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3 charged with running sex ring that catered to elected officials, other wealthy clients

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:54 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Three people have been arrested on allegations that they ran a sophisticated commercial sex ring in Massachusetts and Virginia that catered to well-connected clients such as elected officials and military officers, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday. Prosecutors allege the individuals used two websites and a network of brothels in Massachusetts and eastern Virginia to make hundreds of thousands of dollars. Clients often paid a monthly fee to be part of the “illicit club,” Acting Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Josh Levy told reporters. “This commercial sex ring was built on secrecy and exclusivity, catering to a wealthy and well-connected clientele, and business was booming, until today,” Levy said. Authorities believe potentially hundreds of people bought sex services through the ring, including doctors, lawyers, accountants, elected officials, military officers, government contractors, professors and executives at tech companies, Levy said. “They are the men who...

‘Iconic’ Christmas tree making anticipated return to Toronto’s Eaton Centre

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:54 GMT

After a one-year hiatus, Toronto’s Eaton Centre will once again feature its iconic Christmas tree in the heart of the populous mall. A tree-lighting event will be held next week on Wednesday, Nov. 15, at 6 p.m. Dubbed the tallest tree in North America, the unveiling will be the unofficial kickoff to Toronto’s 2023 holiday season and showcase “[Cadillac Fairview] Winterville.” A ceremony will be hosted by The Barenaked Ladies, who will lead a sing-along performance featuring the Toronto Children’s Chorus onstage. In 2022, Toronto’s Eaton Centre did not showcase the massive Christmas tree due to a roof construction project. “The tree is a special part of the CF Toronto Eaton Centre holiday experience, and after a year-long hiatus, we are thrilled to bring it back — bigger and better than ever,” said Sheila Jennings, General Manager, CF Toronto Eaton Centre. “We have some special plans in the works that we can’t wai...

Defence policy update: Industry demand for clarity has Blair back at drawing board

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:54 GMT

OTTAWA, Kan. — Defence Minister Bill Blair says he recently instructed his team to rejig the Liberals’ long-promised defence policy update, so as to give industry more clarity on long-term spending plans“As the world becomes an increasingly difficult and challenging place, we have to make those investments,” Blair told an industry conference on Wednesday.Blair told a summit held by the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada that the group helped him realize the current plans would not adequately answer questions raised by defence companies.“It’s in part as a result of the meeting I had with you and your team the other day — a couple weeks ago — that I went back to my own team, and I said, ‘We really got to — as we now recraft and refine the defence policy update, it has to be an industry policy as well,'” he said.Blair said that he met with the Prime Minister’s Office “earlier this week” about the new changes to a polic...

Indianapolis Democratic Mayor Joe Hogsett easily wins reelection after expensive race

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:54 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis Democratic Mayor Joe Hogsett easily won a third term after an expensive race against a Republican challenger who had a significant fundraising advantage.Hogsett received 59.51% of votes while businessman and former city-county councilman Jefferson Shreve received 40.49% of votes in Tuesday’s election. Hogsett also won the 2015 and 2019 elections by wide margins. The expensive race was marked by the candidates’ stances on national issues, such as abortion and former President Donald Trump, on top of local concerns such as pedestrian safety and the economic development of Indianapolis’s downtown following the COVID-19 pandemic. Both candidates pledged to lobby the Legislature for gun control measures in the state’s largest city. Hogsett was the top federal prosecutor for the Southern District of Indiana before becoming mayor of the city about 880,600 people. The Associated Press emailed Hogsett’s campaign Wednesday seeking a comment o...

Nuvei shares jump nearly 20% after reporting Q3 revenue up more than 50%

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:54 GMT

MONTREAL — Shares in Nuvei Corp. were up nearly 20 per cent in trading Wednesday morning after the company reported its revenue rose more than 50 per cent and raised its financial guidance.The Montreal-based payment technology company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, reported late Tuesday it lost US$18.1 million or 14 cents per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with net income of US$13.0 million or eight cents per share a year earlier.Revenue for the quarter totalled US$304.9 million, up from US$197.1 million in the same quarter last year.On an adjusted basis, Nuvei says it earned 39 cents per diluted share, down from an adjusted profit of 43 cents per diluted share a year earlier.In its outlook, Nuvei says it expects revenue for 2023 between US$1.18 billion and US$1.2 billion, up from earlier expectations for between US$1.17 billion and US$1.2 billion. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for the full year are expected between U...

