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Gunman kills 2 people in New Zealand hours ahead of first game in Women’s World Cup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:23 GMT

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — A gunman opened fire on terrified workers on a construction site in downtown Auckland early Thursday, killing two people hours before New Zealand hosted the first game of the Women’s World Cup. The man was found dead, and authorities said his motive appeared to be connected to his previous work at the site.New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said the shooting was an isolated act, and the FIFA tournament opened as scheduled with a game between the home team and Norway, though with tighter security and many jarred in a country where such attacks are rare. A large crowd, including the prime minister, still showed up at the stadium, and a moment of silence was held for the victims of the shooting, which also left an police officer and four civilians injured.“I want to reiterate that there is no wider national security threat,” said Hipkins. “This appears to be the action of one individual.”Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said the gunman was a 24-year-...

1 dead, 1 injured, 3 in custody after shooting at Florida City Walmart; customers describe chaos inside store

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:23 GMT

A man was killed and another person was injured after a shooting occurred inside a Walmart in Florida City that led police to take three suspects into custody. According to 7News sources, the shooting suspect was identified as 25-year-old Steve Lestin. Miami-Dade Police have taken over the investigation into the incident, which occurred just before 3 p.m., Wednesday at the large retailer located at 33501 S. Dixie Highway. Investigators said two people suffered gunshot wounds during the incident.According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, a third person required medical attention for a panic attack resulting from the incident.Investigators said a woman drove herself to the hospital to be treated for a head injury she suffered when she slipped and fell. Paramedics treated five other people at the scene for minor cuts and scrapes. Witnesses inside the store said the shooting took place near the nail salon.“When I went, like, to exit in the front, I saw a family crying, and I saw the guy...

Jury awards Florida girl burned by McDonald’s Chicken McNugget $800,000 in damages

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:23 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A South Florida jury awarded $800,000 in damages to a little girl who received second-degree burns when a hot Chicken McNugget fell on her leg as her mother pulled away from the drive-thru of a McDonald’s restaurant.Lawyers for the family of Olivia Caraballo, who was 4 when she was burned in 2019, were seeking $15 million in damages. Jurors reached their verdict after deliberating for less than two hours on Wednesday, the South Florida SunSentinel reported.The jury’s verdict form allotted $400,000 in damages for the past four years, and another $400,000 for the future from the McDonald’s USA and its franchise operator, Upchurch Foods. A separate jury decided in May that the company and franchise owner were liable for the injury, which occurred outside a McDonald’s in Tamarac, near Fort Lauderdale.“I’m actually just happy that they listened to Olivia’s voice and the jury was able to decide a fair judgment,” Olivia’s mother, P...

Wisconsin mother and her boyfriend are charged in child neglect case that prosecutor calls ‘like something out of a horror movie’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:23 GMT

(CNN) — A Milwaukee mother and her boyfriend were charged with chronic neglect of a child and false imprisonment after authorities found them allegedly holding two children in their home against their will.Katie Koch, 34, and Joel Manke, 38, both face four felony charges in the case.Koch is also charged with two misdemeanors, for which her public defender entered a not guilty plea on her behalf in court, according to online court records. Manke and Koch did not enter pleas for their felony charges, the records show.The alleged victims are Koch’s sons, ages 9 and 7. Neighbors called police after they saw the children walking around naked outside their home on July 13.Witness Christine Eder told CNN affiliate WDJT that the children looked as though “they had never been outside before. If they have been, it’s been a very long time.”According to the charging documents obtained by CNN affiliate WTMJ, the children were kept in a filthy room that was locked from the outside.Koch acknowledg...

Inside Britain’s ‘frantic’ bid to stop EU endorsing ‘Malvinas’ name for Falklands

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:23 GMT

BRUSSELS — Don’t mention the Malvinas!A leaked memo has revealed the “frantic” last-ditch efforts of the U.K. government and its highest-ranking diplomat to prevent the EU signing a declaration with Latin American nations which refers explicitly to the ‘Islas Malvinas’ — the Argentine name for the British-owned Falkland Islands.London and Buenos Aires fought a 10-week war over the islands in 1982. The remote archipelago, located less than 500 km off Argentina’s coast, remains a U.K. territory, though Argentina continues to claim it as its own.Britain took exception to the use of the ‘Islas Malvinas’ name in a new communiqué signed in Brussels this week by 60 EU and Latin American nations. It was the EU’s first summit with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) since Britain left the EU in 2020. Previously, the U.K. would have been able to veto language it did not agree with.In Britain’s self-enforced absence, Arge...

