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Prime Suspect Admits To Natalee Holloway’s 2005 Murder In Aruba, Gets Plea Deal In Extortion Case

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Birmingham, Alabama: A U.S. judge announced on Wednesday that the primary suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba has admitted to her murder and disposal of her remains and has agreed to plead guilty to charges that he attempted to extort money from the teen’s mother years later.

A few miles from Holloway’s former residence in a Birmingham suburb, the revelation was made in a federal courtroom in Alabama during a plea and sentencing hearing for 36-year-old Joran van der Sloot.

Standing a few feet away from van der Sloot, her mother, Beth Holloway, remarked in court, “You completely flipped the course of our lives.” “Your actions demonstrate that you are a killer.”

There are no charges against Van der Sloot about Holloway’s demise. The Dutch national received a 20-year sentence on Wednesday for extortion and wire fraud. However, by the terms of his plea agreement, this sentence will be served concurrently with his 28-year sentence in Peru, which he is presently serving for the 2010 murder of Stephany Flores.

As part of her sentencing deliberations, U.S. Judge Anna Manasco stated that she took into account van der Sloot’s confession regarding the murder of Holloway and the devastation of her remains.

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Prime Suspect Admits To Natalee Holloway’s 2005 Murder In Aruba, Gets Plea Deal In Extortion Case.

The judge stated, “You have brutally murdered two young women who declined your sexual advances years apart in separate incidents.”

Holloway disappeared with classmates on a high school graduation vacation. She was last seen with van der Sloot as they exited a pub. Despite being questioned regarding the disappearance, he evaded prosecution. Holloway was pronounced deceased by a judge, but her remains have never been located.

According to Manasco, van der Sloot was obligated to divulge all the information at his disposal regarding the disappearance of Natalie Holloway as part of the plea agreement.

The case has engrossed the general public for almost twenty years, giving rise to copious news articles, novels, films, and podcasts. The media besieged the federal courthouse for approximately three hours before the commencement of the hearing.

Her family has long been in search of answers regarding Holloway’s disappearance. Over the years, Van der Sloot provided varying accounts of that night in Aruba. Federal investigators in the Alabama case claim that during a 2010 FBI sting that captured the extortion attempt, van der Sloot provided an inaccurate location for Holloway’s corpse.

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Prime Suspect Admits To Natalee Holloway’s 2005 Murder In Aruba, Gets Plea Deal In Extortion Case.

According to prosecutors in the Alabama case, van der Sloot demanded $250,000 from Beth Holloway in exchange for disclosing the whereabouts of her daughter’s remains. Prosecutors stated that Van der Sloot had agreed to accept $25,000 in exchange for disclosing the location of the remains and requested the remaining $225,000 upon their recovery. Van der Sloot initially claimed that Holloway was interred in the soil beneath a house’s foundation but subsequently recanted, according to a 2010 sworn statement filed in the case by FBI Agent William K. Bryan.

Van der Sloot relocated to Peru from Aruba before his apprehension in the extortion case.

Peru’s government consented to the temporary extradition of van der Sloot to the United States for prosecution on the extortion charge. Following the conclusion of his case, U.S. authorities have agreed to return him to Peruvian custody, according to the Peruvian federal register.

“The wheels of justice have begun to turn for our family,” Beth Holloway declared in June, following the arrival of van der Sloot in Alabama. “The journey has been extremely lengthy and agonising.”

SOURCE – (AP)

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Girl, 6, Dies After Eating McDonald’s Cheese Burger

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Angelica Vazquez is being remembered as always being happy and smiling- Photo Samantha Ocasio

A 6-year-old girl in Massachusetts died of E. coli, and her mother alleges the poisoning came from a tainted McDonald’s cheeseburger.

“It was quick. Samantha Ocasio said of her daughter’s unexpected death, “It was really fast,” adding that she does not want it to happen to anybody else’s children, according to The New York Post.

Based in Springfield, Ocasio stated that her daughter, Angelica Vazquez, ate the food before trick-or-treating on Halloween and became ill the following evening.

As she began throwing up, Ocasio asked if she wanted to see a doctor, but the youngster answered, “No, my belly just hurts.”

At first, the mother of seven thought the illness was merely a stomach virus, so she gave her daughter Gatorade and instructed her to rest.

According to masslive.com, things spiralled out of control on November 2 when the girl passed out and suffered cardiac arrest during a bubble bath.

She was taken to Baystate Medical Centre and died 12 hours later. “I love you” was the last thing her daughter said, according to Ocasio.

According to health experts, the E. coli outbreak has been connected to onions served on some McDonald’s cheeseburgers after more than 100 people in 13 states were ill in recent weeks.

However, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported no verified instances of the E. coli strain at McDonald’s in Massachusetts. “My main concern is, ‘OK, if it wasn’t McDonald’s, what is it?’… My daughter was pleased. “She was healthy,” Ocasio stated.

She said that Angelica Vazquez was the only person in her family to eat a McDonald’s cheeseburger, while her siblings preferred chicken nuggets.

