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Who’s being listened to on the global stage? Increasingly not who you might think

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:48:05 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Togo’s foreign minister wasn’t having any of it. He talked of an accelerating “African awakening,” of a resolve to “fight our own battles,” of a refusal to be banished to the children’s table while the musclebound great powers of the 20th century moved chess pieces around the board.“Nobody is at the center of the world,” Robert Dussey said in French, his voice emphatic. “We don’t want to be relegated to the background as the world develops.”Africa was Dussey’s subject. But he might have been one of any number of leaders speaking at the United Nations this past week — the voices of smaller nations that typically command less attention. They come, they air grievances and concerns, and then the oxygen is gobbled up by others — often the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.This year, though, Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s high-profile presence notwithstanding, things felt different. Top leaders of four of the five permanen...

Canada’s troubled war criminal past needs to be confronted: immigration minister

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:48:05 GMT

OTTAWA — Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Canada could revisit calls to declassify Canadian documents about the presence of Nazi war criminals in Canada. That could include making public the names of former soldiers who fought with the Nazis during the Second World War and were allowed to later immigrate to Canada.His comments come as fallout continues for Canada and the federal government after the House of Commons gave a standing ovation to a Ukrainian veteran they later discovered had fought alongside Nazis during the Second World War. Speaker Anthony Rota, who invited the man to witness Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s speech in Parliament last week, is to step down later today after acknowledging the invitation was a grave mistake.B’nai Brith Canada said on Tuesday that Rota’s resignation was the right move, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau must now show that Canada is willing to confront its decision to admit former Nazi soldiers by making publ...

Ontario records $5.9B deficit for the last fiscal year

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:48:05 GMT

TORONTO — Ontario ended the last fiscal year with a smaller deficit than projected in the 2022 budget, but it was several billion dollars higher than in a fiscal update from the province six weeks ago.Treasury Board President Caroline Mulroney and Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy released the province’s public accounts for 2022-23 on Wednesday – which looks at the final numbers for the last fiscal year – and it showed the province ended the year with a $5.9 billion deficit.That was lower than the $19.9 billion deficit projected in the government’s 2022 budget for that fiscal year. The ministers said the decrease was mainly due to higher taxation revenues, particularly in corporate taxes and sales tax, reflecting higher-than-expected inflation and strong economic growth.In mid-August, however, Bethlenfalvy had released the province’s first-quarter finances, which pegged the 2022-23 deficit at $2.2 billion.He said Wednesday that the change in those figures was ...

Plans for Poland’s first nuclear power plant move ahead as US and Polish officials an sign agreement

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:48:05 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish and U.S. officials signed an agreement Wednesday in Warsaw for the construction of Poland’s first nuclear power plant, part of an effort by the Central European nation to move away from polluting fossil fuels.Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called the deal to build the plant at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in the Pomerania region near the Baltic Sea the beginning of a new chapter for Poland, and described nuclear energy as a stable and clean energy source.“The only clean, stable energy source that is technologically proven and verified in terms of safety is nuclear energy, which is having its big day today,” he said at the ceremony.Last year, Morawiecki’s government announced that it had chosen the U.S. as its partner for the project.A consortium made up of Westinghouse and Bechtel signed the agreement with the Polish state-owned utility overseeing the nuclear program, Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ).The planned site is about 280 kilometer...

Man wanted for slashing victim in face in Danforth altercation

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:48:05 GMT

A man is wanted for allegedly using a weapon to slash another man in the face during an altercation two weeks ago.Toronto police were called to the Coxwell Avenue and Strathmore Boulevard area in the Danforth at around 10 p.m. on September 13 for reports of an assault.Investigators said an altercation between two men led to the suspect using an unknown weapon to slash the victim’s face.The victim was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.After releasing a photo of the suspect, police have since identified the wanted man as 35-year-old Jemar Allen of Toronto.Allen is wanted for aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, and breach of recognizance.

