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Zelenskyy: Russia is weaponizing food, energy and children in its war against Ukraine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:33 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told world leaders Tuesday that Russia is “weaponizing” everything from food and energy to abducted children in its war against Ukraine.While the world has various agreements that restrict arms themselves, “There are no real restrictions on weaponization,” he said at the U.N. General Assembly’s annual top-level meeting.Zelenskyy took to the world stage at a sensitive point in his country’s campaign to maintain international support for its fight. Nearly 19 months after Moscow launched a full-scale invasion, Ukrainian forces are three months into a counteroffensive that has not gone as fast or as well as initially hoped.Ukraine and its allies cast the country’s cause as a battle for the rule of international law, for the sovereignty of every country with a powerful and potentially expansionist neighbor, and for the stability of global food, fuel and other supplies that have been rocked by the war. The commodity upheaval ha...

B.C. human rights commissioner calls out anti-LGBTQ rallies planned across Canada

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:33 GMT

VICTORIA — British Columbia’s Human Rights Commissioner, Kasari Govender, says she is disturbed about “hate-fuelled marches” planned in several communities around the province and across Canada on Wednesday.Posters created by a group called “1MillionMarch4Children” says participants are “standing together against gender ideology in schools,” which is a reference to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity programs being taught in B.C.’s public schools.The statement from Govender says peaceful demonstration protects democracy and generates debate, but the human rights of the trans and LGBTQ community “is not up for debate.”She says an inquiry by her office showed almost two-thirds of LGBTQ students don’t feel safe at school, compared with 11 per cent of heterosexual students, and attempts to erase them from school curriculums are hateful.A statement from the City of Whitehorse says it is aware of a march planned for Sept...

Michigan State football coach Tucker says `other motives’ behind his firing for alleged misconduct

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:33 GMT

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Suspended Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker said Tuesday that he is “disappointed — but not surprised” that the school intends to fire him for misconduct involving activist and rape survivor Brenda Tracy and suggested that “other motives are at play” in the school’s decision.The university informed Tucker on Monday that he will be fired without compensation for misconduct involving Tracy, who said Tucker sexually harassed her during a phone call in April 2022. She later filed a complaint with the school’s Title IX office, which completed its investigation in July.Tucker, 51, has said the allegations against him are “completely false.”He said in a statement Tuesday that he is “disappointed — but not surprised — to learn that MSU intends to terminate my contract over Ms. Tracy’s improper public disclosure of the entire 1200-page investigation file regarding her baseless complaint against me.”Tracy is known for her work with college t...

Swings in inflation not ‘unusual,’ but underlying price pressures still high: BoC

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:33 GMT

REGINA — Bank of Canada deputy governor Sharon Kozicki says swings in the inflation rate are to be expected in a speech coming after the latest consumer price index report showed inflation climbed in August for the second month in a row.Statistics Canada reported today that inflation ticked up to four per cent last month.Kozicki weighs in on the numbers during a speech she is delivering today at the University of Regina.According to her prepared remarks, Kozicki said the Bank of Canada pays attention to core measures of inflation in order to look through extreme swings in prices to the fundamentals.She said these measures show inflation is still well above the two per cent target, even when mortgage interest costs are excluded from the calculation.Economists reacting to today’s inflation report say the data spells bad news for the central bank, though many expect the Bank of Canada to continue holding rates steady as the economy slows.This report by The Canadian Press was first publ...

IDOT announces next round of inbound Kennedy ramp closures

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:33 GMT

CHICAGO — The Illinois Department of Transportation announced Tuesday the next round of inbound ramp closures related to the Kennedy rehabilitation project.Beginning on Monday at 6 a.m., the following closures will take place due to ongoing bridge rehabilitation and ramp repairs.Pulaski Avenue to inbound Kennedy — anticipated to reopen in two weeks.  Montrose Avenue to inbound Kennedy — anticipated to reopen late October.Kedzie Avenue to inbound Kennedy — anticipated to reopen late October.Inbound Kennedy to Fullerton Avenue — anticipated to reopen late October.The inbound project is anticipated to be completed late fall, with all lanes and ramps reopening and the express lanes resuming normal operations. The express lanes will be worked on in 2024, with project focused on the outbound Kennedy in 2025. Looking to avoid the Kennedy Expressway construction? Here’s what you should know The current ramp closures are as follows.Diversey Avenue to inbound Kennedy — anticipated...