McDonald’s stated that the epidemic was linked to slivered onions provided on Quarter Pounders, which differ from the chopped onions used on the smaller cheeseburger the girl ate. Following the outbreak, the restaurant chain announced that it had ceased serving the burgers and was locating a replacement slivered onion supplier for 900 locations.

“We are heartbroken for this family’s loss and express our sincere condolences. “We take any reports of potential food safety issues seriously,” the statement said.

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Canada to Strengthen Border Security After Trumps Threat

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Canada's Public Safety Minister has announced plans to increase its spending on border security

Canada’s Public Safety Minister has announced plans to increase its spending on border security after President-elect Donald Trump promised to levy heavy tariffs because of illegal immigration across the US-Canada border.

Following the meeting with Trudeau, Canada’s public safety minister, Dominic LeBlanc, told reporters, “We believe there is a circumstance where we can make additional investments to ensure that all of the necessary measures are in place and will continue to be in place.” Of course, he declined to disclose how much additional federal government funding would make available.

Canada’s provincial governments have blasted Justin Trudeau for failing to emphasize border security.

On Wednesday, Ontario leader Doug Ford hoped the meeting with Trudeau would be “the start of a more proactive approach from the federal government” and would show it “takes the security of our border seriously . . or risk the economic chaos of Trump tariffs”.

Quebec’s premier, François Legault, an ardent critic of border security, said late Wednesday: “It is critical to secure the borders in both directions.”

We do not want a new wave of immigrants, but Mr. Trudeau must present a plan to comfort Mr. Trump.”

Canada US border

The US-Canada border is the longest in the world.

The US-Canada border is the world’s longest, spanning approximately 9,000 kilometres on land and ocean. Land security is modest; few walls or fences are sometimes denoted with simple stone markers along residential streets.

While major road crossings have checkpoints, the border is mostly managed by mobile patrols, making it vulnerable to smugglers of migrants, drugs, and firearms.

Tom Homan, Trump’s new border Tsar, stated in a recent TV interview that Canada cannot be a route for terrorists into the US. “It’s an extreme national security vulnerability on the northern border, and it’s one of the things I’ll tackle,” according to him.

According to Homan, the number of migrants apprehended attempting to cross from Canada into the United States increased by about 600 percent, from 27,180 in 2021 to 198,929 in 2024.

The Canadian side of the border is manned by 8,500 frontline Canada Border Services Agency employees, who monitor the nearly C$3.6 billion (US$2.6 billion) in products and services and the over 400,000 persons who cross each day.

However, their union believes an additional 2,000-3,000 border officers are required. “The union has been vocal about the lack of staff at the border for years,” Customs and Immigration Union president Mark Weber stated.

President-elect Donald Trump has promised to deport millions of undocumented migrants once he takes office early next year, and Canadian officials are concerned that many would flee to Canada to escape being apprehended by US immigration agents.

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Canada Post Begins Laying off Striking Postal Workers

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Canada Post Laying Off Striking Postal Workers
Striking postal workers in Lacombe, Alberta huddle to keep warm - Photo by Cory Knutt.

Canada Post has recently been criticized for temporarily laying off striking postal workers. This move has aroused much controversy as the labour strike approaches its two-week milestone.

Canada Post recently announced layoffs aimed at individuals involved in the strike. According to accounts, these layoffs are temporary. However, the decision has exacerbated tensions between the corporation and the union.

Unfortunately, due to the continued national labour disruption caused by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) and its severe impact on the company, we have adjusted our operations under the Canada Labour Code,” said Canada Post spokesperson Phil Rogers.

Exact figures are still unknown, but a major chunk of the 55,000 unionized workers is expected to be affected. The layoffs are mostly concentrated in areas where the strike severely affects services.

For many employees, this measure adds financial stress to a difficult situation. Striking workers lose pay during labour disputes, and layoffs exacerbate their capacity to make ends meet.

Canada Post Scare Tactic

The CUPW has slammed the layoffs as a “scare tactic.” They believe this action is intended to pressure workers to return before their demands are addressed. Meanwhile, Canada Post claims it’s an essential precaution to keep operations running throughout the strike.

According to labour and employment expert Deborah Hudson, Canada Post’s layoffs are unusual and will almost certainly face legal challenges from the union.

According to the Canada Post, its company suffered severely during the strike. It was previously stated that the labour interruption has affected approximately 10 million parcels since the job strike began on November 15.

Negotiations between the two sides are currently at a deadlock. The union continues to advocate for its demands, while Canada Post maintains its stance.

The postal strike has no end in sight. Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon said Wednesday that an Ottawa-appointed mediator was going nowhere because the sides were too far apart on fundamental topics. The mediation negotiations were temporarily postponed, and the administration has no plans to intervene.

Back to Work Legislation

In a statement Thursday, spokesman Rogers stated that Canada Post is “considering its options to move negotiations forward with greater urgency and remains committed to negotiating new collective agreements.”

Meanwhile, union president Jan Simpson stated Wednesday that the CUPW is battling to keep good full-time positions.

If the issue persists, the federal government may interfere. During previous labour disputes, Ottawa enforced back-to-work laws to restore mail services. Whether that happens this time depends on how long and disruptive the strike is.

The Labour Minister says the special mediator will re-engage with both parties once productive bargaining can resume.

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