Author: CNN Newsource

By Dorcas Marfo and Adrian Ghobrial

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    TORONTO (CTV Network) — When Michael Mallinson woke up from his afternoon nap on Wednesday, the phone was already ringing.

On the other end was his daughter, panicked and shouting, telling him to delete all his social media accounts. She told her father that his name and photo was circulating online in connection with the shooting of U.S. conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

“I was quite alarmed,” Mallinson, 77, told CTV News senior correspondent Adrian Ghobrial in an interview Thursday. “You never want to have your name out and about.”

When Michael Mallinson woke up from his afternoon nap on Wednesday, the phone was already ringing.

On the other end was his daughter, panicked and shouting, telling him to delete all his social media accounts. She told her father that his name and photo was circulating online in connection with the shooting of U.S. conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

“I was quite alarmed,” Mallinson, 77, told CTV News senior correspondent Adrian Ghobrial in an interview Thursday. “You never want to have your name out and about.”

What Mallinson discovered was that an old photo of him lifted from a deleted X account, had been attached to claims spreading across social media. The posts alleged he was the suspect in Kirk’s shooting.

Mallinson said the false claim came from another X account.

“I googled my name right away,” he said. “Fortunately, it allayed my fears … it was a story saying my image did not match the image of the person who had been arrested by the police.”

U.S. authorities said two people were detained Wednesday, but neither was determined to be connected to the shooting.

As of early Thursday evening, Kirk’s killer remains unidentified and at large. Investigators have also released two images of the person.

The unidentified person of interest is believed to have jumped off a roof and fled into a neighbourhood after firing one shot, U.S. authorities said Thursday. A high-powered, bolt-action rifle they believe was used in the attack was recovered, and video recordings of the person they believe was responsible are being reviewed.

Kirk’s assassination highlights escalating threats of political violence in the U.S. that cut across the ideological spectrum.

Mallinson, a retired banker, now spends much of his time rowing and educating with patient advocacy groups for axial spondylarthritis – a chronic, immune-mediated disease-causing inflammation primarily in the spine.

Around 2:20 p.m. EST, when Kirk was shot at a Utah college event, Mallinson was in Toronto running errands with his wife. They had gone to Yorkdale mall, stopped by a luggage shop and later returned home, where he took a nap.

“I’m just a quiet, ordinary guy,” he said.

Within moments, Mallinson and his family began receiving abusive messages, adding that he received “nasty” messages on Facebook calling him “all sorts of names.”

When asked whether he felt like his safety was in jeopardy, Mallinson said “ultimately, yes.”

“Once something is up on social media, it’s very hard to get rid of, so I’m worried about the longer-term repercussions of it, as well,” he added.

“(If) somebody gets hold of this piece of information a few months from now and doesn’t know the context of it, doesn’t know that it’s total misinformation … they may just get hold of that…and act on it,” Mallinson said.

The incident forced him to deactivate his Facebook, Instagram and Threads accounts, with Facebook being where he primarily connects with patient groups around the world.

“I was pretty loathed to delete myself from Facebook and sever those relationships without being able to tell them why,” Mallinson said.

Though Mallinson insists he wants to live “in obscurity,” his ordeal reflects a broader reality: the speed of false information.

Mallinson’s story isn’t unique. Canadian research shows misinformation spread rapidly, especially on social media platforms, even when many users try to verify what they see.

A 2021 report from Evidence for Democracy found that more than 90 per cent of Canadians say they encountered misleading or false information online, and more than 40 per cent admit having believed something that later turned out to be untrue.

“I’m very much about evidence-based information. So this whole idea of fake information, fake news, misinformation, doesn’t sit well with me. I just don’t really understand why people get involved in that,” he said.

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ctvnews.caproducers@bellmedia.ca
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By Christl Dabu

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    TORONTO (CTV Network) — Pistachios are at the centre of dozens of recalls linked to a salmonella outbreak in Canada. A food safety expert says one of the reasons behind the recalls could be that they were imported from some countries that have less strict food safety standards.

Federal health officials have recalled more than 100 brands of pistachios and products containing the nuts, such as Dubai-style chocolate and pastries, due to potential salmonella contamination, since late July.

“I think there’s multiple layers to why this recall is dragging on for so long,” Amy Proulx, a former inspector with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca on Thursday, citing food safety standards but also a lack of labelling indicating the origin of the products.Pistachios are mostly processed in the United States and Middle Eastern countries such as Syria, Iran and Turkiye, and food safety standards vary depending on the country, Proulx said.

“The United States has some incredibly strict and comprehensive food safety programs, whereas in the Middle East, the food safety programs are evolving and they’re improving, but they are still in progress in terms of their improvement,” said Proulx, a professor and academic program co-ordinator for the food innovation programs at Niagara College.

