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Man traveling from Puerto Rico to New Orleans denied rental car he paid for

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:21 GMT

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (WDSU) — A large rental car company has apologized to a Puerto Rican man after denying him a car he paid for at the New Orleans International Airport.Humberto Marchand traveled to the city and paid for a rental car through Hertz ahead of his trip.When he arrived, he was denied the car after the employee demanded to see a passport.Marchand is a United States citizen and did not have his passport on him because his flight was domestic. Puerto Rico is also a United States territory.Marchand said the Hertz employee called the police and was advised to file a report with the Kenner Police Department by the responding officer.He says he was hoping the responding officer would confirm with the staff that his identification was valid, but instead, he says he was asked to leave the premises and, while doing so, says he overheard the officer suggest calling border authorities.In a statement, the Kenner Police Department said in part, “The body camera footage...

Crews put out house fire in Miramar

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:21 GMT

Miramar Fire Rescue responded to a house fire, Tuesday afternoon.7Skyforce hovered over the scene, located at 2420 SW 80th Terrace in Miramar, where heavy smoke and flames coming from the home were visible. According to officials, the fire started in a bedroom and spread throughout the residence from there. The house was occupied when the fire broke out, but everyone made it out safely. No injuries were reported.

UK MP faces sexual assault investigation by police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:21 GMT

LONDON — A senior MP is being investigated by police over an allegation of serious sexual assault.Julian Knight was elected as a Conservative MP but he was stripped of the party whip last December after being reported to the Metropolitan Police over the allegations. The Met said in April they were no longer investigating, but Essex Police confirmed Tuesday they are now investigating an allegation of serious sexual assault, referred to them by the Metropolitan Police.The Conservatives refused to restore the whip to Knight after the Met dropped the case, with the party saying at the time that it had received further complaints.Knight has denied what he described as a “false and malicious accusation.”Essex Police said in a statement: “We have agreed to take on an investigation which has been referred to us from the Metropolitan Police Service.“We are investigating an allegation of serious sexual assault. Detectives who specialise in cases of this ...

Virginia man charged in baseball bat attacks on three women, including congressional staffers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:21 GMT

By MATTHEW BARAKAT and DENISE LAVOIE (Associated Press)FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A man with untreated schizophrenia, according to his father, was arraigned Tuesday on charges involving baseball-bat attacks on three women, including two staffers for U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly.Xuan-Kha Tran Pham, 49, of Fairfax heard the charges by video hookup from the Fairfax County jail. A judge ordered him held without bond pending a preliminary hearing in July.The four counts include aggravated wounding and malicious aggravated wounding in the attack at Connolly’s district office in Fairfax, and counts of felony destroying property and misdemeanor hate crime for an episode less than an hour earlier, when police say he hit a car windshield with the bat and chased a woman after asking if she was white.Capitol Police and Fairfax City Police said they are jointly investigating the case, and the suspect’s motivations aren’t clear.Pham’s father, Hy Pham, told The Washington Post h...

With Aaron Rodgers at the helm, Strat-O-Matic projects Jets to end long playoff drought

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:21 GMT

The Jets will finally end their playoff drought this season.At least that is what Strat-O-Matic is predicting after the sports simulation company played out Gang Green’s season following last week’s official 2023 schedule release.Strat-O-Matic has the Aaron Rodgers-led Jets finishing 10-7 and sixth in the AFC and securing one of the conference’s three wild card spots.Now the bad news. In the simulation, the Jets lose to the Bills 38-14 in the wild card round.The New York-based company has the Jets splitting games against the Bills and Miami Dolphins while sweeping the New England Patriots for the first time since 2000. The Jets other victories come against the Washington Commanders, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns, with losses against the Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, L.A. Chargers, Giants and Atlanta Falcons.Strat-O-Matic also simulated Rodgers’ stats for his first season with the Jets. They h...

