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UN: Fresh gang violence in Haiti leaves 187 dead in 11 days

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — New clashes between gangs in Haiti’s capital and beyond have killed at least 187 people in less than two weeks and injured more than 150 others, the U.N. said Tuesday.The fresh wave of violence recorded from Feb. 27 to March 9 in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and in the central region of Artibonite also has displaced hundreds of people and forced farmers to abandon fields as starvation worsens, officials said.“The situation is all the more alarming for children, who are often subjected to all forms of armed violence, including forced recruitment and sexual violence,” the U.N. in Haiti said.The surge of violence in central Haiti has been largely blamed on a gang called “Baz Gran Grif,” which roughly translates to “Big Claw Crew.”In addition, nearly 260 kidnappings have been reported since the start of the year, with people abducted from their homes or public places, officials said.Gangs have grown more powerful since the July 2021 assassination of Presiden...

Trudeau chief of staff Katie Telford to testify on foreign interference at committee

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office says his chief of staff, Katie Telford, will testify at a House of Commons committee on the issue of foreign interference in Canadian elections.The move has made moot a vote planned later today on a Conservative motion before the entire House of Commons to demand that Telford appear.It came moments after NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said his party would back the Conservative motion if Liberal members of Parliament did not stop filibustering at the committee.The Liberals had been jamming up the procedure and House affairs committee to prevent a motion that would compel Telford to appear, prompting the Conservatives to take the case to all MPs.Trudeau’s office has also now issued the mandate for special rapporteur David Johnston, who is tasked with overseeing investigations into foreign interference.He will have until the end of October to complete his work and make recommendations for how the government should proceed, including...

GOP leader passes confidence vote after social media uproar

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally’s Republican colleagues in the Senate have voted 19-7 that he should keep his leadership post in the wake of revelations that he repeatedly commented on posts of nearly nude photos of a young gay model and other LGBTQ personalities.The Senate GOP caucus cast the vote of confidence Monday that the 79-year-old Republican should continue in his dual roles as lieutenant governor and Senate speaker.“I have always been honored, humbled and grateful for the support of my caucus. I remain so today,” McNally said in a statement Monday. “We have a lot of important work left to do as we complete the legislative session, including the budget. I look forward to getting to it.”Some conservative media outlets and one House Republican lawmaker had called for McNally to leave the post. However, none of the Republicans in the Senate have publicly said he should step aside. McNally initially stated earlier this month that he “h...

S&P/TSX composite up more than 150 points, U.S. stock markets also higher

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

TORONTO — Strength in energy stocks as well as the financial and technology sectors helped Canada’s main stock index gain more than 150 points in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets also pushed higher.The S&P/TSX composite index was up 168.22 points at 19,687.65.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 244.21 points at 32,488.79. The S&P 500 index was up 35.17 points at 3,986.74, while the Nasdaq composite was up 97.14 points at 11,772.68.The Canadian dollar traded for 72.93 cents US compared with 73.13 cents US on Monday.The May crude contract was up 66 cents at US$68.48 per barrel and the April natural gas contract was down six cents at US$2.16 per mmBTU.The April gold contract was down US$28.00 at US$1,954.80 an ounce and the May copper contract was up three cents at US$3.99 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published March, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X)The Canadian Press

US home sales surged in February as mortgage rates dipped

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes surged in February to the fastest pace in six months as homebuyers seized on a modest drop in mortgage rates and a slight pullback in prices, but the first annual drop since 2012. Existing home sales jumped 14.5% last month from January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.58 million, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday. That’s the strongest sales pace since September and it’s higher than the 4.2 million economists were expecting, according to FactSet.The surge in sales — the biggest on records going back to 1999 — ended a 12-month slide that knocked the nation’s housing market into its deepest slump in nearly a decade and left sales in January at the slowest pace in more than a dozen years. Still, sales sank 22.6% last month from February last year, a sign many would-be homebuyers remain priced out of the market following years of price increases and sharply higher mortgage rates than a year a...

