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2,700 people tricked into working for cybercrime syndicates rescued in Philippines

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:04 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine police backed by commandos staged a massive raid on Tuesday and said they rescued more than 2,700 workers from China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and more than a dozen other countries who were allegedly swindled into working for fraudulent online gaming sites and other cybercrime groups.The number of human trafficking victims rescued from seven buildings in Las Pinas city in metropolitan Manila and the scale of the nighttime police raid were the largest so far this year and indicated how the Philippines has become a key base of operations for cybercrime syndicates.Cybercrime scams have become a major issue in Asia with reports of people from the region and beyond being lured into taking jobs in countries like strife-torn Myanmar and Cambodia. However, many of these workers find themselves trapped in virtual slavery and forced to participate in scams targeting people over the internet.In May, leaders from the Association of Southeast Asia...

Court gives the rights to the works of Argentine literary giant Borges to his widow’s nephews

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:04 GMT

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A court has granted the rights to the works of the late Jorge Luis Borges, considered Argentina’s most internationally significant author of the 20th century, to five nephews of the author’s widow who died in March.Borges’ wife, Maria Kodama, had devoted much of her life to fiercely protecting his legacy and it surprise many in Argentina’s literary circle that she did not leave a will, even though she was battling breast cancer.The absence of a will had put the rights to his works into limbo. But on Tuesday a court in Buenos Aires ruled that the five nephews would receive the rights “in their capacity as universal heirs.”Borges died in 1986 at age 86 and left Kodama, a translator and writer whom he had married earlier that year, as his only heir. They never had children. She died March 26, also aged 86.Kodama’s longtime lawyer, Fernando Soto, said in April that Kodama’s nephews went to court to declare themselves her heirs after her death, seeking to g...

Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani interviewed in Jan. 6 investigation, AP source says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:04 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rudy Giuliani, who as a member of Donald Trump’s legal team sought to overturn 2020 presidential election results in battleground states, was interviewed recently by investigators with the Justice Department special counsel’s office, according to a person familiar with the matter.The interview was conducted voluntarily and was not done before a grand jury, said the person, who insisted on anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. The person would not say what questions investigators asked.The interview is an additional sign of busy investigative activity by special counsel Jack Smith as his team of prosecutors scrutinizes efforts by Trump and his allies to undo the results of the election in the weeks before the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. Smith filed a separate case earlier this month charging Trump with illegally retaining classified documents at his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago.As a lawyer for Trump, Giuliani pushed bogus legal challenges to ...

That’s no pizza: A wall painting found in Pompeii doesn’t depict Italy’s iconic dish

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:04 GMT

MILAN (AP) — A still-life fresco discovered recently in the Pompeii archaeological site looks like a pizza, but it’s not, experts at the archaeological site said Tuesday. They noted that key ingredients needed to make Italy’s iconic dish — tomatoes and mozzarella — were not available when the fresco was painted some 2,000 years ago. Tomatoes were only introduced to Europe from the Americas a few centuries ago, and some histories have it that the discovery of mozzarella led directly to the invention of pizza in nearby Naples in the 1700s. The image is instead believed to be a focaccia covered with fruit, including pomegranate and possibly dates, finished with spices or a type of pesto, experts said. In the fresco, it is served on a silver plate and a wine chalice stands next to it.The contrast of the frugal meal served in a luxurious setting, denoted by the silver tray, is not unlike modern-day pizza, “born as a poor-man’s dish in southern Italy, which has won over the wo...

CP NewsAlert: Amber Alert cancelled after six-year-old twin sisters found safe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:04 GMT

An Amber Alert issued by Montreal police for six-year-old twin sisters has been lifted after the girls were found safe.More coming.The Canadian Press

'Terrifying': Hundreds of teens takeover Lakeview, damage property

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:04 GMT

CHICAGO — Hundreds of teens swarmed the streets in Lakeview Monday night, causing disorder and destruction in the neighborhood. It's the latest takeover in the city that has left residents and local leaders searching for solutions. The teen poured off the Chicago "L" train at the Belmont Red Line stop, shutting the roadway for several hours in a scene that unfolded just after 10 p.m. Illinois set to create state run insurance marketplace, rate review "They were jumping on cars, breaking glass, throwing things. I know my personal automobile was used as a bar for people," said a concerned resident who did not wish to be identified. The resident shared video with WGN News that shows kids surrounding a police car, with some even jumping on the vehicle.The woman said that's when she called 911. “I was told that there was nothing they could do," the woman said. "They were so overwhelmed at the moment that there were just way too many calls coming in."Chicago police officers worked...

