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US authorities charge man from India in plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader in New York City

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:42 GMT

By LARRY NEUMEISTER and ASHOK SHARMA (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. authorities announced murder-for-hire charges Wednesday against a man from India who they say plotted to pay an assassin $100,000 to kill a prominent Sikh separatist leader living in New York City after the man advocated for the establishment of a sovereign state for Sikhs.U.S. Attorney Damian Williams announced the charges against Nikhil Gupta, 52, an Indian national who had lived in India, as an indictment was unsealed in Manhattan federal court.“As alleged, the defendant conspired from India to assassinate, right here in New York City, a U.S. citizen of Indian origin who has publicly advocated for the establishment of a sovereign state for Sikhs, an ethnoreligious minority group in India,” he said in a release.According to the release, Czech authorities arrested and detained Gupta on June 30 in Czechoslovakia through a bilateral extradition treaty between the U.S. and the Czech Republic....

U.S. Air Force Osprey crashes off Japan during training mission, killing at least 1 of 8 on board

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:42 GMT

By MARI YAMAGUCHI and TARA COPP (Associated Press)TOKYO (AP) — A U.S. Air Force Osprey based in Japan crashed during a training mission Wednesday off of the country’s southern coast, killing at least one of the eight crew members, the Japanese coast guard said.The cause of the crash and the status of the seven others on board were not immediately known, Japanese coast guard spokesperson Kazuo Ogawa said.U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command said in a statement that the CV-22B Osprey belonged to the 353rd Special Operations Wing assigned to Yokota Air Base. The crash occurred “while performing a routine training mission off the shore of Yakushima Island,” the command said. While the U.S. Marine Corps flies most of the Ospreys based in Japan, the Air Force also has some deployed there.Air Force Special Operations Command said search and rescue operations were underway. A U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized ...

Over 135 small-batch makers coming to Broadway Pier for two-day holiday fair

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:42 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Looking to check off your holiday gifts list? Over 135 small-batch makers will be selling goods at the Broadway Pier this weekend.On Saturday, Dec. 2 and Sunday, Dec. 3, the Makers Arcade Holiday Fair will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to kick-off the month of December. Get there early if you want a special "swag bag," which will be handed out to the first 100 people to enter the gate. December Nights: What to know about the two-day event at Balboa Park Not only will there be an array of vendors selling unique and handmade items, the event also offers photo displays, gourmet food, live music, cocktails, workshops and more. For example, at “make and take stations" attendees can create their own holiday wreaths. This holiday fair is sure to put you in the Christmas spirit as the pier will be decked out with festive décor. Plus, there will be music both days by Nathan and Jessie, PUERTO, DEVV LOV, Erika Davies Jazz, Divina, and the Barnacle Boys.“We are excited to put ...

Family booted off Air Canada flight now calling for changes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:42 GMT

Dr. Mehdi Asghari, a Canadian citizen who was born in Iran, is on a mission to fight what he calls an injustice at Toronto Pearson International Airport – a fight he believes impacts several travellers who may run into the same issue his family encountered after they were denied boarding on an Air Canada flight.The family had bought tickets back in February to return to Iran for a wedding this past August, a trip they’ve done several times in the past without issue.But when they went to board the flight, they were turned away over a passport issue.“We were told the Iranian passport my daughter had did not match the name on the boarding pass.”But her Canadian passport did. According to Air Canada’s rules, only one passport must match the name on the boarding pass.Their daughter, who is 12, was born in the U.S. and at that time Asghari and his wife chose a new name for her.“We chose a Western family name because we knew that she was going to live in Canada,” he said. “That name ...

S&P/TSX composite up in late-morning trading, U.S. stock markets also edge higher

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:42 GMT

TORONTO — Strength in financial stocks helped Canada’s main stock index move up in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets also edged higher.The S&P/TSX composite index was up 40.36 points at 20,077.13.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 9.20 points at 35,426.18. The S&P 500 index was up 3.07 points at 4,557.96, while the Nasdaq composite was up 3.97 points at 14,285.73.The Canadian dollar traded for 73.54 cents US compared with 73.63 cents US on Tuesday.The January crude contract was up 27 cents at US$76.68 per barrel and the January natural gas contract was up less than a penny at US$2.84 per mmBTU.The February gold contract was up US$3.50 at US$2,063.70 an ounce and the March copper contract was down less than a penny at US$3.84 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 29, 2023.The Canadian Press