Inflation in Canada continues to slow, reaffirming BOC’s rate pause

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s annual inflation rate continued to slow last month, reaffirming the central bank’s decision to hold its key interest rate steady. In its latest consumer price index report released Tuesday, Statistics Canada said the country’s inflation rate rose 5.2 per cent year over year in February, marking the largest deceleration since April 2020. The reading compared with an annual inflation rate of 5.9 per cent in January and was the lowest rate since January 2022 when it was 5.1 per cent.BMO’s chief economist Douglas Porter called the report “mildly encouraging.” “That’s actually a couple months in a row now where we’ve had slightly better-than-expected inflation readings,” he said.Since peaking at 8.1 per cent in the summer, Canada’s annual inflation rate has been tumbling amid easing global pressures and high interest rates.The Bank of Canada is hoping inflation will continue to slow without the need for f...

Lollapalooza 2023 official lineup revealed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

CHICAGO — Lollapalooza released the official 2023 lineup Tuesday for this summer’s four-day music festival.The annual event will be held at Grant Park in downtown Chicago from Thursday, Aug. 3 to Sunday, Aug. 6.Headliners include Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Odesza, Lana Del Rey, Karol G, The 1975 and Tomorrow X Together. CLICK HERE FOR FULL LOLLAPALOOZA LINEUPOther acts include Noah Kahan, Maggie Rogers, Carly Rae Jepsen, Thirty Seconds To Mars, Diplo, Louis The Child, Pusha T, Yung Gravy, The Revivalists, Sabrina Carpenter, Afrojack — among many others.Presale for the festival starts Thursday at 10 a.m. on Lollapalooza.com. A presale code for first access tickets is also available through the site.For more information, go to: Lollapalooza.com

WATCH LIVE | Gwyneth Paltrow's trial begins for Deer Valley ski crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Gwyneth Paltrow's trial is set to begin on Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by a retired optometrist who said that the actor-turned-lifestyle influencer violently crashed into him in 2016 while skiing in Utah at one of the most upscale ski resorts in the United States.Terry Sanderson, 76, said Paltrow was cruising down the slopes so recklessly that they collided, leaving him on the ground as she and her entourage continued their descent down Deer Valley Resort, a skiers-only mountain known for its groomed runs, après-ski champagne yurts and posh clientele."Gwyneth Paltrow skied out of control," Sanderson's attorneys claim in the lawsuit, “knocking him down hard, knocking him out, and causing a brain injury, four broken ribs and other serious injuries. Paltrow got up, turned and skied away, leaving Sanderson stunned, lying in the snow, seriously injured.”In a case that has lasted years since the 2016 incident, Sanderson is suing Paltrow for $300,000 — claiming that t...

Teacher shot by 6-year-old describes her challenging recovery, multiple surgeries

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) -- A Virginia teacher who was shot and wounded by her 6-year-old student said she has vivid memories and nightmares about that day, which she says has changed her life.Abby Zwerner spoke for the first time in an interview on the Today Show on Tuesday morning. With her twin sister and mother at her side, Zwerner discussed her challenging recovery, including four surgeries. She said she has some days when she “can't get up out of bed," while on others, she is able to go about her day and make it to appointments.“I just will never forget the look on his face that he gave me while he pointed the gun directly at me,” said the first-grade teacher. “It's changed me. It's changed my life.” Teacher shot by student awarded ‘Hero’ grant Zwerner was in a classroom full of first graders at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, on that Friday afternoon when one of the students pulled out a 9mm handgun, which Newport News Police said legally belonged to h...

Can I be arrested for not showing up for jury duty in Illinois?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — The United States Constitution guarantees all criminal defendants a right to trial by a "jury of their peers." In Illinois, a jury is selected at random from individuals who are eligible for jury duty.To become a juror in Illinois, a prospective juror must be:Citizens of the United States, at least 18 years of age, inhabitants of the county in which summoned, free from all legal exception, of fair character, of approved integrity, of sound judgment, well informed, and able to understand the English language, whether in spoken or written form or interpreted into sign language.When someone is summoned to be part of the jury pool, that doesn't necessarily mean they will serve on a jury.If there is no available case for trial, or if a juror is excused from a court proceeding, they may be sent home.But — can you be arrested if you don't show up to jury duty in the first place?The answer is: yes. Failing to appear for jury duty in Illinois is against the law.A juro...