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US launches prosecutions of Chinese companies on charges of trafficking fentanyl ingredients

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:44 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department filed criminal charges on Friday against four Chinese companies and eight individuals for allegedly trafficking the chemicals used to make the highly addictive painkiller fentanyl in the United States and Mexico.The three separate indictments unsealed in federal court in New York represent the first prosecutions to charge China-based chemical companies and Chinese nationals with illegally selling the chemicals used to make fentanyl, which has been blamed for a deadly overdose crisis.Federal prosecutors said the companies marketed the fentanyl precursor chemicals on their websites and social media accounts, advertised that they accepted payment in cryptocurrency and shipped them to drug traffickers including Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel.“When I announced in April that the Justice Department had taken significant enforcement actions against the Sinaloa Cartel, I promised that the Justice Department would never forget the victims of the fent...

Russian authorities launch criminal probe into Wagner Group over threats to oust defense minister

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:44 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Authorities in Russia launched a criminal probe Friday against the owner of the Wagner Group military contractor over his alleged threats to oust Russia’s defense minister.The announcement follows a statement from owner Yevgeny Prigozhin accusing Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering a rocket strike on Wagner’s field camps in the Ukraine where its soldier are fighting on behalf of Russia against Ukranian forces.Prigozhin said that his troops would now move to punish Shoigu and urged the army not to offer resistance. Prigozhin declared that “this is not an armed rebellion, but a march of justice.”The Russian Defense Ministry rejected Prigozhin’s claim and the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, the country’s top counter-terrorism structure, said it opened a criminal inquiry on charges of making calls for a military coup.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed about the situation, adding that “all th...

Buttigieg warns airlines to finish retrofitting planes to avoid interference from 5G signals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:44 GMT

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned the nation’s airlines Friday that flights could be disrupted starting next week because some planes lack updated equipment to prevent interference from transmissions by wireless companies.Buttigieg said that only planes retrofitted with the right equipment will be allowed to land when visibility is poor, such as during bad weather.The warning — in a letter from Buttigieg to trade group Airlines for America — comes just before AT&T, Verizon and other wireless carriers will be free to boost the power of their C-Band, 5G signals on July 1.Airlines have told the government they are having trouble getting equipment to retrofit planes because of supply-chain problems. Still, the industry trade group said airlines are confident they will avoid disruptions.Some aviation experts believe that C-Band signals are too close on the radio spectrum to the frequencies used by radio altimeters, which measure the height of a plane above the ground. Ne...

Inside the Sundance Labs, which have helped launch some of Hollywood’s top filmmakers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:44 GMT

Twenty-five years ago, Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “Love & Basketball” was essentially dead.She’d pitched her now classic film all over Hollywood and everyone had said no. Then she got a call inviting her to the Sundance Labs – a creative retreat for aspiring directors and screenwriters at the idyllic Sundance Mountain Resort nestled in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah – where she would workshop her script and get advice from industry veterans. Suddenly it had life again.Later, Sundance helped arrange a reading which got it in front of Spike Lee’s company, who would go on to make the film.“Sundance changed the trajectory of my career,” Prince-Bythewood said in an interview earlier this month from the 2023 Directors Lab, where she’d returned for the first time as an advisor. “I’ve wanted to come back for years.”The Sundance Institute might be best known for its annual film festival in Park City, Utah, but the screenwriting and directing labs have been just as, if not more, influential i...

Transportation Safety Board of Canada to investigate Polar Prince role in Titan implosion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:44 GMT

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) says it will investigate a Canadian support ship’s role in the catastrophic implosion of the Titan submersible. The TSB says the Canadian-flagged cargo vessel Polar Prince was at the Titanic wreck site off Newfoundland providing surface support for the submersible when it began its descent around 8 a.m. on June 18. Approximately one hour and 45 minutes after the submersible began its descent, the support vessel lost contact.Rescue ships, planes and other equipment were rushed to the site of the disappearance but any sliver of hope that remained for finding the crew alive was wiped away early Thursday when the submersible’s 96-hour supply of air was expected to run out. The Coast Guard then announced that debris had been found roughly 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the Titanic and that a “catastrophic implosion of the vessel” had killed everyone on board.The TSB says there were 17 crew members and 24 people on boar...