FBI: Search underway for Western Springs bank robbery suspect

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:04 GMT

WESTERN SPRINGS, Ill. -- The FBI is asking for the public's help in locating a suspect involved in a bank robbery in Western Springs Tuesday afternoon.According to the FBI, agents responded to the FNBC Bank and Trust located on the 1010 block of Burlington Avenue in Western Springs just before 3 p.m. on Tuesday, June 27 on reports of a bank robbery. Search underway for Oak Lawn bank robbery suspect A suspect walked into the FNBC Bank and Trust location verbally demanded money.The FBI describe the suspect as an Hispanic man, between 5-foot-6 and 5-foot-7, thin build, around 50-years-old, with dark hair and eyes, wearing a long-sleeve, light-colored plaid shirt, blue jeans, light shoes, a bright blue baseball hat, no gloves, and no face-covering.The suspect fled the scene and currently remains at large.No injuries were reported. No further information has been made available at this time.Anyone with information regarding this incident are asked to contact the FBI at 312-421-6700 or ...

Florida beach now deadliest in US this year after 3 more drownings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:04 GMT

PANHANDLE, Fla. (WMBB) – Panama City Beach in Florida is now the deadliest in the U.S. so far in 2023 after three more deaths this past weekend.Despite double red flag warnings, which mean no swimming is allowed in the Gulf, heavy rip currents led to the three drownings and dozens of rescues.National Weather Service statistics show that Panama City has had seven rip current-related deaths in the past nine days, more surf zone fatalities than any other beach in the U.S. in 2023.Saturday's victims were two men from Georgia, one 39 and the other 63, and a 68-year-old man from Michigan. Nexstar's WMBB reports that an additional two beachgoers also died in nearby Walton County, one on Thursday and the other on Saturday. Then on Tuesday, former NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett drowned off the shores of Destin, Florida, according to Nexstar's WKRG. Former NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett dies in apparent drowning in Florida Since all of the victims were from out-of-state, responders and lifeguar...

Texas baseball finishes top 10 in one of five national polls

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:04 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — With Louisiana State's 18-4 romp over Florida to win the Men's College World Series on Monday, the 2023 college baseball season came to a close and final top 25 rankings were released by five major national publications.The Texas Longhorns finished No. 9 in the Baseball America Top 25, No. 11 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, No. 12 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 14 in both the D1Baseball.com and Perfect Game polls.Full Baseball America Top 25Full D1Baseball.com Top 25Full Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Top 25Full USA Today Coaches PollFull Perfect Game Top 25By virtue of its national championship, LSU finished at the top of all the polls, followed by national runner-up Florida. TCU's run to Omaha earned them a top-five finish in most of the polls. Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and Perfect Game have the Horned Frogs at No. 4 while D1Baseball.com put them at No. 5. The coaches poll slotted TCU at No. 7.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sp...

Challenges of hiring private security for downtown Austin businesses

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:04 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Teghan Hahn, CEO of Wild About Music, is sick of her staff having to deal with repeated shoplifters.Especially when it escalates."They've been hit, spit on, scratched," she said. APD searching for suspect wanted in Royal Blue Grocery employee assault Nearby Congress Avenue businesses are seeing similar circumstances. So, at one one point, they all pitched in for a security guard. "It started out as a good deterrent," Hahn said. "Then we did we did start to have issues though with them showing up, or with them being overly aggressive or overly passive depending on the guard."Ultimately, she said, the group nixed the security company after a few months."All we really want to do is create a fun and safe environment for our people to come to work and it's so hard to not be able to snap our fingers and fix it for them," Hahn said, adding that they discovered using security guards also presented unexpected liabilities. Video: Downtown Austin grocery store employee a...