Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

France’s debt crisis has deepened as nationwide protests over the cost of living erupted into rioting, while investors pushed borrowing costs to their highest level in 24 years ahead of a crucial budget vote. Luxury shops and supermarkets were looted in some cities, while public buildings were defaced and set on fire. The unrest followed demonstrations earlier this month by students protesting about deteriorating classrooms, teacher shortages and schools ill-equipped to cope with rising temperatures. Protesters blamed years of underinvestment in education. The unrest has added to pressure on the government as it attempts to contain France’s deficit and convince…

Robert Buckley’s wife is actress Jenny Wade, whom the Hallmark star married in 2018 after they had been in a relationship for nearly a decade. Buckley, 45, is currently appearing in Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story, playing Matt, a Chicago firefighter and devoted Bears fan. The Christmas film premieres on Hallmark Channel on Saturday, October 17. Who is Robert Buckley’s wife, Jenny Wade? Wade, 46, is known for roles in the Fox series The Good Guys and the TBS drama Wedding Band. She has also appeared in episodes of American Horror Story, Mad Men and Hand of God. Her…

The rector of a Brazilian university has died after a piece of acrylic roofing was blown from a building and struck him in the head during a walking tour in Scottsdale, Arizona. Rogerio Renato Mateucci, 55, was visiting the Taliesin West complex, the former winter home and studio of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, when the incident happened at about 2pm on Friday October 16. He was walking with a group near Sweetwater Avenue and Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard when strong winds dislodged the material from a roof, according to the Scottsdale Fire Department. Mateucci, who was rector of the Pontifical…

A Chinese kindergarten owner has been sentenced to life in prison for poisoning 247 children with toxic lead compounds added to their food, a court in Gansu Province has heard. Li Huifang was found guilty of instructing staff at Heshi Peixin Kindergarten in Lanzhou to put harmful substances into meals to make them look more appealing in promotional materials. The Lanzhou Intermediate People’s Court handed down the sentences on Friday after the scandal prompted widespread outrage in China and drew international attention. Li’s personal assets, valued at about 500,000 yuan, were also confiscated. The kindergarten’s principal, Zhu Jinglin, was sentenced…

Parkrun has apologised after campaigners accused the organisation of censoring social media photographs to remove the name of a group opposing male-born competitors taking part in women’s events. Images from the Heaton Park Parkrun in Manchester were edited to obscure the words “Reality Rules Runners Club UK” on participants’ T-shirts. The pictures were posted online last weekend, prompting criticism from runners who described the action as “dystopian”. The Reality Rules Runners Club UK (RRRC) was launched six weeks ago amid concerns that Parkrun continues to allow trans women, described by the campaign as born male, to compete in female categories.…

James Wehr’s car, which was involved in a fatal crash in Irvine, California, has caught fire while being held at a secured storage facility in Costa Mesa, police said. The Irvine Police Department said the front of the vehicle “spontaneously ignited” at a tow facility used to store collision vehicles. Arson is not suspected. Video of the incident shows the fire beginning with a few sparks before gradually developing into a major blaze. Smoke eventually fills the storage garage and obscures the camera’s view. Police said the crash, the removal of the vehicle and the subsequent fire damaged its structure…

Twelve people were forced from their homes after an early-morning apartment fire in Hartford, Wisconsin, in which three residents jumped from a second-floor balcony and were caught by police officers. Ten pets were also rescued from the eight-unit building on Evergreen Drive. Hartford Fire & Rescue and Hartford Police were called to the scene at about 12.59am on Saturday, 17 October, after flames were seen coming from a first-floor window. Officers helped residents evacuate, while thick smoke prevented an immediate search of the second floor. Three people became trapped on a balcony at the rear of the building. They jumped…

Senior Labor and Coalition figures have called for answers from Greens leader David Shoebridge as Senator Jordon Steele-John faces an internal probe into allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards women. Senator Steele-John took leave from the Greens party room this week after current and former members wrote to Senator Shoebridge seeking an investigation into claims said to span “almost a decade”. The allegations remain unproven, and Senator Steele-John has rejected them. He said they attempted “to assert I am someone I am not”. The calls for an explanation followed reports that the Western Australia branch of the Greens held a 47-page…

Daniel Dubois retained his WBO world heavyweight title by stopping Fabio Wardley in a one-sided rematch at The O2 Arena in London. Dubois seized control almost immediately, dropping Wardley within the opening 20 seconds with a heavy shot. Wardley survived the first round but was left unsteady and under sustained pressure. The champion continued to find his target when the action resumed, repeatedly landing powerful right hands and an uppercut as Wardley struggled to stay out of danger. His corner eventually threw in the towel to bring the contest to an end. Dubois had dominated the fight to such an…

A further downgrade of France could put the European Union’s credit rating at risk, raising questions over the potential impact on the bloc’s financial standing.