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Now you see it, now you don’t: Banksy stop sign taken from London street soon after it appears

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:01:24 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The elusive artist Banksy displayed his latest work on a London street corner and it was taken less than hour after he confirmed its installation Friday.A red stop sign with three military drones on it was taken in the middle of the day by a man with bolt cutters as witnesses snapped photos and shot video in the Peckham section of south London.People commenting on Banksy’s Instagram accurately predicted it wouldn’t be there long after the artist posted a photo of it. Some of his work has sold for tens of millions of dollars.“I went there thinking that people want that, I wanted to see it before something happened to it,” a man who only wanted to be known as Alex told the Press Association.He was among the many onlookers who watched in awe as a man in a red and black jacket climbed up on a bike next to the post where the sign was bolted to and began hitting it with his hands.“We said, ‘What are you doing?’ but no one really knew what to do, we sort of just w...

Former NFL player Mike Williams died of dental-related sepsis, medical examiner says

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:01:24 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Former NFL player Mike Williams died from a rare form of sepsis related to dental health problems, according to a medical examiner’s report released Friday.Williams, 36, died Sept. 12 after being hospitalized following a construction accident while working as an electrician. The wide receiver played four seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after he was drafted out of Syracuse in 2010. His best season was as a rookie when he led the team with 11 touchdowns and had 964 receiving yards. He also played for the Buffalo Bills and was on the Kansas City Chiefs’ roster before leaving the NFL in 2016.The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s report says the cause of Williams’ death was bacterial sepsis traced to a dental infection and “retained tooth roots.” The report is preliminary. A full autopsy will be released later and include toxicology and other information, officials said Friday.The initial report also cites cardiovascular disease as a ...

Concordia offers new award of up to $4,000 in response to Quebec tuition hike

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:01:24 GMT

Montreal’s Concordia University has announced financial support of up to $4,000 for new Canadian undergraduate students from outside Quebec starting next fall.The school says it is introducing the Canada Scholars Awards to address concerns that a government-imposed $3,000 tuition increase for out-of-province students will deter them from coming to Quebec.The value of the award will depend on high school students’ average grade at the time of admission to Concordia, ranging from $1,500 for a B-minus to $4,000 for an A-plus.The university says students will be automatically considered for the award and it will be renewable for the duration of a student’s degree, so long as they maintain their academic standing.Concordia’s announcement follows a similar offer from McGill University, which next year will begin presenting a $3,000 award to out-of-province undergraduates in most departments.Concordia also announced a new, one-time $2,000 award for undergraduates wh...

UN to vote on watered-down resolution on aid to Gaza without call for suspension of hostilities

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:01:24 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — After many delays, the U.N. Security Council scheduled a vote Friday on a watered-down resolution to deliver desperately needed aid to Gaza. The revised text is backed by the United States, while Russia and other countries still support stronger wording that would include a call for “the urgent suspension of hostilities” between Israel and Hamas.Council members met behind closed doors on Thursday to discuss a revised draft resolution, then delayed the vote so they could consult their capitals on the significant changes, aimed at avoiding a U.S. veto. A new text with a few minor revisions was circulated Friday morning.It was unclear whether the resolution would be adopted. One council diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity because discussions were private, said Russia holds the key.U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters the United States backs the new text. She didn’t say how the U.S. would vote, but an abstention would still allow adoption...

S&P/TSX composite up 150 points, U.S. stock markets also rise

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:01:24 GMT

TORONTO — Gains in financial and base metals stocks helped lift Canada’s main stock index by more than 100 points in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets also rose.The S&P/TSX composite index was up 150.50 points at 20,916.23.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 35.58 points at 37,439.93. The S&P 500 index was up 15.46 points at 4,762.21, while the Nasdaq composite was up 44.85 points at 15,008.71.The Canadian dollar traded for 75.36 cents US compared with 75.13 cents US on Thursday.The February crude oil contract was down 27 cents at US$73.62 per barrel and the February natural gas contract was down two cents at US$2.44 per mmBTU.The February gold contract was up US$21.70 at US$2,073 an ounce and the March copper contract was down a penny at US$3.91 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 22, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)The Canadian Press

