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Russian billionaire couple claims Canadian sanctions are unjustified and unreasonable

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:39:18 GMT

Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko and his wife Aleksandra want to be taken off Canada’s sanctions list, claiming in Federal Court they’ve been wrongfully labelled as “elites and close associates” of the Russian regime. The Melnichenkos filed two applications in the Federal Court of Canada in late March, seeking to quash a decision to place them under sanctions related to the war in Ukraine. Court documents obtained by The Canadian Press reveal that the pair have been fighting their inclusion on Canada’s list of “designated persons” under its Russian sanctions regime since October 2022. Back in February, the Trudeau government announced amendments to the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations, which included placing the Melnichenkos on a list of 122 sanctioned individuals tied to the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The couple claim the Canadian government has failed to provide them with any evidence to justify the...

Talk of LNG as clean fuel alternative risks losing sight of climate goals: experts

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:39:18 GMT

WASHINGTON — The progressive side of Canada’s fossil-fuel energy debate is pushing back against the prospect of relying on natural gas as a path to a carbon-free future. High prices and a spike in demand, largely the result of Russia’s war in Ukraine, are giving momentum to the idea that liquified natural gas could replace coal-fuelled power around the world. But critics call it a short-sighted and counterproductive notion that ignores economic and practical realities both in Canada and around the globe. Nichole Dusyk, a senior policy adviser with the International Institute for Sustainable Development, says renewable energy sources like wind and solar are growing more viable every day. Dusyk says renewables have the added advantage of not being global commodities subject to the whims of market forces. It’s no secret Canada can’t properly export its natural gas riches, she adds — and even if it could fix its capacity challenges, it would be too late to meet c...

Daily horoscope for April 16, 2023

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:39:18 GMT

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Pisces.Happy Birthday for Sunday, April 16, 2023:You are charming and interesting. In turn, you are fascinated by profound ideas and philosophies. You are always generous. This year is the final year of a nine-year cycle, which means it’s time to let go of anyone and anything that is holding you back. Clear the decks!ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★★Today you will enjoy working alone or behind the scenes in a gentle, quiet way. You’re in a positive frame of mind and will like to reorganize things at home. You might spontaneously buy something, especially on the q.t. Tonight: You’re restless. This Week: Money delays. Checks in the mail will be late.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★★You might meet someone unusual today, or someone you know might surprise you. Or you might encounter a group of interesting people. Be open to whatever happens, because you have the social energy and disp...

Dear Abby: I can’t believe she ended our friendship over this wedding dispute

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:39:18 GMT

DEAR ABBY: I am heartbroken over the loss of my best friend of more than 30 years.“Barb” and I met in college. We live and are raising our families in the same city and are godmothers to each other’s children. My children and hers have grown up together and are best friends.Our friendship ended abruptly about six months ago at my daughter’s wedding. Barb had a lot to drink at the reception. When she was ready to go home, my son and I walked out with her and quietly told her we would give her a ride home.Barb was adamant about driving herself home, although we knew she was too drunk to get there safely. We eventually had to physically take away her keys so she couldn’t drive herself. This was done away from the party so as not to make a scene.Barb finally agreed, but during the drive she announced that our friendship was over. I assumed she would call me in the next couple days, embarrassed about her behavior, and everything would be good again.Related A...

Former Indian lawmaker, brother fatally shot live on TV

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:39:18 GMT

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — A former Indian lawmaker convicted of kidnapping and facing murder and assault charges was shot dead along with his brother in a dramatic attack that was caught live on TV in northern India, officials said Sunday.Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were under police escort on their way to a medical checkup at a hospital on Saturday night when three men posing as journalists targeted the two brothers from close range in Prayagraj city in Uttar Pradesh state.The men quickly surrendered to the police after the shooting, with at least one of them chanting “Jai Shri Ram,” or “Hail Lord Ram,” a slogan that has become a battle cry for Hindu nationalists in their campaign against Muslims.Uttar Pradesh is governed by India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party.Police officer Ramit Sharma said the three assailants came on motorcycles posing as journalists. “They managed to reach close to Atiq and his brother on the pretext of recording a byte and fired at them f...

