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SIU to investigate use of officer’s gun in deadly Bourget, Ont., shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:25 GMT

Ontario’s police watchdog says it will investigate evidence suggesting an officer fired his gun during last week’s deadly incident in Bourget, Ont., east of Ottawa.The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said it has invoked its mandate to investigate the police firearm discharge during a shooting that left one Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer dead and two others injured.According to OPP, 42-year-old Sgt. Eric Mueller and two other officers were “ambushed” and shot at when they responded to a call for a disturbance at a Bourget home on May 11. Mueller died in hospital after the shooting.Court documents show that Alain Bellefeuille, 39, has been charged with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.Related: OPP officer dead, two others injured in ‘ambush’ shooting east of Ottawa: policeThe SIU said it was notified by an OPP forensic team that one of the surviving officers may have discharged his firearm during the shooting.The pol...

Danish Supreme Court says newspaper did not violate copyright of Little Mermaid statue

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:25 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark’s Supreme Court on Wednesday overruled two lower courts, saying a cartoon depicting Copenhagen’s The Little Mermaid statue as a zombie and a photo of it with a face mask did not violate the copyright of the famous bronze.The Berlingske newspaper published the cartoon in 2019 to illustrate an article about the level of debate in Denmark and used the photo in 2020 to represent a link between the far right and people fearing COVID-19.Copenhagen’s district court and the Eastern High Court found in 2020 and 2022 that the cartoon and the photo were infringements of the Danish Copyright Act, and ordered the newspaper — one of Denmark’s largest — to pay the heirs of Danish sculptor Edvard Eriksen thousands of kroner in compensation.On Wednesday, the Supreme Court said “that neither the caricature drawing nor the photograph of The Little Mermaid with a mask on, which was brought to Berlingske in connection with newspaper articles, infringed the copyri...

Heat wave in Asia made 30 times more likely because of climate change, scientists say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:25 GMT

BENGALURU, India (AP) — A searing heat wave in parts of southern Asia in April this year was made at least 30 times more likely by climate change, according to a rapid study by international scientists released Wednesday. Sizzling temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) were recorded in monitoring stations in parts of India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Laos last month — which was unusually high for the time of year. The climate change-fueled heat caused deaths, widespread hospitalizations, damaged roads, sparked fires and led to school closures in the region. The World Weather Attribution group uses established models to quickly determine whether climate change played a part in extreme weather events. While the studies themselves are not yet peer-reviewed, which is the gold standard for science, they are often later published in peer-reviewed journals.In Thailand, high temperatures mixed with humidity meant some parts of the country felt above 50 degrees Celsi...

Tunisian journalist sentenced to 5 years in prison for counterterrorism reporting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:25 GMT

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — A Tunisian appeals court has sentenced a journalist to five years in prison for revealing details of a counterterrorism operation and refusing to reveal his sources, according to his lawyer, prompting outcry from media rights advocates.Khalifa Guesmi’s lawyer said he would appeal to Tunisia’s highest court. More than 30 rights groups issued a statement denouncing the conviction and expressing concern about a growing crackdown on dissent.It appeared to be the worst sentence against a journalist in Tunisia since the 2011 Arab Spring revolution pushed out a long-serving autocrat and ushered in a new democratic system with more media freedom.Guesmi had been sentenced to one year in prison by a lower court. Counterterrorism judges at the Tunis appeals court on Monday upheld the conviction and toughened the sentence to five years, Guesmi said in a Facebook post Tuesday.Guesmi was convicted of intentionally divulging sensitive security information in an article about ...

Russia poised to decide if Ukraine’s grain deal survives. That’s a risk to global food security

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:25 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — The United Nations is racing to extend a deal that has allowed shipments of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea to parts of the world struggling with hunger, helping ease a global food crisis exacerbated by the war Russia launched more than a year ago.The breakthrough accord that the U.N. and Turkey brokered with the warring sides last summer came with a separate agreement to facilitate shipments of Russian food and fertilizer that Moscow insists hasn’t been applied. Russia set a Thursday deadline for its concerns to be ironed out or it’s bowing out. Such brinkmanship isn’t new: With a similar extension in the balance in March, Russia unilaterally decided to renew the deal for just 60 days instead of the 120 days outlined in the agreement. The last ship participating in the deal left Ukraine on Wednesday hauling corn to Turkey. No vessels have been cleared to enter the country’s three open ports since May 6.U.N. officials and analysts warn tha...