18-year-old shot, killed in East Chatman

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:33 GMT

CHICAGO — An 18-year-old man was shot and killed Tuesday in East Chatham.Just before 8:10 a.m., CPD said the man was walking in the 8100 block of South Ellis when a black Dodge Charger pulled up.Three unknown male suspects exited and opened fire toward the man. The 18-year-old sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the body and was pronounced dead at the scene.Police said the shooters returned to the vehicle and fled southbound.No one is in custody.

Amazon adding 250K holiday workers, increasing pay

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:33 GMT

(The Hill) -- Amazon announced Tuesday that it will hire a quarter million new workers starting this month as the holiday shopping season nears.The company is also raising the starting pay for the new full-time, part-time and seasonal workers to an average of $20.50 per hour, it said.“Whether someone is looking for a short-term way to make extra money, or is hoping to take their first step toward a fulfilling and rewarding career at Amazon, there’s a role available for them,” senior vice president John Felton said in a statement.Amazon begins a mass hiring wave every fall in preparation for the holidays. The company claimed record sales in the long weekend after Thanksgiving last year, topping at least $1 billion. Clorox says its earnings will take a hit from cyberattack A Bloomberg analysis found that Amazon sales increased 9 percent in the 2022 holiday season from a year before, which is a 78 percent increase compared to 2019 figures. That outpaced nearly every brick-and-morta...

Murdaugh agrees to plea deal on federal financial charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:33 GMT

BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. (WSAV) – Alex Murdaugh has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges that he stole millions of dollars from his former clients.According to court documents, Murdaugh, who was found guilty this March of fatally shooting his wife and youngest son in June 2021, agreed to plead guilty to 22 federal charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering. Alex Murdaugh indicted on new charges, including fraud Murdaugh has agreed to pay restitution set by the court during sentencing, a special assessment fee of $100 per count. He also agrees to give up any assets and property obtained from charges in the indictment with a minimum of $9 million.The conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, bank fraud, and two of the wire fraud charges all carry maximum sentences of 30 years.The two other wire fraud charges, conspiracy to commit wire fraud charges, and 13 money laundering charges all carry a maximum sentence of 20 years.A federal hear...

Amazon driver bitten by rattlesnake during delivery in Florida

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:33 GMT

PALM CITY, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida Amazon driver was hospitalized Monday after being bitten by a "highly venomous" snake while making a delivery, deputies said.The Martin County Sheriff's Office said the driver was delivering a package to a home in the Highland Reserve Community in Palm City at the time of the incident. ‘Don’t pull the trigger!’ Video shows deputy talking down teen who killed mom, officials say When the driver set down the package in front of the home's front door, she was bitten by an eastern diamondback rattlesnake that was coiled up nearby.Deputies said the driver immediately became ill and cried out for help. She was hospitalized in "very serious condition" as of Tuesday.(Credit: Martin County Sheriff's Office)Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes are solitary animals that usually function as ambush predators, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.The FWC said they usually try to escape situations when they feel threatened by humans, bu...

Former Super Bowl champion arrested in Florida

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:33 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Former Super Bowl champion and New York Giants running back Dion Lewis was arrested Monday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Florida.Arrest documents show Lewis was taken into custody by Seminole Indian Police around 2 p.m. and booked into the Orient Road Jail of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office an hour later.Lewis was charged with trespassing in an occupied structure. His bond was set at $500. Instagram post may shed new light in death of former NFL player’s mother A spokesperson for the Seminole Police Department told Nexstar's WFLA that Lewis was acting "unruly" and "belligerent," including "causing a disturbance and refusing to leave the premises."New York Giants running back Dion Lewis (33) gains yards in the first half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)Lewis joined the New York Giants in 2020 after spending two seasons with the Tenessee Titan...