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Dozens arrested over alleged child sex abuse following murder of two FBI agents in Sunrise

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:21 GMT

(CNN) — A total of 98 people have been arrested in connection with child sex abuse, and 13 children rescued from harm, US and Australian authorities said Tuesday, more than two years after two FBI agents were killed in Sunrise investigating an alleged international pedophile ring.In a news conference Tuesday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Australian Federal Police (AFP) said 79 arrests, 65 indictments, and 43 convictions in the US were carried out as a result of the joint operation, while 19 men were arrested in Australia.Two FBI agents investigating the alleged ring were shot dead in 2021 while executing a search warrant for a computer programmer suspected of possession of child abuse material, CNN previously reported.The alleged child abuse ring was a “peer to peer network” with “some offenders committing offenses for over 10 years,” said Australian Federal Police Commander Helen Schneider.“Some of the children were known to the men who were arrested,” Sc...

Mattel announces limited-edition ‘Weird Barbie’ doll for sale

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:21 GMT

(CNN) — Some might say Weird Barbies are made, not sold. Mattel, however, begs to differ.The toy company behind the iconic Barbie brand has announced a signature doll modeled after Kate McKinnon’s character from Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster “Barbie.” In the movie, McKinnon’s character helps send Margot Robbie’s Barbie on her journey.“Barbie” is produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, which is owned by CNN’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.The limited-edition toy features a hot pink outfit almost identical to the one McKinnon wears in the movie, complete with markings on her face and oddly cut and colored hair “to emulate a doll that’s been played with just a little too much,” Mattel said in the product description.The doll is one of seven products in an expanded collection stemming from the billion-dollar hit movie, including various Barbie and Ken dolls modeling outfits they wore on-screen and a Hot Wheels corvette set.“With the latest editions to ...

Even Zoom is making its staff return to the office

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:21 GMT

New York (CNN) — Zoom, the company that powered the remote work revolution during the pandemic, is telling its employees to come back to the office.In a statement, Zoom said it’s now enforcing a “structured hybrid approach,” meaning that employees who live near an office “need to be onsite two days a week” because it’s “most effective” for the video-conferencing service.“As a company, we are in a better position to use our own technologies, continue to innovate, and support our global customers. We’ll continue to leverage the entire Zoom platform to keep our employees and dispersed teams connected and working efficiently,” the company said.Putting aside the irony, Zoom isn’t excluded from the return to office trend that’s sweeping tech companies. In recent months, Google, Amazon and Salesforce have enacted similar policies, ending a Covid-era approach that gave employees more freedom to work from home. However, businesses have faced some pushback from employees after workers grew ac...

Poland’s president announces election date

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:21 GMT

Poland will hold its general election on October 15, Polish President Andrzej Duda confirmed Tuesday.“The future of Poland is a matter for each of us! Use your rights,” Duda said on social media, announcing the election date.Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s ruling nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS) currently leads the center-right Civic Coalition by 6 percentage points according to POLITICO’s Poll of Polls.POLAND NATIONAL PARLIAMENT ELECTION POLL OF POLLS All 3 Years 2 Years 1 Year 6 Months Smooth Kalman circle.fill-PL-parliament-PiS, rect.fill-PL-parliament-PiS, svg.colorize path.fill-PL-parliament-PiS, text.fill-PL-parliament-PiS { fill: #3254a8; } circle.stroke-PL-parliament-PiS, rect.stroke-PL-parliament-PiS, svg.colorize path.stroke-PL-parliament-PiS, text.stroke-PL-parliament-...

Europe’s space chief confirms rocket rival to Musk’s SpaceX won’t launch this year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:21 GMT

The maiden launch of the European Space Agency’s next generation Ariane 6 rocket system now definitely won’t happen until 2024 at the earliest, the agency’s Director General Josef Aschbacher said Tuesday.Aschbacher said that the ESA, French space agency CNES and rocket developers Arianespace and Ariane Group “confirm that the inaugural launch is now targeted for 2024.”As earlier reported by POLITICO, the ESA had wanted to get the heavy launcher system ready for use this year, with full commercial operations then starting in 2024. But the program has been subject to significant delays over the last few years. The rocket had been scheduled to first launch back in 2020. Without Ariane 6, and with Ariane 5’s retirement already confirmed, SpaceX’s Falcon is the only viable alternative for hauling large satellites, like the EU’s Galileo geo-navigation spacecraft, into orbit. Because of the ...