Man with loaded gun arrested at Yorkdale Mall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:25 GMT

A man is under arrest after he allegedly brought a loaded gun to a busy Toronto mall.Officers were called to Yorkdale Mall shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday for reports of someone with a gun near the Louis Vuitton store.The male suspect was located and arrested inside the mall. A loaded gun was recovered at the scene.Police say no one was injured.PERSON WITH A GUN: UPDATEYorkdale Mall– Police are on scene @TPS32Div– The suspect was located and arrested in the mall– A loaded firearm has been recovered– No reports of anyone injured^lb— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) May 16, 2023

Five dead as heavy rains in northern Italy burst riverbanks, flood towns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:25 GMT

ROME (AP) — Officials in northern Italy warned residents to get to higher ground Wednesday amid fears that rain-swollen rivers would again burst their banks, after flooding killed at least five people, forced the evacuation of some 5,000 and suspended some train services.Days of heavy rain stretched across a broad swath of northern Italy and the Balkans, where “apocalyptic” floods, landslides and evacuations were also reported in Croatia, Bosnia and Slovenia.Italian Civil Protection Minister Nello Musemeci said five people were confirmed killed by flooding that struck Emilia-Romagna particularly hard, forcing the evacuation of 24 towns. At a briefing, Musemeci said he hoped those still reported missing would turn out to be false alarms. The mayor of the city of Cesena, Enzo Lattuca, posted a video early Wednesday on Facebook to warn that continued downpours in the Emilia-Romagna region could flood the Savio river and smaller tributaries for a second day. He urged residents to move t...

4 teens killed in multi-vehicle crash in Wheeling

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:25 GMT

WHEELING, Ill. — At least four teenagers were killed in a three-vehicle crash in Wheeling.According to police, the crash happened around 10:20 p.m. Tuesday at the intersection of Dundee and Schoenbeck roads.Four teens, between the ages of 16 and 18, were killed. Their identities have not yet been released.Seven people were extricated and transported to local hospitals, police said. Police said speed and a disregard for traffic signals seem to be the primary factors of the crash. Police investigate after reported shooting on I-290; all lanes closed at Central The fatal crash is under investigation. No further information has been provided at this time.Anyone with information regarding the crash is urged to contact the Wheeling Police Department at 847-459-2632.

Police investigate after reported shooting on I-290

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:25 GMT

CHICAGO — Illinois State Police are investigating after a reported shooting on Interstate 290 Wednesday morning.The incident was reported around 6 a.m. on the expressway near the Cicero Avenue ramp. Reports say a person was shot in the leg.EB I-290 is a mess. All lanes remain closed at Central for shooting investigation. Delays now go back to Mannheim. pic.twitter.com/KMR6t27lCg— Sarah Jindra (@SarahJindra) May 17, 2023All lanes were closed at Central Avenue as police investigated and canvased the area, but reopened just before 7 a.m. Wednesday.No further details have been provided.This is a developing story. Check back for details.

Japan's economy rebounds on healthy consumption as COVID restrictions ease, tourists arrive

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:25 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s economy grew at an annual pace of 1.6% in the quarter through March as private demand rebounded after COVID-19-related restrictions were eased, according to data released Wednesday.Real gross domestic product, which measures the sum value of a nation’s products and services, grew 0.4% in January-March on-quarter in the world’s third largest economy, the government Cabinet Office said.That was the strongest GDP growth pace since April-June 2022 marked a 1.1% growth. It was also better than the market consensus forecast of 0.2%.The annualized pace shows what the growth would have been if what was marked during the quarter had continued for a year.The biggest contributor to growth was private demand, surging an annual 3.1%, with consumer spending and private investment showing a healthy rebound. The recent opening of borders to tourists and other incoming travel has also helped consumption perk up. Public demand grew at an annualized 1.8%.“Japan’s economy appe...