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US reporter held by Russia on spying charges denied release

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:19:28 GMT

MOSCOW — A Russian judge ruled Tuesday that American journalist Evan Gershkovich must remain behind bars on espionage charges in a case that is part of a Kremlin crackdown on dissent and press freedom amid the war in Ukraine.Appearing in public for the first time in weeks, the 31-year-old Wall Street Journal reporter stood in a defendant’s glass cage in Moscow City Court, wearing blue jeans and a navy blue gingham checked shirt. He paced at times with his arms folded, talking through an opening with his lawyers and occasionally smiling as he acknowledged the other journalists crammed into the courtroom.Gershkovich is the first U.S. correspondent since the Cold War to be detained in Russia on spying charges, and his arrest rattled journalists in the country and drew outrage in the West. Gershkovich, his employer and the U.S. government deny he was involved in spying and have demanded his release.“Evan is a member of the free press who right up until he was arrested was engaged ...

Putin, Zelenskyy rally troops with war poised for new phase

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:19:28 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited command posts of the Kremlin’s forces fighting in Ukraine for the second time in two months, officials said Tuesday, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made his latest trip to positions near the front line.The visits sought to stiffen the resolve of soldiers as the war approaches its 14th month and as Kyiv readies a possible counteroffensive with Western-supplied weapons.A video released by the Kremlin and broadcast by Russian state television showed Putin arriving by helicopter at the command post of Russian forces in southern Ukraine’s Kherson province and then flying to the headquarters of the Russian National Guard in Luhansk province, which is in the east.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the visits took place Monday. The trip represented an apparent attempt by the Russian leader to rally his troops and demonstrate his authority. Dressed in a dark suit, Putin appeared to chair meetings with hi...

U.S. crackdown on fentanyl trade underway as Canada vows ‘public health approach’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:19:28 GMT

WASHINGTON — Senior members of President Joe Biden’s cabinet will be in Ottawa in the coming weeks to meet with their Canadian counterparts about cracking down on fentanyl. The timing of this year’s Cross-Border Crime Forum is still unconfirmed, but U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas are expected to attend. Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says a continental strategy for dealing with fentanyl will be a key priority during the meetings. The U.S. has already embarked on an aggressive law-enforcement approach, seizing more than 2,200 kilograms of fentanyl in the last month — virtually all of it coming across the southern border. Mendicino says in addition to enforcement efforts, Canada will be advocating a “public health approach” to fentanyl to mitigate the trauma and social harm caused by the opioid crisis. Some Republican voices in the U.S. are pushing for what critics are calling a literal war on dr...

US-Apple-TV-app-Top-Books

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:19:28 GMT

Top Paid Books (US Bestseller List): 1. Dark Angel by John Sandford (Penguin Publishing Group)2. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (S&S Marysue Rucci Books)3. Lassiter by J.R. Ward (Gallery Books)4. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group)5. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover (Atria Books)6. Hello Beautiful (Oprah’s Book Club) by Ann Napolitano (Random House Publishing Group)7. Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez (Grand Central Publishing)8. Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls (Scribner)9. It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover (Atria Books)10. I Will Find You by Harlan Coben (Grand Central Publishing)Top Paid Audiobooks (US Bestseller List): 1. Greenlights (Unabridged) by Matthew McConaughey (Random House Audio)2. Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney (Macmillan Audio)3. Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity (Unabridged) by MD & Peter Attia (Random House Audio)4. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones (Una...

Bank regulator sees growing concerns in real estate even as credit quality holds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:19:28 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s bank regulator says it is preparing for weakness in the housing market to potentially last throughout 2023 as it flags the sector as a growing concern.The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions says in its latest annual risk outlook that, while not making any forecasts, the housing market is its top source of worry as high rates mean higher default probabilities.Superintendent Peter Routledge however says that so far credit quality still looks quite strong, and residential real estate remains sound, as the overall economy shows resilience and unemployment stays low.Routledge says the effects of high interest rates on credit quality have so far been far more benign than what observers might have predicted, but that risks are still out there.He says that to better prepare for future risks the regulator is working through its review of the B-20 mortgage underwriting rules, as well as taking a closer look at how banks are handling variable rate f...