English Montreal school board sues after it’s forced to communicate in French only

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:54 GMT

MONTREAL — The English Montreal School Board says it will take the Quebec government to court over strict language rules requiring the board to communicate exclusively in French.The board says it will file the motion in Quebec Superior Court today after it received a warning about its internal communications from the province’s language watchdog — Office québécois de la langue française.It says the watchdog has interpreted the new language law — known as Bill 96 — to mean that English school boards must correspond with commissioners, principals and parents in French only.The Montreal board — the largest English school board in the province — says that the interpretation is shocking and would place an undue burden on staff.Bill 96 was adopted in May 2022 and most of its provisions came into effect in June 2023.The EMSB has also brought one of several constitutional challenges to numerous other provisions of Bill 96.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2...

Movie Review: Iman Vellani is a scene-stealer in low-stakes ‘The Marvels’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:54 GMT

The stakes feel immensely low in “ The Marvels,” and it’s not because this is a movie that spends a fair amount of time following cats or has an out-of-nowhere musical number. It’s possibly that somewhere along way, Marvel movies just stopped feeling like events. And this galactic trifle from director Nia DaCosta does not seem to be the one to make them feel like a must again for anyone who has not kept up with all their Disney+ series and who has forgotten what phase the MCU is in and why it matters.Yes, Iman Vellani (as Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan) gets her big moment on the big screen and nails it, as does Teyonah Parris (Monica Rambeau). Yes, there is a new villain, and it’s a woman (Zawe Ashton as Dar-Benn) with a powerful new toy. Yes, Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) will have to face her past to move forward. And, yes, there is plenty of action, butt-kicking, wormhole jumping, glowing eyes and smashing of concrete walls.But this is also a movie that teases danger, like a bad guy who ...

Gov. Beshear says his reelection in Kentucky shows how Democrats can overcome US political divisions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:54 GMT

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Fresh off his emphatic victory in Republican-leaning Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said Wednesday that Democrats can overcome America’s deep divisions by trying “to lead with compassion” and improving the lives of the people who elect them.After a bitter campaign against GOP state Attorney General Daniel Cameron, the governor stressed a message of working on behalf of voters who put them in office. Beshear said in his victory speech Tuesday night that his reelection sent a “clear message” that “anger politics” should end. In his first sit-down interview since securing a second term, the Democrat talked at length about how to defuse such tactics and cited his own campaign as an example.“You look at all of the different things that they did in this campaign, from trying to demonize groups of people to just so many different attacks, trying to find a boogeyman,” Beshear told The Associated Press.The best counter, he said, is “to show leadership in a diff...

'Legend of Zelda' live-action movie in the works, Nintendo announces

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:54 GMT

(KTLA) – Nintendo is planning to develop a live-action movie based on its "The Legend of Zelda" video game franchise, creator and game developer Shigeru Miyamoto announced Tuesday.The video game designer announced the news on X (formerly Twitter) from the official Nintendo account. The CW to become exclusive broadcast home of WWE NXT “This is Miyamoto. I have been working on the live-action film of The Legend of Zelda for many years now with Avi Arad-san, who has produced many mega-hit films,” the post said.“I have asked Avi-san to produce this film with me, and we have now officially started the development of the film with Nintendo itself heavily involved in the production. It will take time until its completion, but I hope you look forward to seeing it.”This photo taken in May 2023 shows a display for Japanese gaming giant Nintendo's long-running "Legend of Zelda" game series at the company's official store in Tokyo's Shibuya district. (Richard A. Brooks/AFP via Getty Images)Th...

'It was hell': Marine says Hertz falsely accused him of stealing rental car, leading to arrest, jail

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:54 GMT

(NewsNation) — Car rental company Hertz is once again in the limelight for a controversial arrest. A Marine veteran claims the rental car giant falsely accused him of stealing one of their vehicles, which led to him being indicted and spending time behind bars.The charges against Blake Gober have since been dropped, but the veteran is among many who say they were falsely accused by the rental car company and arrested. "The easiest way I can describe what I've been through is that it was hell. This past year was supposed to be the happiest year of my life," Gober said. Gober, a 33-year-old former Marine and political consultant, was set to be married in six weeks when he was unexpectedly arrested. Car crashes into Capitol barricade, ‘giggle switch’ found: Police "I got pulled over for speeding in Louisville, Kentucky. I found out that there was a warrant for my arrest and when I was told that, I was shocked. I had no idea about it, and honestly, the police didn't have any informat...