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Miss Universe cuts ties with Indonesian organizer as sexual harassment allegations swirl

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:57:33 GMT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The Miss Universe Organization has cut its ties with its Indonesian franchisee and will cancel an upcoming pageant in Malaysia after contestants complained to police, accusing local organizers of sexual harassment.The New York-based organization said in a statement late Saturday it had decided to sever ties with PT Capella Swastika Karya, and its National Director, Poppy Capella.Six contestants of a Miss Universe Indonesia pageant recently filed complaints with police, accusing local organizers of asking them to strip to their underwear for “body checks” for scars or cellulite, in a room with about two dozen people present, including men. Five of the contestants said they were then photographed topless.“In light of what we have learned took place at Miss Universe Indonesia, it has become clear that this franchise has not lived up to our brand standards and ethics,” the Miss Universe Organization said on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter.The...

Pakistani security forces kill 2 insurgents in shootout after attack on a convoy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:57:33 GMT

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani security forces killed two insurgents in a shootout Sunday after a military convoy was attacked with small arms and hand grenades in the city of Gwadar in the restive southwestern Baluchistan province, the military said.The military made no mention of claims by the Baluchistan Liberation Army, a separatist group, that the daylight attack targeted a convoy of Chinese engineers accompanied by military vehicles, and that it lasted for hours.The military said there was no harm to civilians or security forces. Baluchistan has been the scene of a low-level separatist insurgency for over two decades. Separatists initially demanded a share of the wealth in the province, which is rich in gas and minerals, and later called for separation from Islamabad. Chinese companies operating in Gwadar and other parts of Baluchistan have been targeted in the past by Baluch insurgents. Pakistani forces claim to have largely quelled the insurgency but attacks still take pl...

A car careens into a campground on the Welsh coast and injures 9 people

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:57:33 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Nine people were injured when a driver lost control and careened into a tent in a campground on the coast of Wales, police said Sunday. At least two people were seriously injured in the crash late Saturday night and one was flown by helicopter to a hospital, Dyfed-Powys Police said. Occupants of the vehicle were among the injured.Clare Harris, who owns the Newgale Campsite with her husband, said the car was speeding and lost control and rolled into an area where people had pitched tents on the open grass that overlooks the Pembrokeshire coast.“The car was speeding down the hill, realized it needed to slow down and tried to brake,” she said. “It flipped and rolled several times, and crashed into the tent.”A baby in the tent that was struck was miraculously uninjured, she said.“It’s a tragic accident that the police are dealing with, that’s all we can say at the moment,” Harris said.Harris said it’s peak season at the campground but it wasn’t as busy as normal because of...

Niger’s junta gains the upper hand over the regional bloc threatening military force, analysts say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:57:33 GMT

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — One week after a deadline passed for mutinous soldiers in Niger to reinstate the country’s ousted president or face military intervention, the junta has not acquiesced. No military action has been taken and the coup leaders appear to have gained the upper hand over the regional group that issued the threat, analysts say.The West African bloc ECOWAS had given the soldiers that overthrew Niger’s democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum until last Sunday to release and reinstate him or they threatened military action. On Thursday, the bloc ordered the deployment of a “standby” force to restore constitutional rule in Niger, with Nigeria, Benin, Senegal and Ivory Coast saying they would contribute troops.But it’s unclear when, how or if the troops will deploy. The move could take weeks or months to set into motion, and while the bloc decides what to do the junta is gaining power, some observers say.“It looks as though the putschists have won ...

Mayor Johnson to name next CPD superintendent

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:57:33 GMT

CHICAGO -- Mayor Brandon Johnson said during his campaign he wanted to choose a CPD veteran to lead the department with Sunday as the deadline to make his decision.The mayor can pick one of the three finalists or reject all three and order another search. Two of the finalists are CPD veterans, Larry Snelling and Angel Novalez. Shon Barnes is the current police chief of Madison, Wisconsin. Snelling has been with the police department for 30 years and is considered the front runner. As chief of counterterrorism, he oversees SWAT, narcotics and gang division. He is also the former commander of the Englewood division. Community leaders hope Chicago’s next top cop is within CPD ranks Agent Novales is a 22-year veteran who was shot in the line of duty early in his career. He is currently chief of constitutional policing and reform. He oversaw community-assisted programs for many years. Shon Barnes took the helm in Madison in 2021. He was previously director of training for COPA, Civili...

