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Quebec hydro crews race to restore power to more than one million after ice storm

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:24 GMT

MONTREAL — Hydro crews in Quebec and Ontario were racing on Thursday to restore power ahead of the Easter long weekend after a fierce storm system that brought thunder, snow and freezing rain left more than one million customers in the dark.Freezing rain sent ice-laden tree branches crashing down onto power lines, streets and cars, knocking out power to more than a million homes and businesses in Quebec, the province’s electric utility said. More than 1,100 hydro workers were on the ground across the province to restore power. Hydro-Québec said in a morning news conference it expected to restore power to between 300,000 and 350,000 clients by the end of the day, and to 70 or 80 per cent of affected customers by midnight Friday.“I can already confirm to you that there will be some, unfortunately, where it will go into the Easter long weekend, possibly Saturday, depending on some areas that are more complex,” said Régis Tellier, a vice-president of operations and mai...

AFN seeks more time to develop plan implementing UN declaration on Indigenous rights

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:24 GMT

OTTAWA — The Assembly of First Nations passed a resolution today that calls on the federal Liberals to extend the deadline to finalize a plan on the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.First Nations chiefs gathered for a special meeting this week to discuss the draft plan the Department of Justice published last month, and spent more than an hour debating a resolution setting out their response. The document seeks to lay out the first steps in Ottawa’s blueprint for aligning Canadian laws with the UN declaration, which affirms the rights of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination and to their language, culture and traditional lands.A law passed by the Liberal government in 2021 required the federal government to return to Parliament with an implementation plan by this June, but chiefs decided that timeline should be extended so as to allow for better consultation. Justice Minister David Lametti said in an address to the chiefs ...

US ambassador and Russian diplomat discuss arrested reporter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:24 GMT

The U.S ambassador to Russia and a top Russian diplomat met Thursday to discuss a Wall Street Journal reporter who was arrested last week on espionage charges, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.In the meeting with U.S. Ambassador Lynne T. Tracy, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stressed “the serious nature of the charges” against American journalist Evan Gershkovich, according to a ministry statement.“It was emphasized that he was caught red-handed while trying to obtain secret information, using his journalistic status as a cover for illegal actions,” the statement said. The ministry added that “the hype in the United States around this case, which is aimed at putting pressure on the Russian authorities and the court, which should decide the fate of Gershkovich, is hopeless and senseless.” Gershkovich, 31, was arrested in Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city, on March 29. He is the first U.S. correspondent since the Cold War to be detained for alleged spying. R...

Ford government to allow cities to expand boundaries for housing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:24 GMT

Ontario is proposing to allow municipalities expand their settlement boundaries more quickly and easily in order to open up more land for housing.Legislation introduced Thursday by Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark would also allow farmers to build three new lots on their land.The bill would also require 29 of the province’s largest municipalities to plan for growth near transit station areas and downtowns.As well, the legislation aims to increase the supply of building inspectors by redesigning a qualification program and freezing exam fees.The changes are part of the province’s plan to build 1.5 million homes by 2031.The province’s recent projections show while there were about 100,000 homes built in 2022, the number of housing starts in the next few years may only reach upwards of 80,000 annually.

MPs accuse officials of obstructing study on alleged foreign meddling in elections

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:24 GMT

OTTAWA — Members of a parliamentary committee say they continue to wait for information about when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was briefed about Beijing’s alleged interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. MPs from the procedure and House affairs committee have sent a letter to Canada’s top civil servant, the clerk of the Privy Council, following up on their previous request for answers. The letter obtained by The Canadian Press was signed by Conservative, Bloc Québécois and New Democrat MPs. Jody Thomas, the prime minister’s national security adviser, told the committee early last month that she would disclose the dates when Trudeau received intelligence briefings about alleged meddling in Canadian elections.But the letter’s signatories say no such information has been provided, and they are accusing officials of a deliberate effort to obstruct the committee’s study of foreign interference.They say they would like to receive the information...

