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Campaigning in Turkey’s pivotal elections ends, voting nears

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:10:26 GMT

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish politicians held their final rallies on the last hours of campaigning before Saturday, the eve of pivotal presidential and parliamentary elections that could significantly shape the NATO member’s future, before a so-called propaganda ban went into effect. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is facing the toughest challenge ever in his two decades of power, spoke at three neighborhood rallies in Istanbul, Turkey’s biggest city.His main challenger is Kemal Kilicdaroglu of the pro-secular, center-left CHP (the Republican People’s Party), who is the joint candidate of six opposition parties. He held his final rally in the capital, Ankara, on Friday in the pouring rain. On Saturday, he and some of his supporters visited the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey and of the CHP. On Friday, Erdogan dismissed speculation that he wouldn’t cede power if he lost, calling the question “very ridiculous.” In an interview with more than...

Woman charged in 1 of 4 Nebraska killings pleads not guilty

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:10:26 GMT

HARTINGTON, Neb. (AP) — A woman has pleaded not guilty in the death of one of four people who were killed in a small northeast Nebraska town last year.Carrie Jones, 44, of Laurel entered written not guilty pleas this week to first-degree murder, being an accessory to a felony and tampering with evidence, according to court records. Jones’ husband, 43-year-old Jason Jones, has pleaded not guilty to four counts each of first-degree murder and use of a firearm to commit a felony, plus two counts of first-degree arson.Carrie Jones is charged in the death of Gene Twiford, 86, in Laurel, on Aug. 4, 2022. Her husband is charged with killing Twiford, his wife and his daughter and another Laurel woman and setting fire to the victims’ homes.Prosecutors allege Carrie Jones encouraged her husband to confront Twiford, who she said had been making sexually charged comments to her for years, and then helped him hide when he was being sought by police. Testimony at an earlier hearing revealed that ...

Nova Scotia artist believes wire sculptures were stolen from her property for copper

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:10:26 GMT

LITTLE HARBOUR, N.S. — A Nova Scotia artist believes five life-sized sculptures stolen from her property were taken by copper thieves.Dawn MacNutt says she discovered Thursday that the works which had been on display outside her studio and home in rural Little Harbour, N.S., were gone.MacNutt says four of the woven copper wire figures had been on the deck of the studio, while the fifth had been displayed in a nearby tree.She says the works, which have been on display outside for 16 years, are worth thousands of dollars with one valued at around $4,000.MacNutt says she has filed a report with police and even paid a visit to the local recycling depot to ask them to be on the lookout for the art pieces.The artist says she had hoped to display at least one of the pieces during a retrospective show of her work planned for the Mount Saint Vincent University Art Gallery in Halifax in June 2024.  This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13, 2023.The Canadian Press

Man arrested after assault with python snake in Toronto

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:10:26 GMT

Toronto police have arrested and charged a man following an alleged assault with a python snake.Police responded to a call for a man threatening people with a python snake in the Trinity-Bellwoods neighbourhood of Dundas Street West and Manning Avenue just before midnight on Wednesday.Investigators said a man was walking down the street holding a real python when he allegedly approached the victim with the snake.Officers said there was a physical altercation, and the man used the python to attack the victim. Police arrived on the scene and arrested one person.It’s unclear if the victim was seriously hurt in the assault.The accused was identified as 45-year-old Laurenio Avila of Toronto. He’s been charged with assault with a weapon and unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal.He appeared in court on Thursday.

Windsor mayor calls out Ottawa after Stellantis accuses feds of failing on plant deal

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:10:26 GMT

The mayor of a southwestern Ontario city says he expects the federal government to live up to a deal that would se one of the world’s biggest automakers build an electric vehicle battery plant in the area.Stellantis says the federal government has not delivered on an agreement with the automaker and South Korean battery-maker LG Energy Solution to build a battery plant in Windsor, Ont.The two companies say they will immediately begin implementing contingency plans, but did not say what those were.Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens says the completion of the electric vehicle battery plant is now in question and is calling on Ottawa to fulfill its commitments to make sure the deal goes ahead.Stellantis and LG committed $5-billion last year to build an electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor with financial support from all levels of government.A spokeswoman for federal Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne says negotiations with Stellantis are ongoing.The amount the various lev...

