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Minister’s Access to Info focus is better service amid calls for legislative overhaul

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:15:22 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal minister responsible for the much-criticized access-to-information system says her focus is on improving service amid growing calls to go further and rewrite the transparency law.In an interview today, Treasury Board President Mona Fortier says her priority is better administration of the Access to Information Act, not a legislative overhaul.Fortier’s comments follow release this week of a House of Commons committee report in which opposition MPs recommend changes to the law to curb loopholes that prevent the release of information, and the imposition of penalties when responses to requests are late. The federal access law allows people who pay $5 to request an array of government documents, but many say it is slow and ineffective. The law has not been fully revamped since its introduction 40 years ago, and users complain of lengthy delays, heavily blacked-out documents or full denials in response to their applications.Fortier says the government is emphas...

Search for person feared missing after Paris explosion is complicated by debris, unstable building

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:15:22 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Paris rescuers are struggling to reach a person feared trapped in a Left Bank building that partially collapsed earlier this week in a violent explosion, the city prosecutor said Friday, citing a complex and risky rubble-clearing operation.Four people remain hospitalized in critical condition after Wednesday’s blast, and at least 54 others suffered lighter injuries or psychological shock, Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a statement.One person has been declared missing, but the search “has been complicated by the ongoing risk that the neighboring building could collapse, and the difficulty of clearing large blocks of stone,” she said.Buildings in the area were evacuated after the explosion, which ignited a fire that took hours to extinguish and sent smoke billowing over Paris landmarks, leaving witnesses shaken.Investigators are studying whether a gas leak could have sparked the blast, among other possible causes. Beccuau said witnesses had described the smell of ...

Biden and Modi meet Apple, Google CEOs and other executives as Indian premier wraps state visit

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:15:22 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday opened the final day of the Indian prime minister’s four-day U.S. visit by meeting top American and Indian executives as the leaders look to increase cooperation on artificial intelligence, semiconductor production and space.The leaders are putting a spotlight on the “Innovation Handshake,” a new initiative aimed at addressing regulatory hurdles that stand in the way of cooperation between the two countries and promoting job growth in emerging technologies.“Our countries are taking innovation and cooperation to new levels,” Biden told the group, which included Apple CEO Tim Cook, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. “We’re going to see more technological change … in the next 10 years than we’ve seen in the last 50 years.”White House officials say India’s deep talent pool will be crucial in building more resilient supply chains and developing technology to address c...

Texas businessman at center of AG Ken Paxton’s impeachment pleads not guilty to federal charges

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:15:22 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas real estate developer at the center of Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment has pleaded not guilty to charges of making false statements to banks that loaned him more than $170 million.Nate Paul waived his scheduled arraignment before a U.S. district judge in Austin, according to court documents posted Friday. Paul figures heavily in 20 articles of impeachment filed against Texas’ top law enforcement officer. Paxton is accused of abusing his power and bribery in order to help Paul, who gave the Republican a $25,000 campaign donation in 2018. There is no reference to Paxton in Paul’s indictment, which accuses the developer of making false statements to multiple banks in 2017 and 2018. But one of the banks later received a subpoena, issued in person, by an attorney Paxton hired as an “outside independent prosecutor” to pursue complaints Paul made after the FBI raided the businessman’s offices.Paxton has denied wrongdoing and his impe...

US sanctions Russian intelligence officers over elections interference

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:15:22 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Friday imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence officers who supervised two officers who were recently indicted by the Justice Department for their involvement in the Kremlin’s attempts to influence a local election in the United States.Yegor Popov, a Russian intelligence officer, was sanctioned Friday. He served as a primary handler of Alexander Ionov, a Russian operative who was charged by the Justice Department last year with recruiting political groups in the U.S. to advance pro-Russia propaganda, including about the invasion of Ukraine.U.S. authorities say Ionov recruited political groups in Florida, Georgia and California and directed them to spread pro-Russia talking points. Ionov, who operated an entity called the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia, paid for group members to attend government-funded conferences in Russia, as well as a protest in the U.S. against social media efforts to suppress online support for the invasion.Popov also ...

