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‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ closes the book on Marvel’s unlikeliest family

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:00:36 GMT

(CNN) — In hindsight, the most unlikely hit among Marvel’s parade of them was all about the unlikeliest of families. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” drives home that point, with a boisterous and often emotional sequel that feels very much like a true conclusion, fueled in no small part by writer-director James Gunn having migrated his talents over to rival DC.Building franchises around more obscure heroes always represented the biggest risk in Marvel’s cinematic plans, which made the success of “Guardians” in 2014 and its less-satisfying sequel a minor miracle. As evidence look no further than “Eternals,” another super-team that (while meriting an asterisk due to the pandemic) didn’t fare nearly as well.The key to Gunn’s earlier movies relied on a mix of abundant visual energy, distinctive characters, cleverly incorporated songs and no small amount of sheer goofiness. All of that is on full display in “Vol. 3,&...

Shooting inside Atlanta building leaves 1 dead, 4 injured

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:00:36 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — One person was fatally shot and at least four others injured Wednesday in a shooting in a Midtown Atlanta building, police said.Atlanta police said there had been no additional shots fired since the initial shooting unfolded inside a building on West Peachtree Street, between 12th and 13th Streets, a commercial area with many office towers and high-rise apartments. No suspect was in custody and police said in an email just after 1 p.m. that it was an “active, fluid situation.”Police said in an email that they were actively searching for the suspect and any additional victims. The four injured people were taken to a hospital for treatment and the fourth person was pronounced dead at the scene.https://twitter.com/Atlanta_Police/status/1653800971384881155?s=20The shooting comes as cities around the U.S. have been wracked by gun violence and mass shootings in 2023.Police sent out a photo of the person believed ...

Didn’t see that coming! Suspected coup plotter employed fortune-teller in German parliament

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:00:36 GMT

BERLIN — A far-right former German lawmaker and judge — who was part of a group accused of trying to violently overthrow the German government — employed a fortune-teller in her Bundestag office, according to local media.Birgit Malsack-Winkemann of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) employed the fortune-teller as a part-time clerk, Zeit reported, and paid her around €11,800 in salary between July and October 2021.The news came to light as both Malsack-Winkemann and the fortune-teller are defendants in a court case against a group called the Reichsbürger (Citizens of the Reich), which refuses to recognize the modern German state and aims to replace it with an authoritarian new system. The German state dubs the Reichsbürger a terrorist organization. Malsack-Winkemann served as a lawmaker for the AfD between 2017 and 2021 before leaving to return to her previous work in Berlin’s judicial service in March 2022. She was removed from judicial office in March 2023 and is cur...

EU clamps down on corruption in wake of Qatargate cash-for-influence scandal

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:00:36 GMT

BRUSSELS — The European Union on Wednesday promoted new rules to clamp down on corruption across the bloc in the wake of the alleged cash-for-influence Qatargate scandal in the European Parliament.The initiative, which will need to be signed off by all 27 member countries plus the European Parliament, is an attempt to tighten rules in the wake of the scandal involving bags of cash and allegedly corrupt lawmakers, which has rocked the EU’s assembly. Yet the new proposal won’t apply to EU institutions themselves. The task of policing European officials is being left up to a future ethics body that has yet to be unveiled, but is already facing criticism that it would go too easy on potential wrongdoers. Some of the provisions in the Commission’s anti-corruption plan, such as protections for whistleblowers, have been eagerly backed by the European Parliament when it comes to applying them to member countries — but have so far been rejected for the Parliament itself.The...

One dead, 3 taken to hospital after shooting in Midtown Atlanta, police say

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:00:36 GMT

(CNN) — One person is dead and three others have been taken to the hospital, the Atlanta Police Department said Wednesday, as authorities continue to search for a gunman who they said shot multiple people near Northside Hospital Medical in Midtown.[Previous story, published at 1:29 p.m. ET]Authorities are searching for a gunman after multiple people were shot in Midtown Atlanta near Northside Hospital Medical, according to Atlanta Police on the scene.Police issued a “be on the lookout” for the suspect, telling CNN the suspect is known to them and remains at large.The Atlanta Police Department released images showing the suspected shooter wearing a hoodie, saying he was believed to be the active shooter based on the preliminary investigation.“Anyone with any information on this person’s whereabouts is asked to call 911,” police said. “The suspect is believed to be armed and dangerous and should not be approached.”The Atlanta Police Depa...

