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Dominican president suspends visas for Haitians and threatens to close border with its neighbor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:59 GMT

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The president of the Dominican Republic announced Monday that he has suspended issuing visas to Haitians, and he threatened to shut down land, air and sea traffic between the two neighbors over their latest dispute.President Luis Abinader’s move follows the recent excavation of a supposed canal in Haiti that Dominican officials argue will divert water from the Massacre River and harm its farmers and the environment. The river, which runs in both countries, is named for a bloody battle between Spanish and French colonizers in the 1700s.It is not clear who, if anyone, authorized the digging of the canal in Haiti.“If the conflict is not resolved before Thursday, (officials will) completely close the border to air, sea and land commerce,” the Dominican government said in a statement.That would be an economic blow to Haiti, which gets much of its imports from the Dominican Republic and where inflation has skyrocketed and poverty deepened ami...

MP Michael Chong testifies Tuesday in D.C. about being a foreign interference target

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:59 GMT

WASHINGTON — Canadian Conservative MP Michael Chong will be in the U.S. capital Tuesday to tell Capitol Hill lawmakers what it’s like to be a target of a Chinese foreign interference campaign.Chong is one of several witnesses who are scheduled to appear before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. Chong says he’s unafraid to tell his story and to speak on behalf of the countless other Canadians that he says have also been targeted.The commission, which includes senators, members of Congress and executive branch officials, was set up in 2000 to keep tabs on China’s human-rights record. Its last annual report described China as a country that speaks the language of human rights and democracy while actively working to undermine both. Canada’s federal Liberal government, dogged by criticism of its handling of the foreign interference file, has launched a public inquiry that’s expected to last 16 months. This report by The Canadian Press was first...

Settlement in sex-assault lawsuit against Quebec religious order

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:59 GMT

MONTREAL — A settlement has been reached in a class-action lawsuit providing compensation for victims of sexual abuse at orphanages and other institutions run by the Frères de Saint-Gabriel religious order in Quebec.Under the settlement announced today, a fund of between $9.4 million and $26.9 million will be made available to victims for assaults committed since 1940.The lawsuit was filed in December 2019 and covers those who were minors when they were sexually assaulted, provided they did not previously sign a release with the Frères de Saint-Gabriel or take part in the compensation program for the Duplessis orphans, who suffered abuse in certain church-run orphanages.The agreement still requires approval from the Quebec Superior Court, which has a hearing scheduled for Sept. 28.If the agreement is approved, victims will have three months to file for compensation, and Jacques Fournier, a retired former chief justice of Quebec Superior Court, will serve as adjudicator.So far, more ...

Explosion and fire injures 8 workers at Illinois soybean processing plant

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:59 GMT

DECATUR, Ill. (AP) — An explosion and fire at a soybean processing facility in Illinois injured eight employees over the weekend and sent a tower of smoke into the air, officials said Monday.The explosion occurred at the east plant in the Archer Daniels Midland processing complex shortly after 7 p.m. Sunday in Decatur, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) southwest of Chicago, the agricultural company said in a statement on its website. Six of the eight injured workers were taken from the scene by ambulance with the “extent of injuries unknown,” Battalion Chief Wade Watson with the Decatur Fire Department said in a statement Monday morning.ADM said in a statement early Monday afternoon that five employees remained in hospitalized “receiving treatment for their injuries” and added that the company’s “priority is providing our injured colleagues and their families support.”The explosion was followed by a large plume of dark smoke high above the facility in a video posted by WCIA-TV....

In India and Vietnam, Biden looks past differences on Russia and embraces imperfect partners

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:59 GMT

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday wrapped up a five-day diplomatic sprint through Vietnam and India that put a spotlight on imperfect partners that he believes will be crucial for global stability in the years to come.The whirlwind visit demonstrated that as Russia’s war on Ukraine plods on with no end in sight, Biden appears to have become more willing to look past differences with complicated allies that he badly needs to keep close for the sake of stability in the Indo-Pacific, Middle East and beyond.Biden closed out his Asia trip in Hanoi on Monday by spotlighting new business deals and partnerships with Vietnam after celebrating the Communist government’s elevation of the U.S.-Vietnam relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.“My message today is quite simple: Let’s keep it up,” Biden said of his desire to keep strengthening the nations’ partnership during a meeting with CEOs. “We need to develop and drive our collaboration. We need to forge ...