Federal government reaches deal with Google over Online News Act

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:42 GMT

Google and the federal government have reached a deal in their dispute over the Online News Act, sources tell CityNews.Multiple reports suggest the new agreement would see Canadian news continue to be shared on Google’s platforms. In return, the company would make annual payments to news companies in the range of $100 million.The deal comes three weeks before the Online News Act, formerly Bill C-18, goes into effect. The law will force digital giants to compensate media outlets for content that is shared or repurposed on their platforms.Google had threatened to remove news from its search platform in Canada as a response to the Trudeau government’s bill.Facebook’s parent company Meta ended its talks with the government last summer and has already stopped distributing Canadian news on Facebook and Instagram.This is a developing story. More to come.

Preliminary hearing scheduled for March in Laval daycare bus crash deaths

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:42 GMT

LAVAL, Que. — The preliminary hearing for a man accused of killing two children this year when a city bus was driven into a Laval, Que., daycare will begin on March 25.Defence lawyer Julien Lespérance Hudon told a Laval court today that he plans to challenge the two charges of first-degree murder on the grounds that his client, Pierre Ny St-Amand, did not have criminal intent.St-Amand, 51, who remains detained at a Montreal psychiatric hospital, appeared in court today by video conference.Prosecutor Karine Dalphond says she plans to call about 10 witnesses during the four-day hearing, including a psychologist, a psychiatrist and St-Amand’s wife.Dalphond says the hearing, which will determine whether there is enough evidence to proceed to trial, will take place north of Laval in St-Jérôme because a courtroom isn’t available in Laval.A bus driver with the Laval transit corporation at the time of the crash, St-Amand was arrested after a city bus plowed into the front of a d...

Ottawa reaches deal with Google over controversial Online News Act

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:42 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal Liberal government has reached a deal with Google over the Online News Act, following threats from the digital giant that it would remove news from its search platform in Canada.A government official confirmed that news to The Canadian Press under condition of anonymity, because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the deal. CBC News is reporting, citing an unnamed source, that the agreement would see Canadian news continue to be shared on Google’s platforms in return for the company making annual payments to news companies in the range of $100 million.A formula in the government’s draft regulations for the bill would have seen Google contributing up to $172 million to news organizations — but Google had said it was expecting a figure closer to $100 million based on a previous estimate. The legislation, which comes into effect at the end of the year, requires tech giants to enter into agreements with news publishers to pay them for news c...

Respondents to BoC questionnaire largely oppose creating a digital Canadian dollar

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:42 GMT

OTTAWA — The Bank of Canada’s public consultations on the creation of a digital Canadian dollar reveal most respondents are opposed to it.  The central bank released its findings today, which show that more than 80 per cent of respondents strongly oppose the Bank of Canada researching and building the capability to issue a digital dollar.  The vast majority of respondents also say they do not trust the Bank of Canada to issue a secure digital currency.Among the top concerns of respondents was privacy, with the questionnaire revealing low levels of trust in institutions to protect their personal data.The Bank of Canada notes the findings do not necessarily reflect the views of the overall public because participants self-selected to respond to the questionnaire.While the public consultations aimed to gauge interest in a digital currency, the central bank says the decision to create a digital dollar is for Parliament to make.  This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov....

Sweden halts adoptions from South Korea after claims of falsified papers on origins of children

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:42 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Sweden’s main adoption agency said Wednesday it was halting adoptions from South Korea, following claims of falsified papers on the origins of children adopted from the Asian country.Swedes have been adopting children from South Korea since the 1950s. On Wednesday, the head of Adoptionscentrum — the only agency in Sweden adopting children from South Korea — said the practice is now ending. Kerstin Gedung referred to a South Korean law on international adoptions passed earlier this year, which aims to have all future adoptions handled by the state.“In practice, this means that we are ending international adoptions in South Korea,” she told The Associated Press in an email.Sweden’s top body for international adoptions — the Family Law and Parental Support Authority under the Swedish Health and Social Affairs Ministry — said the Adoptionscentrum had sent an application asking for the ministry to mediate adoptions from South Korea. A decision is ex...