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Millionaire’s elaborate jail escape plan foiled, Florida sheriff says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:13 GMT

VERO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Authorities in Florida say they foiled an elaborate jail escape plan by a 78-year-old businessman who had previously fled to France following his 2014 arrest on child pornography charges before being arrested in another country and returned to the U.S.A tip from outside the jail sparked a two-month investigation into the actions of John Manchec, some of his employees and others who he befriended in jail, Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers said Monday during a news conference. Manchec is a citizen of both the United States and France.“Essentially, the plan comes down to this,” the sheriff said. “These folks that are on the outside are going to wait until Manchec has a doctor’s visit, and they are going to take out our corrections staff while he’s out at the medical facility.”The plan also called for Manchec’s employees to have a plane — which the sheriff said the man owns — ready in nearby Fort Pierce, so he could esca...

U-Haul driver faces multiple charges after crashing into security barrier near White House in Lafayette Square, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:13 GMT

(CNN) — A man crashed a U-Haul truck into a security barrier near the White House on Monday night in what authorities are investigating as a potentially intentional incident.Sai Varshith Kandula, 19, of Chesterfield, Missouri, is in custody and facing multiple charges including threatening to kill or harm a president, vice president or family member, US Park Police said. The Secret Service said there were no injuries to any agency or White House personnel.The truck crashed into security barriers on the north side of Lafayette Square at 16th Street just before 10 p.m. ET, the US Secret Service said. A preliminary investigation revealed the driver may have intentionally struck the barrier, the agency later said.Video taken by a witness showed the 26-foot moving truck stopped on the sidewalk near Lafayette Square before the driver accelerates and crashes into a set of security bollards that ring the White House complex to prevent unauthorized vehicular traffic.After the crash, the...

LeBron James questions retirement after Lakers are eliminated from playoffs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:13 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James questioned retirement after his Lakers were swept by the Denver Nuggets despite the highest-scoring postseason half of James’ matchless NBA career.James set a personal record with 31 points in the first half of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Monday night, but he missed two potential tying shots in the final minute as the Nuggets ended the Lakers’ season with a 113-111 victory.The 38-year-old James finished with 40 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and immense frustration after Los Angeles’ remarkable late-season surge ended with four consecutive defeats. Although the top scorer in NBA history spoke about himself as part of the Lakers next season, James also said he hasn’t made up his mind on retirement.“We’ll see what happens going forward,” James said in the final answer of his postgame news conference. “I don’t know. I don’t know. I’ve got a lot to think about, to be honest. Just for me personally going forward with the game of basketbal...

Teen accused of deliberately crashing U-Haul truck into security barrier at park near White House

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:13 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Police have arrested a Missouri man they believe intentionally crashed a U-Haul truck into a security barrier at a park across from the White House.The box truck’s driver smashed into the barrier near the north side of Lafayette Square on Monday at around 10 p.m., Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. He was identified as a 19-year-old from Chesterfield, a St. Louis suburb.No one was injured in the crash.Officers from the Secret Service and the Metropolitan Police Department searched the truck after the crash. Video posted by WUSA-TV shows a police officer at the scene picking up and inventorying several pieces of evidence from the truck, including a Nazi flag.Based on a preliminary investigation, investigators believe the driver “may have intentionally struck the security barriers at Lafayette Square,” Guglielmi said. Authorities offered no additional details about the possible motive.The U.S. Park Police said the man was arrested on mult...

Kyle Dubas breaks silence after dismissal from Maple Leafs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:13 GMT

Former Toronto Maple Leafs executive Kyle Dubas broke his silence on Tuesday, days after the 37-year-old was let go as general manager.President and Alternate Governor Brendan Shanahan announced on Friday that Dubas, who had been with the Maple Leafs front office for nine years, wouldn’t return as general manager.Shanahan publicized a detailed timeline of the negotiations, saying he wanted the 37-year-old executive back and offered him a contract extension before changing his mind after Dubas spoke to the media at the end of the season.In a statement on Tuesday, Dubas said he wouldn’t get into the specifics of his departure, noting the conversations he had with Shanahan and the Leafs to be “reasonable and consistent but private discussions.”“In the days that I felt I needed to assess and evaluate my own view [of] the future, both with respect to the necessary direction of the Club and ensuring that I had the full support of my family for what I knew wou...