Formal results confirm Milatovic win in Montenegro election

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:24 GMT

PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — Official results released Thursday confirmed a crushing defeat for Montenegro’s long-time leader Milo Djukanovic in a weekend presidential election, signaling his departure from the small Balkan state’s political scene after more than 30 years in power.Economic expert Jakov Milatovic, a political novice, won Sunday’s presidential runoff with around 59% of the vote, according to the final official results.Djukanovic led Montenegro to independence from much larger Serbia in 2006 and to NATO membership in 2017. Milatovic’s victory reflected voter fatigue with Djukanovic — who has served as president twice and prime minister seven times — as well as disillusionment with established politicians. Although the presidency is largely a ceremonial position in Montenegro, it influences the political trends in the country.Djukanovic tendered his resignation as president of Montenegro’s largest party, the centrist Democratic Party of Socialists. The party...

Stocks edge higher as they close a holiday-shortened week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:24 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is edging higher Thursday but the S&P 500 remains in the red for the week, heading for its first losing week in the last four, following some discouraging reports on the economy.The S&P 500 was 0.3% higher in afternoon trading, and it’s on pace for a 0.2% loss for the week. The U.S. stock market will be closed Friday in observance of Good Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 13 points, or less than 0.1%, at 33,493, as of 12:54 p.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.5% higher. A report on Thursday morning showed that fewer U.S. workers filed for unemployment benefits last week, though the number was still higher than expected. The government changed how it tracks the numbers, which could cause some swings, and the number of workers getting continuing claims for benefits rose to the highest level since December 2021. Thursday’s data followed a string of reports on the economy earlier in the week that were weaker than expected...

Former NBA guard Ben Gordon arrested on weapons charge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:24 GMT

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — Former NBA guard Ben Gordon was arrested on weapons and threatening charges after he began behaving erratically in a Connecticut juice shop, police said.The episode started just before 10 a.m. Tuesday when several 911 callers reported “a male acting aggressively and in a bizarre manner” inside a juice shop in Stamford, the city’s assistant police chief, Richard Conklin, said Thursday.The man, identified as Gordon, continued to act erratically when officers arrived and tried to take him into custody, Conklin said.The officers eventually subdued Gordon and placed him under arrest. They found a folding knife clipped to Gordon’s pocket, and a stun gun and brass knuckles in his backpack, Conklin said.Gordon was arrested on charges including carrying a dangerous weapon, second-degree threatening and interfering with an officer.The former basketball star, who played for the University of Connecticut before a decade-long NBA career that ended with the 2014...

Man shot in the face while packing up from fishing on North Side

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:24 GMT

CHICAGO — A 23-year-old man was shot in the face while he was packing up from fishing on the city's North Side.The shooting happened around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 3100 block of West Carmen. Police said officers responded to a person shot and found the man with a gunshot wound to the face.According to police, he was just packing up from fishing when he was confronted and shot.The 23-year-old was transported to St. Francis Hospital where he is listed in critical condition. The victim told police he was approached by several men who began shooting and then fled the scene on foot. Firefighter dies after Gold Coast high-rise blaze; second in last 2 days No one is in custody and Area Five Detectives are investigating.

Suburban ringleader gets 9 years in USPS mail-for-cash scheme

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:24 GMT

CHICAGO — A suburban ringleader has been sentenced to nine years for recruiting USPS employees for an elaborate mail-for-cash scheme.Davey Hines, 30, of Naperville, was indicted along with several others, including five USPS employees, in 2021. He pleaded guilty to four counts charging conspiracy, receipt of stolen mail, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft on July 8, 2022Hines was the ringleader of "Operation Cash on Delivery" — which occurred between June 2018 and December 2019. The federal investigation identified USPS employees who stole credit cards and other financial instruments and provided them to Hines and others in exchange for cash or other items.Hines, who also recruited most of the USPS employees, then worked with the others to unlawfully obtain the USPS customers’ personal information — including dates of birth and Social Security numbers.Over the course of the conspiracy, more than 650 credit cards were stolen. The group made more than $460,000 in fraudu...