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Liberals, Conservatives both claim byelection victories prove their message is best

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:42:43 GMT

OTTAWA — Four former political staffers are headed to Parliament Hill as new MPs following byelections in three provinces Monday that featured no surprises — but possibly delivered some relief for both Liberals and Conservatives.New Democrats will be less enthusiastic about the results. While it wasn’t expected to win any of the seats, its vote share fell in all four. That seemed mostly to benefit the Liberals, whom the NDP have been supporting in the House of Commons for more than a year.The Liberals are exhaling after winning both Winnipeg South-Centre and the Montreal seat of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce-Westmount with more than 50 per cent of the vote.Both seats are traditionally Liberal strongholds, but following months of difficulty for the government over its handling of foreign interference, and more recently the transfer of convicted murderer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security prison, the two sizable victories were a much-needed boost of confidence.“I think we were very ...

Biden discusses risks and promises of artificial intelligence with tech leaders in San Francisco

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:42:43 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — President Joe Biden convened a group of technology leaders on Tuesday to debate what he called the “risks and enormous promises” of artificial intelligence.The Biden administration is seeking to figure out how to regulate the emergent field of AI, looking for ways to nurture its potential for economic growth and national security and protect against its potential dangers. “We’ll see more technological change in the next 10 years that we saw in the last 50 years,” Biden said as the meeting with eight technology experts from academia and advocacy groups kicked off.“AI is already driving that change,” Biden said.The sudden emergence of AI chatbot ChatGPT and other tools has jumpstarted investment in the sector. AI tools are able to craft human-like text, music, images and computer code. This form of automation could increase the productivity of workers, but experts warn of numerous risks. The technology could be used to replace workers, causing layoffs. It’s ...

How you water the garden can save you money, gallons and your plants, too

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:42:43 GMT

Until I installed soaker hoses throughout my vegetable beds this year, I’d always watered my plants by hand, which over the years had become tiresome.Standing outside holding a garden hose wasn’t exactly my idea of a good time, but it directs water precisely to the soil above the roots, making sure it lands where it’s needed. That eliminates waste and goes a long way toward preventing diseases like powdery mildew. That’s good for plants, the environment and the water bill.Placing flexible, porous rubber or fabric soaker hoses on the soil around plants is another preferred way to irrigate, as it allows water to seep slowly over roots. Drip irrigation hoses (rigid tubes with emitter holes that drip or stream water) work similarly.There are plenty of other easy ways to save water around the garden.When to water, and how deeplyApplying water in the morning, for instance, allows time for it to permeate deeply into the soil before the sun gets too hot. Wait until later in the ...

Native American tribes say Supreme Court challenge was never just about foster kids

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:42:43 GMT

Native American nations say the Supreme Court’s rejection of a challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act has reaffirmed their power to withstand threats from state governments.They say the case conservative groups raised on behalf of four Native American children was a stalking horse for legal arguments that could have broadly weakened tribal and federal authority.“It’s a big win for all of us, a big win for Indian Country. And it definitely strengthens our sovereignty, strengthens our self-determination, it strengthens that we as a nation can make our own decisions,” Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said Monday. In fact, the 7-2 ruling released Thursday hardly touched on the children, who were supposed to be placed with Native foster families under the law. The justices said the white families that have sought to adopt them lack standing to claim racial discrimination, in part because their cases are already resolved, save for one Navajo girl whose case is in Texas co...

Trump’s penchant for talking could pose problems as Mar-a-Lago criminal case moves ahead

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:42:43 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Criminal defendants are routinely advised to avoid commenting on pending charges against them. But Donald Trump, the former president and current White House hopeful, is no ordinary defendant.In his first televised interview since his arraignment last week on federal charges, the former president acknowledged that he delayed turning over boxes of documents despite being asked to do so, drew factually incorrect parallels between his case and classified document probes concerning other politicians, and claimed he didn’t actually have a Pentagon attack plan that the indictment says he boasted about to others.Those comments — like any remarks made by a defendant about an ongoing case — could complicate his lawyers’ work, potentially precluding defenses they might have otherwise wanted to make or alternately boxing them into certain arguments so as to remain consistent with their clients’ claims. The interview could give the Justice Department compelling, an...

