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Dominican Republic closes all borders with Haiti as tensions rise in a dispute over a canal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:53 GMT

DAJABON, Dominican Republic (AP) — The Dominican Republic shut all land, air and sea borders with Haiti on Friday in a dispute about construction of a canal on Haitian soil that taps into a shared river, as armed Dominican soldiers patrolled entry points and military planes roared overhead.Flights were canceled and border towns usually teeming with vendors and Haitians crossing daily to work in the Dominican Republic were subdued. Crowds of people on the Haitian side gathered under the shade of trees as they observed the scene on Friday. Nearby, a white flag fluttered in the breeze under a Haitian flag in a sign of peace.It was unclear how long the rare closure of the borders will last, with Dominican President Luis Abinader saying the measure will remain in place “as long as necessary.” The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the canal project violates a 1929 treaty and “must be halted immediately before pursuing any other dialogue.”Abinader ordered...

Warnock calls on Atlanta officials to be more transparent about ‘Stop Cop City’ referendum

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:53 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock on Friday urged Atlanta’s mayor to be more transparent in how city officials handle a petition drive led by opponents of a proposed police and firefighter training center, saying he is “closely monitoring” the issue.Warnock’s letter comes after weeks of calls from “Stop Cop City” activists who were furious that the state’s top Democrats had stayed largely silent over the city’s plan to adopt a signature-matching verification process. Activists and prominent voting rights groups have decried the restriction as voter suppression.“I am concerned by the past application of signature match in Georgia that likely led to discrimination and potentially the disenfranchisement of eligible voters,” Warnock wrote as he asked Mayor Andre Dickens more than a dozen specific questions, including why officials plan to use a signature-matching process and how residents can fix potential errors to prevent their petition from being ...

Officials in North Carolina deny Christmas parade permit after girl’s death during last year’s event

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:53 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Officials in North Carolina have denied a permit for a Christmas parade after a truck towing a float struck and killed a girl during last year’s event.The city of Raleigh announced Thursday that it denied the Greater Raleigh Merchants Association’s request for a permit for the Raleigh Christmas Parade, news outlets reported.“The decision was made out of an abundance of caution for parade participants and spectators, as well as respect for Hailey Brooks’ family and friends,” according to a city statement.Hailey Brooks, 11, was killed during last year’s parade when she was hit by a pickup truck towing a float after the driver lost control. Landen Glass, then 20, was initially charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle, careless and reckless driving, improper equipment, unsafe movement and carrying a firearm in a parade. In March, a grand jury elevated his charges to felony involuntary manslaughter.The Brooks family was not consulted and they oppose the decisi...

New Mexico governor amends order suspending right to carry firearms to focus on parks, playgrounds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:53 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday narrowed an order that broadly suspended the right to carry firearms in and around Albuquerque to apply only to public parks and playgrounds where children and their families gather.The governor’s announcement Friday came days after a federal judge blocked part of the order with criticism mounting over the Democratic governor’s action and legal challenges by gun-rights advocates. U.S. District Judge David Urias said Wednesday the order was unconstitutional and granted a temporary restraining order to block the suspension of gun rights until another hearing is held in early October. Earlier in the week, scores of demonstrators defiantly wore holstered handguns on their hips or carried rifles during a rally by gun-rights advocates. The second-term governor imposed the emergency public health order Sept. 8 that suspended the right to openly carry or conceal guns in public places based on a statistical threshol...

Defence in Ibrahim Ali murder trial suggests sex partner, killer not same person

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:53 GMT

VANCOUVER — A defence lawyer at the Ibrahim Ali murder trial in British Columbia Supreme Court has put forward the theory that the person who had sex with the alleged murder victim may not be the one who killed the teenager. Kevin McCullough has finished cross-examining forensic biologist Christine Crossman, focusing on the fact Ali’s genetic profile only matched samples found in the victim’s vaginal and anal areas.McCullough questioned the decision by investigators not to test some evidence that may establish another suspect in the case, asking Crossman to confirm if she has an idea whether stains found on the girl’s clothing contained DNA.The body of the 13-year-old girl, who can’t be named because of a publication ban, was found in Central Park in Burnaby, B.C., in July 2017. McCullough asked Crossman if she or the police noted that it was important to establish beyond a reasonable doubt the time of death and the time of sexual contact in this case, to which Cro...