Oregon county sues oil, coal companies for $51 billion over deadly heat dome

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:44 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon’s most populous county is suing more than a dozen large fossil fuel companies to recover costs related to extreme weather events linked to climate change. The lawsuit filed Thursday in Multnomah County Circuit Court alleges the combined carbon pollution the companies emitted was a substantial factor in causing and exacerbating a 2021 heat dome that killed 69 people, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Multnomah County is home to Portland and known nationally for mild weather and rain.The companies named in the lawsuit include Shell, BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Koch Industries and ExxonMobil, among others.The county seeks over $51 billion in damages, including $50 million for costs it says it incurred because the heat dome. Multnomah County is also asking for $1.5 billion in damages to pay for costs associated with future extreme heat events and an additional $50 billion to study, plan, and “weatherproof” against extreme heat. Some of the measures would i...

Crime prevention a major priority for small businesses in downtown Toronto

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:44 GMT

Crime reduction is the number one priority for small businesses here in Toronto, according to a survey that comes just days before the new mayor is elected.Yonge and Dundas is one neighbourhood grappling with some of those complex issues.Stone Harryman runs a computer repair shop on Dundas Street, just east of Yonge Street. His door is no longer open for business.“I keep my door locked out of safety. I’m mostly appointment only at this point,” explained Harryman. “A lot of stores are sort of doing that now.When asked if he felt that way before the COVID-19 pandemic,  he said no. “It’s night and day.”Up and down the heart of the city, stores are decorated with signs related to this. One reads “Acts of aggression and violence will not tolerated.”Many no longer have open washrooms. A nearby Tim Hortons has removed all indoor dining tables and another business near the busy Yonge and Dundas intersection is now asking customers to knock aft...

'Kindness and compassion': Suburban man passes away after 10-year ALS battle

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:44 GMT

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — A suburban man who fought to raise awareness and improve communication skills for ALS patients died Sunday following a 10-year battle with the horrible disease.Eric von Schaumberg, 39, of Hoffman Estates, lived life to the fullest.In 2013, his brother Josh told WGN News Eric started noticing slurred speech and other issues, prompting doctor visits. After every other possibility was tested, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.Eric and his familyIn ALS, nerve cells break down which causes muscle deterioration all over the body. There is no cure and patients typically die two to five years after diagnosis.Eric lived over 10 years with the disease, something his brother attributes to his lifelong grit and positive spirit."He had a love for life, would say 'I'm going to beat this thing," his brother told WGN News. "Doctors talk about having that state of mind does help patients. He lived with my parents for...

Naperville police officer charged after running license plate for personal reasons

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:44 GMT

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — A Naperville Police Department officer was arrested Thursday after he allegedly ran a license plate for personal reasons, according to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office.Anthony Cimilluca, 48, turned himself in Thursday afternoon after he was charged with Official Misconduct, a Class 3 Felony, according to a news release. Neuqua Valley High School employee arrested after allegedly making personal purchases on district card According to the release, on Feb. 14, Cimilluca allegedly used the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System, known as LEADS, to run a license plate in violation of the LEADS administrative code.“While the allegations against Mr. Cimilluca are very serious, I would like to stress that these allegations are in no way indicative of the outstanding work of the men and women in the Naperville Police Department,” DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “The Naperville Police Department is one of the finest police depar...

Internet troll possibly behind Nicki Minaj Hidden Hills petition

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:44 GMT

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect new information about the source of the online petition.(KTLA) – An online petition calling for Nicki Minaj to leave her Hidden Hills residence may have been orchestrated by an internet troll and not a concerned neighbor. It appears the petition was started by a fan of rapper Cardi B and appears to be unaffiliated with both women personally. TMZ found that the Twitter account CleverlyCardi2 mentioned starting the petition in a tweet dated December 2022, the same month Minaj and her husband Kenneth Petty moved in. They paid a whopping $19.5 million for the property, according to TMZ.The petition was started in December by a person named Beverly Bardan, in a tweet the user admitted to using the alias. "Garbz are so slow Beverly Bardan… cleverly cardi… I had to make it sound familiar to my Twitter user while sounding like a real name," the tweet read from the user in December.The user also admitted to starting the petition. "We, as...