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CTV News
6 minutes ago
- CTV News
Tortoise hatchlings born of century-old parents come out of their shells at Philadelphia Zoo
Staff members pose for photographs with several of the 16 critically endangered western Santa Cruz tortoise hatchlings during their debut at the Philadelphia Zoo on Aug. 20, 2025. (Matt Rourke / AP Photo) PHILADELPHIA — Sixteen critically endangered western Santa Cruz tortoises born to some very old parents got a slow walk and the red carpet treatment Wednesday at a Philadelphia Zoo event to show off the highly prized hatchlings. Animal care specialists who have watched over the 16 since they were eggs held the animals on a pathway by the zoo's tortoise habitat. The hatchlings are said to be eating well and growing. The pampered turtles were born in a series of hatches this year to Mommy and Abrazzo, a couple that is estimated to both be about 100 years old. Mommy arrived at the zoo in 1932, but had not produced offspring until Abrazzo was brought in nearly five years ago from Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, S.C. The 16 are her first progeny. 'Now this animal, who's been in Philadelphia since 1932, will be represented here for, hopefully, another 100 years because her offspring are now part of our collection,' said Lauren Augustine, the zoo's director of herpetology. Four females that hatched early this spring were named after characters in the TV show ' Golden Girls.' Three males were hatched in April, and that was followed by Mommy's second clutch, which resulted in three females in June and six males this summer. Mommy and Abrazzo are the Philadelphia Zoo's oldest inhabitants and seen as highly genetically valuable for the survival of the species. Their offspring are considered a win in the effort to preserve western Santa Cruz tortoises. They are expected to remain at the zoo for at least a year before being placed in different facilities next fall. Western Santa Cruz tortoises are among the 13 living species of tortoise native to seven islands in the Galapagos chain in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Ecuador. The largest species of tortoise, they are thought to live as long as 200 years. The zoo is soliciting donors to suggest names for one of the hatchlings, a male, subject to zoo approval. Others are named Zee, James, Colette, Soledad, Isabelle, Roger, Fausto, Caldero, Lee, Marigold Puddlefoot and Kelpy. The zoo uses nontoxic nail polish in different colors to distinguish them from each other. The Philadelphia Zoo also has two giant Aldabra tortoises, Wilma and Betty. A 135-year-old Galapagos tortoise named Goliath became a father for the first time at Zoo Miami in June.
CBC
7 minutes ago
- CBC
Federal judge denies U.S. Justice Dept. request to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts
A federal U.S. judge who presided over the sex trafficking case against financier Jeffrey Epstein has joined two other judges in rejecting the U.S. government's request to unseal grand jury transcripts related to the decades-long sexual abuse suffered by girls and young women who fell into Epstein's orbit. The ruling Wednesday by Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan came after the judge presiding over the case against British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend, also turned down the government's request. Barring reversal on appeal, Berman's decision forecloses the possibility of grand jury testimony being released now that three judges have reached the same conclusion. A federal judge in Florida declined to release grand jury documents from an investigation there in 2005 and 2007. The rulings are a collective repudiation of the Justice Department's effort to divert attention away from its stated refusal to release a massive trove of records in its possession and make clear that the still-sealed court documents contain none of the answers likely to satisfy the immense public interest in the case. Trump called for transcripts' release U.S. President Donald Trump had called for the release of transcripts amid rumours and criticism about his long-ago involvement with Epstein. During last year's presidential campaign, Trump promised to release files related to Epstein, but he was met with criticism — including from many of his own supporters — when the small number of records released earlier this year by his Justice Department lacked new revelations. WATCH | Trump calls for release of grand jury testimony: Trump calls for release of Epstein grand jury testimony 1 month ago A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on Wednesday. Berman said a "significant and compelling reason" to reject the government's request was that the information contained in the Epstein grand jury transcripts "pales in comparison to the Epstein investigative information and materials in the hands of the Department of Justice." He wrote that the government's 100,000 pages of Epstein files and materials "dwarf the 70-odd pages of Epstein grand jury materials." "The Government is the logical party to make comprehensive disclosure to the public of the Epstein Files," Berman wrote in an apparent reference to the Justice Department's refusal to release additional records on its own while simultaneously moving to unseal grand jury transcripts. "By comparison," Berman added, "the instant grand jury motion appears to be a 'diversion' from the breadth and scope of the Epstein files in the Government's possession. The grand jury testimony is merely a hearsay snippet of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged conduct." The Justice Department had informed Berman that the only witness to testify before the Epstein grand jury was an FBI agent who, the judge noted, "had no direct knowledge of the facts of the case and whose testimony was mostly hearsay." The agent testified over two days, on June 18, 2019, and July 2, 2019. The rest of the grand jury presentation consisted of a PowerPoint slideshow shown during the June 18 session and a call log shown during the July 2 session, which ended with grand jurors voting to indict Epstein. Both of those will also remain sealed, Berman ruled. Maxwell case a renewed public focus Ghislaine Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence after her conviction on sex trafficking charges for helping Epstein sexually abuse girls and young women. She was recently transferred from a prison in Florida to a prison camp in Texas. Epstein died in jail awaiting trial in 2019. Maxwell's case has been the subject of heightened public focus since an outcry over the Justice Department's statement last month saying it would not be releasing any additional documents from the Epstein sex trafficking investigation. The decision infuriated online sleuths, conspiracy theorists and elements of Trump's base who had hoped to see proof of a government cover-up. Since then, officials in Trump's administration have tried to cast themselves as promoting transparency in the case, including by requesting from courts the unsealing of grand jury transcripts. Meanwhile, Maxwell was interviewed at a Florida courthouse weeks ago by U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and the U.S. House Oversight Committee had also said that it wanted to speak with Maxwell. Her lawyers said they would be open to an interview but only if the panel were to ensure immunity from prosecution. In a letter to Maxwell's lawyers, Rep. James Comer, the committee chair, wrote that the committee was willing to delay the deposition until after the resolution of Maxwell's appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. That appeal is expected to be resolved in late September. Comer wrote that while Maxwell's testimony was "vital" to the Republican-led investigation into Epstein, the committee would not provide immunity or any questions in advance of her testimony, as was requested by her team.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Do you know this man? RCMP release images of suspect in pair of break-ins
A pair of security images show a man inside a Richer, Man. business during suspected break-ins on July 26 and Aug. 18. (Manitoba RCMP) Mounties are searching for a suspect they believe broke into the same Manitoba business twice in one month and made off with cash. Steinbach RCMP say the first break-in happened around 4 a.m. on July 26 at a business on Highway 1 East in Richer, Man. ADVERTISEMENT Richer break-in suspect A suspect in a pair of break-ins at a Richer, Man. business is pictured in a July 26, 2025 security image. (Manitoba RCMP) Surveillance footage shows a man wearing a black balaclava, gloves, a dark jacket, a red buttoned shirt, dark pants and a hat. Police say he went inside the business carrying a yellow crowbar, stole an undisclosed amount of money and fled in a blue van. Mounties say the same suspect was seen breaking into the same business just before 4 a.m. on Aug. 18. He was wearing similar shoes, a black balaclava and carried a yellow crowbar. Richer break-in suspect A suspect is seen in a security image entering a Richer, Man. business on Aug. 18, 2025. (Manitoba RCMP) He stole an undisclosed amount of cash. Police believe the same person broke into the business both times. Manitoba RCMP released images of the potential suspect, asking anyone with information on their identity to contact them or Crime Stoppers. Police continue to investigate. None of the allegations have been tested in court.
