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Beijing has invested $25.4B in Pakistan over the last decade, Chinese vice premier says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:34 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — China has invested $25.4 billion in Pakistan over the past decade for projects ranging from roads to power plants, China’s vice premier said Monday, as the two countries celebrated the 10th anniversary of the so-called Belt and Road Initiative.The initiative, also called the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor program, is China’s global endeavor to reconstitute the ancient Silk Road trade routes and link China to all corners of Asia. In Pakistan, the CPEC has been billed as an opportunity to bring new prosperity to the South Asian nation. Since 2013, thousands of Chinese construction workers and engineers have been working in this impoverished Islamic nation as part of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s initiative. However, work on some projects has since slowed down or been briefly suspended for multiple reasons, including a 2021 militant attack in which 13 Chinese workers were killed by a suicide bomber targeting a bus carrying them in the northwest.In his te...

Trump political committee splurges over $40M on lawyers’ fees as legal peril mounts

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:34 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump ‘s mounting legal woes are burning through cash, leading his campaign to request a refund from a supportive super PAC and launch a new legal defense fund to help cover costs.His political action committee, Save America, is expected to disclose Monday that it spent more than $40 million on legal fees during the first half of the year for costs related to defending the former president, his aides and other allies, according to a person familiar with the filing who spoke on the condition of anonymity before the deadline. The number was first reported by The Washington Post.At the same time, Trump’s allies are creating a new legal defense fund that will help pay the soaring legal fees as Trump faces dozens of criminal charges stemming from indictments in New York and Florida, with more expected as soon as this week. The Patriot Legal Defense Fund, as it is called, is intended to raise money to defray costs for those “defending ...

Strike enters 3rd day for GTA Metro grocery store workers

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:34 GMT

It’s day three of a Metro grocery workers’ strike at more than two dozen locations in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).Some 3,700 members of Unifor Local 414 walked off the job late on Saturday after rejecting a collective bargaining agreement.Strikers have closed down Metro stores in Toronto, Brantford, Orangeville, Milton, Oakville, Brampton and Mississauga.Metro has voiced disappointment with the job action, while Unifor says frontline grocery workers need Metro to come back to the table with an improved wage offer that addresses the significant affordability challenges they face.In a statement on Monday, the union says its members can’t accept an agreement that leaves them unable to make ends meet.RELATED: Majority of Canadians believe food prices will continue to rise. Stats show they’re right.“Members remain focused on achieving a fair collective agreement that addresses the significant affordability challenges they face. Frontline grocery workers n...

All governments must hold Calgary Stampede accountable after sex abuse settlement: MP

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:34 GMT

CALGARY — A member of Parliament who is criticizing how the Calgary Stampede handled years of sexual abuse at a performance school it runs says all levels of government must hold the organization to account.George Chahal, who last week called for a pause in federal funding for the festival and said its board had lost public trust, says the city of Calgary as well as the provincial government have responsibilities to ensure children are protected at the Stampede.Chahal, the MP for Calgary Skyview, points out the Stampede is governed under city bylaws and receives millions in funding from the Alberta government.Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday that the province will continue to fund the Stampede.Tanya Fir, Alberta’s Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women, says she will meet with the Stampede to discuss the safety of youth involved with the festival.The Stampede last week reached a partial settlement in the class-action lawsuit involving three dozen men who were ...

BlackBerry software to be used by international electric vehicle consortium

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:34 GMT

BlackBerry Ltd. says some of its software and services have been chosen for use in a Foxconn-backed electric vehicle consortium.The Waterloo, Ont.-based software company says the Mobility in Harmony consortium will use its QNX and Ivy offerings to build the platform.QNX is a cloud- and artificial intelligence-based software foundation while Ivy is an in-vehicle software platform helping automakers monetize data.Software giant Microsoft, South Korean battery maker LG Energy Solution and luxury electric vehicle manufacturer Karma Automotive are among the thousands of consortium members.The consortium is working on building a single-row, three-seat vehicle geared toward Asian consumers that it calls Project X. The vehicle is due to launch in Japan later this year, and will be followed by six-seat and nine-seat vehicles.This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 31, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:BB)The Canadian Press

Jury poised to deliberate death penalty or life sentence for gunman in Pittsburgh synagogue massacre

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:34 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A jury is set to deliberate whether to impose the death penalty or a sentence of life in prison without parole on a truck driver who spewed antisemitic hate before fatally shooting 11 worshippers at a synagogue in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community.The same jurors who convicted 50-year-old Robert Bowers in June on 63 criminal counts listened to closing arguments Monday in the penalty phase of his federal trial, held nearly five years after the truck driver from suburban Baldwin perpetrated the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history.Bowers defiled a place of worship when he entered the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018, and opened fire with an AR-15 rifle, shooting everyone he could find in a mass murder clearly motivated by religious hatred, said U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan. Bowers raved incessantly on social media about his hatred of Jewish people, using a slur for Jewish people some 400 times on a social media platform favored by the far right...

