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Johnny & Associates founder Kitagawa sexually assaulted hundreds of teens, investigation finds

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:55:50 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — A team investigating sexual assault allegations by the late founder of a powerful talent agency for boy bands has found the charges credible, calling Tuesday for compensation for the victims and the resignation of the current chief executive. The three-month probe, which included speaking with 23 victims, concluded that Johnny Kitagawa sexually assaulted and abused boys as far back as the 1950s and targeted at least several hundred people. The investigative panel said Johnny & Associates must apologize, strengthen compliance measures and educate its ranks about human rights. Julie Keiko Fujishima, the chief executive, must resign for not taking action over the years, according to the special team. Kitagawa died in 2019 and was never charged. “The company’s coverup led to the sexual abuse continuing unchecked for so long,” investigative team leader Makoto Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “There were many opportunities to take action.” Critics say what happened at Joh...

Fighting in eastern Syria between US-backed fighters and Arab tribesmen kills 10

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:55:50 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Arab tribesmen clashed with U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters in several areas of eastern Syria on Tuesday, leaving at least 10 people dead and others wounded, opposition activists and pro-government media said.The clashes are among the worst in recent years in the region along the border with Iraq where hundreds of U.S. troops have been based since 2015 to help in the fight against the Islamic State group.The clashes first broke out Monday, a day after the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces detained the commander of a formerly allied group and several other members of his faction after they were invited to a meeting in the northeastern city of Hassakeh.Some Arab tribesmen in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour were angered by the detention of Ahmad Khbeil, better known as Abu Khawla. He heads the Deir el-Zour Military Council, which was allied with the SDF in its yearslong battle against the Islamic State group in Syria.The clashes raise concerns of more...

‘Breaking Bad’ stars reunite on picket line to call for studios to resume negotiations with actors

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:55:50 GMT

CULVER CITY, Calif. (AP) — The cast of “Breaking Bad” has reunited to call upon Hollywood studios to resume negotiations with striking screen actors.“We want you to come back to the table with us,” Bryan Cranston said in a plea to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers outside Sony Pictures Studios on Tuesday.Cranston was joined by Aaron Paul, Jesse Plemons and other members of the “Breaking Bad” universe in an effort to energize picket lines more than a month after SAG-AFTRA joined striking Hollywood writers.Both guilds are seeking to address issues brought about by the dominance of streaming services, which have changed all aspects of production and pay in the industry.“The way things were structured 10 years ago made a lot of sense and it made it more possible for journeymen-type actors, actors in the middle that are working just as a hard or harder,” Plemons said.By its final season, which aired more than a decade ago, “Breaking Bad” was one of the most watched ...

A Ugandan man is charged with aggravated homosexuality and could face the death penalty

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:55:50 GMT

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Ugandan authorities have charged a man with aggravated homosexuality, which carries a possible death penalty, in the first use of the charge since the enactment in May of an anti-gay law that has been condemned by critics as draconian.The law has widespread support in Uganda but has drawn pressure from abroad on Ugandan officials to repeal the measure. The World Bank earlier this month announced a decision not to consider new loans to Uganda because of the law, drawing an angry response from President Yoweri Museveni. The suspect is identified as a 20-year-old “peasant” in the eastern district of Soroti who was charged on Aug. 18 with having unlawful sexual intercourse with a 41-year-old man, according to the charging document issued by police in the Soroti Central Division. Aggravated homosexuality is defined as cases of same-sex sexual relations involving a minor and other categories of vulnerable people, or when the perpetrator is infected with HIV. The cha...

Saudi Arabia gets some unlikely visitors when a plane full of Israelis makes an emergency landing

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:55:50 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A plane carrying Israelis home from the Indian Ocean island nation of Seychelles made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia before flying back to Tel Aviv on Tuesday, in what Israel praised as a sign of goodwill as Washington works to establish formal relations between the two countries. The Air Seychelles flight carrying 128 passengers was forced to land Monday because of an electrical malfunction. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the passengers spent the night at an airport hotel in Jeddah and were flown back by the airline on an alternate plane. Passengers described a frightening stretch of time as an acrid burnt smell filled the cabin and the pilot came over the intercom to say the plane would be forced to make an emergency stop in Saudi Arabia, a kingdom with which Israel has no air links or diplomatic ties. With dozens trapped on board and the plane idling on the tarmac, tension grew, passengers said, while Israeli officials scrambled to figure out w...

