US holiday sales set for slowest year since 2018 as consumers turn frugal - report
By Deborah Mary Sophia and Siddharth Cavale Holiday sales in the United States are estimated to grow at
2023-09-13 12:18
The most predictable impeachment investigation in American history
The initiation of an impeachment investigation against a president ought to be an earthshaking moment in the nation's history.
2023-09-13 12:17
Libya floods: Flooded city buries its dead in mass graves
At least 10,000 people are still missing after a catastrophic dam burst which took 2,300 lives.
2023-09-13 11:28
What is the Chicago Cubs magic number? Cubs can narrow the gap and then some
Want to know how close the Chicago Cubs are to securing a postseason spot? Check their magic number in mid-September.
2023-09-13 08:54
MLB Rumors: Grading the top 3 items on Chicago White Sox's offseason wish list
Once again, the Chicago White Sox are entering a pivotal offseason. They have many things to figure out -- who the manager will be and how to attack free agency -- and they can't afford to get it wrong.
2023-09-13 08:45
Morocco earthquake: Young volunteers answer desperate calls for help
Scores of young volunteers help distribute aid for hundreds of devastated communities in Morocco.
2023-09-13 07:50
Migrants 'from all over the globe' gather between California border barriers
By Mike Blake SAN DIEGO Hundreds of migrants, including families, from Africa, Asia and Latin America gathered on
2023-09-13 07:28
McCarthy faces threat as US House speaker despite impeachment move
By David Morgan WASHINGTON U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will confront a fractured caucus on Wednesday, with his
2023-09-13 07:18
Oklahoma prosecutor and sheriff at odds over BTK serial killer link to cold case
A sheriff’s office in Oklahoma said self-proclaimed BTK serial killer Dennis Rader is a “prime suspect” in Cynthia Dawn Kinney’s 1976 disappearance, but the local district attorney now says there’s not enough information despite recently requesting a formal investigation on the case. District Attorney Mike Fisher said during a press conference on Monday he’s not at a point where he could file charges against Rader, who is currently behind bars for the murders of 10 people between the 1970s and the 1990s. But Mr Fisher had asked the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to open a formal investigation into Ms Kinney’s disappearance because of the public interest in the revived cold case, and he will file charges if he learns of evidence that would warrant it, he said. Osage County Sheriff Eddie Virden fired back at the DA in his own press conference the following day, saying that he was “absolutely furious” at the comments regarding the case. “District Attorney Fisher attempted to derail the investigation by contacting the prison where Dennis Rader is held in an attempt to halt further interviews between Dennis Rader and our Investigators,” the agency said in a release. He said the DA’s comments were based on incomplete information and did not accurately represent the OCSO’s efforts or the progress that has been made. The sheriff also revealed that while he was in an interview with Rader on Monday afternoon, the convicted killer told him, “guess I’m cleared,” according to what he heard from the DA on the news that officials “don’t have anything.” Sheriff Virden said the matter will be addressed in the proper channels. He added that they have numerous leads they will keep pursuing. “We’ll continue to push for justice, honest and true,” he said. “We have something behind us and that’s the honest truth.” Rader, now 78, gave himself the nickname BTK — for “bind, torture and kill,” played a cat-and-mouse game with investigators and reporters for decades before he was caught in 2005. He ultimately confessed to 10 killings in the Wichita, Kansas, area, about 90 miles (144.84 kilometers) north of Pawhuska. He is imprisoned for 10 consecutive life terms. Last month, Rader was named the prime suspect in the 1976 disappearance of 16-year-old Cynthia Dawn Kinney in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, and in the 1990 murder of 22-year-old Shawna Beth Garber in McDonald County, Missouri. Ms Kinney was last seen at a laundromat. A bank was installing new alarms across the street from that laundromat, Osage County Sheriff Eddie Virden has said. Rader was a regional installer for security system company ADT at the time, but Virden wasn’t able to confirm that Rader installed the bank’s systems. Sheriff Virden told KAKE-TV he decided to investigate when he learned that Rader had included the phrase “bad laundry day” in his writings. DA Fisher said he sat in on interviews that Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma investigators conducted with Rader about 90 days ago, but the sheriff has not shared any physical evidence with the DA’s office. On Monday, the DA called the information he has received so far “rumours because they’ve not been substantiated yet.” And he said he hadn’t seen anything “that at this point arises to the level of even reasonable suspicion.” He said he had seen things that gave him “pause and concern” about the sheriff’s department, including the way they handled a dig for evidence at Rader’s former property in Park City, Kansas, last month. And he called his relationship with the sheriff “broken.” “I’m not trying to create a conflict with the sheriff of Osage County,” he said. “But, there are certain ways to investigate a case, and I’m concerned that those proper investigative techniques have not been used. That’s why I asked the OSBI to assist.” The prosecutor said he was also concerned for Kinney’s parents, with whom he met for about two hours on Friday. He said they are both in their 80s, and the renewed speculation has taken a physical toll on them. “Cynthia went missing 47 years ago. They’ve got no answers,” Mr Fisher said. “We have reason to believe that it may have been a homicide. We can’t say that with any absolute certainty, but we’ve seen nothing to suggest otherwise as there’s been no contact with Cynthia Dawn since 1976, since her disappearance.” Hours after the DA said there was insufficient information to pursue charges against serial killer, the sheriff announced a National BTK Task Force to provide assistance in the cold case of Ms Kinney. The team includes several renowned experts in the field, including several agencies, Nancy Grace, Former Prosecutor & Media Personality, Sheryl “Mac” McCollum, Task Force Coordinator and CSI, Paul Holes, Cold Case Investigator and Rader’s own daughter Kerri Rawson who has been assisting investigators with the case. Last month, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office released never-before-seen drawings from the killer they believe may hold the key to solving a missing persons case and several homicides. The chilling images depict three different women who are bound and gagged in what appear to be barns, which investigators believe could be in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. Hundreds of Rader’s drawings and writings were recovered after his arrest in 2005, but Sheriff Virden says the images may confirm more crimes were committed. Law enforcement also recently dug up Rader’s former family residence, and reportedly found a “pantyhose ligature”. Rader is currently incarcerated at the El Dorado Correctional Facility in Kansas. Read More Woman bound and gagged in BTK serial killer’s drawing has potentially been identified BTK serial killer’s chilling drawings released amid search for new victims The BTK killer’s need for notoriety led to his capture a decade ago. He’s now a ‘prime suspect’ in at least two other murders
2023-09-13 05:47
Memphis officers charged in Tyre Nichols death face federal civil rights indictment
Five former Memphis police officers who were criminally charged for beating Tyre Nichols during an arrest that led to his death are now facing federal civil rights charges. The four-count indictment accuses the now-former Memphis Police Department officers of using excessive force against Nichols and failing to intervene in an unlawful assault against him, willfully disregarding his need for urgent medical aid, and then conspiring to cover up the assault by intentionally withholding information and making false statements to supervisors. They also are accused of obstructing the investigation. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin, Desmond Mills Jr and Justin Smith are also facing state criminal charges – including second-degree murder, aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping – after officer-worn body camera and surveillance footage from January captured officers yelling conflicting commands at the 29-year-old Black man, firing a Taser at him, and beating him while he was pinned to the ground. Nichols died in hospital three days later. The first two counts of the federal indictment carry a maximum penalty of life in prison. Counts three and four each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years. Seven Memphis Police Department officers were fired after Nichols’ death. Five are now facing federal and state charges. “Tyre Nichols should be alive today. No one in this country should have to bury a loved one because of police violence,” Assistant US Attorney General Kristen Clarke said during a press briefing alongside US Attorney Kevin G Ritz on Tuesday. The nation “watched in horror as Tyre Nichols was kicked, punched, tased, and pepper sprayed, and we all heard Mr Nichols cry out for his mother and say ‘I’m just trying to go home,’” US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a separate video statement. The defendants “willfully deprived” Nichols of his constitutional rights and their actions resulted in his death, Mr Garland added. “Officers who violate the civil rights of those they are sworn to protect undermine public safety, which depends on the community’s trust in law enforcement,” he said. “They dishonor their fellow officers who do their work with integrity every day. The Justice Department will continue to hold accountable officers who betray their oath.” Separately, the Justice Department has opened a civil pattern or practice investigation into the MPD earlier this year to determine whether the agency has a history of excessive force, racist policing and profiling, and unconstitutional search and seizure. Nichols’ family also has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit with prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump seeking $550m in damages and accusing the city of Memphis and its police department of widespread negligence and a failure to properly train officers operating in a now-dissolved controversial unit criticised for its alleged constitutional violations. Read More Four videos, 56 minutes, seven Memphis police officers, one deadly arrest: What the Tyre Nichols footage shows Why America’s skateboarders are riding for Tyre Nichols
