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The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali ends after 10 years, following the junta’s pressure to go

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:08:21 GMT

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — The United Nations ended its 10-year peacekeeping mission in Mali on Monday following the government’s request that alleged the force was inadequate to respond to growing violent extremism in the West African nation.“The Malian terrain was vast and difficult,” the commander of the 13,000-strong force, Maj. Gen. Mamadou Gaye, told the closing ceremony in Bamako, the capital.The U.N. effort in Mali has been the deadliest peacekeeping mission in the world, with more than 300 personnel killed.Landlocked Mali has struggled to contain an Islamic extremist insurgency since 2012. Extremist rebels were forced from power in northern cities the following year with the help of a French-led military operation. But rebels regrouped in the desert and began launching attacks on the Malian army and its allies — which soon included the U.N. force.In June, however, Mali’s junta asked the U.N. mission to leave, claiming that its “future outlook doesn’t seem to respond to...

MUST-WATCH: Leaving the world behind for something hopefully better

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:08:21 GMT

An apocalyptic film starring some of Hollywood’s biggest box office draws has entered the MUST-WATCH Top 10! But will it rule the new world from the top spot, or could it go to a Christmastime Batman adventure? Perhaps the return of the sea creature with the catchiest song ever? You’ll have to keep reading to find out!My Life with the Walter BoysWhere to watch: NetflixFirst up, it’s time for some young romance!My Life with the Walter Boys. (L to R) Nikki Rodriguez as Jackie, Ashby Gentry as Alex and Noah LaLonde as Cole in episode 103 of My Life with the Walter Boys. Cr. Chris Large/© 2023 Netflix, Inc.My Life with the Walter Boys is a new show based on the book of the same name. It stars Nikki Rodriguez (from On My Block) as a 15 year old girl living in New York City who tragically loses her whole family in a car accident. She ends up getting adopted by the Walter family, who live in a small rural town in Colorado. That family has seven sons in total, and she find...

Waste Connections buying $1.08B in assets from Secure Energy Services

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:08:21 GMT

TORONTO — Waste Connections Inc. has signed a deal to buy a portfolio of 30 energy waste treatment and disposal facilities in Western Canada from Secure Energy Services Inc. for nearly $1.08 billion.The assets represent all of the required divestitures mandated by the Competition Tribunal following Secure’s 2021 merger with Tervita Corp.The deal includes 18 treatment, recovery and disposal facilities, six landfills, four saltwater disposal injection wells and two disposal caverns.Waste Connections chief executive Ronald Mittelstaedt says they are a rare combination of high-quality, well-situated disposal and treatment assets with significant internal capacity for growth.The deal is subject to customary closing conditions, including Competition Bureau approval. It is expected to close during the first quarter of 2024.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 11, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:WCN, TSX:SES)The Canadian Press

Imprisoned accomplice in shooting of then-NFL player’s girlfriend dies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:08:21 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A man who had spent two decades in prison for firing the shots in a plot by then-Carolina Panthers player Rae Carruth to kill Carruth’s pregnant girlfriend has died.Van Brett Watkins died on Dec. 3 at age 63, according to online prisoner records from the state Department of Adult Correction. Watkins, who had been at Central Prison in Raleigh, died at a hospital from natural causes, department spokesperson Keith Acree said.Watkins, whose death was first reported by Charlotte television stations, received more than 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to his role in Carruth’s effort to kill Cherica Adams in 1999. He was sentenced for second-degree murder, conspiracy and other charges. His projected prison release date had been in 2045, the correction records show.Watkins fired the shots and another man drove the car. They pleaded guilty in exchange for testimony that Carruth paid Watkins to kill Adams and her baby. Adams was shot in her car as she drov...

