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New fighting kills 2 Palestinian militant commanders, man in Israel as Egypt pursues truce

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:11:41 GMT

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip killed two militant commanders on Thursday, while a 70-year-old man was killed by Palestinian rocket fire in the first fatality inside Israel amid the current wave of fighting. The continuing bloodshed, which has left 28 Palestinians dead, came despite Egyptian efforts to broker a cease-fire.It has been the worst bout of fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza in months, with at least 10 civilians — mostly women and children — among the dead. The conflagration, now in its third day, comes at a time of soaring tensions and spiking violence over the past year in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian militants launched unrelenting rocket barrages into Israel throughout the day. One rocket struck an apartment block in the central Israeli city of Rehovot, killing a 70-year-old man, the MADA rescue service said. It said four others were moderately wounded.Earlier Thursday, Israeli military pressed ahead with...

Idaho prosecutors urge jurors to convict slain kids’ mom

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:11:41 GMT

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho prosecutors have spent the last four weeks painstakingly detailing their case against a woman accused of killing her two youngest children and a romantic rival in a bizarre doomsday-focused plot. On Thursday morning, Madison County Prosecutor Rob Wood gave an impassioned speech to jurors, urging them to convict Lori Vallow Daybell for the deaths of 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, and her fifth husband’s previous wife Tammy Daybell. “Money, power and sex,” Wood told jurors, reprising the opening arguments they heard last month. “Beginning in October of 2018, Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell set in motion a series of events that led to three horrific murders in the state of Idaho.” Vallow Daybell wanted to be “unencumbered by obstacles,” Wood said, so that she could have what she truly desired: money, power and sex. “The plan that she set in motion must end today in the verdicts you render in this trial,” Wood said. Both defendants ha...

Jacklyn Zeman, longtime ‘General Hospital’ cast member who played nurse Bobbie Spencer, dies at 70

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:11:41 GMT

Jacklyn Zeman, who became one of the most recognizable actors on daytime television during 45 years of playing nurse Bobbie Spencer on ABC’s “General Hospital,” has died. She was 70.Zeman died of cancer, her family confirmed Wednesday. News of her death was first announced by the show’s executive producer, Frank Valentini.“I am heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Jackie Zeman,” he wrote on Twitter. “Just like her character, the legendary Bobbie Spencer, she was a bright light and a true professional that brought so much positive energy with her work.”ABC Entertainment and “General Hospital” also released a statement saying Zeman “leaves behind a lasting legacy for her Emmy-nominated portrayal of the bad girl turned heroine and will always be remembered for her kind heart and radiant spirit. We are devastated by the news of her passing, and send our deepest condolences to Jackie’s family, friends and loved ones.”Zeman joined “General Hospital” in 1977 as Barbara ...

Top Tory strategist accuses Liberals of dropping the ball on foreign interference

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:11:41 GMT

OTTAWA — The former deputy chief of staff to Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper says the Liberal government isn’t doing enough to combat foreign interference, echoing similar testimony from experts who study the matter. Jenni Byrne, who was also the Conservatives’ campaign manager in the 2015 election, is testifying today at a House of Commons committee.She says the government is too soft on China and is turning a blind eye to the country’s alleged meddling in Canada’s democracy. Other witnesses have also said the government could be doing more to tackle foreign interference, like creating a foreign agent registry or holding an independent public inquiry into the matter. Michel Juneau-Katsuya, a former intelligence officer with Canada’s spy agency, says both Conservatives and Liberals haven’t done enough — and the current government should expel more Chinese diplomats.The Liberal government expelled a Chinese diplomat earlier this week who...

Prosecutor: International Criminal Court issues 4 arrest warrants for alleged crimes in Libya

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:11:41 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court announced Thursday that judges have issued four new arrest warrants stemming from his investigations of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Libya.Prosecutor Karim Khan also said he recently applied for two additional warrants.He told the U.N. Security Council that he has applied to the court’s independent judges to unseal the four new arrest warrants, and they will decide “in due course.”Khan called the warrants “an important step in the rights of victims and survivors” for accountability, but only a first step.The Security Council unanimously referred Libya to The Hague, Netherlands-based ICC in February 2011 to launch an investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. The referral followed Moammar Gadhafi’s brutal crackdown on protesters that was then taking place. The uprising, later backed by NATO, led to Gadhafi’s capture and death in October 2011.Oil-rich Libya was then sp...

