas as 'affectionate, gentle and loyal family companions.'
