NYC officials warn congestion pricing cheats New York City officials say they will ramp up enforcement efforts against drivers trying to evade the new $9 congestion pricing toll by obscuring their license plates. FOX 5 NY’s Linda Schmidt has the story. NEW YORK – New York City officials are putting drivers on notice. Don’t try and obscure your license plates to avoid the controversial $9 congestion pricing tolls. City officials announced a proposal Monday aimed at penalizing drivers who use tactics such as covering plates with plastic, glass, dirt, or even bike racks to prevent toll gantries from reading them.…
Author: THE CONNECTING NEWSPAPER
SWITZERLAND / HAITI – At least 5,601 people were killed in Haiti last year as a result of gang violence, an increase of over 1,000 on the total killings for 2023, according to figures verified by the UN Human Rights Office. A further 2,212 people were injured and 1,494 kidnapped. “These figures alone cannot capture the absolute horrors being perpetrated in Haiti but they show the unremitting violence to which people are being subjected,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. In one of the most deadly and shocking incidents in 2024, at least 207 people were killed in…
John Mahama has returned to power in Ghana after a decisive victory in December’s presidential election, defeating Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia with 56.6% of votes. However, his presidency begins under intense scrutiny as Ghanaians expect swift economic recovery and reforms to combat widespread hardship. With nearly 15% unemployment and a cost-of-living crisis, Mahama has promised to ease the burden by scrapping “nuisance taxes,” creating night-time jobs, and reducing electricity costs. Nevertheless, critics remain skeptical, citing the electricity crisis, Ghana’s worst ever, which occurred during Mahama’s first term. Mahama has also pledged to fight corruption through special courts and his Operation Recover…
Emtee Channels Doubt into Determination: “I Love it When People Doubt Me.” In a world where praise often takes centre stage, Emtee is reminding everyone why he’s one of the fiercest voices in South African Hip Hop. Emtee Embraces Doubt As Fuel For His Artistic Fire Taking to Twitter, the rapper boldly shared, “I love it when people doubt me. When everyone dick riding, they don’t even correct you when you offside. Everything goes type shit. Doubt me so I can show a film.” I love it when people doubt me. When everyone dick riding, they don’t even correct you…
After struggling without heat for six days, a breakaway region in the Eastern European country of Moldova is now short of electricity, too, with the authorities ordering eight hours of power cuts a day to prevent the overloaded electricity system from collapsing.The energy crisis in Transnistria, a sliver of pro-Russian territory between Moldova and Ukraine, began on Jan. 1 when Moscow stopped supplying natural gas through a pipeline running across Ukraine. It intensified this week as residents tried to keep warm using electric heaters, overloading and often blowing out an antiquated Soviet-era electricity grid. The power outages have in turn…
Speaking to reporters after the game, Beal said he doesn’t consider himself a bench player, but made it clear he doesn’t intend to make waves by pushing back against head coach Mike Budenholzer‘s decision to make lineup changes.“I’m a starter in the league. I firmly believe that,” Beal said, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “No disrespect to anybody, but I’m a starter and that’s what I firmly believe, but Coach made his decision. I’m not going to sit there and argue with him. I’m not going to sit here and be a distraction. I’m not going to sit…
Authorities say they are investigating the cause of the crash off island located near Perth, Western Australia.A light aircraft has crashed during takeoff at a popular tourist destination in Australia, killing three people and injuring three others. The privately owned Cessna 208 Caravan plane crashed into the sea after taking off from Rottnest Island, about 30km (18.6 miles) west of Perth, at about 4pm local time, authorities said on Wednesday. The deceased were a 34-year-old man from Perth, a 65-year-old woman from Switzerland and a 60-year-old man from Denmark, Western Australian Premier Roger Cook said. “My thoughts go out to…
The man accused of setting a woman on fire inside a New York City subway told detectives, “Oh, damn, that’s me,” when he saw video of the attack but said he couldn’t remember anything, according to a transcript released Tuesday. The interview was made public shortly after Sebastian Zapeta, 33, entered a plea of not guilty on murder and arson charges in a Brooklyn court. Prosecutors say he set fire to Debrina Kawam, 57, aboard a stopped train in the early morning hours of Dec. 22, fanned the flames with a shirt and watched the woman burn from a subway bench. Inside a…
WASHINGTON, USA – US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC) is saddened by Louisiana’s report that a person previously hospitalized with severe avian influenza A(H5N1) illness (“H5N1 bird flu”) has passed away. While tragic, a death from H5N1 bird flu in the United States is not unexpected because of the known potential for infection with these viruses to cause severe illness and death. As of January 6, 2025, there have been 66 confirmed human cases of H5N1 bird flu in the United States since 2024 and 67 since 2022. This is the first person in the United States who…
Prominent Pan-African activist Kémi Séba has announced his candidacy for Benin’s 2026 presidential election. Séba, who revealed his intentions in a January 5 video statement, outlined three potential strategies to navigate Benin’s restrictive electoral code, which mandates sponsorship by at least 28 elected officials. The first strategy is to seek backing from the opposition party Les Démocrates, led by former president Boni Yayi. The second is to push for reforms to the electoral code, which he described as corrupt. If neither of these strategies works, Séba intends to deploy an initiative, tagged “Operation Jericho,” to demand changes. This tripartite approach…