Ukraine says it downed Russian hypersonic missiles during ‘exceptional’ air attack on Kyiv

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:21 GMT

By SAMYA KULLAB (Associated Press)KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian air defenses, bolstered by sophisticated Western-supplied systems, thwarted an intense Russian air attack on Kyiv early Tuesday, shooting down all missiles aimed at the capital, officials said.The bombardment, which targeted locations across Ukraine, included six Russian Kinzhal aero-ballistic hypersonic missiles, the most fired in a single attack in the war so far, according to Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly touted the Kinzhals as providing a key strategic competitive advantage and among the most advanced weapons in his country’s arsenal. The missiles are difficult to detect and intercept because of their hypersonic speed and maneuverability. If Ukraine’s claim of having shot down six fired Tuesday is confirmed, it would mark another blow to Putin’s war efforts and show the increasing effectiveness of the country’s air defenses. ...

Cannes Film Festival kicks off with Johnny Depp, ‘Jeanne du Barry’ and plenty to talk about

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:21 GMT

By JAKE COYLE (AP Film Writer)CANNES, France (AP) — The Cannes red carpet sprang to life again Tuesday with the premiere of the Louis XV period drama “Jeanne du Barry,” with Johnny Depp, as the French Riviera movie pageant launched a star-studded and potentially controversy-rife 76th edition. Throngs of onlookers shouted “Johnny!” as Depp, in purple-hued sunglasses signed autographs and edged back into the spotlight following his explosive trial last year with ex-wife Amber Heard. “Jeanne du Barry,” directed and co-starring Maïwenn, has been billed as Depp’s comeback — though his prominent presence at Cannes has been hotly debated. A coterie of stars streamed down Cannes’ famous red carpet for the opening night ceremony, including Brie Larson, Uma Thurman, Gong Li, Elle Fanning, Catherine Deneuve (who graces this year’s festival poster) and a blue-haired Helen Mirren, who carried a fan labeled #worthit. During th...

ChatGPT chief says artificial intelligence should be regulated by a US or global agency

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:21 GMT

By MATT O’BRIEN (AP Technology Writer)The head of the artificial intelligence company that makes ChatGPT told Congress on Tuesday that government intervention “will be critical to mitigate the risks of increasingly powerful” AI systems.“As this technology advances, we understand that people are anxious about how it could change the way we live. We are too,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified at a Senate hearing Tuesday.Altman proposed the formation of a U.S. or global agency that would license the most powerful AI systems and have the authority to “take that license away and ensure compliance with safety standards.”His San Francisco-based startup rocketed to public attention after it released ChatGPT late last year. ChatGPT is a free chatbot tool that answers questions with convincingly human-like responses.What started out as a panic among educators about ChatGPT’s use to cheat on homework assignments has expanded to broader concerns abo...

Oshawa man bilked rental scam victims of more than $50K, police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:21 GMT

Durham Regional Police allege an Oshawa man defrauded over 35 people out of more than $50,000 in an apartment rental scam.According to investigators, the suspect posted apartment ads on Facebook Marketplace, advertising apartments for rent in London, Ontario.Police say the suspect would collect first and last month rent from his alleged victims, and then vanish, ceasing all communications.On Sunday, May 14, 2023, police arrested Ghana Ariharan, 27, in the Simcoe Street North and Conlin Road area of Oshawa.He’s facing several charges including fraud over $5,000 and possession of proceeds obtained by crime.On Monday, Toronto police issued a release in a separate, but similar rental scam investigation.In that case, police said they’re searching for Cem Devrim Turetken, 49, after he was accused of defrauding several people with phony online apartment listings. Police say Turetken used a variety of different aliases and company names online, including Smart Rental Property Ma...

Recalled Gerber baby formula was sent to US retailers after recall began, wholesaler says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:21 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — An infant formula recalled over potential bacteria contamination was distributed to retailers across eight states after the recall began, according to a release published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week.Perrigo Co. issued a voluntary March recall of certain lots of its Gerber Good Start SoothePro Powdered Infant Formula “out of an abundance of caution” due to the possible presence of Cronobacter sakazakii, a germ that can cause serious or deadly infections in infants. The recall includes Gerber Good Start formula manufactured between Jan. 2 and Jan. 18 at the Perrigo’s Eau Claire, Wisconsin, facility. The recalled formula was sold in three different sizes at retailers nationwide, according to a March 17 recall notice.Cooperative food wholesaler Associated Wholesale Grocers, however, distributed the 12.4-ounce version of the recalled product to its Nashville Division retailers after Perrigo’s initial recall notice was published.As a result, th...