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Officers describe chaos, fear on Jan. 6 as judge weighs prison time for Oath Keepers’ Rhodes

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 07:30:03 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and public servants who fled the mob’s attack told a judge on Wednesday that they are still haunted by what they endured, as the judge prepares to hand down sentences in a landmark Capitol riot case. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta heard victim impact statements a day before he’s expected to deliver the first Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy sentences to Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and an associate convicted of plotting to block the transfer of power from President Donald Trump to President Joe Biden. Prosecutors are seeking 25 years behind bars for Rhodes, which would be the longest sentence by far handed down among hundreds of Capitol riot cases. Metropolitan Police Officer Christopher Owens crossed paths with Oath Keepers members in Senate hallways as rioters invaded the building, shouted insults and threw projectiles at police. Owens recalled his wife bursting into tears when she saw t...

What to know about Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor running for president

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 07:30:03 GMT

After months of anticipation, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis formally entered the Republican presidential primary contest on Wednesday. As of now, he is considered former President Donald Trump’s strongest GOP rival in the crowded 2024 contest, but many voters are only starting to get to know the 44-year-old governor.Here are five things to know about DeSantis, the Republican Party’s newest presidential contender:DESANTIS’ EARLY LIFEA Florida native with family roots in the Midwest, DeSantis was a standout baseball player in his younger years. He represented the Dunedin, Florida, squad in the 1991 Little League World Series before becoming the captain of Yale University’s team.After a short stint teaching high school, he went on to Harvard Law School. He then became a Navy Judge Advocate General officer, a position that took him to Iraq and the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.DeSantis ran for Congress in 2012, won his Orlando-area district and became a founding member of ...

In Panama, legal rights given to sea turtles, boosting the ‘rights of nature’ movement

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 07:30:03 GMT

ARMILA, Panama (AP) — On a Panamanian beach long after dark, a group of undergraduate students dug into the sand to excavate a sea turtle nest, their lamps casting a soft red glow as they studied eggs, inventoried the success of the hatch and checked for any surviving hatchlings stuck at the bottom of the nest. Nearby, armed members of the National Border Service stood watch for protection in an area known for drug trafficking.The students worked under the guidance of Callie Veelenturf, who founded a group that works to protect leatherback turtles and pushed for a new law in Panama that guarantees sea turtles the legal right to live and have free passage in a healthy environment.The new law “will allow any Panamanian citizen to be the voice of sea turtles and defend them legally,” Veelenturf said in a text message as she boarded a plane to Panama City after her group’s work near Armila. “We will be able to hold governments, corporations, and public citizens legally accountable...

B.C. company expands antibody research, production facilities for second time

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 07:30:03 GMT

VANCOUVER — A Vancouver-based company that helped develop the first antibody therapy treatment for COVID-19 is expanding its research and development capacity as it continues to pursue world-leading new medicines, says Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne.AbCellera Biologics announced a $701-million federal and British Columbia-backed infrastructure project Wednesday that will increase the overall scope of a manufacturing plant, which has been in the works since 2020, to facilitate clinical trials and help deliver antibody medicines to patients.The federal government gave AbCellera $176 million toward the manufacturing plant and announced another $225 million Wednesday for the research and clinical trial projects, Champagne told a news conference at AbCellera’s headquarters.The B.C. government is providing $75 million. “We’re building a global champion,” Champagne said. “I think (of) this morning as one of the historic moments where we build ...

Chinese hackers targeted U.S. infrastructure, warn Five Eyes, including Canada

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 07:30:03 GMT

WASHINGTON — The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security is warning about evidence that Chinese hackers have been targeting critical infrastructure networks in the U.S. The alert issued earlier today is part of a broader, co-ordinated effort by the Five Eyes countries — Canada, the U.S., the U.K., New Zealand and Australia — to raise awareness of the threat. The U.S. National Security Agency says it has identified “indicators of compromise” linked to a state-sponsored cyber actor from China. The NSA says it’s an especially sophisticated breach that uses existing network administration tools to cover its tracks, known as a “living off the land” technique. Today’s alert also includes detailed instructions for “network defenders” on how to find evidence of a breach.  Canadian officials say there have been no reports of any systems inside Canada being targeted.“The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security joins its international partners in sha...

