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Harsh penalties approved for Florida state college employees who use restrooms that don’t correspond with gender assigned at birth

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:53:43 GMT

(CNN) — Florida education officials on Wednesday unanimously approved harsher penalties against state college employees who violate a new law barring them and students from using restrooms or changing facilities for a gender other than the one assigned at birth.The move by the state board of education comes as LGBTQ advocates have criticized the law as a larger effort to erase them from Florida schools and society.Under the new rules approved Wednesday, staff and faculty at Florida colleges can be fired if they use a restroom for a gender that does not correspond with their gender assigned at birth.Employees may also face a verbal and written warning and suspension without pay as penalty for a first offense. Colleges will be forced to fire employees after a second offense, according to the new rule’s text.“Institutions must investigate each complaint regarding violations of (the rule) and must have an established procedure for such investigations,” the new rule text says.The new rul...

Yevgeny Prigozhin (1961—2023)

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:53:43 GMT

Yevgeny Prigozhin’s days seemed numbered the moment he had the audacity — some would say recklessness — to raise a mutiny two months ago and start his march on Moscow.The paramilitary boss’s demise hardly comes as a surprise to anyone who closely follows Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin — opponents of all types have met mysterious and untimely deaths, with a thud or a crash, poisoned, shot or tumbled out of windows. A neat suicide in a dacha is probably the best an adversary can hope for — and you only get that when a mess isn’t warranted. This time a mess would seem to have been officially authorized as a graphic warning to others — as a signal that Putin calls the shots. “A gangster killed by another gangster gangsta style,” was the laconic take of Adrian Karatnycky of the Atlantic Council when news broke Wednesday that a private jet with Prigozhin on board crashed near Moscow, killing him and another nine people, including one of his top paramilitary field commanders, Dmit...

Ukraine carries out armed raid in Crimea, inflicts casualties on Russia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:53:43 GMT

KYIV — Ukraine on Thursday conducted a daring operation in Russian-occupied Crimea, its military intelligence said, as Kyiv marked the anniversary of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Ukrainian outlet Krym Realii reported blasts and a firefight in Crimea early in the day, citing their sources in the occupied territory. Ukrainian forces which arrived via sea engaged with Russian occupiers, inflicting casualties and damage to equipment, military intelligence said.Though local Russian-installed authorities in Crimea — which have occupied the Black Sea peninsula since 2014 — have not issued any official statements so far, Ukraine said its units engaged in a battle on the shore near the area of Olenivka and Mayak villages.“During the execution of the task, the Ukrainian defenders engaged in combat with the units of the occupier. As a result, the enemy suffered losses among personnel, enemy equipment was destroyed. Also, the state flag was raised in the Ukrainian ...

Boston police arrest Charles Street break-in suspect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:53:43 GMT

Boston police have arrested a 55-year-old man in connection with a recent break-in on Charles Street, officials said.Officers arrested James Schaff, of Boston, on breaking and entering charges stemming from a break-in at 60 Charles St., according to Boston police.Officers provided with a description of the suspect spotted Schaff walking on Charles Street around midnight Thursday and arrested him when he tried to walk away from the area, police said.He is expected to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court.

Police arrest Roxbury woman wanted on animal cruelty charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:53:43 GMT

Boston police have arrested a Roxbury woman who was wanted on animal cruelty charges, officials said.Lakeida Burris, 36, was arrested around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in the area of 6 Ernst St., according to Boston police. She is now facing two counts of animal cruelty.Burris had recently been highlighted on a Boston Police Most Wanted list.She is expected to be arraigned in Roxbury District Court.

State police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section nabs man wanted for robberies in Texas on Martha’s Vineyard

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:53:43 GMT

The Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section arrested a man on Martha’s Vineyard on Wednesday morning who was wanted for two armed robberies in Texas, officials said.Brian Covington, 29, was believed to have fled Texas and traveled from Florida to New York City, to Martha’s Vineyard, according to state police.MSP VFAS, in conjunction with the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, Oak Bluffs Police, and members of the United States Marshals Massachusetts Fugitive Task Force, began seeking Covington and developed areas of interest in the towns of Oak Bluff and Vineyard Haven. The Massachusetts State Police Air Wing flew MSP VFAS Troopers to the island early Wednesday morning.At about 10 a.m., MSP VFAS Troopers and Oak Bluffs Police detectives conducting surveillance of Pequot Avenue saw Covington walking toward a rooming house. As members of the team approached him, he ran into the rooming house at 20 Pequot Ave. and ran up a flight of stairs. Troopers and...