13-year-old shot in the back in Fuller Park

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:55:50 GMT

CHICAGO — A 13-year-old boy is in the hospital after a shooting Tuesday evening in the Fuller Park neighborhood, according to the Chicago Police Department.Police said they were called to the 5400 block of South Shields Avenue around 7 p.m., where they found a 13-year-old boy who had been shot in the back. After police arrived on scene, the victim was taken to Comer Children's Hospital in good condition.An initial investigation showed the 13-year-old was on the sidewalk in the area when multiple males approached him on foot and opened fire. 10 armed robberies take place in 2 hours on West Side, police say If you or someone you know has information that can help lead police toward making an arrest and conviction in the investigation of this incident, anonymous tips can be filed online at cpdtip.com.Police have no one in custody. Area One detectives are leading the investigation.

'Nothing can prepare you': Austin mass shooting victim's family views graphic bodycam video in court

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:55:50 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The family of the man killed in the 2021 mass shooting on Sixth Street saw body camera video in court Tuesday as the trial for the suspected gunman began.Kantor's family brought photos of the 25-year-old with loved ones as they addressed reporters after day one of the trial.The shooting took the life of 25-year-old Douglas Kantor. More than a dozen others were injured. Austin 6th Street mass shooting suspect pleads not guilty "Nothing can prepare you to see your little brother in his last waking moments," said Kantor's brother Nick.De'Ondre White is accused of firing into a crowd after a confrontation with a group of people around 1:30 a.m. in June 2021. Most of them, police said, were innocent bystanders.Kantor's family members, including his parents, brother, fiancée and uncle, traveled to Austin from out of town to attend the trial.His mother Julia took the stand Tuesday. Cameras were not allowed inside after opening statements, but the family addressed the m...

Wrongful-death lawsuit alleges Ramsey County Jail failed to provide medical treatment to inmate

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:55:50 GMT

A federal lawsuit filed Tuesday against Ramsey County and sheriff’s office correctional officers alleges they failed to report or give treatment to a man who had suffered a “serious and progressively worsening brain hemorrhage” while jailed last year, resulting in his death nearly three weeks later.The 10-page civil rights lawsuit, filed by attorneys Richard Student and Steve Meshbesher on behalf of Dillon Bakke’s family, alleges the county and four correctional officers violated Bakke’s right to adequate medical treatment under the Fourteenth Amendment.“It was avoidable,” Student said Tuesday. “Had they done anything, they would have been able to get Dillon medical care, they would have saved his life. Instead, 30 hours goes by without anybody doing anything.”Bakke’s mother, Teresa Schnell of St. Paul, has been appointed as the trustee in the wrongful-death action, which names Ramsey County and correctional officers Xue Yang, Alex Grundhofer, Scott Brommeric...

School Districts help relieve Back-to-School costs

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:55:50 GMT

CORINTH, N.Y. (NEWS10) — As the summer winds down and kids get ready to go back to school, families are expected to spend around $890 per household, according to the National Retail Federation. Now, more school districts like Corinth Central School District want to provide some financial relief, ensuring every student at every grade level is ready for their first day.At this back-to-school fair, Kerry Giumarra, Social Worker and President of Care said the donated new backpacks and supplies were just what the teacher ordered. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! “They’re gonna have exactly the first-grade school supply list as their teacher requested,” Giumarra said. “And as a mom myself, you go to Staples to get the red folder, but they are out of green folders. So you have to go to Walmart for the green folder. And this allows people to do it all in one spot.”Something many working parents like Laura Clothier can appreciate.“It’s a wonderfu...

White House announces drug price negotiations for Medicare

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:55:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (Nexstar) – The Biden administration announced Medicare will begin the process of directly negotiating prices for 10 different prescription drugs to bring healthcare costs down. The Inflation Reduction Act that Biden signed in 2022 means Medicare will begin negotiating the price of prescription drugs for the first time.Steven Hadfield, a Medicare beneficiary and cancer patient, said drug companies held all the power for too long. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! "For too long, drug makers have made a fortune while patients like me live in constant fear wondering how we pay for our medicine,” Hadfield said. “"Thanks to President Biden, that's changing. He's finally ending Big Pharma's one-sided pricing power and giving seniors like me a break."The White House announced Medicare will begin the price negotiation program with 10 drugs, including diabetes, heart failure and arthritis medications. Those drugs are among the most cost...