Sunday Brunch: Gene & Georgetti's smashed sandwich

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:57:33 GMT

Check out Sunday Brunch with WGN Weekend Morning News with Gene & Georgetti's take on a smashed sandwich.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

4 ways restarting student loan payments could impact the economy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:57:33 GMT

(NerdWallet) - After more than three years of an interest-free payment pause on federal student loans, millions of Americans will soon be on the hook for monthly payments. The effects could be felt across the economy.How resuming payments will affect a single borrower varies widely, depending on, among other things, whether they stopped making payments at all, how much debt they have, the repayment program they’re in, and their current and future expected income. It also depends on the other expenses competing for a piece of their monthly budget. Because so many people are affected — 43.6 million people hold federal student loan debt, according to the Department of Education — the impact to the economy stands to be broad even if some borrowers don’t have a difficult time adjusting.Currently, there is $1.6 trillion in federal student loan debt outstanding, according to data from the New York Fed’s first quarter Household Debt and Credit Report. This will come down by at least an esti...

'Reject the divisiveness,' Allred tours Texas in bid to take on Ted Cruz

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:57:33 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) - Congress is on summer break and that's giving one Representative an opportunity to ramp up his campaign for higher office. Dallas-area Democratic Congressman Colin Allred hopes to challenge Ted Cruz in next year's race for U.S. Senate."I think we know as Texans that we can't afford six more years of Ted Cruz," Allred said during an interview with Capitol Correspondent Ryan Chandler. Allred just started what he calls the Lone Star Listening Tour. He's hoping the statewide effort will resonate with voters."I have a record of running in tough races and telling what I think is a unique story about growing up in this state, understanding who we are, being raised by a single mother, going to public school, making it to Baylor, making it to the NFL, becoming a civil rights lawyer and ultimately, being in Congress," Allred said, summarizing his personal history."I believe that in this election, we're going to reject the divisiveness of Ted Cruz," Allred added.But if Allr...

Letters: The lesson of Brian Eldridge — let’s be kind and connect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:57:33 GMT

Let’s be kind and connectI received Sunday’s paper. I read it. Like most people, I did not read the obituary section. I find that I only read the obituaries when I am reading about someone specific I knew who passed away.Thursday, I received the paper and Brian Eldridge’s story by Mary Divine caught my attention. I have been thinking about it all day. We failed him. We’ve got to reach out to people, be kind and connect with them while being respectful of their privacy and boundaries. It will go a long way.Carren LaBrasseur, St. Paul Independent?David Weiss? Really? The independent special counsel appointed to investigate Hunter Biden is the U.S. Attorney for the State of Deleware, Joe Biden’s home state, who signed off on the Hunter Biden deal that couldn’t survive one question by the presiding judge.You folks in the fourth estate are going to need to bring in a steam shovel to bury your heads deep enough in the sand to ignore this one.Pete Bradt, Mendot...

Man armed with assault rifle opens fire on police in Koreatown 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:57:33 GMT

An armed standoff between a suspect and police in Koreatown ended with two officer-involved shootings and the suspect being injured and taken into custody. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers with the Olympic Division responded to a call of a man with a rifle acting erratically at a 7-Eleven in the area of Kenmore Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard just before 9:30 p.m. Saturday night. Upon arriving on scene, officers attempted to make contact with the suspect, and that’s when the first officer-involved shootings occurred, police said. After the suspect, only described as a white man in his 30s, was struck by gunfire while fleeing from authorities, a second officer-involved shooting occurred. “He then barricaded himself behind the stairwell of a building near the intersection of 7th Street and Vermont Avenue,” LAPD said in a tweet. “Officers were aware that the suspect was struck by gunfire and in need of medical treatment.” SWAT responded to the ...