Canadian landscape architect Claude Cormier, designer of public spaces, dies at 63

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:53 GMT

MONTREAL — Claude Cormier, a celebrated Canadian landscape architect who helped design some of Montreal and Toronto’s best-known public spaces, has died at 63.His firm, Claude Cormier + Associés, said Cormier died Friday in Montreal following complications from Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, a rare genetic condition that predisposes carriers to multiple cancers.  An obituary on the firm’s website says Cormier was the creative force behind some of Canada’s most “beloved, joyous and critically acclaimed” public spaces, including Toronto’s Berczy Park with its famous dog fountain, and the canopy of pink — and later multicoloured — plastic balls that hung for years in rows above Montreal’s Village district.“Cormier’s joyful and subversive designs blended conceptual clarity with a studied instinct for making enduring places,” the obituary says.“His ability to design public spaces with broad public appeal stemmed from multiple qualities: audaci...

Stock market today: Wall Street slips, on track for second straight weekly loss

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:53 GMT

NEW YORK — Major stock indexes turned lower on Wall Street in afternoon trading Friday, on track to wipe out the market’s gains for the week.The S&P 500 fell 1.2%. The benchmark index is headed for its first loss in three days and its second straight weekly pullback. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 261 points, or 0.8%, to 34,646 as of 2:22 p.m. Eastern. The Nasdaq composite fell 1.7%.Technology stocks were the biggest drag on the market. Microsoft fell 2.4% and chipmaker Nvidia fell 3.7%. U.S. automaker stocks were proving to be resilient after members of the United Auto Workers union walked off the job at several plants overnight. Ford edged up 0.1% and General Motors rose 1.1%. Shares in Stellantis gained 1.9% in trading on the Milan Stock Exchange in Italy.Bond yields gained ground. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which influences interest rates on mortgages and other loans, rose to 4.31% from 4.29% late Thursday. The yield on the 2-year Treasury held steady at...

Ng postpones ‘Team Canada’ trade mission to India amid strained relations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:53 GMT

Canada is postponing a trade mission to India that federal Trade Minister Mary Ng had promoted as key to the Indo-Pacific strategy.Ng’s office has not explained why the trip, which was scheduled to start Oct. 9, has been postponed.Canada has paused negotiations for a trade deal with India, and relations between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his counterpart in New Delhi were frosty on a recent visit.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Trudeau on the sidelines of the G20 leaders’ summit last weekend, and Modi’s office said he focused on Sikh separatists in Canada.Ng was set to visit Mumbai with Canadian business leaders to form ties with their counterparts in the world’s most populous country.Ng is set to speak publicly this afternoon to conclude a meeting with her provincial and territorial counterparts.Earlier this week, the Saskatchewan government claimed Ottawa left provinces in the dark for months over the status of trade talks with India.Indi...

Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Jackman separate after 27 years of marriage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:53 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Jackman have decided to end their marriage after 27 years and two children.“We have been blessed to share almost 3 decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage. Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth,” they said in the joint statement. Their separation was first reported by People magazine.They said the statement would be their only one on their breakup. They added that their family is their highest priority and that they’ll undertake “this next chapter with gratitude, love, and kindness.”A representative confirmed the statement to The Associated Press Friday.The couple met in 1995 on the set of an Australian television show where both were actors. Deborra-lee Furness at the time was the more established of the two. They married in 1996 and had two children: Oscar, now 23, and Ava, now 18. Jackman also ascended to become a major star in Hollywood and on Broadway....

Third man charged in West Side murder of Ohio State football player’s mother

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:53 GMT

CHICAGO — Another man has been charged with the murder of Ashley Griggs, who is the mother of Ohio State freshman wide receiver Carnell Tate.On the morning of July 16 at around 2 a.m., CPD responded to the 4000 block of West Washington Boulevard, located in Garfield Park, on the report of a shooting involving multiple victims.Police at the scene located five people suffering from various gunshot wounds, including Ashley Griggs, 41. Griggs died as a result of the shooting.The other four victims were transported in fair condition.Lopez is the third man charged in connection to the shooting. He was taken into custody on Tuesday in Peoria and is facing first-degree murder and four counts of attempted murder. 2 men charged in West Side murder of Ohio State football player’s mother Last month, Chicago police announced that Manuel Bahamon, 22, of Chicago, and Ismael Lozada, 23, of Elmwood Park, were charged in connection with first-degree murder and four counts of attempted first-degree ...