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Mexican investigators find decapitated and burned bodies possibly linked to horrifying video

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:06:54 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican investigators said Thursday they have found four burned and decapitated bodies that might be related to the horrifying case of five kidnapped youths, one of whom was filmed apparently being forced to kill the others. Prosecutors in the western state of Jalisco said the bodies were badly burned and had not yet been identified. But the bodies were found inside a building near where the young men were kidnapped Friday and later photographed in captivity.The decapitations also matched details of a video that shows one member of the group apparently being forced to saw off his friend’s head with a knife.The families of the missing have said the clothing and appearance of the men seen in the photos and video matched their relatives.The gruesome video transported Mexico back to the darkest days of drug cartel brutality in the early 2000s. It also sparked a debate about whether President Andrés Manuel López Obrador heard — or pretended not to hear — shouted questi...

Paramount decides it won’t sell majority stake in BET Media Group, source tells AP

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:06:54 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — BET won’t be sold after all: Paramount Global decided against selling the majority stake of the network.Paramount notified bidders late Wednesday night about its decision to conclude the BET Media Group sale process, said a person familiar with the decision who was not authorized to speak publicly. The person said the company determined maintaining a heavy stake in BET creates more value for Paramount than any of the proposals after consulting with a couple highly-experienced financial advisors.Some popular suitors included actor-director Tyler Perry, music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs and businessman Byron Allen. At one point, some considered Perry as a leading contender based on the two successful series, “The Oval” and “Sistas,” airing on the network. He also owns a minority stake of the BET+ streaming service.Along with BET, the deal would have included the cable channel VH1.BET was originally started by Robert and then-wife Sheila Johnson in 1980. Robert Johnson ...

WATCH: Arsonist sought after multiple vehicles set ablaze in Richmond Hill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:06:54 GMT

York Regional Police are searching for a suspect believed to be behind three separate arsons after video captured the individual setting multiple vehicles on fire in Richmond Hill.Investigators said the first reported incident happened around 1:15 a.m. on June 10 when first responders were called to a home on Estoril Street, in the area of Berwick Crescent and 16th Avenue area.Police said three people were asleep in the residence when one of them heard noises coming from outside and saw her vehicle fully engulfed in flames in the driveway. Fire crews responded and put out the fire, and no injuries were reported.The video showed a male suspect pouring a flammable liquid over the vehicle and setting it ablaze.Two weeks later, on June 28, at approximately 12:30 a.m., police were called to a home on Berwick Crescent, a few streets away from Estoril Street, for another report of a vehicle on fire. Investigators said residents noticed their vehicle was on fire in the driveway and were abl...

Strong earthquake and aftershock shake Colombia’s capital and other cities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:06:54 GMT

A strong earthquake followed quickly by a strong aftershock shook Colombia’s capital and other major cities Thursday. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The U.S. Geological Survey said the initial quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 and the aftershock a preliminary magnitude of 5.7.The epicenters of both quakes were about 100 miles ( 160 kilometers) southeast of Bogota, according to USGS. People in the city of 11 million felt buildings and floors rumble in the midday quake. Alarms blared in Bogotá as residents left their homes, with throngs of people gathering in the streets. The earthquake was also felt in other big cities like Medellín and Cali. Videos on social media showed furniture shaking and chandeliers swinging during the quake. The Associated Press

A large ice chunk fell from the sky and damaged a house in Massachusetts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:06:54 GMT

SHIRLEY, Mass. (AP) — A large ice chunk fell from the sky and hit a house in Massachusetts, damaging the roof of the home, the homeowner said. Jeff Ilg said he and his wife, Amelia Rainville, suspect the ice fell off an airplane traveling to Boston Logan International Airport. Neither the couple nor their two children were hurt when the ice chunk, which Ilg said was initially estimated to be 15 to 20 pounds (six to nine kilograms), hit the roof on Sunday night. “We heard an explosion, basically,” he said on Thursday. “The loudest pop, bang I’ve ever heard.” Then they heard debris rolling down the roof onto a lower roof, he said. Initially it was thought the house was struck by lightning.The Federal Aviation Administration said it’s investigating. The couple ran upstairs to check on their children, who were sound asleep despite the noise. They then ran around the house to see what happened and then outside where Ilg said he saw a giant partial block of ice on the back ste...

