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Ex-UN Secretary-General Ban makes surprise visit to Myanmar

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:08:44 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has made a surprise visit to military-run Myanmar on behalf of a group of elder statesmen that engages in peace-making and human rights initiatives around the world, local media and a South Korean diplomat said Monday.State television MRTV reported Monday night that Ban, deputy chair of The Elders, met in the capital, Naypyitaw, with top leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing. It said they exchanged views on the situation in Myanmar in a friendly, positive and open discussion. It did not report details of the meeting, which it said was also attended by the ministers of defense and foreign affairs.It said Ban arrived with a small delegation on Sunday and was greeted by the deputy ministers of defense and foreign affairs. It said Ban’s party departed Monday after the meetings. The visit by Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister, appeared certain to have focused on Myanmar’s ongoing political crisis.“This visit by Mr...

Police say 5 wounded in ramming attack near Jerusalem market

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:08:44 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — A car ramming attack Monday near a popular Jerusalem market wounded five people and the driver was shot and killed, Israeli police said, as the country was set to memorialize its fallen soldiers. The statement said the driver of the car was shot and killed at the scene near the bustling, open-air Mahane Yehuda market. A 70-year-old man was in serious condition, police said. It was the latest bloodshed in a yearlong wave of near-daily violence that has gripped the region.The Magen David Adom medical service said five injured people in Jerusalem were transferred from the scene of the car ramming to a hospital. Israeli media identified the attacker as Hatem Nejima, 39, a married father of five from east Jerusalem, who may have suffered from mental illness.The violence came as Israel was set to mark its Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of militant attacks, beginning at sundown Monday, followed by its 75th Independence Day the following evening. Israel was se...

Supreme Court takes social media cases with echoes of Trump

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:08:44 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Monday it will decide whether public officials can block critics from commenting on their social media accounts, an issue that previously came up in a case involving former President Donald Trump.Two years ago the Supreme Court dismissed a case over Trump’s efforts to block critics from his personal Twitter account. A lower court had said Trump violated the First Amendment whenever he blocked a critic to silence a viewpoint. But the Supreme Court said the case should be dismissed because there was nothing left to it after Trump was permanently suspended from Twitter and ended his presidential term. The Republican former president’s account has since been reinstated.Now, the court has agreed to hear two cases involving much lower-profile figures. The first involves two elected members of a California school board, the Poway Unified School District Board of Trustees. The members, Michelle O’Connor-Ratcliff and T.J. Zane, used Facebo...

David’s Bridal granted creditor protection in Canada amid bankruptcy hearings in U.S.

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:08:44 GMT

TORONTO — David’s Bridal, the largest wedding gown store in North America, has filed for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. for the second time in five years. An Ontario court has recognized the U.S. case as the main proceedings, and granted the retailer protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act for its Canadian operations.The chain has about has about 300 stores and 11,000 workers across North America, including a dozen stores and 500 employees in Canada. David’s Bridal, which sells wedding dresses and formal wear, has said it could eliminate more than 9,000 jobs in the coming months.The retailer is looking to sell the company but its stores remain open and it continues to fulfil online orders. James Marcum, CEO of David’s Bridal, says the business continues to be challenged by the post-COVID environment and uncertain economic conditions.– With files from The Associated PressThis report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2023....

Technology stocks down as S&P/TSX composite falls, U.S. stock markets mixed

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:08:44 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index was down in late-morning trading as losses in technology stocks helped lead the way lower, while U.S. markets were mixed.The S&P/TSX composite index was down 39.64 points at 20,653.51.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 8.18 points at 33,817.14. The S&P 500 index was down 7.66 points at 4,125.86, while the Nasdaq composite was down 73.09 points at 11,999.37.The Canadian dollar traded for 73.84 cents US compared with 73.86 cents US on Friday.The June crude contract was up 41 cents at US$78.28 per barrel and the June natural gas contract was up a penny at US$2.42 per mmBTU.The June gold contract was up US$3.50 at US$1,994.00 an ounce and the May copper contract was down three cents at US$3.96 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X)The Canadian Press

Prosecutor: Proud Boys viewed themselves as ‘Trump’s army’

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:08:44 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ready for “all-out war,” leaders of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group viewed themselves as foot soldiers fighting for Donald Trump as the former president clung to power after the 2020 election, a prosecutor said Monday at the close of a historic trial over the U.S. Capitol insurrection.Jurors began hearing attorneys’ closing arguments for the case against former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio and four lieutenants. They are charged with seditious conspiracy for what prosecutors say was a plot to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s electoral victory on Jan. 6, 2021, when the pro-Trump mob attacked the Capitol. Proud Boys were “lined up behind Donald Trump and willing to commit violence on his behalf,” prosecutor Conor Mulroe told jurors, who heard more than three months of testimony. “These defendants saw themselves as Donald Trump’s army, fighting to keep their preferred leader in power no matter what the ...

High court denies energy companies’ appeals in climate suits

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:08:44 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected appeals from oil and gas companies that are fighting lawsuits from state and local governments over whether they can be held responsible for harms resulting from global warming.The justices handed the companies a setback in their legal fight with city, county and state governments that want the cases to be heard in state courts, where both sides agree the governments stand a better chance of winning large damage awards. The companies want the cases moved to federal courts.Monday’s orders from the high court affected cases from California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, Rhode Island. But more than a dozen similar suits are pending in state courts around the country claiming that oil and gas produced by the companies led to greenhouse gas emissions, which contributed to global climate change and caused harm locally.In 2021, the justices ruled for the companies in an earlier phase of the case that gave them a second shot at pers...

Bank rates are up. How to avoid leaving money on the table

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:08:44 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Moving your savings around by opening a new account and closing an old one can seem like a hassle. But it’s a use of time that can pay off.After years of paying low rates for savers, banks are finally offering better interest on deposits. Though the increases may seem small, compounding interest adds up over the years, and you don’t want to miss the moment. As the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates to try to cool inflation, some banks have improved their terms for savers as well. Even if you’re only keeping modest savings in your bank account, you could make more significant gains over the long term by finding an account with a better rate.Here’s what you should think about if you’re considering moving your money:WHAT KIND OF RATES ARE AVAILABLE?While the biggest national banks have yet to dramatically change the rates on their savings accounts (clocking in at an average of just 0.23%, according to Bankrate), some mid-size and smaller banks have made cha...

Silenced Montana trans lawmaker upholds stance in dispute

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:08:44 GMT

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A silenced transgender lawmaker in Montana who was deliberately misgendered by some Republican lawmakers plans to keep trying to speak on the House floor Monday despite Republican leaders insisting that won’t happen until she apologizes for saying lawmakers would have “blood on their hands” if they banned gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth. Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr was silenced for a second day Friday as her Republican colleagues refused to let her speak on the chamber’s floor about a bill that would prevent minors from seeing pornography online. House Speaker Matt Regier and his Republican colleagues have indicated they have no plans to back down from their stance, meaning the standoff is expected to resume when the Montana House reconvenes Monday afternoon at the Capitol in Helena. Last year, Zephyr became the first openly transgender woman elected to the Montana Legislature — putting her among a record number of transgender lawmakers who ...

Person dead after being struck by Metra train in Evanston

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:08:44 GMT

EVANSTON, Ill. — A person is dead after being struck by a Metra train at Central Street station in Evanston Monday morning, according to Evanston police. Suburban home invasion suspect allegedly punched K9 before being bitten, arrested Police say the train stopped in both directions. There is no ETA for the restoration of service and there was no further information provided.