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Activist hands ICC evidence he says implicates Belarus president in transfer of Ukrainian children

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:42 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An exiled Belarus activist on Tuesday presented a second dossier of evidence to the International Criminal Court that he said proves the personal involvement of President Alexander Lukashenko in the illegal transfer of children to Belarus from Russian-occupied towns in Ukraine.Pavel Latushka, a former Belarusian culture minister, said some of the new information came from “insiders” in Belarus.“We share additional evidence proving Lukashenko’s direct participation in the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children to Belarus as leader of the so-called Union State of Belarus and Russia,” Latushka told The Associated Press outside the court’s headquarters in The Hague.The dossier also includes “evidence and previously unknown facts regarding the involvement of various Belarusian and Russian organizations, as well as their leaders and members, in the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children to Belarus,” he said, and gives more detailed information o...

Federal Fisheries Department doing a poor job of monitoring fishing industry: report

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:42 GMT

OTTAWA — A new report slams the federal Fisheries Department for failing to properly monitor Canada’s commercial fishing industry.The report from the federal environment commissioner, Jerry DeMarco, says Fisheries and Oceans Canada lacks the ability to collect timely and dependable data about what is being caught.DeMarco says the dearth of reliable data means the department can’t protect Canada’s fish stocks from overfishing.The commissioner says the problem is that the department has failed to deliver on most of the corrective measures it committed to seven years ago, when the federal auditor general called for changes to ensure sustainable management of the industry.DeMarco’s audit says the department responded to the auditor general by creating a new fishery monitoring policy, but he says that policy has yet to be implemented.As well, the audit found the department has been slow to modernize its information systems, even though it has spent about $31 million on ...

Cornell student accused threatening Jewish people had mental health struggles, mother says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:42 GMT

PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — The mother of a Cornell University student accused of making online threats against Jewish people on campus said he had mental health struggles and later posted an apology.Patrick Dai, 21, faces a federal charge of posting threats to kill or injure another using interstate communications after authorities say he made threatening comments on an online Greek Life forum late last month. The anonymous postings included threats to shoot and stab Jewish people on the upstate New York campus, rattling students and prompting police to increase security.Dai admitted that he posted the threatening messages in an interview with law enforcement authorities, according to the federal complaint.Dai’s mother, Bing Liu, told the Democrat and Chronicle of Rochester on Monday she thinks the threats were partly triggered by his use of a medication for depression and anxiety. She also shared an apology posting she said was given to her by Dai’s defense lawyers after they received ...

Unification Church in Japan offers to set aside up to $66 million in a compensation fund

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:42 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — The Unification Church’s Japanese branch announced plans Tuesday to set aside a fund up to 10 billion yen ($67 million) to cover possible compensation for those seeking damages they say were caused by the group’s manipulative fundraising tactics.The move is seen as an attempt to allay any suspicion that the group would try to avoid later payouts by hiding assets overseas while a government-requested dissolution order is pending.The announcement by head of the controversial church’s Japanese branch, Tomihiro Tanaka, came a month after Japan’s Education Ministry asked the Tokyo District Court to revoke the legal status of the group. The ministry investigation concluded that the South Korean-headquartered group for decades has systematically manipulated its followers into donating money, sowing fear and harming their family ties. The investigation followed public outrage and questions about the group’s fundraising and recruitment tactics that surfaced in the in...

Montreal police investigating two firebombings at Jewish institutions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:42 GMT

Montreal police are investigating overnight firebombings at two Jewish institutions in the on-island suburb of Dollard-des-Ormeaux.Police spokesperson Sabrina Gauthier says incendiary devices caused minor damage to the front door of a synagogue and the back door of another building across the street that houses a Jewish organization.Jewish advocacy group B’nai Brith Canada says the synagogue is called Congregation Beth Tikvah.Cantor Henry Topas says synagogue members are horrified by the firebombing, which occurred exactly one month after the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion into Israel that killed more than 1,400 people.Montreal police have not confirmed a motive for the firebombings, but they come amid rising tensions linked to the Israel-Hamas war.Police recorded 38 reports of hate crimes and incidents targeting the Montreal Jewish community between Oct. 7 and Oct. 25.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2023.The Canadian Press