UK cuts King Charles’ funding — because he’s coining it from offshore wind

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:23 GMT

The U.K. government has more than halved the rate of public funding it gives King Charles III — because the monarch is making such big profits through offshore wind projects on the Crown Estate.The Sovereign Grant — the yearly payment made by the government to the royal household — will be reduced to 12 percent of Crown Estate net profits in 2024/25, down from 25 percent.The actual payment will remain flat at £86 million, but the change means Charles III and his household will receive nearly £300 million less over the next three years than they would if the rate had stayed the same.Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the cut reflected “the unexpected significant increase in the Crown Estate’s net profits from offshore wind developments.”“For almost 300 years, kings and queens have surrendered the profits from the Crown Estate to the British people, and in return the government has provided a fraction of that to properly support the king in undertaking his official duties,” Hunt ad...

Second teen dies following crash in Randolph that also left victim’s younger brother dead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:23 GMT

A second teenager has died following a crash in Randolph that left another teen dead and two others injured Tuesday night.Both the Randolph Police Department and the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office confirmed that 18-year-old Makhi Boston died as a result of a crash on North Main Street.Authorities said he was the older brother of Terry Boston Jr., who was pronounced dead at the scene when emergency crews responded to the crash around 10:30 p.m. on July 18.According to the DA’s office, Makhi was believed to be the driver of the Nissan Altima that authorities said was traveling southbound when it left the road and crashed into a tree near 701 North Main St.Two other teenagers, both females, were also in the vehicle at the time of the crash and taken to a hospital for treatment.“The investigation remains open and ongoing into the facts and circumstances of the crash,” a spokesperson for the Norfolk DA’s office said in a statement. “The Randolph Police a...

Drug shortages’ effects on cancer research may be felt for years to come

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:23 GMT

(CNN) — The United States is in the midst of some of the worst cancer drug shortages in history, affecting thousands of patients across the country who face delayed or cancelled chemotherapy appointments. But these shortages aren’t just bad for current patients, experts say; their effects on cancer research may be felt for years to come.The National Cancer Institute, the federal government’s main agency for cancer research and training, told CNN that at least 174 of its own trials may be affected by the shortages. However, that number can’t account for other trials that rely on these drugs or possible trials that researchers would like to start but can’t.For a mix of complex reasons, many cancer drugs have gone into and out of shortage for years, experts say, but at least 25 are now in shortage, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Two in particular — carboplatin and cisplatin — may be hurting research the most because they ar...

As Kyle Hendricks spins another great outing in win, his Chicago Cubs’ future remains an unknown

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:23 GMT

As Kyle Hendricks entered the dugout, Chicago Cubs manager David Ross greeted the veteran with a handshake to punctuate his great outing Wednesday night.Hendricks delivered another vintage performance in an 8-3 victory, holding the Washington Nationals to one run in six innings. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out five on 97 pitches.Right-hander Julian Merryweather couldn’t hold the lead, surrendering two runs in the eighth. The offense came through again late, though, behind a five-run eighth inning. Yan Gomes’ pinch-hit sacrifice fly with the bases loaded tied the game, and Nico Hoerner’s first career grand slam buried the Nationals.The series win sets up the Cubs (45-50) for a pivotal four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals to close out the homestand.So many unknowns surround the Cubs’ plans in the 12 days leading up to the Aug. 1 trade deadline. Hendricks’ future with the organization falls under that uncertainty.Based on how he is...

RFK Jr. to testify at a House hearing over online censorship

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:23 GMT

WASHINGTON — House Republicans are delving into claims of government censorship of online speech at a public hearing, asking Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to testify despite requests from outside groups to disinvite the Democratic presidential candidate after his recent antisemitic remarks.The Republican-led Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government was convening Thursday. Republicans claim conservatives are being unfairly targeted by technology companies that routinely work with the government to try to stem the spread of disinformation online.In announcing the hearing, the panel led by Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said it would “examine the federal government’s role in censoring Americans” and “Big Tech’s collusion with out-of-control government agencies to silence speech.”The Big Tech companies have adamantly denied the GOP assertions and say they enforce their rules impartially for everyone regardless of ideology or political affi...