‘Titanic’ director James Cameron says search for missing sub became a ‘nightmarish charade’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:15:22 GMT

“Titanic” director James Cameron says the search operation for a deep-sea tourist sub turned into a “nightmarish charade” that prolonged the agony of the families of the passengers.Cameron told the BBC in an interview broadcast on Friday that he “felt in my bones” that the Titan submersible had been lost soon after he heard it had lost contact with the surface during its descent to the wreckage of the ocean liner at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.#JamesCameron drags officials for not announcing the #OceanGate sub's implosion sooner, and for dangling "false hopes" in front of victims' families. (????: CNN) https://t.co/gt3Y7jg2Yl pic.twitter.com/r5Cc7Y43Fl— TMZ (@TMZ) June 23, 2023He said the focus in the media over the next few days about the submersible having 96 hours of oxygen supply — and that banging noises had been heard — were a “prolonged and nightmarish charade.”“That was just a crue...

Midday Fix: Live music from Milky Chance

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:15:22 GMT

Clemens Rehbein and Phillipp Dausch from Milky Chance joined Patrick Elwood on the WGN Midday News.The German band plays with Young The Giant Friday night at Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island.http://www.milkychance.net/Event:The Summer Haze Tour with Milky ChanceJune 23rd - 6:30PMHuntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island - 1300 S Linn White Dr, Chicago, IL 60605Homehttps://www.pavilionnortherlyisland.com/https://www.ticketsqueeze.com/tickets/5546500/young-the-giant-and-milky-chance-2023-06-23-18-30-00-huntington-bank-pavilion-at-northerly-island

Bulls give an update on Lonzo Ball's knee injury recovery

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:15:22 GMT

CHICAGO — Once again, an update from the Bulls on their top point guard wasn't as positive as they or fans might have hoped. Yet the news on Lonzo Ball that came out late Thursday night probably wasn't a surprise, either. While noting that the guard has made some progress in his recovery from his latest knee surgery, executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas said that the Bulls are expecting Ball to miss the entire 2023-2024 season.This comes after the point guard missed the second half of the 2021-2022 season and the entire 2022-2023 season after undergoing three surgeries on his left knee. His most recent, a cartilage transplant surgery, took place in March. "He's recovering nicely. I think last month he got off the crutches. He's recovering, doing his rehab, everything is going well," said Karnisovas of Ball. "Going into the offseason, I think our expectation is that he's not coming back next season, and he's going to continue on his recovery."If he comes back, it would be grea...

Jack Hanna no longer remembers most family members as Alzheimer's progresses, report says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:15:22 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Celebrity zookeeper Jack Hanna, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2019, no longer remembers most of his own family, according to a report from the Columbus Dispatch. Hanna was the former director of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, but he was well known for his appearances on David Letterman and his own nationally syndicated TV show.The Hanna family welcomed the Columbus Dispatch into their home "for a real-world look into living with Alzheimer's disease," the family tweeted. "While Dad/Jack is still mobile, his mind fails him, the light in his eyes has dimmed, and we miss who he was each & every moment of the day." Wildlife advocate Jack Hanna poses for a portrait with a serval cub in New York on Oct. 12, 2015. (Photo by Dan Hallman/Invision/AP, file)Hanna now only remembers his wife, Suzi, their dog and his oldest daughter, who travels from England to care for him, according to the Dispatch."My husband is still in there somewhere," Suzi told the Dispatch...

Austin man among 4 victims killed after Matador tornado

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:15:22 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for June 23, 2023MATADOR, Texas -- The Texas Department of Public Safety on Friday released the identities of the four people killed after a tornado hit Matador Wednesday evening.The victims were identified as Jo Etta Bumgardner, 85, of Matador, Randell (Randy) Rolin, 59, of Purcell, Oklahoma, Victor Valenzuela Jr., 43, of Austin, Troy Hernandez, 23, San Angelo.Authorities said nine people were injured. Multiple agencies rushed to help with rescue efforts, including Lubbock Fire Rescue and University Medical Center EMS. Abbott issues disaster declaration after Matador tornado Tornado damage in Matador (Drone photo: Pedro Figuero) Tornado damage in Matador (Nexstar/Staff)Tornado damage in Matador (Nexstar/Staff)Tornado damage in Matador (Drone photo: Pedro Figuero) Tornado damage in Matador (Nexstar/Staff)Tornado damage in Matador (Nexstar/Staff)Tornado damage in Matador (Nexstar/Staff)DPS said 29 structures were ...