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

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:19:28 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index was up in late-morning trading, helped by gains in the base metal, financial and industrial sectors, while U.S. stock markets were lower.The S&P/TSX composite index was up 38.49 points at 20,680.46.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 112.81 points at 33,874.37. The S&P 500 index was down 7.58 points at 4,143.74, while the Nasdaq composite was down 17.03 points at 12,140.69.The Canadian dollar traded for 74.70 cents US compared with 74.64 cents US on Monday.The June crude contract was up 29 cents at US$81.12 per barrel and the May natural gas contract was up four cents at US$2.32 per mmBTU.The June gold contract was up US$14.40 at US$2,021.40 an ounce and the May copper contract was up three cents at US$4.10 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 18, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X)The Canadian Press

Apple TV app – Top Movies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:19:28 GMT

Top Movie Purchases and Rentals (US): 1. Avatar: The Way of Water2. 653. Shazam! Fury of Gods4. Creed III5. Plane6. A Man Called Otto7. Jesus Revolution8. The Whale9. Missing (2023)10. Puss In Boots: The Last Wish The Associated Press

What to know about the Gillum corruption trial in Florida

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:19:28 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Former Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum is on trial in federal court on charges of corruption and lying to the FBI, facing a potentially long prison sentence if convicted of multiple wire fraud counts and conspiracy.Gillum, the former mayor of Tallahassee, came within less than a percentage point of being elected the first Black governor of Florida, losing by fewer than 34,000 votes to Republican Ron DeSantis in 2018. WHAT IS THE CASE ABOUT?Gillum, 43, is accused of accepting about $57,000 in political contributions that were secretly funneled through a co-defendant’s company to his personal accounts. The co-defendant is Sharon Lettman-Hicks, a longtime political adviser to Gillum and former executive with the People for the American Way Foundation, a progressive group. She ran unsuccessfully in 2022 for the state House.Prosecutors also say Gillum lied about his interactions with undercover FBI agents posing as developers who pa...

Girl, 14, dies a week after being shot on Chicago's West Side

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:19:28 GMT

CHICAGO — A 14-year-old girl has died a week after being shot in the city’s Austin neighborhood.The medical examiner has identified the teen as Charity Johnson.Officers responded to the 10-100 block of North Lorel on August 10 and discovered the 14-year-old with a gunshot wound to the buttocks. She was transported to Stroger Hospital in critical condition.According to the medical examiner, Johnson succumbed to her injuries Sunday. 14-year-old girl shot, 50-year-old woman stabbed following dispute on West Side: police In the same incident, a 50-year-old woman sustained a stab wound to the shoulder and was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition.No one is in custody. Detectives are conducting a homicide investigation. 

Missing Illinois family found in Arizona

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:19:28 GMT

NEWTON, Ill. (WCIA) -- A family that disappeared more than two months ago from Newton has been found safe in Arizona, police said.In a press release, officials said Stephen, Monica, Aiden and Nicholas Lutz were found in Cochise County, the southeastern-most part of the state. Their location was eventually narrowed down thanks to automated license plate readers and the Arizona State Police. ‘There’s a lot of questions in this case’: Newton Police describe investigation that led them to missing family A deputy made contact with Monica and the boys; Stephen was not present. The deputy told Newton Police Chief Riley Britton that the boys appeared to be healthy, and that Monica told him where Stephen could be found.Britton then personally spoke over the phone with Stephen, who stated that the family had relocated to Arizona and had no plans of returning to Newton.Newton Police thanked everyone who assisted in any way with the search for the Lutzs. ‘There’s a lot of questions in this ...