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Federal government posts $4.3 billion deficit between April and August this year

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:20 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal government posted a budgetary deficit of $4.3 billion from April to August.In its monthly fiscal monitor, the Finance Department says this compares to a surplus of $3.9 billion during the same period of the 2022-23 fiscal year. Government revenues increased $2.4 billion, or 1.4 per cent, largely due to higher interest revenues and other non-tax revenues.Program expenses excluding net actuarial losses increased $7.4 billion, or 4.8 per cent. Public debt charges grew by $4.1 billion, or 27.7 per cent, largely due to higher interest rates. Net actuarial losses decreased by $0.9 billion, or 22.7 per cent, compared to the same period last year. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2023.The Canadian Press

Christian right cheers new House speaker, conservative evangelical Mike Johnson, as one of their own

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:20 GMT

Evangelical Christian conservatives have long had allies in top Republican leadership in Congress. But never before have they had one so thoroughly embedded in their movement as new House Speaker Mike Johnson, a longtime culture warrior in the courthouse, in the classroom and in Congress.Religious conservatives cheered Johnson’s election Wednesday, after which he brought his Bible to the rostrum before taking the oath of office. “The Bible is very clear that God is the one that raises up those in authority … each of you, all of us,” he said.“Someone asked me today in the media, ‘People are curious, what does Mike Johnson think about any issue?’” Johnson said Thursday in a Fox News interview. “I said, ’Well, go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it. That’s my worldview.’”But progressive faith leaders are sounding the alarm about Johnson’s opposition to LGBTQ rights and his rallying of Republicans around former President Donald Trump’s legal effort to overturn t...

Cruise, GM’s robotaxi service, suspends all driverless operations nationwide

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:20 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Cruise, the autonomous vehicle unit owned by General Motors, is suspending driverless operations nationwide days after regulators in California found that its driverless cars posed a danger to public safety. The California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the license for Cruise, which recently began transporting passengers throughout San Francisco, this week.Cruise is also being investigated by U.S. regulators after receiving reports of potential risks to pedestrians and passengers.“We have decided to proactively pause driverless operations across all of our fleets while we take time to examine our processes, systems, and tools and reflect on how we can better operate in a way that will earn public trust,” Cruise wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday night.The choice to suspend its driverless services isn’t related to any new on-road incidents, Cruise added. Human-supervised operations of Cruise’s autonomous vehicles, or AVs,...

3 teens arrested as suspects in the killing of a homeless man in Germany

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:20 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Three teenagers were arrested as suspects in the killing in Germany of a homeless man, which one of them apparently filmed, authorities said Friday.A passer-by found the victim’s body on Thursday in a meadow in Horn-Bad Meinberg, a town in a rural region of western Germany. On Friday, police and prosecutors said in a statement that a 14-year-old boy and two 15-year-olds were arrested as suspects.They said that the suspects and the man appeared to have met by chance and that they had a video of the crime, which they believe was filmed and circulated by one of the suspects.Prosecutor Alexander Goerlitz told German news agency dpa that the two elder suspects had admitted to using violence against the man.The Associated Press

Kitten dies after woman used it to beat partner in domestic dispute: Kingston police

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:20 GMT

Kingston police have charged a 57-year-old woman after she allegedly struck her partner multiple times with a kitten before throwing it at him, killing the small animal in the process.Officers were called to a home in the city’s west end on Saturday, October 21, at around 4:00 a.m. for reports of a domestic dispute.Once at the home, police determined that a male and female were involved in a verbal argument that took a violent and disturbing turn when the female picked up the couple’s kitten and began “hitting the male in the chest with the kitten multiple times before throwing the kitten at him.”The kitten did not survive, police confirmed.“The female continued to throw items at the male, forcing him to leave the residence until police arrived,” police said in a release.The unidentified woman was arrested and charged with assault with a weapon as well as kill/maim/wound/poison/injure dogs/birds or animals other than cattle, and breach of recogniz...

