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Russia convicts father of teen who drew antiwar picture

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:59 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Russian court on Tuesday convicted a single father over social media posts critical of the war in Ukraine and sentenced him to two years in prison — a case brought against him after his daughter’s drawing at school opposed the invasion, according to his lawyer and activists.But Alexei Moskalyov fled house arrest before his verdict was delivered in his Russian hometown of Yefremov and is at large, court officials said. His 13-year-old daughter Maria, who has been taken from him by the authorities, wrote him a supportive letter for his trial from the orphanage where she is living, according to his lawyer, telling him, “Daddy, you’re my hero.”Moskalyov’s case has drawn international attention and was a grim reminder that the Kremlin is intensifying its crackdown on dissent, targeting more people and handing out harsher punishments for any criticism of the war. The broad government campaign of repression has been unseen since the Soviet era.Moskalyov, 54, was a...

Stocks mostly hold steady as Wall Street regains stability

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:59 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks were mixed Tuesday as Wall Street regains some stability at the tail end of what’s been a turmoil-filled month.The S&P 500 dipped 6.26 points, or 0.2%, to 3,971.27, though the majority of stocks within the index rose. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 37.83, or 0.1,%, to 3,394.25, and the Nasdaq composite fell 52.76, or 0.4%, to 11,716.08. There was relative calm even in the bond market, which has been home to some of Wall Street’s wildest moves since fears flared about the banking system earlier this month. Yields were rising only modestly following their historic-sized moves in prior weeks. This month has been dominated by worries that banks around the world may be cracking under the pressure of much higher interest rates. But some calm has returned to the market recently after regulators made big moves to protect the system. That has much of Wall Street’s attention back on interest rates and what central banks will do next with them. The Fe...

Court backs victim’s family in Adnan Syed’s ‘Serial’ case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:59 GMT

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A Maryland appellate court on Tuesday reinstated Adnan Syed’s murder conviction and ordered a new hearing in the case, marking the latest development in the protracted legal odyssey chronicled in the hit podcast “Serial.”Though Syed’s conviction has been reinstated, he will not immediately be taken back into custody.In a 2-1 decision released Tuesday, the Appellate Court of Maryland ruled a lower court failed to give sufficient notice to the victim’s family when it scheduled the September hearing that vacated Syed’s conviction and allowed him to regain his freedom after more than two decades behind bars.The court’s order does not go into effect for 60 days.Maryland law provides victims with the right to prior notice of such hearings, and that right was violated in the case of Hae Min Lee’s brother, the appellate court ruled. Syed was convicted of killing Lee, his high school ex-girlfriend whose body was found in a makeshift grave after h...

AP sources: Judge rules Pence must testify before grand jury

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:59 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that former Vice President Mike Pence will have to testify before a grand jury in the Justice Department’s investigation into efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election.That’s according to two people familiar with the decision, who spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity because it remains under seal.The people said, however, that Pence would not have to answer questions about his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol building as Pence was presiding over a joint session of Congress to certify Democrat Joe Biden’s victory. But he would have to testify about any potential illegal acts committed by the former president, one of the people said.Pence and his attorneys had cited constitutional grounds in challenging the grand jury’s subpoena. They argued that, because he was serving in his capacity as president of the S...

Nine police officers recently killed in Canada; here is a look at their deaths

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:59 GMT

A veteran Quebec provincial police officer was stabbed to death Monday night after she tried to arrest a suspect in Louiseville, Que., about 100 kilometres northeast of Montreal. Sgt. Maureen Breau, who had two children, had more than 20 years of experience and was four days away from starting a new job as an investigator. The 35-year-old suspect, whose identity has not been released, was later shot and killed by other officers who arrived on the scene.At least eight other police officers have been killed in Canada since September 2022. Here’s a look at their cases and who they were.Const. Travis Jordan, 35, and Const. Brett Ryan, 30The Edmonton police officers were shot when they responded to a call about a family dispute at an apartment on March 16.A 16-year-old boy fired multiple shots at the officers as they approached the suite, and the officers didn’t have a chance to fire back. The teen then shot and wounded his mother during a struggle for the gun, and shot and k...

