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An alleged Darfur militia leader was merely ‘a pharmacist,’ defense lawyers tell a war crimes court

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:12 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Defense lawyers told the International Criminal Court on Thursday that their client was not a Sudanese militia leader who had participated in war crimes, but rather “a no one” who had no involvement in the ongoing conflict in the nation. Prosecutors say Ali Mohammed Ali Abdul Rahman Ali is better known as Ali Kushayb, a leader of the Janjaweed militia. He has denied 31 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity in what the defense claims is a case of mistaken identity. “The man sitting behind me was utterly a no-one,” defense attorney Cyril Laucci told The Hague-based court in his opening presentation. Laucci says his client was working as a pharmacist at a market in a remote part of the Darfur region of Sudan during the conflict, which began in 2003, leaving some 300,000 people dead and driving 2.7 million from their homes. Violence erupted when rebels from the territory’s ethnic central and sub-Saharan African community launched an insurgency, c...

Feds OK natural gas pipeline expansion in Pacific Northwest over environmentalist protests

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:12 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Federal regulators have approved the expansion of a natural gas pipeline in the Pacific Northwest over the protest of environmental groups and top officials in West Coast states.The project, known as GTN Xpress, aims to expand the capacity of the Gas Transmission Northwest pipeline, which runs through Idaho, Washington and Oregon, by about 150 million cubic feet (4.2 million cubic meters) of natural gas per day. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave it the green light in a vote on Thursday.The pipeline belongs to TC Energy of Calgary, Canada — the same company behind the now-abandoned Keystone XL crude oil pipeline. TC Energy plans to modify three compressor stations along the pipeline — in Kootenai County, Idaho; Walla Walla County, Washington; and Sherman County, Oregon. Compressor stations help maintain the pressure and flow of gas over long distances in a pipeline.The company says the project is necessary to meet consumer demand. The 1,377-mile (2,2...

Accused in London, Ont., truck attack says he knew what happened was terrorism

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:12 GMT

The man accused of killing four members of a Muslim family in London, Ont., has told a jury he knew his actions were considered a terrorist attack.On the stand in the Windsor, Ont., courtroom where his trial is taking place, Nathaniel Veltman says he was influenced by the writings of a gunman who committed the 2019 New Zealand mass killing of 51 Muslim worshippers at two mosques.Veltman says his understanding of terrorism is that it’s any politically-motivated violence and he was a “political person” when he crashed into the Muslim family.The 22-year-old Veltman is accused of deliberately hitting the Afzaal family with his truck on June 6, 2021 while they were out for a walk in London _ prosecutors have alleged his actions amount to an act of terrorism.He has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.Veltman told the jury yesterday that he had been considering using his pickup truck, which he bought a month earlier, ...

Lacrosse at the Olympics gives Native Americans a chance to see their sport shine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:12 GMT

One of the first gifts any member of the Onondaga nation receives is called a “crib stick” — a small lacrosse stick given to babies that symbolizes the importance of that sport to people who invented it.Nearly 1,000 years after lacrosse was first played on fields that could sometimes stretch for miles across the Haudenosaunee confederacy, the sport will be on the Olympic schedule in Los Angeles in 2028. Whether the Haudenosaunee, a collection of six Native American nations whose territory covers upstate New York and adjacent sections of Canada, will have a spot in that tournament is a question that will keep the lacrosse world on edge between now and then.The final call will come down to whether the International Olympic Committee will buck a decades-old tradition of only allowing participants from countries with a national Olympic committee, or whether it will find a way to include players under the Haudenosaunee (formerly known as the Iroquois) flag. Such a move would pay homage t...

Canadian firms hit with 25 cyberattacks on average over past year: EY survey

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:12 GMT

TORONTO — A survey by EY shows 81 per cent Canadian companies experienced at least 25 cybersecurity incidents over the past year, compared to 73 per cent of respondents globally.The EY 2023 Global Cybersecurity Leadership Insights study also shows the global median cost of a breach jumped 12 per cent to US$2.5 million this year.In Canada, 44 per cent of businesses reported they collectively spent US$50 million annually on cybersecurity.Yogen Appalraju, a cybersecurity leader at EY Canada, says the country is now starting to experience more costly and high-profile breaches, in line with a trend south of the border.The study suggests despite higher spending by companies, detection and response times appear to be slow, with more than half of respondents saying their business took an average of six months or longer to detect a breach.The survey shows almost half of respondents find it difficult to balance security and innovation, and view cloud and internet of things technologies as big...

