Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

Opening statements have begun in the retrial of Antolin Garcia-Torres, whose 2017 conviction for the killing of Morgan Hill teenager Sierra LaMar was overturned earlier this year. Prosecutors and defence lawyers addressed jurors on Monday in Santa Clara County Superior Court, nearly 15 years after the 15-year-old disappeared while walking to a school bus in March 2012. Her body has never been found. Garcia-Torres was previously convicted of kidnapping and murdering LaMar and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The conviction was overturned in February after an appeals court ruled that allegations involving three unrelated attempted…

TV presenter Jesse Baird’s resignation was texted to his new boss the day after he was allegedly murdered. The message was sent following the alleged murder of Baird, though no further details were provided.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is open to calls for a formal apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans and chattel slavery, ahead of King Charles III addressing the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua. The prospect has been welcomed by campaigners for reparatory justice, who argue that an apology is essential to acknowledging the damage caused by colonialism, enslavement and other forms of oppression. The Reparations Commission of the Caribbean Community has sought talks with Britain on an apology and reparations for some time. Previous responses have expressed sorrow and regret, but stopped short…

Sam Wood’s bail appeal is being pursued urgently after the former Bachelor Australia star was refused release from custody for a second time by the Queensland Supreme Court. His lawyers are seeking a hearing in the court of appeal as early as Friday, arguing that the decision to keep him behind bars was “unreasonable and plainly unjust”. Wood, 46, was arrested at a property on Hastings Street in Noosa on October 3. He has been charged with assault occasioning bodily harm and strangulation in a domestic setting following allegations involving his wife, Snezana, during a family holiday. Justice Patrick McCafferty…

Bruno Fernandes would reportedly prefer a move to another elite European club if he leaves Manchester United, although the claim comes from an unverified source on X and there is no firm indication that the captain has formally requested a transfer. The speculation comes as United assess the 32-year-old’s longer-term future. Fernandes’ current contract runs until June 2027, with the club holding an option to extend it for a further year. Bruno Fernandes’ European preference adds to United uncertainty Michael Carrick recently said Fernandes remained fully committed to Manchester United after the pair held clear-the-air talks following a disagreement over…

Large crowds gathered in San Francisco’s Mission District on Monday night for the 45th annual Día de los Muertos procession, a community event honouring loved ones who have died. The procession began at 7pm at the junction of Bryant Street and 22nd Street, after Aztec dancers and other participants assembled nearby. It was organised by the Comité de Rescate Cultural, which has staged the event for 45 years. ([calle24sf.org](https://www.calle24sf.org/event-details/comite-del-rescate-cultural-presenta-45th-annual-dia-de-los-muertos-procession)) Participants then travelled south along Bryant Street, west on 24th Street, north on Mission Street and back east along 22nd Street, creating a route through the heart of the Mission neighbourhood.…

Millions of Australian households could face a severe cash crunch, with 37 per cent already depleting their savings as cost-of-living pressures continue to bite. The figures suggest many people could be just one missed pay cheque away from being unable to cover their bills. Ongoing financial strain is placing household savings under pressure, leaving millions with little room to absorb a disruption to their income.

The pilot killed in a Florida Learjet crash was remembered as a devout Christian after distressing cockpit audio captured him reciting the Lord’s Prayer as the aircraft plunged towards the ground. Jeffrey Gregory, 55, of Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania, was flying the Learjet 60 when it crashed in a fireball near West Palm Beach on Sunday afternoon. All nine people on board died. Gregory had been carrying technology businessman Adam Robinson, 45, his wife Helen Sharp, 40, and their children Emma, four, and Charlie, two, from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas for Robinson’s birthday. Robinson’s friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, together…

North Korea has rejected a US allegation relating to a cryptocurrency heist involving Binance. The denial concerns the alleged theft from the crypto exchange, though no further details of the accusation or North Korea’s response were provided.

Billy Evans has said he felt “violated” by the inclusion of a nude shower scene in the documentary film You Can See Everything, in which he appears alongside his partner, Elizabeth Holmes. The 34-year-old addressed the scene during an “ask me anything” session on X, rejecting the suggestion that its inclusion was entirely his choice as a “false narrative”. The film, directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, shows Evans exercising in a gym before cutting to an extended shot of him naked in the shower at home. He is then seen leaving the bathroom with a towel around his…