Immigration minister announces new rules to curb international student fraud schemes

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:20 GMT

OTTAWA — Immigration Minister Marc Miller has announced new rules aimed at protecting international students from fraud, following an investigation this summer into more than 100 cases involving fake admission letters. The immigration department launched a task force in June to investigate a scheme that dates back to 2017, which saw immigration agents issue fake acceptance letters to get international students into Canada.Of the 103 cases reviewed so far, roughly 40 per cent of students appeared to be in on the scheme, while the rest were victims of it. Miller says schools that accept international students will have to confirm every applicant’s letter of acceptance with the Immigration Department starting on Dec. 1.The minister is also eyeing schools themselves, and plans to set up a system that benefits post-secondary learning institutions that have higher standards for services, supports and outcomes for international students in time for the next fall semester.Applicants f...

Sleep Country to give Silk & Snow acquisition first brick-and-mortar presence

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:20 GMT

TORONTO — Sleep Country Canada Holdings Inc. will give one of its newest acquisitions its first ever brick-and-mortar store next month.The mattress and bedding retailer says its latest Sleep Country location in Ottawa will be anchored by a shop dedicated solely to Silk & Snow.The brand acquired by Sleep Country in January evolved from a Kickstarter campaign in 2017 to become a purveyor of high-quality sleep and lifestyle products.Silk & Snow focuses on bedding crafted from traceable raw materials and uses sustainable manufacturing practices.Sleep Country says the new store coming to the Westboro neighbourhood is meant to offer a premium experience.The store will be inspired by the company’s dedication to mid-century modern styles and blend of Japanese and Scandinavian design.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:ZZZ)The Canadian Press

UIC welcomes Beautiful Lives Project for inclusive basketball camp

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:20 GMT

CHICAGO — With every dribble, every pass and every shot, memories were made on the UIC Flames Athletics Center floor during a recent October morning. “It’s amazing I just met someone named Keith, he’s in a wheelchair. Just to see the smile on his face is everything to me,” said UIC senior forward/guard Jaida McCloud.  “It was an honor to play with them,” said Keith Johnson Jr., a Beautiful Lives Project participant. “I had so much fun can’t describe it.” 19-year-old Johnson Jr. was one of 50 adults and kids with disabilities playing the game with the UIC women’s basketball team as part of a recent event hosted by the non-profit Beautiful Lives Project, co-founded by Claremont, Illinois native Bryce Weiler. “I wanted to found the Beautiful Lives Project after sitting on the Evansville Aces men’s basketball bench at the invitation of former head coach Marty Simmons. Sitting on Evansville’s bench changed my life and got me to experience college basketball,” Weiler said. ...

Santos pleads not guilty to new charges, trial set for September 2024

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:20 GMT

Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) pleaded not guilty to federal charges of fraudulently inflating his campaign finance reports and charging his donors’ credit cards without authorization.Santos appeared in court in Central Islip, N.Y., on Friday for his arraignment on the 10 additional charges prosecutors unveiled in a superseding indictment earlier this month.During the proceeding, U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert set the trial to begin on Sept. 9, 2024, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney prosecuting the case. The parties had requested a trial date months earlier, either in May or June.Santos’s next court appearance is set for Dec. 12, the spokesperson said.His plea comes as political and legal pressure grows on Santos, including a new effort from a group of fellow New York Republicans to have him expelled from the House.Santos has been the subject of controversy ever since he arrived on Capitol Hill in January after he admitted to embellishing parts of his backgrou...

Taylor Swift's net worth exceeds $1 billion, analysts say

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:17:20 GMT

(WJW) - Between her massively successful stadium tour, rumored relationship with Kansas City Chiefs' Travis Kelce and, most recently, a strong showing at the box-office this month, Taylor Swift just can't seem to stay out of the spotlight. Now, the popstar just crossed another milestone: She's a billionaire, according to some reports. ‘We are deeply hurt’: Cavs legend Bobby ‘Bingo’ Smith mourned As first reported in a Bloomberg News analysis, Swift's net worth has exceeded $1 billion. The analysis credits the achievement to the singer's Eras Tour, which has filled stadiums across the country.The U.S. leg of the stadium tour ends with a stop in Indianapolis on Nov. 3 before Swift goes international later in the month. According to some estimates, the Eras Tour is projected to earn some $1.4 billion. ‘Rich history’: Cleveland Aquarium demolition makes way for lakefront Earlier this month, the concert even made its way to the silver screen, with “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” m...