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Ecuador suspends rights of assembly in some areas, deploys soldiers to prisons amid violence wave

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:37:17 GMT

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuador President Guillermo Lasso is again making use of the executive’s power to suspend some people’s rights and to mobilize the military in an attempt to quell the most recent wave of violence that has left at least 18 people dead in the South American country.Lasso on Tuesday declared a state of emergency covering all of its prisons and ordered the deployment of 2,700 soldiers and police officers to regain control of the facilities. Less than 24 hours earlier, Lasso had announced an emergency measure suspending people’s rights to assembly and move freely in two provinces, one of which includes a city where a mayor was fatally shot over the weekend.The order covering the prisons came after clashes erupted Saturday at the country’s largest prison and escalated into the early hours of Sunday, with gunshots and explosions heard by people in nearby residential areas. The initial clashes at the Litoral Penitentiary, located in the port cit...

RCMP confirm two children died in Nova Scotia flooding; one youth still missing

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:37:17 GMT

WINDSOR, N.S. — Nova Scotia RCMP say they have found the bodies of two children missing since Saturday when torrential floodwaters washed the vehicle they were in off a road.In a news conference Tuesday, police said a child’s body was found in the morning, and they confirmed that human remains found Monday on a shoreline in a nearby county were those of the second missing child.The children were travelling with three other people who managed to escape when the vehicle they were in was submerged in rushing waters deeper than a tractor-trailer.Premier Tim Houston said the province’s grief is growing as the toll from the flooding mounts. On Monday, the RCMP had announced that the body of a 52-year-old man from Windsor, N.S. — who was in another, nearby vehicle — had been found.“It’s another incredibly sad day in what’s now been a series of sad days in this province. The entire province is sick with mourning … The tragedy that’s happened here is...

Ottawa buying nine Airbus planes to replace Polaris fleet, including PM’s plane

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:37:17 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal government has signed a $3.6-billion contract with European aviation company Airbus to replace its aging Polaris transport planes, one of which is used by high-ranking government officials including the prime minister and Governor General.In addition to the VIP service, the Royal Canadian Air Force uses the Polaris planes for air-to-air refuelling and personnel transport.The fleet of five planes has been flown by the RCAF 437 transport squadron since 1992, and its lifespan is set to end in 2027. Government officials say extending that further would be extremely difficult due to the age of the technology. The new fleet of planes, which will be named the CC-330 Husky, includes four new and five used aircraft that are being outfitted to feature the same capabilities. The government bought the used planes from a company in Kuwait, and two of them are set to begin flying out of Ottawa International Airport this fall. One of those will be painted in a way that is simi...

Alberta groups decry Calgary family medical clinic fee for faster physician access

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:37:17 GMT

Alberta-based advocacy organization Friends of Medicare and the Opposition NDP say the province needs to put a stop to a Calgary clinic planning to charge annual fees for faster access to a physician.“It’s a concerning precedent,” Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare, said in an interview Tuesday.“If this is allowed and they go ahead with it, other clinics will look at doing the same thing. That undermines our public health-care system, and it undermines access to primary care.”Starting Aug. 1, the Marda Loop Medical Clinic has informed patients by email that it will still see patients for free one day a week, but the other four days will be dedicated to patients who pay annual membership fees such as $2,200 for an individual and $4,800 for a family.For that money, the clinic promises faster access to the clinic physician, along with other perks and services, including extended sessions, at-home blood tests and discounts on related ...

Court says OxyContin maker’s bankruptcy and protections for Sackler family members can move ahead

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:37:17 GMT

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma can start executing a settlement that protects members of the Sackler family who own the company from civil lawsuits over the toll of opioids, a court ruled Tuesday.The ruling from the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York allows the company’s transformation to start.Under a deal reached last year with thousands of state and local government entities, the company is to become a new entity with its profits being used to fight the opioid epidemic. And Sackler family members are to pay up to $6 billion over time.The Purdue deal is one of the bigger ones in a series of corporate opioid settlements worth a total of more than $50 billion so far. Unlike most of them, it includes funds for people who were victims of the crisis and their families.In exchange, the members of the wealthy Sackler family, who are not themselves seeking bankruptcy protections, are to be shielded from lawsuits.A 2nd Circuit panel approved the deal in May. By then, the ma...