Montana judge blocks enforcement of law to ban gender-affirming medical care for minors

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:48:05 GMT

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A law to ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors in Montana is temporarily banned, a state judge ruled Wednesday, just four days before it was to take effect.District Court Judge Jason Marks agreed with transgender youth, their families and healthcare providers that a law passed by the 2023 Montana Legislature is unconstitutional and would harm the mental and physical health of minors with gender dysphoria.The temporary restraining order blocking the law would remain in effect until a full trial can be held on the issue, but Marks has said he expects his decision on the injunction will be appealed to the Montana Supreme Court.Montana is one of at least 22 states that have enacted bans on gender-affirming medical care for minors and most face lawsuits. Some bans have been temporarily blocked by courts, while others have been allowed to take effect.All the laws ban gender-affirming surgery for minors. Such procedures are rare, with fewer than 3,70...

The Czech government has approved a defense ministry plan to acquire two dozen US F-35 fighter jets

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:48:05 GMT

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic’s government on Wednesday approved a Defense Ministry plan to acquire two dozen U.S. F-35 fighter jets in a deal worth around 150 billion Czech koruna ($6.5 billion).Prime Minister Petr Fiala said that the F-35s “will solve the future of our tactical air forces for dozens of years to come.”Fiala said the purchase for the Czech military sends “a message to our allies that we take the defense of our country seriously and that they can rely on us.” The first of the 24 fighter jets should be delivered in 2031, with the rest by 2035, Fiala said. The American aircraft will replace the 14 JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets from Sweden that are currently used by the Czech army.The Czechs will pay almost $5 billion to the U.S. for the aircraft, training of pilots, ammunition and other costs, Defense Minister Jana Cernochova said. The remaining money will be used to finance an upgrade of the Caslav air force base in central Czech Republic, fuel and training of s...

Chicago City Council to vote on confirmation of Larry Snelling as CPD superintendent

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:48:05 GMT

CHICAGO — The head of Chicago Police Department’s counterterrorism bureau is expected to have more than enough votes to become the city's next police superintendent.Larry Snelling would be taking over for interim Supt. Fred Waller.It took a nationwide search to narrow down the field to Chief Snelling. He's been with the department for 31 years and is from Chicago, which was one qualification Mayor Brandon Johnson wanted in his next superintendent.While shootings and homicides are trending in the right direction, crime overall is up year over year in Chicago. Council members, however, think Snelling is the right man for the job. Incoming CPD superintendent meets with Police and Fire Committee For the first time, a community commission picked three superintendent candidates from after its months-long nationwide search to replace David Brown.Out of the finalist, Johnson selected Snelling. Currently, he is serving as the department's head of counterterrorism. Before sailing through hi...

DePaul requiring IDs on campus after uptick in robberies

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:48:05 GMT

CHICAGO — DePaul University is requiring all students, faculty and staff members to carry their ID cards on them in response to an uptick in robberies.According to a letter from president Rob Manuel, the university is implementing several changes following feedback at a safety summit and multiple robberies targeting students this month.Here's a list of the changes, per Manuel.You will be required to have your DePaul ID on you at all times on both the Lincoln Park and Loop campuses. In the interest of making sure only our university community members are inside our buildings, a public safety officer may request to see your ID at any time.Public safety officers will have the authority to remove anyone from a DePaul building who cannot demonstrate they are a faculty, staff, student, invited guest or welcomed visitor. In alignment with this university policy, all public safety officers will be required to complete sensitivity training on a regular basis to mitigate the likelihood of rac...

NASA's Frank Rubio sets US space record as three astronauts return to Earth

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:48:05 GMT

A NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts returned to Earth on Wednesday after being stuck in space for just over a year. American Frank Rubio set a record for the longest U.S. spaceflight — a result of the extended stay.The trio landed in a remote area of Kazakhstan, descending in a Soyuz capsule that was rushed up as a replacement after their original ride was hit by space junk and lost all its coolant while docked to the International Space Station.What should have been a 180-day mission turned into a 371-day stay. Rubio spent more than two weeks longer in space than Mark Vande Hei, who held NASA's previous endurance record for a single spaceflight.Russia holds the world record of 437 days, set in the mid-1990s.In this photo taken from video released by Roscosmos space corporation, rescue team members carry NASA astronaut Frank Rubio shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-23 space capsule about 150 km (90 miles) south-east of the Kazakh town ...