Texas massacre suspect’s longtime partner is accused of helping him get food, clothes and transportation while he was on the run

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:00:36 GMT

(CNN) — The longtime partner of the man accused of gunning down five people, including a 9-year-old, in a neighboring Texas home apparently helped the suspect while also cooperating with authorities — all while a massive manhunt was underway — a prosecutor said Wednesday.The suspected gunman, Mexican national Francisco Oropesa, was caught Tuesday and faces one count of first-degree felony murder — with four more counts expected — after the mass shooting Friday night, San Jacinto County criminal district attorney Todd Dillon said. The charge could be upgraded to capital murder — a death penalty offense in Texas — a source with his office told CNN.Oropesa’s longtime partner, Divimara Lamar Nava, faces a charge of hindering apprehension or prosecution of a known felon, a third-degree felony, online sheriff’s records show. She was booked Wednesday; It’s not clear if she has an attorney or when her court appearance wil...

Alzheimer’s breakthrough research from Eli Lilly gives ‘real hope’ to millions of patients and their families

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:00:36 GMT

Eli Lilly has announced that its Alzheimer’s treatment drug has slowed cognitive decline and functional decline in a study, giving millions of patients and their families “real hope that they will have a brighter future fighting this disease.”The pharmaceutical company on Wednesday shared the results from its TRAILBLAZER-ALZ2 Phase 3 clinical trial of donanemab for the treatment of early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease.The drug significantly slowed cognitive and functional decline in patients. Trial participants who received the drug showed a significant reduction in amyloid plaque (a protein associated with Alzheimer’s), a slowing of cognitive decline by 35%, and slowing of functional decline by 40% over 18 months.These are the “strongest phase 3 data for an Alzheimer’s treatment to date,” according to the Alzheimer’s Association chief science officer.“This further underscores the inflection point we are at for the Alzheim...

Column: How I nearly fell for a frightening ‘virtual kidnapping’ scam

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:00:36 GMT

I was impacted by a scam phone call this week that didn’t cost me money or expose my data, but took an enormous emotional toll, including 20 minutes of terror.Writing this column a day later, I’m still anxious and, frankly, a little embarrassed that I believed the scammer when he said he had kidnapped my wife.As a longtime tech journalist and founder and CEO of ConnectSafely, an online safety organization, I know a lot about phone and online scams and have written and spoken extensively on the subject. But this call felt real to me and threatened to separate me not from money but from someone, who, along with my children, means more to me than anything in the world. Being an “expert” didn’t make me immune to the social engineering that led me to believe the threat was real.Fear and deceptionAfter the incident I spoke with security and law enforcement experts who, in a sense, reassured me that my response was appropriate given the circumstances. The person on the phone was very good ...

Quebec flooding: Body of one of two missing volunteer firefighters found

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:00:36 GMT

BAIE-SAINT-PAUL, Que. — Quebec provincial police say they have found a body in the community northeast Quebec City where two volunteer firefighters were swept away by floodwaters during a rescue mission on Monday.Police spotted the body from a helicopter in the St-Urbain, Que., area just before 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sgt. Béatrice Dorsainville told reporters, adding that they would wait for a coroner to confirm the person’s identity. The force issued a news release saying it appears the body is one of the two missing men.Multiple media have reported that the two missing firefighters were Christopher Lavoie, 23, and Régis Lavoie, 55, who were reportedly not related.“The search is currently continuing in the area to try and find the second person who remains missing,” Dorsainville said, adding that search and rescue teams include police divers and officers in a helicopter, on boats and patrolling on land.More than 90 millimetres of rain has fallen on St-Urbain since Satu...

Lawyers charged by regulatory body after investigation into surveilling judge

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:00:36 GMT

WINNIPEG — Two lawyers are facing charges under the Law Society of Manitoba after the regulatory body investigated complaints they hired a private investigator to surveil a judge who was hearing a case involving COVID-19 public health orders. John Carpay, president of the Calgary-based Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, and Randal Jay Cameron face charges from the independent regulator, which include undermining the public respect for the administration of justice and breach of integrity.A hearing date has not been set.The lawyers are also facing criminal charges for attempting to obstruct justice and intimidation of a justice system participant in relation to the surveillance. They have separate court dates later this month. Both men represented several churches that tried in 2021 to overturn Manitoba public health orders that prevented in-person religious services during the height of the pandemic.Carpay temporarily stepped down as president of the Justice Centre after ad...