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  • Stampede at historic fortress Citadelle Henri in Haiti killed at least 25 people

    A stampede at a popular historical fortress in Haiti killed at least 25 people and injured dozens of others, officials said, revising an earlier, higher number of fatalities.

    The incident took place Saturday during an annual Easter gathering at the Citadelle Henri, also known as Citadelle Laferriere, a 19th-century fortress and tourist spot in the northern town of Milot.

    “The injured are currently receiving the necessary medical care, and a rescue team is searching for any missing persons,” Culture Minister Emmanuel Menard told AFP on Sunday.

    Jean Henri Petit, the head of civil protection for Haiti’s Nord department, warned the death toll could yet rise, CBS News partner BBC News reported.

    Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime said the incident happened during a “tourist activity bringing together many young people.” He said an investigation has been launched and “all relevant authorities” were mobilized to support those affected.

    “The government sends its sincere condolences to the affected families,” Fils-Aimé said in a statement on Facebook.

    “The Government is monitoring the situation with utmost attention and urges the population to be calm and cautious, awaiting the results of ongoing investigations to determine the exact circumstances of this tragedy,” the statement continued. “In this particularly troubling circumstance, the Prime Minister and the Government of the Republic reaffirm their solidarity with the victims and the entire affected community.”

    The Haitian National Police, in a separate statement, said it had opened an investigation to determine the exact cause of the incident. The investigation led authorities to update the death toll to 25 fatalities. Autopsies were underway on Sunday.

    The UNESCO World Heritage Site is closed to visitors “until further notice,” Menard said.

    Several dozen people were also injured and taken to the hospital, local newspaper Le Nouvelliste reported.

    Initial reports said visitors, mostly young people, were crammed against a single entrance and a scuffle broke out between those trying to leave and enter the site. Other local media reports said the gathering took place after being advertised on TikTok.

    The government urged citizens to “be calm and cautious” while it investigates.

    “All competent authorities are fully mobilized and placed on maximum alert to provide, without delay, the necessary assistance, care and support,” it added in its statement.

    Some of the victims’ bodies remained at the site on Sunday, the Associated Press reported.

    A young man told the AP his sister had traveled there after studying diligently to get the grades necessary to be part of a school field trip for the best students. He sobbed after carrying her body, which had been covered with a white tarp.

    The fortress was built by revolutionary Henri Christophe shortly after Haiti gained independence from France. The site has become a symbol of Haitian independence.

  • Pete Hegseth says “we’ll be hanging around” after Iran ceasefire announcement

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday said “we’ll be hanging around” after the announcement of a two-week ceasefire with Iran, while saying that Iran knows “this agreement means that they will never, ever possess a nuclear weapon.”

    Hegseth announced at the start of Wednesday’s briefing that the Pentagon’s job is done in Iran. But he clarified that “we’re not going anywhere” and “our troops are prepared to defend, prepared to go on offense, prepared to restart at a moment’s notice” to ensure that Iran complies with the ceasefire.

    Wednesday’s briefing came after President Trump announced late Tuesday that he had agreed to “suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks,” adding that the U.S. has “already met and exceeded all Military objectives.”

    Mr. Trump said early Wednesday that under the agreement, “there will be no enrichment of Uranium, and the United States will, working with Iran, dig up and remove all of the deeply buried (B-2 Bombers) Nuclear ‘Dust.’”

    Hegseth said at the briefing that “it takes time sometimes for a ceasefire to take hold.” He added that “we’re watching it, we’re prepared if necessary, but we hope and believe that it will hold.”

    Hegseth said as he opened the briefing that “Iran has been a threat to the United States and the free world for 47 years.”

    “No longer, not on our watch,” he added.

    Hegseth echoed the president’s message, touting a “big day for world peace.” And he praised the U.S.’ military operation as a “historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield.”

    “By any measure, Epic Fury decimated Iran’s military and rendered it combat ineffective for years to come,” he said.

    Hegseth said “in less than 40 days,” the U.S. “dismantled one of the world’s largest militaries.”

    “The world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism proved utterly incapable of defending itself, its people or its territory,” he said. “We untied just a fraction of our strength, and Iran suffered a devastating military defeat.”

    Hegseth said “now we have a chance at real peace and a real deal” amid the ceasefire. He said the Pentagon “for now, has done its part,” and stands ready to “ensure Iran upholds every reasonable term.”

    Caine said “over the course of 38 days of major combat operation, the Joint Force achieved the military objectives as defined by the president.” The joint chiefs chairman said “we welcome the ongoing ceasefire,” adding that “we hope that Iran chooses a lasting peace.”

    The ceasefire announcement came after Mr. Trump said early Tuesday morning that a “whole civilization will die” if Iran didn’t agree to a deal.

  • Abusive husband in Scotland gets 8 years in prison for wife’s death by suicide

    Kimberley Milne jumped to her death in Scotland in July 2023, but prosecutors in a landmark case said Friday that she was driven to do it by her husband’s physical abuse.

