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Canada expels Indian diplomat as it probes possible link to Sikh’s slaying. India denies allegation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:57 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Canada expelled a top Indian diplomat as it investigates what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called credible allegations its government may have had links to the assassination in Canada of a Sikh activist, an accusation that India rejected as “absurd” on Tuesday.Trudeau said in Parliament on Monday that Canadian intelligence agencies have been looking into the allegations after Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a strong supporter of an independent Sikh homeland, was gunned down on June 18 outside a Sikh cultural center in Surrey, British Columbia.Nijjar was organizing an unofficial referendum in India for an independent Sikh state at the time of this death. Indian authorities announced a cash reward last year for information leading to Nijjar’s arrest, accusing him of involvement in an alleged attack on a Hindu priest in India.The Sikh independence, or Khalistan, movement is banned in India, where officials see it and affiliated groups as a national security threat. ...

Canada expels diplomat amid allegations India involved in killing Canadian

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:57 GMT

Canada is expelling a top Indian diplomat in the wake of bombshell allegations that agents from India may have been involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly announced Monday.The diplomat is the head of India’s foreign intelligence agency operations in Canada, Pavan Kumar Rai.If the allegations are proven true, Joly said, it would be a “grave violation of our sovereignty and the most basic rule of how countries deal with each other.”Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered an urgent address to lawmakers in Parliament Monday afternoon informing them Canada’s security agencies have been pursuing for weeks “credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India” and the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar earlier this summer on Canadian soil.“Canada has declared its deep concerns to the top intelligence and security officials of the Indian government,” Trudeau said when he delivered the news in an urgent statement to Canadian la...

City council approves permanent closure of Point La Jolla

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:57 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The city council has now voted to shut down access to Point La Jolla and Boomer’s Beach after complaints from residents and activists prompted a new sea lion interaction crackdown. “People will be prevented from actually going on to the rocks at Point La Jolla, and for Boomer’s Beach, if your purpose is to actually get into the water for swimming, for paddleboarding… you’re still going to be allowed to get into the water,” said Joe LaCava, the city council member representing La Jolla. The year-round closure is the first of its kind and is being praised by sea lion activists. “The California Coastal Commission has already ready approved the coastal development permit closing this area year-round and keeping people safely along this wall,” said Carol Toye, a member of the Sierra Club and local sea lion volunteer.  Tourists are not so happy with the new indefinite closures. "I was wanting to go down there so she can experience that,” said one woman visiting...

Unifor extends Ford negotiations for 24 hours after receiving “substantive offer”

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:57 GMT

TORONTO — Unifor is extending negotiations with Ford Motor Company for 24 hours after receiving what it calls a substantive offer from the company shortly before the Monday midnight deadline.The union says bargaining is ongoing and members should remain ready to strike.Unifor autoworkers are in a legal strike position against Ford after their contract expired at the end of Monday with no new deal in place.In a late afternoon Monday update, the union said it was telling its 5,600 members at Ford to be ready for all scenarios, including strike action, when the contract expires at the end of the day.Unifor National President Lana Payne said in a Monday night video statement that the union would be on strike after the collective agreement expires, but a statement on Unifor’s website says Unifor Ford members should remain on shift unless they receive explicit instructions from the union to do otherwise.Unifor has said it is focused on increasing wages, improving pensions, and secur...

Hong Kong to tighten regulation of cryptocurrencies after arrests linked to JPEX trading platform

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:57 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s leader said Tuesday that the territory will tighten regulation of digital assets after police arrested six people following allegations of fraud at an unlicensed cryptocurrency exchange in the city.The arrests on Monday followed an announcement by Hong Kong’s securities watchdog last week that the exchange, JPEX, was unlicensed and did not have authority to operate its cryptocurrency trading platform in the city. The Securities and Futures Commission said it had received more than 1,400 complaints against JPEX involving more than 1 billion Hong Kong dollars ($127.9 million) in losses.The SFC also said some investors said complained of being unable to withdraw their virtual assets from JPEX accounts or of finding their balances were “reduced and altered.”The SFC and police were expected to release details on the case later Tuesday.Hong Kong’s chief executive, John Lee, told reporters Tuesday that the government would step up efforts to educate investors a...