Toronto and GTA under heat warning through Friday, temperatures reaching 40 C

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:37:17 GMT

A heat warning has been issued for Toronto and much of southern Ontario that’s expected to remain in place throughout the week, with humidex values reaching 40 C for many areas.Environment Canada issued the alert on Tuesday afternoon.Canada’s weather agency says Toronto’s daytime temperatures on Wednesday are expected to reach 30 C. While Thursday will be slightly cooler, it will stay humid, with humidex values in the upper 30s.Friday is expected to be “extremely hot,” Environment Canada cautioned.Heat Warning issued for City of #Toronto and parts of cottage country and southwestern Ontario Wed-Fri. Fitting as this is the hottest week of the year climatologically speaking. pic.twitter.com/NEErNg6gld— Natasha Ramsahai (@CityNatasha) July 25, 2023“Minimum temperatures in the low twenties will provide little relief from the heat. Cooler temperatures are expected Saturday,” Canada’s weather agency noted.“Hot and humid air can a...

Jury finds 6 people guilty of terrorist murder in 2016 Brussels extremist attacks that killed 32

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:37:17 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — A jury on Tuesday found six people guilty of terrorist murder for extremist attacks at the Brussels airport and a busy subway station that killed 32 people in Belgium’s deadliest peacetime violence, part of a wave of attacks in Europe linked to the Islamic State group.Among those convicted for their role in the 2016 Brussels suicide bombing plot was Salah Abdeslam, who already is serving a life sentence without parole in France over his role in attacks that hit Paris cafes, the Bataclan theater and France’s national stadium in 2015. Both the Paris and Brussels attacks were linked to the same IS network.Wrapping up the biggest trial in Belgium’s judicial history, the chief judge listed the names of the victims before reading the decisions and explanations of the 12-person jury. The verdict was reported by Belgian media covering the trial from inside the courtroom, including public broadcaster RTBF, newspaper Le Soir and news websites HLN and Nieuwsblad.Survivors...

Oklahoma attorney general joins lawsuit over tribal gambling agreements, criticizes GOP governor

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:37:17 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma’s new Republican attorney general accused Gov. Kevin Stitt on Tuesday of failing to follow state law and said he’s stepping into a long running legal dispute over tribal gambling agreements Stitt signed in 2020.In a letter and personal phone call to the fellow Republican, Attorney General Gentner Drummond said he notified Stitt that he’s joining the lawsuit to represent the state’s interest at the request of House Speaker Charles McCall and Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat.“As you should fully understand, this long running and costly litigation is a direct result of your refusal to follow Oklahoma law,” Drummond wrote. “The four tribal gaming compacts you signed were invalid from the start because you did not have the approval or authorization from the Oklahoma Legislature to enter the gaming compacts.”Stitt’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Drummond’s action.The Cherokee, Chickasaw, Citizen Potawatomi a...

Colorado cop on trial for putting suspect in car hit by train says she didn’t know engine was coming

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:37:17 GMT

GREELEY, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado police officer on trial for putting a handcuffed woman in a parked police vehicle that was hit by a freight train testified Tuesday that she placed the woman there temporarily because it was the closest place to keep her secure after arresting her.That police vehicle belonged to another officer who pulled Yareni Rios-Gonzalez over before Officer Jordan Steinke arrived on scene on Sept. 16, 2022, and was parked on train tracks that cross a road. Steinke, who claims she did not know the car was parked on the tracks, said she gave Rios-Gonzalez a quick pat-down and did not buckle her in in the backseat. Steinke said she assumed the patrol vehicle was secure and wanted to quickly switch to providing cover to two other officers who were searching Rios-Gonzalez’s truck for a weapon. She said she did not know a train was coming until right before it hit.“I saw the front headlights and heard the train at the same time right before impact,” said Steinke...

Johnny Lujack, Notre Dame Heisman winner, former Bears QB, dies at 98

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:37:17 GMT

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Football fans are mourning the loss of a former Heisman Trophy winner and Bears' quarterback on Tuesday.Johnny Lujack, who was one of the greatest football players in Notre Dame history and had a brief but memorable run with the Bears, has died at the age of 98 at his home in Naples, Florida, the university confirmed.A native of Connellsville, Pennsylvania, the quarterback would find his athletic success in the Midwest, first during his outstanding career in South Bend. Playing with the Fighting Irish from 1942-1943 and then again in 1946-1947 after serving in the United States Navy, Lujack was a two-time first team All-American, helping Notre Dame to three national championships. In 1947, Lujack was named the winner of the Heisman Trophy, passing for 777 yards and nine touchdowns while rushing for 139 yards on an Irish team that went 9-0 to win a second-straight title. Along with winning the Heisman, the quarterback was named the Associated Press Athlete of the Y...