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Trump pleads not guilty in Georgia, waives arraignment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:53 GMT

Former President Trump pleaded not guilty Thursday to all 13 charges in the sweeping Georgia case alleging he illegally attempted to overturn the state’s 2020 election results to remain in power.The former president also waived his right to an arraignment, where he was scheduled to hear the charges he faces and enter a plea next week.“I understand I have the right to appear personally at my arraignment, and that I have the right to have the Indictment read to me in court,” the former president said in court filings. “Understanding my rights, I do hereby freely and voluntarily waive my right to be present at my arraignment on the Indictment and my right to have it read to me in open court.”Trump and 18 others face a combined 41 charges in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s far-reaching racketeering case. They’re accused of joining a criminal conspiracy to keep Trump in the White House after he lost the 2020 election.The former president’s charges range from making false st...

2 teens charged with crashing stolen vehicle in Whitby

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:53 GMT

Durham regional police have charged two Toronto teens, aged 14 and 16, after they allegedly stole a car in Whitby and crashed it.Officers were called to the Fallingbrook Street and Taunton Road area at around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 30, after reports of a single-vehicle crash involving a stolen Honda Pilot SUV.Police say several occupants of the vehicle ran into a nearby neighbourhood after the crash.The K-9 Unit was called in and two teens were arrested.They are both facing charges of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.Police say both teens were released on bail.

Hall of Famer Gil Brandt, who helped build Cowboys into ‘America’s Team,’ dies at 91

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:53 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — Gil Brandt, overshadowed by coach Tom Landry and general manager Tex Schramm as part of the trio that built the Dallas Cowboys into “America’s Team” in the 1970s, has died. He was 91.The Pro Football Hall of Fame said Brandt died Thursday morning. No cause of death was given, but Brandt had been in declining health in recent years.Brandt was the player personnel director alongside the stoic, fedora-wearing Landry and media-savvy Schramm, but had to wait almost 30 years longer to get into the Hall of Fame.By the time Brandt was enshrined as a contributor, it was as much for his ability to remain involved in the NFL by adapting to the social media age as for the innovation the Cowboys brought to the draft process with computers in the early 1960s.“You can’t tell the story about the success of the Dallas Cowboys and their two-decade run of winning seasons from the mid-1960s to mid-1980s without mentioning Gil Brandt,” Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said.“To me,” said f...

Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert film coming to movie theatres in October

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:53 GMT

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is coming to movie theatres.Swift announced Thursday that the concert film “Taylor Swift – The Eras Tour” will open in North American theatres on October 13.The Eras Tour has been the most meaningful, electric experience of my life so far and I’m overjoyed to tell you that it’ll be coming to the big screen soon ???? Starting Oct 13th you’ll be able to experience the concert film in theaters in North America! Tickets are on sale now at… pic.twitter.com/eKRqS8C7d1— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) August 31, 2023The theatre chain AMC, anticipating high demand from Swift fans, said the film will play at least four times a day, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at all of its U.S. locations.“The Eras Tour has been the most meaningful, electric experience of my life so far, and I’m overjoyed to tell you that it’ll be coming to the big screen soon,” Swift said on social media channels.Prices will be higher ...

UN demands that Lebanon’s forces and Hezbollah militants allow unannounced UN peacekeeping patrols

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:53 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council approved a resolution Thursday demanding that the Lebanese military and Hezbollah stop blocking the movement of the U.N. peacekeeping force and guarantee its freedom to operate, “including by allowing announced and unannounced patrols.”Lebanese officials had pushed to remove a provision in the resolution, first introduced last year, that allows the peacekeepers to patrol without giving prior notice to the Lebanese army.Hassan Nasrallah, head of the Lebanese militant group and political party Hezbollah, said in a speech Monday that the provision is a violation of Lebanese sovereignty, and that the United States wants the U.N. peacekeeping force “to be spies for the Israelis.”But the council ignored the request and voted 13-0 with Russia and China abstaining, strengthening last year’s text and reaffirming that under the agreement between the United Nations and the Lebanese government, the peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL “does not requ...