Raptors sign Garrett Temple to 1-year, $3.2M deal: report

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:34 GMT

The Toronto Raptors agreed to a one-year, $3.2-million contract with veteran forward and guard Garrett Temple, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.Temple, 37, will be playing in his 14th NBA season with the Raptors. The contract counts as a 10-year-plus veteran minimum and will only count for $ 2 million against the salary cap.Raptors now at 15 guaranteed spots (if Temple is guaranteed). He’s a cool guy, good room presence. Raps about $1.9M clear of tax (and 3.1M clear if we exclude “unlikely” bonuses for a few guys), so a tiny bit of flexibility to cut a guarantee if, say, Dowtin earns a spot. https://t.co/aD1nPdUDvv— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) July 31, 2023The Raptors will be Temple’s 12th team, as he’s bounced around a lot in recent years. He most recently played with the New Orleans Pelicans, appearing in 25 games last season, averaging two points a game and shooting 42 per cent from three.Temple was waived by the Pelicans on July 5.The 37-year-old...

Children get $50 for college costs from Illinois

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:34 GMT

CHICAGO -- Starting this year any child born or adopted, will get 50 dollars put into their account. The state set aside $2.5 million to initiate two college savings programs, 'Bright Start' and 'Bright Directions.' The official name of the program is 529 -- like a 401K but for educational expenses. The money grows tax-free and then in turn can be used for tuition, books, room, boarding and other costs. A University of Kansas study shows that students are much more likely to attend college of they know even a slim amount is saved up for it. Hundreds of Loretto Hospital workers on strike Monday The Illinois State treasurer Michael Frerichs says he wants his kids to pursue their educational career without being crushed by debt. "It's a downpayment for the future of Illinois children living up to their greatest potential," former state senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas said. She said it is a game changer for working families who hold their greatest hopes for their children for post-sec...

VIDEO: Police in Texas catch suspect thanks to their high-visibility vest

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:34 GMT

ARANSAS, Texas — Police in a south Texas town got help finding a man wanted for theft from the suspect himself, and his high-visibility vest.A drone video posted by the Aransas Pass Police Department shows the suspect attempting to hid among green shrubbery while wearing a bright orange vest and blue jeans. Pee-wee Herman star Paul Reubens dies at age 70 after cancer fight The video was posted alongside the following description and hashtags:“NOTE TO THIEVES: Might be wise not to dress like a road crew worker while running from the police in a stolen car and then trying to hide in heavy brush.#WheresWaldo #FindingThievo #OurEyeInTheSkySeesYou #BrightOrangeAndReflective #ThankYouForMakingItEasyForUs #101HowToGetCaughtQuicklyByThePolice #MostOfAllHappyForTheSafeEnding"Though the video has no sound, it shows the suspect cooperating with police after he's been found. He is then subsequently handcuffed.Video Credit: Aransas Pass Police via Storyful

Biden says he doesn't watch TV, shares 'worst advice' he ever got

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:34 GMT

(The Hill) - President Biden is opening up about the crummiest advice he’s ever gotten, saying holding grudges “gets you nowhere.”“I guess the worst advice I’ve ever received was holding a grudge — because lots of times when people do something that is really not good, it’s because they were fearful when they did it. Not fearful of you, but their circumstance,” Biden said in an interview on Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose” podcast released Monday.“It gets you nowhere, which means people will doubt that I’m really Irish,” Biden quipped.“But all kidding aside,” the 80-year-old president continued, “Remembering is important, but holding a grudge is not helpful.”The best advice Biden said he’d been given was to “show up.”“My mother used to say, ‘Joey, get up. Never bow, never bend. Just get up.' But showing up, that's a big part,” he said.In the wide-ranging chat focused on grief and mental health, Biden also revealed he’s definitely not serving as the country’s TV viewer in chief.As...