Lynn Classical HS coach charged with sex-related crimes involving students

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:21 GMT

A 38-year-old man from Saugus was arrested and charged with multiple sex-related crimes that involved students at Lynn Classical High School, according to the Essex County District Attorney’s Office.Oscar Juarez, a women’s junior varsity soccer coach at the school, was arraigned on Monday for alleged acts that included “sending unsolicited pornographic images of himself” to an 18-year-old student and former player.“He’s also accused of soliciting that student and a juvenile to have a sexual relationship with him,” the DA’s office stated in a news release. “In addition, Juarez is accused of groping another juvenile player.”Authorities said Juarez was arrested and arraigned on Monday, Aug. 7, in Lynn District Court where he pleaded not guilty. The charges he was arraigned on included indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 and distributing pornographic material, as well as reckless endangerment of a child.The 38 year old was ord...

Patriots sign Trey Flowers, returning veteran linebacker to New England

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:21 GMT

Two-time Super Bowl winner Trey Flowers will be back in a Patriots uniform this coming season after New England signed the 29-year-old linebacker for the upcoming season.The team announced Flowers’s return on Tuesday. Details on the deal have not yet been released, but the news came days after the player was recently seen at Gillette Stadium.Flowers spent the first four seasons of his career in New England after the Patriots selected the Arkansas player in the fourth round of the 2015 draft.He was part of two Super Bowl-winning teams in 2016 and 2018 before inking a five-year deal with the Detroit Lions. He was later released in 2022 and signed with the Miami Dolphins where was placed on injured reserve in October after four games.Flowers’s career includes 79 games played with 265 total tackles, 31.5 sacks and 10 forced fumble recoveries. His postseason play with the Patriots featured 39 total tackles and 5.5 sacks.

Boston man files lawsuit seeking to bankrupt white supremacist group he says assaulted him

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:21 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — A Black teacher and musician who says members of a white nationalist hate group punched, kicked and beat him with metal shields during a march through Boston last year sued the organization on Tuesday.Charles Murrell III, of Boston, was in the area of the Boston Public Library to play his saxophone on July 2, 2022, when he was surrounded by members of the Patriot Front and assaulted in a “coordinated, brutal, and racially motivated attack,” according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Boston.Murrell was taken by ambulance to the hospital for treatment of lacerations, some of which required stitches, the suit says.“As a result of this beating, Mr. Murrell sustained physical injuries to his face, head, and hand, all of which required medical attention. Mr. Murrell also continues to suffer significant emotional distress to this day as a result of the incident,” the suit says. “Among other harms, those physical and emotional injuries have adversely affect...

Boston man sues white supremacist group Patriot Front after alleged assault at march

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:21 GMT

A Black teacher and musician who says members of a white nationalist hate group punched, kicked and beat him with metal shields during a march through Boston last year sued the organization on Tuesday.Charles Murrell III, of Boston, was in the area of the Boston Public Library to play his saxophone on July 2, 2022, when he was surrounded by members of the Patriot Front and assaulted in a “coordinated, brutal, and racially motivated attack,” according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Boston.Murrell was taken by ambulance to the hospital for treatment of lacerations, some of which required stitches, the suit says.“As a result of this beating, Mr. Murrell sustained physical injuries to his face, head, and hand, all of which required medical attention. Mr. Murrell also continues to suffer significant emotional distress to this day as a result of the incident,” the suit says. “Among other harms, those physical and emotional injuries have adversely af...

Healey declares state of emergency in Massachusetts as shelter for migrants fills up

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:21 GMT

Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts Tuesday as local emergency shelters fill up with the high number of migrants arriving in the state and surging housing costs displace families.Healey is the latest governor to turn to emergency action to respond to an ever-increasing number of displaced and newly-arrived migrant families. Healey said the emergency declaration directs officials to utilize “all means necessary” to secure housing, shelter, health and human services to address the “humanitarian crisis.”“The increased level of demand is not slowing down,” Healey said. “We are unable to move people from housing and shelter into permanent housing.”The last time Massachusetts was in a state of emergency was from March 10, 2020 through May 11 for the COVID-19 pandemic. A state of emergency was declared in September 2018 for the Merrimack Valley gas explosion.A steady stream of migrant families arriving in Massachu...