Friday, January 10
Doctors Without Borders halts operations in Haiti’s capital after escalation in violence
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Doctors Without Borders halts operations in Haiti’s capital after escalation in violence

Due to an increase in violence and threats against its employees from Haitian authorities, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announced on Tuesday that it is ceasing operations in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, and the surrounding metropolitan area. According to MSF, the suspension would begin on Wednesday and last until further notice. Since a fatal attack on one of its ambulances last week, police have stopped MSF's cars numerous times and directly harassed its employees, some with threats of rape and death, the organization said in a statement. "We have no choice but to suspend our projects when even law enforcement becomes a direct threat," said Christophe Garnier, the head of MSF's Haiti mission. "We are accustomed to working in conditions of extreme insecurity in Haiti and elsewhere...
Georgia woman sues in response to E. coli outbreak linked to carrots
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Georgia woman sues in response to E. coli outbreak linked to carrots

The Summary A Georgia woman has sued in response to the E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots. Melinda Pratt says she was hospitalized for three days with an E. coli infection that she contracted after she ate carrots from Grimmway Farms. The company issued a recall Saturday. The affected carrots were sold at major chains, including Trader Joe s, Whole Foods and Target. For years, Melinda Pratt has been purchasing organic carrots from Grimmway Farms' Bunny Luv brand. Pratt, 40, a mother of three from Savannah, Georgia, stated that on September 30, she purchased the brand's whole carrots from her neighborhood Sam's Club. She claimed that after eating them, she started having bloody diarrhea and abdominal discomfort that persisted like someone stabbing someone in the s...
‘Rust’ director says film’s premiere is ‘bittersweet’
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‘Rust’ director says film’s premiere is ‘bittersweet’

Rust debuted Wednesday at the Camerimage Film Festival in Poland, more than three years after the deadly shooting on the set. Joel Souza, the film's director, stated in an interview following the premiere that it's bittersweet. It would have been better, in my opinion, if the film had been completed long ago and Halyna had been there to discuss it with pride. On October 21, 2021, Alec Baldwin's prop gun fired a real round of ammunition on the set, killing Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Souza was also struck in the shoulder by the bullet. A judge in Baldwin's trial determined that New Mexico prosecutors had withheld evidence, leading to the case being dismissed over the summer despite Baldwin being charged with one count of manslaughter. It's been a long time dealing with the film, ...
Danish military says it’s staying close to Chinese ship after data cable breach
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Danish military says it’s staying close to Chinese ship after data cable breach

Days after two fiber-optic data telecommunication cables in the Baltic Sea were cut, the Danish military said on Wednesday that it was remaining near a Chinese ship that was temporarily parked in Danish seas. A Danish navy patrol ship was anchored close to the Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 on Wednesday in the Kattegat strait between Denmark and Sweden, according to MarineTraffic vessel tracking data. In a social media post, the military stated, "The Danish Defense can confirm that we are present in the area near the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3." It added that it had no more comments. The Danish military rarely makes public remarks on specific ships operating in Danish seas. It didn't explain why it was remaining on board the ship or address the cable breaches. Traffic data indicated that other...
Greeks go on general strike demanding higher pay
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Greeks go on general strike demanding higher pay

ATHENS As transportation workers, hospital physicians, school teachers, and construction workers joined a statewide strike to protest reduced living standards and demand higher compensation, ships arrived at Greek ports and railway and bus services were disrupted on Wednesday. In exchange for bailouts totaling 280 billion euros ($297 billion) during the 2009–2018 debt crisis, which cut a fourth off Greece's economic output and almost forced the country out of the eurozone, many Greeks saw their wages and pensions cut. The Greek economy has been slowly improving since 2018. Since assuming power in 2019, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' center-right government has increased the minimum monthly gross wage four times, to 830 euros per month, with plans to boost it even higher to 950 euros...
Susan Smith, who drowned her two young children 30 years ago, denied parole
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Susan Smith, who drowned her two young children 30 years ago, denied parole