‘Stop Cop City’ petition campaign in limbo as Atlanta officials refuse to process signatures

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:59 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta officials refused to verify tens of thousands of signatures submitted on Monday by activists trying to stop the construction of a police and firefighter training center, the latest setback for organizers who have accused the city of trying to illegitimately push the project forward. The activists had gathered jubilantly after obtaining what they said were the signatures of more than 116,000 Atlanta residents, far more than necessary to force a vote on the center that critics have dubbed “Cop City.”But shortly after they began hauling dozens of boxes of paperwork to the clerk’s office, Atlanta officials declined to begin the process of verifying the forms, saying organizers had missed an Aug. 21 deadline. The deadline had been previously extended until September by a federal judge, but an appellate court on Sept. 1 paused the enforcement of that order, throwing the effort into legal limbo.The city’s latest move took activists by surprise and further...

Study says fish stocks along Atlantic, Pacific coasts unaffected by marine heat waves

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:59 GMT

Marine heat waves haven’t had a lasting effect on fish populations along Canada’s Atlantic and Pacific coasts, says a study showing there is still a chance to act on climate change.The study published Aug. 30 in the journal Nature looked at data from 1993 to 2019, which included 248 marine heat waves – described as prolonged periods of warm ocean temperatures.“The expectation is that whenever there are heat waves, the fish stocks will be affected, and that the bigger the heat waves, the bigger the impacts. But what we find is that the impact is not consistent,” William Cheung, professor at the University of British Columbia’s Institute for Oceans and Fisheries, and co-author of the study, said in a recent interview. “What it suggested is that the relationship between heat waves and fish stocks can be more complicated.”The study looked at 82,322 samples of heat wave data from long-term scientific surveys of marine ecosystems in North America and Eu...

Sarah Burton, who designed Kate’s royal wedding dress, to step down from Alexander McQueen

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:59 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The fashion designer who created the wedding dress of Kate, the Princess of Wales, is stepping down as creative director at Alexander McQueen after two decades at the brand, luxury group Kering said Monday.Designer Sarah Burton had led the fashion house since 2010 and previously worked with the brand’s founder, Lee Alexander McQueen, for 14 years.Burton took over as creative director of the fashion house after McQueen took his own life at age 40.Kering, the luxury group behind brands including Gucci and Saint Laurent as well as Alexander McQueen, said McQueen’s spring and summer catwalk show in Paris this month will be the last with Burton at the helm.Burton was behind the ivory lace wedding gown that the former Kate Middleton wore when she married Prince William in 2011. The elegant gown has since been widely copied and is often named as one of the most popular styles favored by brides all over the world.Burton was awarded with an Order of the British Empi...

Man shot in River North near new Bally's temporary casino

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:59 GMT

CHICAGO —A man was shot in the leg near the newly-opened Bally's temporary casino in the city's River North neighborhood.The shooting happened around 2:47 a.m. Monday in the 600 block of North State Street. Police said the 21-year-old man was walking on the sidewalk when someone inside a silver Dodge pick-up truck fired shots.The man was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in good condition with a gunshot wound to the left leg.No one is in custody. Area Three Detectives are investigating. Bally’s Casino temporary location officially opens Saturday The shooting happened just a block from the Medinah Temple, 600 N. Wabash Avenue, where Bally's opened a temporary casino on Saturday.

Illinois Lotto jackpot climbs to highest since 2016: $23.15 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:59 GMT

ILLINOIS — The jackpot for Monday night's Lotto drawing stands at $23.15 million which is the largest potential prize in more than seven years.It was March 17, 2016 when one supremely lucky Lotto player in New Lenox bought a winning ticket worth $27 million. They did so at the Circle K on Nelson Road which, in turn, received a $270,000 prize of its own for selling the ticket. A groom dresses up like Mike Ditka for his wedding — just like his bachelor party Though all they did, and you would have to do to win Monday night's jackpot, was match six numbers, it's not so easy. The odds of selecting the perfect set are 1 in 15,890,700. That's the reason Lotto's top prize has not been won since Oct. 17, 2022.While it’s the biggest potential Lotto prize since the aforementioned 2016 drawing, Monday's jackpot still falls well shy of the all-time record. That title goes to a 1989 drawing where four people each bought a winning ticket and split a $69.9 million payout.Lotto is an Illinoi...