Three dead after shed fire outside home improvement store in Calgary

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:08:21 GMT

CALGARY — Fire officials say three people are dead after a fire in a shed outside a home improvement store in Calgary.Crews responded to the fire just before 4 a.m. at a Lowe’s in the city’s northwest.The bodies were found inside the shed after the flames were extinguished.Fire department spokeswoman Carol Henke says it’s believed the three had been using the shed as a shelter.She says the cause of the fire is not known.The fire department and police arson unit are investigating.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2023.The Canadian Press

The Golden Globe nominees are out. Let the awards season of Barbenheimer begin – Analysis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:08:21 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Early honors in Hollywood’s unfurling awards season have gone to films like Celine Song’s tender relationship drama “Past Lives,” Jonathan Glazer’s piercing Holocaust film “The Zone of Interest” and Martin Scorsese’s sprawling Osage murders epic “Killers of the Flower Moon.”But a showdown was always brewing.“Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” those summer sensations united in release date if little else, have loomed as perhaps the most potent Oscar contenders of the year. When the Golden Globes on Monday announced picks for its 81st awards, the scandal-plagued, comeback-seeking Globes put their full weight behind the twin phenomena of the movie year.Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” landed nine nominations, tied for second-most in Globes history. (Only Bob Fosse’s “Cabaret” has matched it and Robert Altman’s “Nashville” exceeded it.) Its edge over “Oppenheimer” was slight; Christopher Nolan’s massive J. Robert Oppenheimer bio...

Crown Point woman accused of attempted armed robbery at car wash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:08:21 GMT

SCHEREVILLE, Ind. — A Crown Point woman was accused of conducting an attempted armed robbery at a car wash in Schererville on Friday afternoon.At around 3:00 p.m., officers responded to the Pine Island Car Wash, located in the area of U.S. 30 and Burr Street, on the report of a robbery. Officers met with a 61-year-old Crown Point man at the scene who said that he was approached by a woman asking him for a cell phone.After refusing, the woman, later identified as Leah Bledsoe, 23, of Crown Point, allegedly asked if he had a wallet while displaying a gun.The man then ran from the area asking for help as Bledsoe allegedly fled. She was taken into custody a short time later at a nearby residence. Massive fire at historic, abandoned Emerson High School in Gary Police allege Bledsoe used a stolen firearm in the incident.She has been charged with attempt to commit armed robbery. Bledsoe remains in custody on a $40,000 bond, according to court records.

How are movie ratings decided in the US?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:08:21 GMT

(WHTM) - Hundreds of films come out in the United States every year, and each one of them has a rating. These ratings are in place to advise parents and others about the kind of content each movie contains. The current movie rating system was created by the Motion Picture Association of America in 1968 and was established to help parents make informed viewing choices for their children. Movies are reviewed and rated by the Classification and Rating Administration, which is a part of the Motion Picture Association of America. There were only four categories when the ratings were first established in 1968. Rated G: For general audiences. Rated M: For mature audiences and parental discretion is advisedRated R: Restricted and no one under 16 is admitted unless with a parent or guardian. Rated X: No one under 16 is admitted under any circumstance. Between 1972 and 1984, M was replaced with PG, while the rest of the ratings remained the same. In the mid-1980s, the association recognized t...

Dean's Reviews: 'Boop:' The Betty Boop Musical

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:08:21 GMT

Check out Dean's review on the new 'Boop:' The Betty Boop Musical, now playing at the CIBC Theater now through Dec. 24.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

12/11 ICYMI: What happened last week?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:08:21 GMT

Here's a recap of the top stories you may have missed over the weekend and last week:Biden administration pushes for more aid.Ukraine’s President Zelensky will meet with President Biden at the White House this week as the Biden administration urges Congress to give billions more in aid to the country...(Read more)By Hannah BrandtAdvocates, lawmakers mark 11 years since Sandy Hook shooting.It’s been more than a decade since the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary took the lives of 26 people....(Read more)By Basil JohnTransportation Department announces billions in funding for new passenger rail projects.New passenger rail projects across the country are getting a major funding boost from the Transportation Department...(Read more)By Hannah BrandtSecond Gentleman Doug Emhoff Condemns Antisemitism at National Menorah Lighting.The National Menorah’s first two flames were lit in a ceremony on the Ellipse last night to commemorate the start of Hanukkah...(Read more)By Justin Kounelias