Terror en Lousiville: tiroteo en parque repleto de personas deja al menos dos muertos y cuatro heridos

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:39:18 GMT

KENTUCKY – Autoridades en la ciudad de Lousiville investigan un tiroteo que dejó al menos dos muertos la noche del sábado.Según la policía de la ciudad, el tiroteo ocurrió alrededor de las 9p.m., cuando un pistolero baleó al menos seis personas en el parque Chickasaw Park.“Cientos de personas estaban en el parque en el momento del tiroteo, cuando un sujeto comenzó a disparar contra la multitud”, detalló el subjefe del Departamento de Policía Metropolitana de Louisville, Paul Humphrey.Se informó que el incidente dejó a dos personas sin vida y a cuatro heridos de bala. Los investigadores resaltaron que hasta el momento no hay sospechosos bajo custodia y le pidieron a cualquier persona con información que se comunique con ellos.El incidente se produjo a menos de una semana después de que un sujeto arremetiera a balazos contra un grupo de empleados dentro de un banco en Louisville, matando a cinco de sus compañeros de trabajo.Source

How new-school data and old-school communication are helping Orioles hitters jump on starters

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:39:18 GMT

Austin Hays remembers a time when iPads weren’t in the Orioles’ dugout.Hays made his big league debut in 2017, one year after MLB began allowing teams to access the devices during games. But the Orioles, under the previous regime, didn’t have iPads containing vast amounts of data available for players to use during the game, Hays said.Now, though, the days of simply asking fellow hitters coming back into the dugout questions about the pitcher’s velocity, movement and release point are mostly in the past.“We actually have numbers and diagrams for that now,” Hays said. “We don’t have to ask those questions anymore because we’re totally prepared.”The data on the iPads — which MLB in 2021 broadened to include in-game video recordings — is just one tool, co-hitting coach Ryan Fuller said, that has allowed the Orioles to jump on starting pitchers earlier than the club did in 2022 and better than any other team in base...

Traffic collision kills 7 police officers in Pakistan’s SW

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:39:18 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A head-on traffic collision in Pakistan’s southwest killed seven police officers who were returning home for the Eid holidays, an official said. They died at the scene of the crash on a national highway in the Khuzdar area of Baluchistan province on Saturday night, according to police official Fahad Khoso.Khoso said the collision was between the officers’ vehicle and a truck. The seven men had finished a course at police training college.In a separate incident, a shootout in the country’s restive northwest killed two soldiers and eight militants.The Pakistani army said late Saturday there was an intense exchange of fire between security forces and militants during the raid on a hideout in South Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.Weapons and ammunition were recovered from the slain militants, the army said. The country is seeing a rise in militant attacks since the end of a cease-fire last November between the banned group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pak...

Letters: The true genius of democracy

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:39:18 GMT

The genius of democracyI appreciated George Will’s Thursday piece, (“How, ‘I despise, therefore I am,’ locks in the political status quo”), in that I think I actually understood most of it.What is happening to American politics? It is like the IQ of our elected officials has plummeted to a level moronic. I have seen better reasoning in operation with my preschool grandchildren. People keep trying to reassure me that it’s no worse than usual.Thank goodness we live in a democracy, whose true genius, I have come to think, is that no one gets their own way for long enough to do much harm.G.J. Mayer, Forest Lake Financing health careMy heart goes out to the people described in your article, “States confront medical debt that’s bankrupting millions.” What a burden it must be to face financial ruin after being arbitrarily stricken by a medical condition. The article points out that half a million Americans experience that nightmare every year.The so...

Ask Amy: My friends walked out of the funeral, and I was frozen in shock

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:39:18 GMT

Dear Amy: I appreciate the conversation in your column about funerals.While I understand that these events can be healing for family members, they can also be traumatic for some.Many years ago, I lost my partner to AIDS. He came from a very religious family who had always treated me kindly.My partner had requested that his parents be allowed to handle the funeral service, as it was important to them, and I agreed.I flew to his childhood home with my mother and several of our mutual friends, and was welcomed warmly by the family at the viewing and treated as the grieving widower that I was.However, at the funeral the next day, the officiant went on and on about how my partner would be going to Hell and would remain there until his mother passed and “redeemed” him for his sinful “life choices,” along with many other remarks about his “lifestyle.”Many of our mutual friends walked out.Sitting in the front pews with my mother, I simply sat in shock. I was horrified and devastated, but th...