Justice minister says Canada remains ‘open’ to criminalizing coercive control

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:06:54 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal government remains open to criminalizing a pattern of behaviour known as coercive control, Canada’s justice minister says in a new letter, calling gender-based violence an “epidemic” that must be stopped.The recent letter from Arif Virani to Ontario’s chief coroner outlined the Liberal government’s response to a series of recommendations that came from an inquest into the 2015 slayings of three women in the rural Renfrew County area, about 180 kilometres west of Ottawa.Carol Culleton, Nathalie Warmerdam and Anastasia Kuzyk were all murdered that September by Basil Borutski, who had a criminal history of violence against women. Borutski, who had prior, separate relationships with all three of his victims, had been released from prison the year before the murders. The inquest heard that at least one of the women had been trying to learn his whereabouts once he was released.Last summer, a coroner’s inquest into the deaths resulte...

Stock market today: Wall Street is heading lower as higher bond yields keep biting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:06:54 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are modestly lower on Wall Street, adding to their losses following a sharp two-day slide, as the market remains under pressure from rising bond yields. After mostly holding steady in the early going, the S&P 500 was down 0.3% afternoon trading Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 134 points, or 0.4%, at 34,631, as of 2:22 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.7% lower.Technology stocks were among the biggest drag on the market, with some exceptions. Cisco Systems was a bright spot, rising 3.8%. The maker of networking equipment reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected.Walmart did as well, while also raising its forecast for full-year results. But its stock swung from an early gain to a loss of 1.8%. Stocks broadly have been retreating in August following a torrid first seven months of the year. That’s in part because a swift rise in bond yields is forcing a reassessment of how much to pa...

Canadian fintech valuations hit pandemic-era levels as investment sinks: report

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:06:54 GMT

TORONTO — Investment in Canadian fintech companies plunged in the first half of the year as valuations fell to levels not seen since the beginning of the pandemic, says a report by KPMG in Canada.Fintech investment in Canada, including venture capital, private equity and merger and acquisition activity, totalled US$353.7 million across 57 deals in the first six months of 2023.The result was down from a total of $1.09 billion across 87 deals in the second half of 2022 and US$834.1 million across 109 deals in the first half of last year, according to data compiled by PitchBook for KPMG in Canada.The report said the first half of 2023 was one of the weakest for valuations since the first half of 2020.That was in line with the challenges faced in the global fintech market during the first half of the year. Investment dropped to US$52.4 billion across 2,153 deals from US$63.2 billion across 2,885 deals in the second half of 2022, according to KPMG international’s latest bi-annual r...

In a bid to unseat the long-ruling ANC, 7 South African parties reach a coalition agreement

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:06:54 GMT

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Seven opposition parties in South Africa reached an agreement Thursday to form a coalition to unseat the ruling African National Congress if it fails to gain an outright majority in next year’s general election.The parties, which include the country’s main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, and a string of small parties, agreed on what they called a Multi-Party Charter for South Africa. The agreement followed two days of meetings in Kempton Park, east of Johannesburg.The ANC is the party of the late Nelson Mandela and when the 2024 elections come around, it will have been in government for 30 years since the end of apartheid. The party led the anti-apartheid movement and came to power in South Africa’s first all-race election in 1994, when Mandela was elected president.But its support has slowly waned over the years amid criticism that it has failed to provide basic services and ease poverty for millions of the country’s Black majority. ...

Chicago real-estate organization donates $1.5M to Maui wildfire relief

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:06:54 GMT

CHICAGO -- It has been more than a week since the deadly wildfires erupted across Maui with the death toll at 111 and expected to go up. Establishments from homes, restaurants and historic landmarks and burned down and local groups are extending a hand any way they can. The Realtor's Relief Foundation, an organization based out of Chicago has been helping disaster victims for more than two decades. The money was raised by real estate agents across the country.The foundation is donating $1.5 million and is partnering with the Realtors Association of Maui to distribute the money. Maui fires: Schools reopening, traffic resuming in signs of recovery The foundation's president hopes it will assist Maui residents with their housing payments."This is an opportunity for us to get money in people's hands very quickly," Mike McGrew, Realtors Relief Foundation President said. McGrew said residents will have the chance to apply and receive up to $3,000, adding its money they will not have to ...