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Kidnapping scam victim terrified by call from woman posing as mother

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:45 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — A terrifying phone call sent a woman into panic, only to find out later that she was targeted by a cruel and heartless scam. Virtual kidnapping is being investigated by the FBI and Colorado attorney general. Crooks threaten to kill or maim loved ones unless their targeted victims send them money. Colorado Ped Patrol founder sued on claims of falsely accusing child exploitation One Colorado victim told FOX31 she received a call from her father’s phone number but became terrified when she answered it. A woman was heard crying on the phone, then a strange man got on the line.“He said, 'If you don't calm the (expletive) down, I'm gonna blow your parents' brains out.' And I said, 'OK, what do you want?' And he said, 'I want you to give me money,'" she said.The man, who used the name Randall, demanded her bank account numbers but said she could also transfer money through a payment app in order to save her mother.“I hang up the phone and call my mom, and she doesn't answ...

Trump: I won’t be a dictator ‘except on day one’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:45 GMT

Donald Trump said Tuesday he will only be a dictator “on day one” if he returns to office in 2025.In a town hall with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, the former president was pressed on whether he would disavow taking retributive action against all his enemies if he reentered the Oval Office. He initially shied away from responding, but when asked a second time said he would only be a dictator on the first day of his second term. He emphasized that it would be for two specific issues.“I want to close the border and I want to drill, drill, drill,” Trump said. “Other than that, I am not a dictator.”The remarks may have been an attempt to defuse an issue that has bubbled up in recent weeks, with various news outlets spotlighting an authoritarian bent of Trump’s proposed second-term approach. But they were also quickly spotlighted by President Joe Biden’s campaign, suggesting that they felt Trump had provided them with ample fodder of his intentions.“Donald Trump has been telling us e...

Taking medicines from bench to bedside

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:45 GMT

Developing new treatments is a lengthy, complex and high-risk process – it takes 10-15 years and costs, on average, over €1-2 billion1 to bring a new treatment to the market, and roughly 90 percent of compounds fail in clinical trials.2 But scientific and technological progress is yielding innovative treatments for patients at a faster pace than ever before.3 So, to ensure that groundbreaking science, such as cell and gene therapy, stays in Europe where patients can quickly benefit from it, we need strong and predictable intellectual property (IP) and regulatory incentives, which attract R&D investment and foster collaboration among academia, medical institutions, and the industry.Unlocking innovation: The vital role of intellectual property in academic researchUniversities across Europe are at the forefront of early research into diseases, experimenting with novel approaches for the next generation of treatments. However, this initial research has a long way to go before it is...

Chicago Cubs believe they remain in the mix for superstar Shohei Ohtani: ‘We have not been given a status check’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:45 GMT

President Jed Hoyer and the Chicago Cubs still believe they are in the mix for two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.Hoyer would not offer any details Tuesday beyond that, however, as Major League Baseball’s free agency and trade market largely remain at a standstill waiting for Ohtani’s decision as his courtship remains shrouded in secrecy.“I’m not going to comment on it, but we have not been given a status check (by Ohtani’s camp), so to speak,” Hoyer said on the second day of the MLB winter meetings.Hoyer denied a USA Today report that claimed the Cubs had balked at Ohtani’s 10-year price tag of at least $500 million and they appeared to be out of the bidding.“I don’t know where that came from, there’s nothing to report whatsoever,” Hoyer said. “On all the Ohtani stuff, just like I would any free agent, I’m not going to talk about discussions or meetings or where it is, just keep that quiet like anything else...