At least 9 Canadian police officers have been killed since Sept. 22: Who were they?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:11:41 GMT

An Ontario Provincial Police officer was shot dead early Thursday, and two other officers were injured as they responded to a disturbance at a home in a village east of Ottawa.One suspect is in custody following the killing of OPP Sgt. Eric Mueller in Bourget, Ont. The OPP Association confirmed Mueller had a wife and two young children.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.Sgt. Maureen Breau, 42The veteran Quebec provincial police officer was stabbed to death on March 27 after she tried to arrest a suspect in Louiseville, Que., about 100 kilometres northeast of Montreal.RELATED LINKS:Regimental funeral for SQ Sgt. Maureen Breau | CityNews MontrealQuebec provincial police officer fatally stabbed during attempted arrest | CityNews MontrealMan accused of killing SQ officer was on probation | CityNews MontrealBreau, who had two children, had more than 20 years of experience and was four d...

Alleged victim of Quebec businessman accused of paying for sex sues for $8 million

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:11:41 GMT

MONTREAL — Another alleged victim of a prominent Quebec businessman accused of exploiting minors and young adults for sex has filed a lawsuit against him.Montreal-based law firm CaLex filed an $8-million lawsuit Wednesday naming Robert Miller, the company he founded — Future Electronics — two vice-presidents with the firm, and a downtown Montreal hotel where some sexual encounters allegedly took place.The complainant, identified by the initials A.B., says she was a victim of Miller for nearly 20 years and became dependent on the money and luxury allegedly provided to her by the wealthy businessman.The lawsuit claims A.B. was a minor from a low-income immigrant family when she was recruited to have sexual relations with Miller in 2001.Miller stepped down as chairman and CEO of Future Electronics in February to focus on protecting his reputation amid allegations he allegedly gave young women, including some minors, cash and gifts in exchange for sex between 1994 and 2006.He has veheme...

‘Unprecedented’: Bill Blair says military help on the way to battle Alberta wildfires

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:11:41 GMT

Federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says Canadian Forces personnel are being deployed to help with an “unprecedented” wildfire situation in Alberta.Alberta has declared a state of emergency. There were 82 active wildfires as of Thursday morning, with 23 out of control.Thousands remain out of their homes and additional fire crews from British Columbia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and Yukon have joined the fight.In Ottawa, Blair acknowledged the “unprecedented wildfire situation currently taking place in Alberta.” “It’s a good opportunity to thank the hard working firefighters, first responders, emergency staff working around the clock to protect Albertans and to manage the fires and to all of those who have been forced to evacuate.”Blair said the federal government has agreed to a request for assistance from Alberta.“We are already moving resources into those communities from the Canadian Armed Forces and other resources to provide ...

Why Biden is wary of using the 14th Amendment to address the debt limit crisis

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:11:41 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — If the fight with Congress over raising the government’s debt limit is such a dire threat, why doesn’t President Joe Biden just raise the borrowing ceiling himself? It’s theoretically possible, but he’s skeptical.The administration has been searching for possible ways to allow the U.S. to keep borrowing if Congress can’t come to an agreemen t. One potential option Biden and his advisers have been looking at: Would he have the power to go around lawmakers by relying on the Constitution’s 14th Amendment in a last-ditch move to avert default?Maybe. Biden hasn’t ruled it out, but he sees it as a problematic, untested legal theory to ensure the country can meet its financial obligations. Meanwhile, the Treasury Department says the U.S. may not be able to borrow the money it needs to pay its bills and bondholders as soon as June 1 without congressional action — and that failure could kick the country into a painful recession.With...

US authorities take down 13 Hezbollah-affiliated web domains

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:11:41 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — U.S. authorities have seized over a dozen website domains used by sanctioned associates, businesses, and charities of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.Washington has listed the Iran-backed group as a terrorist organization, and has slapped sanctions on its members, associates, and affiliated businesses and charities over the years.The 13 seized website domains include multiple domains for the group’s al-Manar television, as well as URLs for top officials, deputy secretary general Naim Kassem, senior officials Ibrahim al-Sayed and Ali Damush, as well as affiliated charities the Martyrs’ Foundation and the Emdad Committee for Islamic Charity.The websites are no longer accessible, and only an image from American authorities announcing that they have taken the domain name appears. Al-Manar’s main web address, a Lebanese domain, is still operating.“This seizure demonstrates the FBI’s persistence in using all o...