Mexico’s president is willing to help with border migrant crush but wants US to open talks with Cuba

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:01:24 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president said Friday that he is willing to help out with a surge of migrants that led to the closure of border crossings with the United States, but he wants the U.S. government to open talks with Cuba and send more development aid to migrants’ home countries. The comments by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador came a day after the U.S. announced that a delegation of top U.S. officials would visit Mexico for talks on how to enforce immigration rules at the two countries’ shared border.López Obrador confirmed that U.S. officials want Mexico to do more to block migrants at its southern border with Guatemala, or make it more difficult to move across Mexico by train or in trucks or buses, a policy known as “contention.”But the president said that in exchange he wanted the United States to send more development aid to migrants’ home countries, and to reduce or eliminate sanctions against Cuba and Venezuela. “We are going to help, as we always do...

New Hampshire newspaper publisher fined $620 over political advertisement omissions

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:01:24 GMT

DERRY, N.H. (AP) — A judge has fined the New Hampshire publisher of a weekly community newspaper $620 after finding her guilty of five misdemeanor charges that she ran advertisements for local races without properly marking them as political advertising. The judge had acquitted Debra Paul, publisher of the Londonderry Times, of a sixth misdemeanor charge following a bench trial in November. Paul initially faced a maximum penalty of up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine on each charge. But prosecutors did not ask for jail time. Instead, they requested a total fine of $3,720, plus 100 hours of community service. Paul’s lawyer asked for a $500 fine — $100 per each charge — and said she already performs a service and volunteers in the community. The judge issued his sentence late Wednesday.Prosecutors said they warned her more than once that the ads didn’t have the required language. They said Paul disregarded the warnings.Her lawyer, Anthony Naro, said Paul, who’s ne...

Federal government posts $15.1 billion deficit between April and October this year

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:01:24 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal government recorded a budgetary deficit of $15.1 billion between April and October, $7 billion of which was in October. The finance department says in its monthly fiscal monitor that the deficit between April and October compared with a deficit of $0.2 billion during the same period last year. Government revenues increased by $3 billion, or 1.2 per cent, a reflection of higher interest revenues and other non-tax revenues.Program expenses excluding net actuarial losses were up $11.8 billion, or 5.4 per cent, from the same period a year earlier, as spending across all major categories rose.Public debt charges were up $7.5 billion, or 38.1 per cent, largely due to higher interest rates but partly offset by lower consumer price index adjustments on real return bonds.Net actuarial losses decreased by $1.3 billion, or 23.2 per cent, compared with the same period last year.

A court in Romania rejects Andrew Tate’s request to visit his ailing mother in the UK

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:01:24 GMT

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A Romanian court on Friday rejected a request by the divisive influencer Andrew Tate to temporarily leave the country to visit his mother in the U.K. after she had suffered a heart attack, his spokesperson said. Tate is charged in Romania with human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.After the Bucharest Court of Appeal’s decision, Tate’s spokesperson said the ruling “has left us disheartened.” On Thursday, Tate said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that his mother was hospitalized and that he would ask the court for “an emergency visit to London.”The court’s decision came nearly a year after Tate, his brother Tristan and two Romanian women were arrested near Bucharest. Romanian prosecutors formally indicted all four in June. They have denied the allegations and a trial date hasn’t been confirmed. Still, they can’t leave the country.“Andrew and Tristan have maintained an impeccable record of adhering to all r...

Dean's Reviews: Aquaman, American Fiction, Iron Claw, Migration

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:01:24 GMT

WGN's Dean Richards gives his grades for some of the top films at the box office in the busiest movie weekend of the year. The 'Aquaman' sequel, 'American Fiction,' 'Iron Claw' and 'Migration' highlight a huge Christmas weekend at the box office. Dean’s Weekender: ‘It’s A Wonderful Life,’ the Grinch, ‘A Christmas Carol’ and 2 versions of ‘The Nutcracker’ highlight the Christmas weekend Get Dean’s reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean’s Downloads weekly newsletter. You’ll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!