The Titan submersible: What it is, what might have gone wrong and what’s being done to find it

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:42:43 GMT

A growing number of aircraft and ships from the U.S. and Canada searched Tuesday for a submersible vessel carrying five people that disappeared on its way to the wreckage of the Titanic. The U.S. Coast Guard is leading the search for the small craft, named Titan, in a remote area of the North Atlantic Ocean. OceanGate Expeditions, an undersea exploration company, has been chronicling the Titanic’s decay and the underwater ecosystem around it via yearly voyages since 2021. What we know so far about the submersible, what may have gone wrong, and what’s being done to find it: WHEN AND WHERE DID THE TITAN GO MISSING?The craft submerged Sunday morning, and its support vessel lost contact with it about an hour and 45 minutes later, according to the Coast Guard. The vessel was reported overdue about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland, according to Canada’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia.The Titan was launched from an icebreake...

41 inmates killed in riot at women’s prison in Honduras linked to gangs, authorities say

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:42:43 GMT

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — A riot Tuesday at a women’s prison in Honduras killed at least 41 women, most of them burned to death, in violence linked to gang activity, authorities said. Most victims were burned but there also were reports of inmates shot at the prison in Tamara, about 30 miles northwest of the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa, said Yuri Mora, the spokesman for Honduras’ national police investigation agency. At least seven female inmates were being treated at a Tegucigalpa hospital for gunshot and knife wounds, employees there said. Julissa Villanueva, the head of the country’s prison system, suggested the riot started because of recent attempts by authorities to crack down on illicit activity inside prisons and called Tuesday’s violence a result of “the actions we are taking against organized crime.” “We will not back down,” Villanueva said in a televised address after the riot.Gangs often wield broad control inside the country’s prisons, wh...

Detroit-area officer charged with assault after video shows him punching man

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:42:43 GMT

WARREN, Mich. (AP) — A suburban Detroit police officer was charged with assault after video showed him punching a young man in the face and slamming his head to the ground at the jail, authorities said Tuesday.“This is not what we do. This is not who we are,” said William Dwyer, police commissioner in Warren, who played the video for reporters.The 19-year-old man was being processed at the jail on June 13 after being arrested for multiple felonies. Video shows him and Officer Matthew Rodriguez apparently exchanging words before the officer punched the man, knocked him to the floor and smacked his head on the ground.Dwyer said other officers immediately intervened and also reported the incident to managers. Rodriguez was charged with willful neglect of duty and assault, both misdemeanors. A judge set bond at $5,000. It wasn’t known if he has an attorney who could comment on the case.“No badge or uniform can shield anyone from accountability,” prosecutor Pete Lucido said.R...

A Titanic expert, an adventurer, a CEO, and a father and son are on missing submersible

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:42:43 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — A renowned Titanic expert, a world-record holding adventurer, two members of one of Pakistan’s wealthiest families and the CEO of the company leading an expedition to the world’s most famous shipwreck are facing critical danger aboard a small submersible that went missing in the Atlantic Ocean.The submersible Titan was reported overdue Sunday night about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland, according to Canada’s Joint Rescue Coordination Center, spurring a desperate international rescue effort. Rescuers were racing against the clock because the oxygen supply could run out by approximately 6 a.m. Thursday.The expedition was led by OceanGate, making its third voyage to the Titanic, which struck an iceberg and sank in 1912, killing all but about 700 of the roughly 2,200 passengers and crew.The five people on the vessel are:STOCKTON RUSHAlthough his background is in aerospace and technology, Rush founded OceanGate Inc. in 2009 to provid...

Norway proposes opening its waters to deep sea mining, says minerals needed in green transition

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:42:43 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — Norway said Tuesday it wants to open parts of the Norwegian continental shelf for commercial deep sea mining in line with the country’s strategy to seek new economic opportunities and reduce its reliance on the oil and gas industry.Terje Aasland, Norway’s minister for petroleum and energy, said in a statement the country needs minerals to help transition to a more green economy. The Norwegian seabed is reportedly rich with minerals including copper, zinc, manganese and cobalt.“Currently the resources are controlled by a few countries, which makes us vulnerable,” he said. But the Norwegian government’s plan is controversial and environmental groups are warning that mining the sea bed would threaten the biodiversity of the vulnerable ecosystems in the area.Louisa Casson, global project leader for Greenpeace’s Stop Deep Sea Mining campaign, said that “to forge ahead and unleash deep sea mining in the Arctic would be criminal.”“Norway talks about leading the ...