President Gustavo Petro’s plan for ‘total peace’ in Colombia: Takeaways from AP’s report

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:57 GMT

BUENAVENTURA, Colombia (AP) — Across Colombia, decades of war between leftist guerrillas, rightwing paramilitaries, trafficking groups and the government have left more than 9.5 million people – nearly 20% of the population – as victims of forced displacement, homicide, sexual violence and more. As conflict in the country grows more complex, with mutating armed groups warring for control, Colombia’s rebel-turned-president Gustavo Petro has promised to cement “total peace” and end one of the world’s longest-running conflicts.WHAT IS COLOMBIA PRESIDENT PETRO’S PLAN?Petro aims to rewire how the South American nation addresses endemic violence, replacing military operations with social programs tackling the conflict’s roots, including poverty in violence-torn areas like Buenaventura, a coastal city of 450,000 people and Colombia’s busiest port. He’s also negotiating with the most powerful of Colombia’s armed groups – from leftist guerrillas to smaller trafficking mafias – in...

UN chief says people are looking to leaders for action and a way out of the current global ‘mess’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:57 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Leaders of a world fractured by war, climate change and persisting inequality gather under one roof Tuesday to hear the U.N. chief summon them to take united action on humanity’s huge challenges – and to start delivering their own assessments on the most global of stages.“People are looking to their leaders for a way out of this mess,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said ahead of the annual gathering of presidents and premiers, ministers and monarchs at the General Assembly.He said the world needs action now – not merely more words – to deal with the worsening climate emergency, escalating conflicts, “dramatic technological disruptions” and a global cost-of-living crisis that is increasing hunger and poverty.“Yet in the face of all this and more,” Guterres said, “geopolitical divisions are undermining our capacity to respond.”This year’s week-long session, the first full-on meeting of world leaders since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted travel, has 145 leade...

Luis Campusano’s go-ahead 3-run homer helps disappointing Padres beat Rockies

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:57 GMT

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Padres’ longest winning streak of the season is likely way too little, way too late to save a massively disappointing season.Luis Campusano hit a go-ahead three-run home run and Garrett Cooper and Eugy Rosario also connected for the Padres, who beat the Rockies 11-9 on Monday night to extend their winning streak to a season-best five games.The high-priced Padres, who have underwhelmed all season coming off a stirring run to the NL Championship Series, became the last team in the majors to win four straight games on Sunday when they swept the Oakland Athletics, who have baseball’s worst record. The Rockies have the NL’s worst record at 56-94.“We’re just in a better place,” manager Bob Melvin said. “It’s one of those things where we haven’t been able to get to all year where it just feels good, feel like you’re going to score, feel like you can add on. There’s a looseness to how we’re playing right now. That’s why we’ve played our best...

EU at UNGA 78: EU delegation to mobilize global action and reignite solidarity

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:57 GMT

A high-level delegation of the European Commission will attend the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly this week in New York. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Executive Vice President Maroš Šefčovič, High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell, Vice President Dubravka Šuica, and Commissioners Ylva Johansson, Janez Lenarčič, Jutta Urpilainen and Virginijus Sinkevičius will host and participate in events and meetings with leaders from around the world and hold several high-level bilateral meetings throughout the week.The 78th session takes place against a backdrop of complex crises and conflicts, including Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and its global consequences, and the situation in the Sahel. The all-time high humanitarian needs, climate emergency, health crises, as well as the erosion of democracy and human rights worldwide are challenges that no country can address alone. Effective multilateralism is not a choice but the only o...

Man arrested in slaying of L.A. County deputy schizophrenic, family says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:57 GMT

Family of the 29-year-old man arrested Monday morning in connection with the fatal ambush-style shooting of a Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff who was sitting in his patrol vehicle in the Antelope Valley over the weekend, are speaking out about his struggles with mental health.  Authorities believe Kevin Salazar ambushed and killed Deputy Ryan “Clink” Clinkunbroomer, 30, an eight-year veteran of the of the sheriff’s department, at around 6 p.m. Saturday while the deputy sat at a red light near the intersection of Sierra Highway and Avenue Q in Palmdale. He was rushed to the Antelope Valley Medical Center where he later died as a result of his injuries. Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer. (LASD)After an hours-long standoff Monday morning, in which neighbors were evacuated and SWAT officers deployed tear gas, Salazar was taken into custody around 5 a.m. outside his Palmdale home.The 29-year-old's family told KTLA they were shocked by his early morning arrest and that he’s never hur...