“Pride and Prejudice” remake, “To Kill a Mockingbird” in Off-Mirvish season lineup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:13 GMT

TORONTO — Four reimagined takes on classic plays will anchor the lineup for the 2023-24 Off-Mirvish season at Canada’s largest theatre company.Mirvish Productions says Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” will make its Canadian premiere on Nov. 21-27 at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre, coming directly to the company from Broadway.“Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of),” the five-star, Olivier Award-winning Best Comedy direct from London’s West End, will follow from Dec. 14 to Jan. 7 at the CAA Theatre, providing an adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel.From Feb. 2-25 Theatre buffs can catch Crow’s Theatre’s acclaimed production of “Uncle Vanya,” which Mirvish says previously had an extended that was still not long enough.Neptune Theatre’s production of Tom Stoppard’s “Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead” will close the lineup from March 5-24.Mirvish says the comedy turns the spotlight on two minor c...

Toronto police searching for ‘dangerous’ suspect wanted in several assaults

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:13 GMT

Toronto police have released a photo of a suspect connected to several assault investigations.Officers responded to a call near High Park Avenue and Bloor Street West on Thursday. It’s alleged a man assaulted a woman and then fled from police when they arrived.Investigators have identified the suspect as 23-year-old Raheem Thomas from Toronto. He is wanted on several charges including three counts of assault, assault causing bodily harm, and breaking and entering.Thomas is described as six-feet tall with a shaved head and a black goatee.Police believe he is armed and dangerous. Anyone who sees Thomas is being asked to keep their distance and call 9-1-1 right away.

Kenya tea company suspends operations after protesters burn machines

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:13 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A multinational tea company based in Kenya has suspended operations after tea plucking and harvesting machines were burned by protesters citing massive job losses due to mechanization.The suspension of operations at the Ekaterra tea company’s South Rift region farms will affect thousands of employees.The Kenya Tea Growers Association announced Tuesday that all large-scale tea producers in Kenya will scale down operations in solidarity with Ekaterra until security is guaranteed.Casual laborers previously employed to pick tea protested on Monday against the loss of jobs due to the use of machines. They told local media that, additionally, the automation of the picking process is causing more work for employees in the sorting department because machines do not pick the finest tea leaves.They burned five machines and looted tea products from one of the company’s shops.The tea growers association has appealed to President William Ruto to intervene as there have been...

Ottawa announces new trusted-traveller program to speed up airport lines

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:13 GMT

TORONTO — The federal government is rolling out a revamp of its trusted-traveller program to help clear clogged airports as the summer travel season kicks off.Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says a new verified-traveller program will open dedicated security screening lines at six of the country’s biggest airports by June 21.Eligible passengers include NEXUS members, military personnel and aviation workers, who will be able to pass through security more quickly — and keep their shoes and belt on throughout.The announcement comes after months of travel chaos last summer, when a surge in post-pandemic travel demand gummed up terminals and overwhelmed airlines.In March, the Liberal budget laid out $1.8 billion over five years for the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority to improve passenger screening and strengthen security measures at airports.With traveller complaints to the regulator now topping 47,000, the government also tabled an overhaul to its passenger rights charte...

Fans will need to pre-register for free tickets to Paris’ gargantuan 2024 Olympic opening ceremony

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:11:13 GMT

PARIS (AP) — To pull off the most audacious opening ceremony in Olympic history, French organizers are now — literally — on the same page.France’s government, the organizing committee president for the 2024 Paris Games and the French capital’s mayor signed an 11-page security protocol Tuesday that for the first time publicly laid out some of the gritty details of their planning to shield the unprecedented July 26 opening ceremony from the threats of terrorism, drone attacks and other risks for the massive crowds and 10,500 athletes.A notable change is that the hundreds of thousands of spectators who will watch the open-air gala for free, spread along a 6-kilometer (3 1/2-mile) parade route on the River Seine, will need to pre-register for tickets. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, in charge of Olympic security, had been pushing for that shift so throngs of non-paying spectators can be allocated designated spots on the river’s upper embankments, separated fr...