Can pistachios be contaminated?

Birds feed on pistachios from trees and their feces can potentially contaminate the nuts, Proulx said. The harvested pistachios are processed with water and dried under the sun in most parts of the Middle East, which isn’t an adequate way to remove salmonella, Proulx added.

Other factors behind recalls

Based on her review of CFIA’s public database online, Proulx said many of the recalls appear to be connected to a wholesaler that sells packages of pistachios to different bakeries, food processors and other clients.

Lawrence Goodridge, professor of food safety at the University of Guelph, believes the recent cases of contamination aren’t new and that the company that exported the pistachios to Canada may have produced a large amount that has found its way into numerous items over time.He said some products with pistachios such as baked goods, or pistachios sold in bulk, may not have been labelled indicating the origin of the nuts. He advised consumers not to buy pistachios if they don’t know where they came from.

“It’s often very difficult, especially if those products are unlabelled, to, trace them or to identify them,” he said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca on Thursday. He said it’s particularly challenging to identify potentially contaminated products that used multiple ingredients.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is continuing its food safety investigation.So far, laboratories have confirmed that 62 people fell ill from salmonella outbreaks in Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia and Manitoba, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said in a notice on its website.

But the actual number of cases is “likely much higher,” PHAC said in August, noting many people with mild symptoms aren’t tested because they don’t go to the doctor. Researchers estimate that there could be around 1,600 cases of illnesses to date. Although no deaths were reported, 10 people were hospitalized.

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By Andrelika McMillian

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    Florida (WPBF) — A 20-year-old man has been arrested and charged with multiple felonies after allegedly engaging in sexual activity with a minor he met through Roblox, an online game, and at a local skate park.

Tyler Ambur Metelus was taken into custody on Sept. 10 by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the probable cause affidavit, the victim, a girl between the ages of 12 and 16, met Metelus at a skate park in Greenacres and communicated with him via the online game Roblox. On Aug. 7, 2025, after an argument with her mother, the girl reportedly called Metelus to meet her at Loggerhead Beach in Jupiter.

The two later went to Metelus’s residence, where the victim alleges that inappropriate touching and oral sex occurred. The victim stated she felt pressured and disgusted during the encounter and later reported the incident to authorities.

Detectives interviewed Metelus, who allegedly confessed to the acts. The affidavit details that Metelus admitted to having oral sex with the victim and touching her breasts under her clothing.

The arrest report also notes that the victim did not expect the encounter to turn sexual and considered Metelus a friend. She emphasized that no prior discussions about sex had occurred.

Metelus faces charges of lewd or lascivious battery and lewd or lascivious molestation and is currently being held without bond.

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By Isabella Ledonne

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    BELTON, Missouri (KSHB) — It’s easy to get lost in the maze of the news of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement.

At Johnson Farms in Belton, Missouri, they want you to get lost in the maze so you can see the bigger picture.

It’s a Kansas City love story that Precision Mazes and Johnson Farms just had to say yes to.

“When [the engagement] came across on ESPN on my phone, I just sent a text to [Johnson Farms] that said ‘I have an idea,”‘ Precision Mazes owner Rob Stouffer said. “This might be a good one.”

The company created Swift and Kelce’s iconic Instagram engagement photo post alongside both their numbers, 87 and 13, with the phrase “Kansas City is Enchanted.”

“It’s a great, great story and a great thing that’s playing out right in front of us,” Johnson Farms Manager Jim Johnson said. “It’s kind of like, why wouldn’t you want to do that?”

For Johnson Farms, celebrating the celebrity couple was a no-brainer.

“We’re really thankful for all that they’ve brought to Kansas City,” Johnson said. “It’s been a lot of positive energy to the area and we’re just really grateful to be a part of that.”

It took nine hours for Stouffer to transform nine acres of the blank space.

“I got one shot, friend,” Stouffer laughed. “I got one shot because once you knock this [corn] down, you can’t put it back up.”

Thankfully, the design didn’t get lost in translation.

“We’re telling stories out here and this is a fun one to tell,” Stouffer said. “There’s a lot of tragedy, a lot of sadness in our broken world. This is not one of those examples. This is an opportunity to celebrate the marriage of a couple.”

Maybe those who come to visit the corn maze will see sparks fly.

“I hope that there’s some first dates that happen out here in the corn maze that do end in marriage,” Stouffer said.

Whether its true love or just true fun, Johnson Farms welcomes everyone to celebrate Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce in style.

“Man, what a great couple,” Johnson said. “Just can’t say any more than we just wish them the best.”

The corn maze is now open at Johnson Farms. Precision Mazes launched an Instagram campaign where one lucky couple will have their initials mazed out next to the design of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.

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