Budget 2023: Liberals follow through on big promises in deal with NDP

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:59 GMT

OTTAWA — The Liberal government has continued to fulfil its promises to the NDP within its second federal budget since the parties struck a confidence-and-supply agreement in March 2022.New Democrats have agreed to prop up the minority government on key votes, including budgets, until June 2025 in exchange for movement on shared priorities. Here are the key NDP-approved initiatives that were penned into the agreement and made it into this year’s budget: Dental care: More than $13 billion, including an initial $107 million in 2023-24, is earmarked over the next five years to create a new Canadian dental care plan. The measure aims to provide dental coverage for uninsured Canadians who have an annual family income of less than $90,000, with no co-pays for those with family incomes under $70,000. The new coverage is projected to begin by the end of the year and be administered by Health Canada. GST rebate: The federal government expects to spend nearly $2.5 billion this year on an affo...

Budget 2023 belt-tightening: Liberals order federal spending review, cuts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:59 GMT

OTTAWA — Federal departments and agencies are being told to start tightening their belts as the Trudeau government looks for ways to pay for its latest budget promises while easing recent criticism over its use of outside consultants such as McKinsey & Company.But while Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says the savings won’t come at the expense of service to Canadians, others aren’t so sure given what happened when Stephen Harper’s Conservatives ordered similar cuts about a decade ago.Freeland unveiled the Liberals’ latest federal budget plan on Tuesday, which promises billions of dollars for the health-care system, clean-energy infrastructure and other priorities.Yet buried among the roughly $59.5 billion in new measures over the next five years are plans to rein in federal spending in other areas. That includes cutting back on government travel and hiring consultants, alongside a broader spending review.“We are reducing government spending by mo...

Budget 2023: Liberals add foreign interference office, new money-laundering rules

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:59 GMT

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government plans to launch a National Counter-Foreign Interference Office, amid ongoing scrutiny of allegations that Beijing interfered in recent federal elections.Tuesday’s federal budget earmarked $56 million over five years for measures to combat foreign interference, threats and covert activities. The Mounties are slated to receive most of that money before April 2026 in support of efforts to investigate threats and proactively work with diaspora communities at risk of being targeted by foreign interference.The budget document says the new office will be stood up within Public Safety Canada, but it does not include a timeline for its launch. The measures come as former governor general David Johnston takes up his role as a special rapporteur, with a mandate to sort out whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should call the public inquiry demanded by the three main opposition parties.The Liberals are also proposing legislative...

Budget 2023: Feds commit consultation money for Indigenous resource sharing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:59 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal Liberal government is committing $8.7 million to hold more consultations on Indigenous resource sharing, in a budget that offers relatively new spending on its reconciliation agenda.  Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tabled a spending plan that prioritizes Canada’s transition to a greener economy, offering billions in new tax credits, as well as health care and affordability.Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples remains a major priority for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, with billions announced in previous years including early in his first mandate. Major Indigenous organizations, including the Assembly of First Nations, have told the federal government that billions more are needed to address current and future infrastructure needs, such as housing.  The budget shows Ottawa plans to inject $4 billion over seven years into an urban, rural and northern Indigenous housing strategy beginning in 2024-25, but that remains under development...

Court backs victim's family in Adnan Syed's 'Serial' case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:59 GMT

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A Maryland appellate court on Tuesday reinstated Adnan Syed's murder conviction and ordered a new hearing in the case, marking the latest development in the protracted legal odyssey chronicled in the hit podcast “Serial.”Though Syed's conviction has been reinstated, he will not immediately be taken back into custody.In a 2-1 decision released Tuesday, the Appellate Court of Maryland ruled a lower court failed to give sufficient notice to the victim’s family when it scheduled the September hearing that vacated Syed’s conviction and allowed him to regain his freedom after more than two decades behind bars.The court's order does not go into effect for 60 days.Maryland law provides victims with the right to prior notice of such hearings, and that right was violated in the case of Hae Min Lee's brother, the appellate court ruled. Syed was convicted of killing Lee, his high school ex-girlfriend whose body was found in a makeshift grave after her disappearance in 1999...