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Martti Ahtisaari, former Finnish president, global peace broker and Nobel Peace Prize winner, dies

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:53:21 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — Martti Ahtisaari, the former president of Finland and global peace broker who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008 for his work to resolve international conflicts, died Monday. He was 86.The foundation he created for preventing and resolving violent conflicts said in a statement it was “deeply saddened by the loss of its founder and (former) chair of the board.”In 2021, it was announced that Ahtisaari had advanced Alzheimer’s disease. “It is with great sadness that we have received the news of the death of President Martti Ahtisaari,” Finnish President Sauli Niinistö said in a statement. “He was president in times of change, who piloted Finland into a global EU era.”Niinistö described Ahtisaari in a televised speech as “a citizen of the world, a great Finn. A teacher, diplomat and head of state. A peace negotiator and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.” Ahtisaari helped reach peace accords related to Serbia’s withdrawal from Kosovo in the late 1990s, Namibia’s ...

Prosecutor says gag order in Trump US election interference case wouldn’t affect ability to campaign

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:53:21 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal prosecutor on Monday pressed the judge overseeing Donald Trump’s election interference case in Washington to impose a gag order aimed at reining in the former president’s diatribes against likely witnesses and others, saying the restrictions would not impact his abilities to campaign. In asking U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to impose the narrow gag order, special counsel Jack Smith’s team has accused the Republican of using increasingly incendiary rhetoric to try to undermine the public’s confidence in the justice system and taint the jury pool. “We have no interest in stopping the defendant from running for office or defending his reputation, nor does our proposed order do this,” prosecutor Molly Gaston said.Trump’s lawyer John Lauro accused prosecutors of “seeking to censor a political candidate in the middle of a campaign.” But the judge shot back that Trump “does not have a right to say and do exactly as he pleases.” ...

Zexi Li, ‘Freedom Convoy’ lawyers spar over use of the word ‘occupation’ in court

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:53:21 GMT

OTTAWA — The woman who went to court to get an injunction against the “Freedom Convoy” last year repeatedly called the demonstration an “occupation,” to the exasperation of the protest organizers’ lawyers.Zexi Li took the stand in the criminal trial of Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, who are accused mischief and counselling others to commit mischief, among other charges.In her testimony, Li used the word occupation to describe the protest, in which big-rigs, trucks and large crowds of people blocked streets in downtown Ottawa for weeks.Barber’s lawyer objected to her use of the word, calling it inflammatory. Judge Heather Perkins-McVey told Li she would prefer her to use the words “protest” or “demonstration.”Li is the lead plaintiff in a proposed class-action lawsuit against convoy organizers on behalf of downtown Ottawa residents, workers and business owners.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 202...

Stock market today: Wall Street rises, and oil and gold slip as some of last week’s moves unwind

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:53:21 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are rising Monday as some of last week’s moves driven by worries about war in the Middle East unwind.The S&P 500 was 1% higher in morning trading and on track for its best day since the Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel by Hamas. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 294 points, or 0.9%, as of 10:30 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.2% higher.Treasury yields were climbing after falling last week on worries that fighting in Gaza will escalate. The price of gold also slipped as last week’s flight toward safer investments waned. Oil prices were lower after a volatile week spurred by worries that the war could lead to disruptions to supplies from Iran or other big crude producers.A measure of nervousness among stock investors on Wall Street was on track for its first drop in three days as some investors look toward what’s hoped to be a better reporting season for corporate profits. More than 50 companies in the S&P 500 will tell inves...

2 dead in fiery Mississauga crash, 1 charged with impaired driving

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:53:21 GMT

Two people are dead, and one man faces charges following a multi-vehicle crash on the QEW in Mississauga this weekend.Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said the fatal collision happened on the eastbound portion of the highway between Erin Mills Parkway and Mississauga Road just after midnight on Sunday.Sgt. Kerry Schmidt says four vehicles were involved, two of which caught fire.“What we understand at this time is that the QEW in this area was under construction, and the left lane and middle lane were closed, forcing all traffic into the far right lane, causing slowdowns and congestion,” Sgt. Schmidt said.“Another vehicle reportedly coming in at a high rate of speed slammed into the last vehicle in line, causing a multi-vehicle chain reaction pushing the vehicles forward, causing four vehicles to be damaged.”Sgt. Schmidt said the first vehicle hit had two occupants — a 34-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman, both from Hamilton. That car and the first one...