Greece sends 100 extra firefighters to a massive northeastern wildfire as it burns for a 13th day

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:53 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities sent 100 extra firefighters Thursday to the country’s northeast where a massive blaze in its 13th day flared up again, prompting authorities to put residents on standby for a possible evacuation.The fire that started Aug. 19 — part of a busy fire season for Greece — has destroyed vast tracts of forest and burnt homes, and has been blamed for the deaths of 20 migrants whose bodies were found last week in the area, which is near the border with Turkey.Allegations that migrants may have been responsible for the fire have led to some vigilantism against foreigners, though people arrested in recent days suspected of starting blazes around the country have all been Greek.The reinforcements sent Thursday to the Alexandroupolis and Evros region brought the total number of firefighters deployed there to 582, backed by 10 planes and seven helicopters from nine European countries, Greece’s fire department said. A total of 26 people, including the two-mem...

Greek authorities say that dozens more migrants have reached Aegean islands from Turkey

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:53 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Nearly 200 more migrants have reached Greece’s Aegean Sea islands in boats from Turkey, Greek authorities said Thursday, including 51 people who made landfall on the high-end resort of Mykonos.The new arrivals come amid a steady rise in migration to the European Union country, which officials mostly attribute to better summer sailing conditions.While Greece was once the main entry point to the EU for people seeking a better life in the wealthy bloc, its Mediterranean neighbor Italy now has nearly seven times more arrivals. A Greek coast guard statement said a motor yacht that had landed 42 men, eight women and a child on Mykonos Wednesday was stopped hours later off the eastern Aegean island of Patmos. Three men on it were arrested on suspicion of belonging to a migrant smuggling group based in neighboring Turkey.The coast guard also said 30 migrants, including 6 children, were found Wednesday on the coast of Evia — an island near the Greek mainland that ...

Saskatchewan, New Brunswick naming changes means ‘life or death’ for trans kids: Ien

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:53 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s minister for women, gender equality and youth says policies in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick that require parental consent before students under 16 can have schools use their preferred pronouns and names puts transgender and nonbinary kids in a “life-or-death situation.” And while Marci Ien declined to comment on whether Ottawa sees a role for itself in any potential court challenges, the cabinet minister said the Liberal government is keeping an eye on what unfolds. “What I can tell you is that we’re watching closely as this develops,” she told The Canadian Press in an interview Wednesday. “Obviously anything is possible, but I’m not going to comment on anything hypothetical at this time.” Saskatchewan recently became the second jurisdiction to change its policy around pronoun use and name changes for students younger than 16, making it a rule that teachers must first seek permission from those students’...

S&P/TSX composite up as Shopify boosts tech sector, U.S. stock markets also higher

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:53 GMT

TORONTO — Strength in technology stocks led by Shopify Inc. after its deal to help merchants integrate access to Amazon.com Inc.’s fulfilment network within their Shopify stores helped Canada’s main stock index move higher in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets also rose.The S&P/TSX composite index was up 14.32 points at 20,344.64, while shares in Shopify rose more than eight per cent.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 51.28 points at 34,941.52. The S&P 500 index was up 6.74 points at 4,521.61, while the Nasdaq composite was up 51.96 points at 14,071.27.The Canadian dollar traded for 73.87 cents US compared with 73.88 cents US on Wednesday.The October crude contract was up US$1.04 at US$82.67 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up three cents at US$2.83 per mmBTU.The December gold contract was down US$3.90 at US$1,969.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was down two cents at US$3.83 a pound.This report by The ...

UN says number of people killed, injured or kidnapped in Haiti rose 14% in recent months

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:53 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.N. said Thursday that 1,860 people were reported killed, injured or kidnapped in Haiti from April to June, a 14% increase compared with the first three months of the year.The surge in gang violence remains centered in the capital of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas, with nearly 300 people alone killed or injured by snipers in the slum of Cite Soleil, according to a human rights report released by the U.N. Integrated Office in Haiti, known as BINUH.The report was released a day after the U.S. Embassy in Haiti urged U.S. citizens to leave the Caribbean country “as soon as possible” given the ongoing insecurity and infrastructure challenges.Among those killed from April to June were 13 police officers and more than 460 gang members, the majority of those by lynching, followed by police shootings, the U.N. said. At least 230 suspected gang members have died as a result of a violent civilian uprising dubbed “bwa kale” that began in April and targets...