Columbia, S.C. Susan Smith was denied parole on Wednesday. She horrified the country thirty years ago when she pulled her car into a lake while her two young sons were inside and watched them drown. Through a video hookup, Smith, 53, begged to be released from prison. She had to persuade the seven-member panel that she was prepared to return to society after thirty years in prison. The panel unanimously voted nay. Before the parole board's decision, Smith, in tears, said that what she had done to 14-month-old Alex and 3-year-old Michael "was horrible." She replied, "I would give anything if I could go back and change it," as she wiped her eyes and removed her glasses. "I apologize. I am aware that is insufficient. Even though they are only words, they are from the bottom of my heart. Smi...
McDonald’s preparing a 2025 ‘McValue’ offering
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McDonald’s preparing a 2025 ‘McValue’ offering

McDonald's is planning inexpensive offers for 2025 in an effort to retain patrons who are tired of expensive dining establishments. According to CNBC, the firm is developing a new McValue strategy for the upcoming year that includes adding a buy one, get one free option for an additional $1 and maintaining the $5 value meal deal that was introduced this summer on the menu for the first half of the year. According to someone with knowledge of the situation, the buy one, get one free promotion includes a double cheeseburger, a McChicken sandwich, six pieces of chicken nuggets, and a small fry, or breakfast options like a sausage McMuffin, sausage biscuit, or sausage burrito and a hash brown. As part of the larger value approach, local value options, such as 10-piece nuggets for $1 and other ...
‘The Simpsons’ voice actor behind Milhouse character retires from show
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‘The Simpsons’ voice actor behind Milhouse character retires from show

The voice of some of The Simpsons' most recognizable characters is leaving the show. After 35 years, Pamela Hayden, who voiced Milhouse Van Houten and numerous other characters, announced her retirement from the program. She will make her final appearance on the FOX show on Sunday. It's time for me to put down my microphone, but how can I bid The Simpsons farewell? In a press release, Hayden stated. Not without difficulty. According to the show's creator, Matt Groening, Bart Simpson wanted a companion to chat to in the school cafeteria, so he created Milhouse, his unfortunate best friend. He also pays homage to previous President Richard Milhous Nixon with his name. According to a remark from Groening, "We gave him the name Milhouse because that was the most unfortunate name a child coul...
House Speaker Mike Johnson says he supports banning transgender women from using women’s bathrooms
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House Speaker Mike Johnson says he supports banning transgender women from using women’s bathrooms

On Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson stated that he is in favor of limiting the use of the Capitol's single-sex facilities, including restrooms, to people of that biological sex. This would essentially prevent the first transgender congresswoman from using the women's restrooms in the upcoming Congress. This week, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., presented a resolution that would prohibit transgender women from accessing the Capitol's women's restrooms and other facilities. Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, D-Del., the first openly transgender person elected to Congress, is "absolutely" targeted by the bill, she said Tuesday. "Every Member office has its own private restroom, and unisex restrooms are available throughout the Capitol," stated Johnson, R-La., in a statement. "All single-sex facilities i...
Jan. 6 rioter is convicted of plotting to murder FBI agents who investigated him
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Jan. 6 rioter is convicted of plotting to murder FBI agents who investigated him

Washington A supporter of Donald Trump who was one of the first rioters to enter the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, was found guilty of planning to murder FBI special agents who were looking into his crimes there. Edward Kelley was found guilty on Wednesday of three additional charges: conspiracy to murder U.S. employees; solicitation to commit a crime of violence; and influencing or retaliating against federal officials by threat. Kelley was previously convicted last week of assaulting law enforcement officers and other offenses during the Capitol attack. The trial for the murder plan began Monday in Knoxville, Tennessee. After only an hour of deliberation, the jury found Kelley guilty on all three counts, according to Knoxville's NBC News station WBIR. One month after being sentenced...