Business gloom deepens as sales moderate, Bank of Canada survey finds

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:53:21 GMT

OTTAWA — The Bank of Canada says its business outlook survey indicator fell in the third quarter as companies expect sales growth to slow over the coming year.The bank’s business outlook survey report says the indicator was at its lowest level in over a decade, except for a brief period early in the COVID-19 pandemic.The report found the negative effects of rising interest rates are spreading with more businesses thinking higher rates will constrain sales and investment plans.The survey also suggested that inflation expectations among businesses edged down but remained higher than before the pandemic.Meanwhile, the bank’s Canadian survey of consumer expectations suggested consumers’ expectations of inflation remain elevated with the gap between perceptions and actual inflation unusually wide.It says the rising cost of living remains the most pressing concern for consumers.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2023.The Canadian Press

Russia’s assault on a key eastern Ukraine city reported to be weakening. The war marks 600 days

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:53:21 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A dayslong attempt by Russian forces to storm a strategically important city in eastern Ukraine appears to be running out of steam, Kyiv officials said Monday, as the Kremlin’s war entered its 600th day.Ukrainian forces repelled 15 Russian attacks from four directions on Avdiivka over the previous 24 hours, the Ukrainian General Staff said.That compared with up to 60 attacks a day in the middle of last week, according to Vitalii Barabash, head of the city administration. The slackening suggests the Russian effort to capture Avdiivka has “deflated,” Barabash said.A Washington-based think tank broadly concurred with that assessment. “Russian forces continued offensive operations aimed at encircling Avdiivka … but have yet to make further gains amid a likely decreasing tempo of Russian operations in the area,” the Institute for the Study of War said in analysis published late Sunday.Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, told a U.N. Security C...

Amex partners with F1 in 1st new sports sponsorship for payment company in more than a decade

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:53:21 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — American Express on Monday announced a multi-year partnership with Formula One in the first new sports sponsorship in more than a decade for the global payment company. The deal to become the official payments partner of F1 in the Americas is Amex’s first multi-market sports partnership and spans the global racing series’ stops in Austin, Texas; Mexico City; São Paulo; Las Vegas; Miami and Montreal. American Express will also sponsor F1 Academy. F1 races this weekend at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, in Mexico City the next weekend and then Brazil before the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix in November. “The F1 fan base and viewership has grown exponentially over the past several years, so we are thrilled to bring the exclusive access and unique experiences that American Express is known for to our card members and racing fans,” said Elizabeth Rutledge, chief marketing officer for American Express. “The addition of F1 to our global portfoli...

Ford Executive Chair Bill Ford calls on autoworkers to end strike, says company’s future is at stake

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:53:21 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Ford Motor Co. Executive Chairman Bill Ford called on autoworkers to come together to end a monthlong strike that he says could cost the company the ability to invest in the future.In a rare speech during contract talks in the company’s hometown of Dearborn, Michigan, Ford said high labor costs could limit the company’s ability to make future investments. “If we lose it, we will lose to the competition. America loses. Many jobs will be lost,” said the great grandson of company founder Henry Ford.The company, he said, builds more vehicles in America and has more United Auto Workers employees than any company as he called for an end to what he said was an acrimonious strike.The company is near an impasse with the United Auto Workers union, which walked out in targeted strikes at all three Detroit automakers on Sept. 15, Last week 8,700 union members walked out at the largest and most profitable Ford plant in the world, the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville....

23-year-old pedestrian struck and killed on Hwy. 401 in Oshawa

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:53:21 GMT

A 23-year-old pedestrian is dead after being struck by a vehicle on Highway 401 in Durham Region on Sunday night.Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say they received numerous calls for someone standing in the westbound lanes of the highway in Oshawa around 11:30 p.m. By the time the officers arrived the pedestrian had been struck. A 23-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt says investigators are still trying to determine exactly how the collision occurred.The westbound 401 was closed at Harmony Road for the investigation. The lanes reopened around 6 a.m.Police are asking any witnesses or anyone with additional information to contact them.23-year-old pedestrian stuck and killed in a collision with a vehicle on WB #Hwy401/Harmony Rd in Oshawa. 11:39pm 15 Oct '23. Any witnesses are asked to call #TorontoOPP – 905-668-3388 ^ks pic.twitter.com/mmDSzdNfzf— OPP Highway Safety Division (@OPP_HSD) October 16, 2023