MTV cancels EMAs awards show in Paris, citing Israel-Hamas war

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:12 GMT

PARIS (AP) — The MTV Europe Music Awards on Thursday canceled its performance-packed ceremony slated for next month, citing the Israel-Hamas War.The event had been scheduled for Paris on Nov. 5, with Ozuna, Renée Rapp and Thirty Seconds to Mars among the performers. “The MTV EMAs are an annual celebration of global music. As we watch the devastating events in Israel and Gaza continue to unfold, this does not feel like a moment for a global celebration. With thousands of lives already lost, it is a moment of mourning,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.The statement also said the decision was made “out of an abundance of caution for the thousands of employees, crew members, artists, fans, and partners who travel from all corners of the world to bring the show to life.”MTV said the EMAs would return in November 2024.Taylor Swift was the big winner at last year’s EMAs in Dusseldorf, Germany, collecting four trophies including for best artist, best video and best longform...

Fed Chair Powell: Slower economic growth may be needed to conquer stubbornly high inflation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:12 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday that inflation remains too high and that bringing it down to the Fed’s target level will likely require a slower-growing economy and job market.Powell noted that inflation has cooled significantly from a year ago. But he cautioned that it’s not yet clear whether inflation is on a steady path back to the Fed’s 2% target. “A few months of good data are only the beginning of what it will take to build confidence that inflation is moving down sustainably toward our goal,” Powell said in remarks to the Economic Club of New York. “We cannot yet know how long these lower readings will persist or where inflation will settle over coming quarters.”Last month, Fed officials predicted that they would impose one more interest rate hike before the end of the year, on top of a series of 11 rate increases that have lifted their key rate to about 5.4%, its highest level in 22 years. Economists and Wall Street trade...

Group accused of stealing, selling $2M worth of scrap intended for Northwest Indiana steel mill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:12 GMT

PORTAGE, Ind. — A group of sub-contractors is accused of running a two-year scheme that stole nearly $2 million worth of scrap metal intended for U.S Steel in Northwest Indiana.Police originally showed up to a Portage trucking company on Aug. 23, 2022 after being tipped off by the company five days prior that they had a trailer loaded with $70,000 worth of scrap metal stolen, according to documents.A manager told police a main function of company is to take scrap from U.S. Steel, located in Burns Harbor, to U.S. Gary Works in Gary. Leftover pieces of steel from U.S. Steel are hauled back to U.S. Gary Works to be melted down into coils, documents state.The manager went on to tell police he has had some issues that summer with some drivers unplugging their GPS units for their trucks. The missing trailer in question was later found in Gary on Aug. 8 by the company.Two days later on Aug 10, the manager obtained images from the Port of Indiana showing the truck on the morning of July 30....

Indulge In Autumn Flavors With Pumpkin Spice Latte French Toast

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:12 GMT

With the Fall season comes Fall flavors, so today we're indulging in the magic of Autumn Flavors with a pumpkin spice latte french toast recipe. Here in our studio 41 kitchen to break down the steps is Executive Chef of The Brunchery, Derek Rylon and his son Josh Rylon.2552 N. Clark StInstagram @brunchonclarkbrunchonclark.comDaytime Chicago airs weekdays on WGN from 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.

Nearly 1 in 5 couples include 'home fund' in wedding registry: study

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:12 GMT

(The Hill) -- Nearly 1 in 5 couples are turning to their wedding registries for help with funds to buy their first home, a new survey found. An analysis from Zillow Home Loans found nearly 20 percent of all couples using the registry website The Knot are including a "home fund" — or funds to be used toward a down payment on their first home. Zillow said that number is up 55 percent since 2018."Home funds were one of the most popular wedding registry cash funds on The Knot in 2022 — the second, in fact, right behind the honeymoon fund," Esther Lee, deputy editor of The Knot, wrote in a statement. Pointing to rising interest rates and historic highs for down payments, Lee said these sorts of funds are a significant trend among homeowners. Zillow's research also found that 43 percent of first-time buyers in 2023 reported gift funds from friends and family as a source of "at least part of their down payment funds." Rising costs continue to make it more challenging for first-time buyers,...