2023-09-13 05:19
Putin praises Musk as ‘outstanding person’ days after report Tesla boss stopped Ukrainian attack
Vladimir Putin heaped praise on Elon Musk as he called the billionaire an “outstanding person” and businessman. The Russian dictator complimented the Tesla CEO and X owner just days after Mr Musk said that he refused to let Ukraine use Starlink internet to launch a surprise attack on Russian forces in Crimea. The revelation was made in excerpts of a new biography on the South African-born entrepreneur that he had refused Ukraine support for a September 2022 attack on Russian naval vessels in Sevastopol. Mr Musk reportedly refused as he did not want to be complicit in a “major” act of war, and has been heavily criticised by Ukraine’s leadership. Mr Putin was not asked about the incident during an economic forum in Vladivostok but spoke about the rocket launching success of Mr Musk’s SpaceX company. “As far as private business and Elon Musk is concerned... he is undoubtedly an outstanding person. This must be recognised, and I think it is recognised all over the world,” he said. “He (Musk) is an active and talented businessman and he is succeeding a lot, including with the support of the American state.” Last October, Mr Musk was forced to deny a report that he had spoken to Mr Putin about Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine. Ian Bremmer, head of the Eurasia Group political risk consultancy, had claimed that Mr Musk personally told him about the conversation with Mr Putin. “I have spoken to Putin only once and that was about 18 months ago. The subject matter was space,” Mr Musk tweeted. It came the same month Mr Musk asked his social media followers to vote on ways to resolve the bloody conflict. The suggestions included holding votes in Russian-annexed areas of Ukraine, an idea welcomed by the Kremlin. He also suggested that the rest of the world should “formally” recognise Crimea, which was illegally occupied by Moscow in 2014, as part of Russia. In response, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky posted his own poll asking users if they liked the world’s richest person more when he supported Ukraine. Read More Elon Musk: How many children does the Tesla CEO have? Fatherhood, rows with Amber Heard and ‘the woke mind virus’: six revelations from Elon Musk’s biography Elon Musk ‘hardly remembers’ his own ‘demon-like’ episodes, biographer claims Grimes says Elon Musk was ‘clueless’ about why she was upset by C-section photo Elon Musk's refusal to have Starlink support Ukraine attack in Crimea raises questions for Pentagon Pope's Ukraine peace envoy heads to China on mission to help return Ukraine children taken to Russia Ranting Putin threatens Sunak and makes wild claim UK ‘backed nuclear plant raid’ Putin says legal cases against Donald Trump are ‘persecution of a political rival’
2023-09-13 04:54
Danelo Cavalcante update: Escaped convict’s mother says he ‘had no choice’ in girlfriend’s murder
The manhunt for convicted killer Danelo Cavalcante continues 12 days after his escape from Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania. The convict fled the facility days after he was sentenced to life for stabbing his ex-girlfriend Deborah Brandao, 33, to death. He is also wanted for a 2017 murder in Brazil. In an interview with The New York Times on Tuesday, Cavalcante’s mother Iracema Cavalcante defended her son’s actions, saying that he killed Brandao after she reportedly threatened to tell American authorities that he was being sought by Brazilian police. “Did it happen? It happened,” Ms Cavalcante told the Times. “But it happened because of the stranglehold she put on him, the stance she took with him ... It wasn’t femicide. He had to, he had no other choice.” In the latest update, Pennsylvania State Police said the search is now centred on South Coventry Township, warning locals that the fugitive is armed and that they should “lock all doors and windows”. At a press conference on Tuesday morning, Police confirmed that Cavalcante stole a .22 calibre rifle from a home in East Nantmeal Township on Monday, whose owner fired seven shots at him as he fled. Read More Police hunting Danelo Cavalcante say it’s ‘advantage law enforcement’ as search zeroes in on township Danelo Cavalcante search expands more than 20 miles from prison after he stole dairy farm van Danelo Cavalcante’s sister arrested by ICE as police reveal his attempts to contact coworkers
2023-09-13 04:20