U.S. dismisses charges against Saskatoon mother accused of faking deaths

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:42 GMT

SASKATOON — A United States court has dismissed charges against a Saskatchewan woman accused of faking her death and that of her child before they crossed the border. Dawn Walker was given a one-year conditional sentence in Saskatoon court last Thursday, after she pleaded guilty to charges of forgery and abduction.The following day, the U.S. Attorney’s Office asked a district court in Oregon to dismiss her charges there, saying it was in the interest of justice based on Walker’s plea and sentencing in Canada. The court granted the motion. Walker had been facing two charges in the U.S. related to identity fraud for allegedly crossing the border with fake identification.Walker and her child were reported missing in July 2022, after her pickup truck was found near a river at a park south of Saskatoon. Some people feared the pair drowned, and a vigil and searches were organized.U.S. authorities found them two weeks later in Oregon City, Ore.Provincial court Judge Brad Mitchell said last...

Nia DaCosta makes her mark on Marvel history with ‘The Marvels’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:42 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Nia DaCosta, director of the upcoming “The Marvels,” has a diagnosis for the recent struggles of superhero movies. It basically comes down to, she says, “Mo’ money, mo’ problems.”Success inevitably breeds bigger budgets. Box-office expectations get inflated. Even superhero spandex can’t sustain endless cycles of wash, rinse and repeat. “Growth has to stop at some point,” says DaCosta. “As you make more and more films, you want those films to be more interesting, more dynamic and to appeal to different audiences. But that requires risk. And there’s a conundrum where you’re so big that you can’t take risks. I think that’s what the audience is feeling. They’re like: ‘I’ve seen it before, and I liked it the first time.’”When “The Marvels” opens in theaters Friday, it will be debuting in uncommonly uncertain times for superhero films. There’s talk of over-saturation. DC and Warner Bros. are in makeover mode. Box office-dominance this year has been ceded to Barbie and Mari...

Memo: Overview of Austin airport safety operations expected next week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Interim Austin City Manager Jesús Garza sent a memo to the mayor and city council members following a second death of an employee working at the Austin airport this year. Employee dies after being hit by fuel truck at Austin airport Garza said in the memo he asked Jim Smith, interim director of the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, to review the Department of Aviation's safety programs to "help identify what elements of the airport enterprise is specifically under the City’s purview, the initiatives currently underway by the Department to support safety at the airport, and how we can influence safety measures outside of the City’s direct control." Garza also noted in the memo that an overview that "lays out our operations related tosafety including these tragic events and following recent near-miss incidents involving federalair traffic controllers and aircraft operators" will be provided to the mayor and council members next week. OSHA investigation clo...

Key Gophers football commitment Koi Perich gets offer from Ohio State

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:42 GMT

The college recruitment of Esko, Minn., star football player Koi Perich continues to heat up with national signing day only six weeks away.Perich picked up a scholarship offer from Ohio State on Monday. The Buckeyes want the four-star safety prospect, who is ranked the best recruit in the state of Minnesota for the 2024 class.“Thankful for my 13th offer from THE Ohio State University!” Perich posted on social media, tagging Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day and safeties coach Perry Eliano.Perich, a do-everything player for the smaller school southwest of Duluth, committed to the Gophers on April 19, and the Buckeyes had reached out about him the same day.The Buckeyes aren’t the only big-name program still in pursuit of Perich. Southern California offered a scholarship on Oct. 1, and Florida State did the same on Oct. 23.In early October, Perich told the Pioneer Press that he was intrigued about visiting USC because he had never been to California. His father, George Perich, a teacher and...

Jesus Christ Superstar coming to Proctors Theatre

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:42 GMT

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Proctors Theatre will be hosting multiple performances of the Jesus Christ Superstar 50th Anniversary Tour in 2024. The shows will run from April 5 to April 7. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The awarding-winning production by Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in London continues the legacy of the legendary rock opera, which was originally released as a double concept album in 1970. The show tells the story of the final weeks of Jesus Christ's life as seen through the eyes of Judas, with music composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics written by Tim Rice. Directed by Timothy Sheader, the production stars Jack Hopewell as Jesus, Elvie Ellis as Judas, Jaden Dominique as Mary Magdalene, Grant Hodges as Caiaphas, Alex Stone as Pontius Pilate and Mekhi Holloway as Annas. There will be five total performances across the weekend, which are scheduled for the following dates and times: Jesus Christ Supersta...