TD Bank Group reports $2.96B Q3 profit, down from $3.21B year ago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:53:43 GMT

TORONTO — TD Bank Group reported its third-quarter profit fell compared with a year ago as its provisions for credit losses rose.The bank said Thursday its net income totalled $2.96 billion or $1.57 per diluted share for the quarter ended July 31, down from $3.21 billion or $1.75 per diluted share a year earlier.Revenue totalled $12.78 billion, up from $10.93 billion in the same quarter last year.Provisions for credit losses amounted to $766 million, up from $351 million a year earlier.On an adjusted basis, TD says it earned $1.99 per diluted share in its latest quarter, down from $2.09 per diluted share in the same quarter last year.The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of $2.04 per diluted share, based on estimates compiled by financial markets data firm Refinitiv.“TD delivered strong revenue growth in the quarter and demonstrated the value of its diversified business mix in a challenging economic environment,” TD chief executive Bharat Masrani said in a s...

Sandwich chain Subway will be sold to Arby’s owner Roark Capital

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:53:43 GMT

Sandwich chain Subway said Thursday it will be sold to the private equity firm Roark Capital.Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Roark was offering around $9.6 billion for Subway, which is privately owned.Subway CEO John Chidsey said the deal reflects Subway’s long-term growth potential and the value of the brand. Subway plans to continue to modernize restaurants and expand internationally under Roark’s ownership.Roark is a private equity firm with $37 billion in assets under management. It specializes in franchised businesses, and owns multiple restaurant chains, including Arby’s, Dunkin’ and Buffalo Wild Wings.Subway, which has dual headquarters in Miami and Connecticut, was founded in 1965 and is still owned by its founding families. It’s now one of the world’s largest restaurant chains, with 37,000 outlets in more than 100 countries.But in the U.S., it has been losing market share in recent years to fast-growing rivals li...

FIFA opens case against Spanish soccer official who a kissed player on the lips at Women’s World Cup

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:53:43 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — FIFA opened a disciplinary case Thursday against the Spanish soccer official who kissed a player on the lips while celebrating the team’s victory in the Women’s World Cup final.The governing body’s disciplinary committee will weigh if Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales violated “the basic rules of decent conduct” and “behaving in a way that brings the sport of football and/or FIFA into disrepute.”Rubiales kissed player Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy and medal ceremony on Sunday after Spain’s 1-0 victory over England in Sydney, Australia.Minutes earlier, Rubiales grabbed his crotch as a victory gesture in the exclusive section of seats with Queen Letizia of Spain and 16-year-old Princess Sofía standing nearby.Hermoso has said she did not like the kiss and the national players’ union representing her — which Rubiales once led — called Wednesday for his conduct to not go unpunished.FIFA responded Thursday.“FIFA reiterates its ...

Rockslide near the Dead Sea in Israel kills 5-year-old boy and injures 6 others

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:53:43 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — An avalanche of rocks tumbled down a hillside onto a hiking trail near the Dead Sea in Israel on Thursday, trapping many people, killing a 5-year-old boy and injuring at least six others, medics said. The volunteer emergency medical service United Hatzalah said rescue teams recovered numerous people who were trapped under the rubble. Israeli military helicopters airlifted the victims to nearby hospitals.Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said the victims ranged from 4 to 40 years old, including the boy who was found unconscious and could not be resuscitated. A 4-year-old girl was in moderate condition and others were less seriously injured. Medics said the situation was worsened by the fact that the site of the landslide was difficult to reach. The rockslide took place in the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve on the western shore of the Dead Sea, a popular tourist site. It was not immediately clear what caused the rockslide. They typically occur when torrential ra...