Chaotic from start to finish, Alex Verdugo’s Red Sox tenure ends in trade to Yankees

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:45 GMT

As first reported by MLB insider Jeff Passan, the Red Sox and Yankees made their seventh trade in the last 50 years on Tuesday evening.Alex Verdugo will be donning pinstripes and shaving his beard, and the Red Sox will add three right-handed pitchers to an organization that needs as much pitching as it can get.Verdugo is in his final year of arbitration, and has been the subject of trade rumors for several months. While the Red Sox never engaged with him on extension talks, several clubs were interested in him at the trade deadline. The Yankees made their interest in Verdugo known in early November; they were one of several teams that called the Red Sox about him, Craig Breslow said.Over four seasons in Boston, Verdugo hit .281 with a .761 OPS, 124 doubles, 43 home runs, 206 RBI, and 280 runs. There were flashes of brilliance, such as his three consecutive games with a leadoff home run in late August, something no Red Sox player had done before, and stretches of clutch hits, like wh...

North York crash sends 3 to hospital

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:45 GMT

Three people were taken to hospital after a crash in North York on Tuesday night.Police say one of the vehicles involved in the collision at Keele Street and Falstaff Avenue fled the scene.There’s no word on the extent of the injuries.The Highway 401 southbound ramp to Keele Street has been closed while police investigate.

Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Saudi Arabia and UAE, host of COP28 climate talks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:45 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday will visit both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as Dubai hosts the United Nations’ COP28 climate talks — despite facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court over the war in Ukraine.Neither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE has signed the ICC founding treaty, meaning they don’t face any obligation to detain Putin over the warrant accusing him of being personally responsible for the abductions of children from Ukraine during his war on the country. However, the visit comes as armed U.N. police patrol a portion of Dubai’s Expo City now considered international territory for the talks, again highlighting the Emirates’ expansive business ties to Russia that have exploded in the time since grinding Western sanctions have targeted Moscow. A readout on Putin’s trip from the state-run Tass news agency published early Wednesday offered no suggestion Putin might co...

4 more members of K-pop supergroup BTS to begin mandatory South Korean military service

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:45 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Four more members of the K-pop supergroup BTS are to begin their mandatory South Korean military duties soon, their management agency said.Big Hit Music said in a statement Tuesday that the enlistments are “upcoming” but didn’t disclose the starting dates. South Korean media reported that all four members will begin their duties next week — RM and V on Dec. 11 and Jimin and Jung Kook, who are scheduled to enlist together, on Dec. 12.There will be no official events on the day of their entrance to military bases, Big Hit Music said. The agency advised fans to refrain from visiting the sites to prevent any possible crowding-related issues.Three other BTS members – Jin, J-Hope and Suga – have already begun their military duties. Jin and J-Hope are performing active service in the army while Suga is serving as a social service agent, an alternative form of military service in the country.In South Korea, all able-bodied men are required to serve about 18-21 mont...

Australian government hopes to rush laws that could detain dangerous migrants

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:45 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The Australian government hopes to rush legislation through Parliament on Wednesday that could place behind bars some of the migrants freed after the High Court ruled their indefinite detention was unconstitutional.The Senate on Tuesday passed draft legislation that would create so-called community safety orders.Immigration Minister Andrew Giles would be able to apply to a judge to imprison migrants with criminal records for violent or sexual offenses because they pose an unacceptable risk to the public.“We’ve already begun preparations to ensure that we can do all that we can as quickly as we can.” Giles told reporters.Giles declined to say how many of the 148 freed migrants who for various reasons can’t be deported might be detained under community safety orders.Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil urged opposition lawmakers not to delay the legislation passing the House of Representatives on Wednesday by proposing amendments that could be unconstitutional...

2 planes clip wings while taxiing at O'Hare

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:45 GMT

CHICAGO — Two airplanes at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport clipped wings while taxiing to their gates on Tuesday evening, city officials say.According to the Chicago Department of Aviation, two aircraft made contact while taxiing just before 7:30 p.m. Both planes were operated by regional carriers who fly under the United Express name.A spokesperson for SkyWest, one of the regional carriers involved, later confirmed that the two plane's wingtips made contact during a slow taxi after the SkyWest jet arrived at the airport. Vinyl record shops report surge in burglaries, shoplifting Officials say nobody was injured in during the collision and both planes proceeded to their gates and all passengers were able to get off the plane without issue. According to SkyWest, maintenance teams are inspecting the aircraft for damage.