S&P/TSX composite down more than 200 points, U.S. stock markets also lower

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 07:30:03 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index was down more than 200 points Wednesday, with financials, metals and industrials leading the decline, while U.S. stock markets also retreated.The S&P/TSX composite index was down 218.32 points at 19,927.69.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 255.59 points at 32,799.92.The S&P 500 index was down 30.34 points at 4,115.24, while the Nasdaq composite was down 76.08 points at 12,484.16.The Canadian dollar traded for 73.63 cents UScompared with 74.05 cents US on Tuesday.The July crude contract was up US$1.43 at US$74.34 per barrel and the July natural gas contract was up eight cents at US$2.57 per mmBTU.The June gold contract was down US$9.90 at US$1,964.60 an ounce and the July copper contract was down nine cents at US$3.56 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 24, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X)The Canadian Press

Stock market today: Wall Street sinks as stocks tumble worldwide

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 07:30:03 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street fell again Wednesday as stocks tumbled worldwide on worries about the economy.The S&P 500 dropped 0.7% after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Republicans and Democrats remain “far apart” in their efforts to prevent a potentially disastrous default on the U.S. government’s debt. The main U.S. stock index is on track for its worst week in more than two months as the once-unthinkable creeps closer to possibility. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 255 points, or 0.8%, while the Nasdaq composite lost 0.6%.Other markets around the world fell even more as discouraging figures piled up on the economy. Stock indexes tumbled 1.7% in London, 1.9% in Frankfurt and 1.6% in Hong Kong.Inflation in the United Kingdom remains worse than expected, raising worries that the Bank of England may keep hiking interest rates and squeezing its economy. In Germany, business confidence fell in Europe’s largest economy. And in China, worries remain about a weaker-th...

AI guru Yoshua Bengio says regulation too slow, warns of ‘existential’ threats

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 07:30:03 GMT

MONTREAL — Artificial intelligence pioneer Yoshua Bengio says regulation in Canada is on the right path, but progress is far too sluggish.Speaking in Montreal, the Université de Montréal professor said he backed a bill tabled in the House of Commons last June that adopts a more general, principles-based approach to AI guardrails and leaves details to a later date.However, Ottawa has said the act known as Bill C-27 will come into force no sooner than 2025.“That’s way too slow,” Bengio told reporters Wednesday. “There are simple things that could happen that don’t need two years to be figured out.”He is calling on the federal government to begin rolling out rules immediately against certain threats, such as “counterfeiting humans” using AI-driven bots.“The users need to know that they’re talking to a machine or a human. Accounts on social media and so on need to be regulated so we know who’s behind the account — and it ...

Jets work out punter Matt Araiza after San Diego State investigation found no wrongdoing

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 07:30:03 GMT

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — The New York Jets hosted punter Matt Araiza for a workout at the team’s facility Wednesday, six days after a San Diego State investigation found no wrongdoing by him in an alleged gang rape at an off-campus party in October 2021.Joe Linta, Araiza’s agent, confirmed the punter’s visit with the Jets during an interview on WFAN Sports Radio in New York.ESPN first reported what is believed to be Araiza’s first workout for an NFL team since he was released by Buffalo last August.The session with the Jets could prompt other teams to bring in Araiza, who has maintained his innocence on the allegations.The workout with New York didn’t necessarily mean a signing was imminent. The Jets already have an established punter on the roster after signing veteran Thomas Morstead to a $1.3 million contract that includes $1.1 million in guarantees.The San Diego District Attorney decided late last year to not press criminal charges against Araiza, ...

North Carolina Senate makes changes to House measure legalizing sports gambling

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 07:30:03 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Legislation to authorize and regulate sports gambling in North Carolina that passed the House earlier this spring has been altered by the Senate by making it easier for any adult to bet in person and adding horse racing to betting options. The measure that cleared the Senate’s commerce committee on Wednesday also would increase the tax rate on the revenues that the legalized sports books would generate.These and other Senate changes could place obstacles between their House counterparts toward hammering out a final bill before this year’s primary General Assembly work session ends, probably in early summer. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper also supports sports wagering legislation.The chief sponsor of the House measure declined to comment after the committee vote on the changes. The Senate version must still go through two committees and floor votes.“I’ll wait to see what their final product is,” GOP Rep. Jason Saine of Lincoln County said in a text ...