Pope Francis meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Vatican

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:10:26 GMT

ROME (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met with Pope Francis at the Vatican, telling the pontiff it was a “great honor.” The meeting on Saturday comes during the Ukrainian’s visit to Rome, where he also met with Italian officials. The pontiff has previously offered his efforts to try to end the war that Russia began with its invasion of Ukraine a year ago. Neither side immediately gave details of the talks.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.ROME (AP) — Ahead of Zelenskyy’s arrival in late afternoon, police moved tourists to one side of St. Peter’s Square so the Ukrainian president’s motorcade could speed across the vast cobblestone space. Earlier in the day, Zelenskyy met with Italian officials after his morning flight to Rome, and received both pledges of open-ended continued military and financial support as well as bolstered backing for Ukraine’s cherished aim to join the European Union.“The message is clear a...

In debt ceiling standoff, COVID era of big spending gives way to new focus on deficit

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:10:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — One outcome is clear as Washington reaches for a budget deal in the debt ceiling standoff: The ambitious COVID-19 era of government spending to cope with the pandemic and rebuild is giving way to a new focus on tailored investments and stemming deficits.President Joe Biden has said recouping unspent coronavirus money is “on the table” in budget talks with Congress. While the White House has threatened to veto Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s debt ceiling bill with its “devastating cuts” to federal programs, the administration has signaled a willingness to consider other budget caps.The end result is a turnaround from just a few years ago, when Congress passed and then-president Donald Trump signed the historic $2.2 trillion CARES Act at the start of the public health crisis in 2020. It’s a dramatic realignment even as Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law and Inflation Reduction Act are now investing billions of dollars into paving streets, shoring up the ...

Pakistan prime minister says those involved in violence of Khan detention will face terrorism trials

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:10:26 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s prime minister said Saturday that authorities would go after those involved in violent protests following the detention of his predecessor, Imran Khan, including prosecution in anti-terrorism courts.Shahbaz Sharif’s warnings were a sign of further escalation in the long-running showdown between the government and Khan, who has the backing of large numbers of supporters.Khan returned to his home in the eastern city of Lahore early Saturday, after a court agreed to shield him from renewed arrest for two weeks. The 70-year-old former cricket star, who was toppled by parliament a year ago, planned to deliver a televised speech from his home later Saturday.The recent chain of events began Tuesday when Khan was dragged out of a courtroom and arrested in the capital of Islamabad. His detention was met by violent protests by his supporters, who torched cars and buildings, including military installations. Hundreds were arrested in the aftermath.Khan w...

Police identify victim of daylight stabbing near Yonge-Dundas Square

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:10:26 GMT

Toronto police have identified the man fatally stabbed near Yonge-Dundas Square on Friday.Just before 2 p.m., emergency crews rushed to the scene in front of The Works, a city-run supervised injection and harm reduction facility located at 277 Victoria St. near Yonge-Dundas Square.Paramedics could be seen administering chest compressions to the victim, who was rushed to hospital in an ambulance.Despite life-saving efforts, the victim was later pronounced dead at the hospital.The victim was identified as 40-year-old Richard Sasaki.In an update from investigators, police said a suspect fled the area on foot, and this person may have been in the area for some time prior to the altercation. It’s also possible the suspect had been interacting with others in the area during that time, police added.The male suspect is described as having a light brown complexion, in his late 20s, around five-foot-ten, with long black hair and black facial hair. He was last seen wearing dark clothing.

US-Mexico border sees orderly crossings as new migration rules take effect

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:10:26 GMT

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — The U.S.-Mexico border was relatively calm as the U.S. ended its pandemic-era immigration restrictions and migrants adapted to new asylum rules and legal pathways meant to discourage illegal crossings.A full day after the rules known as Title 42 were lifted, migrants and government officials on Friday were still assessing the effects of new regulations adopted by President Joe Biden’s administration in hope of stabilizing the Southwest border region and undercutting smugglers who charge migrants to get there.Migrants are now essentially barred from seeking asylum in the U.S. if they did not first apply online or seek protection in the countries they traveled through. Families allowed in as their immigration cases progress will face curfews and GPS monitoring. Those expelled can now be barred from reentry for five years and face possible criminal prosecution.Across the river from El Paso, Texas, in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, many migrants watched their cellphones in...