    Lee Milne, 40, was sentenced to eight years in prison following his conviction in Glasgow’s High Court for culpable homicide and engaging in abusive behavior. It was the first case in which Scottish prosecutors asked jurors to find an abusive spouse responsible for the death of a victim who takes their own life.

    “Lee Milne physically and psychologically abused Kimberly,” prosecutor Laura Buchan said. “He deliberately and ruthlessly exploited Kimberly’s vulnerabilities, which makes him culpable for her decision to end her own life.”

    Prosecutors presented evidence of the physical and emotional abuse and control that Lee Milne exerted during their 18-month married life leading up to the death on July 27, 2023, in Dundee, Scotland.

    Milne had grabbed his wife by the neck, choked her, dragged her around, restrained her, punched her and knocked her unconscious. He belittled her and tried to distance her from family. He limited her access to money and transportation and locked her in their apartment without food.

    “Domestic abuse is rarely about one incident,” Judge Lorna Drummond said. “It’s not only about violent acts, it includes more subtle, but nonetheless as harmful, exertions of power and control in a relationship. And it builds over time, each act, whether physical, psychological or financial, adds to the next. Increasing pressure and fear, eroding confidence and independence.”

    The family said in a statement read in court that they were devastated by the death of the “much-loved” daughter, sister and aunt.

    Four months before she died at age 28, Kimberly Milne was encouraged by her sister to leave her husband.

    “How can I leave him if he’s saying he’s gonna do himself in without me,” she texted back.

    By the time of her death, Milne had split up with his wife, but the two were seen together on surveillance video on Kimberly Milne’s final day.

    In one video, her husband can be seen speeding his car at her from behind in a parking lot and swerving to miss her at the last moment. He then turned and drove at her before hitting the brakes.

    A short while later, she walked to a nearby bridge and threw herself on the highway below.

  • 2 dead in Russian drone strikes in Ukraine ahead of ceasefire for Orthodox Easter

    Russian drone strikes killed at least two people in the Ukrainian city of Odesa overnight into Saturday, local authorities reported, ahead of a proposed ceasefire for Orthodox Easter.

    A further two people were wounded in the attack on the Black Sea port city, when drones hit a residential area, damaging apartment buildings, houses and a kindergarten.

    According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia targeted Ukraine with 160 drones overnight, of which 133 were shot down or intercepted, hours before a proposed Easter ceasefire was due to come into force.

    Russia’s Defense Ministry said 99 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight across Russia and occupied Crimea.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared a 32-hour ceasefire over the Orthodox Easter weekend, ordering Russian forces to halt hostilities from 4 p.m. Saturday until the end of Sunday.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised Saturday to abide by the ceasefire, describing it as an opportunity to build on peace initiatives. But he warned there would be a swift military response to any violations.

    “Easter should be a time of silence and safety. A ceasefire (at) Easter could also become the beginning of real movement toward peace,” Zelenskyy wrote in an online post on Saturday.

    But he added: “We all understand who we are dealing with. Ukraine will adhere to the ceasefire and respond strictly in kind.”

    Ukraine earlier proposed to Russia a pause in attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure over the Orthodox Easter holiday.

    Previous ceasefire attempts have had little impact, with both sides accusing each other of violations.

    Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday described Putin’s move as a “humanitarian” gesture, but said Moscow remains focused on a comprehensive settlement based on its longstanding demands – a key sticking point that has prevented the two sides from reaching an agreement.

  • Few see U.S. goals being met in Iran yet; Americans voice worry and stress in CBS News poll

    Amid talks and a ceasefire, the Iran war looks like unfinished business to many Americans.

    That’s because there are things they call important for the U.S. to do — including opening the Strait of Hormuz for oil access, ensuring the Iranian people are free and permanently stopping Iran’s nuclear programs — that they don’t feel have been done yet.

    So, in describing their feelings about the conflict of late, Americans pick worry, stress and anger far more than feeling safe or confident.

    And in a similar vein, if it were to end now, relatively few call the war a success so far, either in terms of military objectives or U.S. strategic interests. For many, it’s too soon to say — another indication that they aren’t seeing the goals met yet.

    Views on this are highly partisan, but also related to whether people think the administration has explained the goals or not — which most still don’t think has happened.

    Among those who don’t feel it’s clear, most think the lack of clarity comes from changing the list of goals.

    When presented with the president’s full statement, a big majority of Americans said they’d already seen or read at least something about Mr. Trump’s recent Truth Social post that mentioned Iran’s civilization as his deadline approached. Most said they disliked it, at least somewhat. Non-MAGA Republicans disliked it more than liked it, too.

    It gets relatively more favor  — though hardly widespread — from MAGA Republicans. They tend to say Mr. Trump’s posts involve negotiating strategy at least as much as any actual intentions. Relatively fewer MAGA Republicans say they solely reflect what the president really intended to do.