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UK home secretary won’t face investigation over speeding ticket meddling claims

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:59:05 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The U.K. interior minister won’t face investigation over allegations that she tried to pull strings after getting a speeding ticket, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Wednesday, in an attempt to lay to rest one of several ethics claims dogging the Conservative government.Sunak said he had consulted his standards adviser over the claims about Home Secretary Suella Braverman and decided her actions didn’t breach the code of conduct for government ministers.But Sunak gently chastised Braverman, saying “a better course of action could have been taken to avoid giving rise to the perception of impropriety.”The case centers on a speeding ticket Braverman got last year, when she was the U.K. attorney general. The Sunday Times reported that Braverman had asked civil servants to arrange a private speed-awareness session for her, rather than the usual group course for drivers who commit minor offenses. The newspaper said that civil servants refused to get involved.In a letter...

One person dead after double shooting at Vaughan recording studio

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:59:05 GMT

One person is dead and another is in hospital after a double shooting in Vaughan.Police tell CityNews it happened at a recording studio on Creditstone Road, north of Highway 7, just after 4 a.m. Wednesday.Officers located a victim with a gunshot wound to the head who was pronounced dead at the scene. A second victim with gunshot wounds was rushed to hospital.There is no word on any suspects.

Scotiabank reports Q2 profit down from year ago, raises quarterly dividend

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:59:05 GMT

TORONTO — Scotiabank raised its quarterly dividend as it reported a second-quarter profit of $2.16 billion, down from $2.75 billion in the same quarter last year.The bank says it will now pay a quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share, up from $1.03 per share.The increased payment to shareholders came as the bank says it earned $1.69 per diluted share for the quarter ended April 30, down from a profit of $2.16 per diluted share a year earlier.Revenue totalled $7.93 billion, down from $7.94 billion in the same quarter last year, while provisions for credit losses totalled $709 million, up from $219 million a year ago.On an adjusted basis, Scotiabank says it earned $1.70 per diluted share in its latest quarter, down from an adjusted profit of $2.18 per diluted share in the same quarter last year.Analysts on average had expected an adjusted profit of $1.78 per share, according to estimates compiled by financial markets data firm Refinitiv.This report by The Canadian Press was first publis...

Edmunds: Who offers hands-free driving systems for 2023?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:59:05 GMT

Fully automated self-driving cars are still a thing of the future. But you can get a taste of what they’ll be like if your vehicle has what’s commonly described as hands-free driving capability. A vehicle so equipped can automatically accelerate, brake and steer for the driver without the driver needing to keep hands on the steering wheel. It can seem like a neat feature, but there’s more that car shoppers should know before making a purchasing decision.First off, only a few automakers offer hands-free driving currently, and each gives its own system a different name. Additionally, there are a lot of limitations on what each system can do. Most will only work on certain highways, and other criteria must be met before the system can operate hands-free. The driver still needs to pay attention to the road at all times and be ready to take over when the system requests it or when an emergency maneuver is needed. With that, Edmunds rounds up the most significant hands-free driving system...

Valencia slams ‘disproportionate’ punishment after racial abuse against Vinícius Júnior

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:59:05 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Valencia will appeal the partial closure of its stadium following the racial abuse directed at Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior in a Spanish league match, saying the punishment is “unfair and disproportionate.”Spanish soccer’s competition committee late Tuesday fined Valencia in 45,000 euros ($48,500) and closed one of the sections of Mestalla Stadium for five games in what is the strongest ever punishment for a club in a case of racism in Spain.The punishment was part of a strong response by soccer officials and Spanish authorities following an outpouring of support for Vinícius after he was targeted by Valencia fans on Sunday.Vinícius, who is Black, has been subjected to repeated racial insults since he arrived to play in Spain five years ago. The 22-year-old Brazil forward heavily criticized Spain and its lack of action against racism after the latest incident against him.“Valencia wants to express its complete disagreement and indignation over the unfair and dis...

Australian police officer faces charges after shocking 95-year-old woman with stun gun

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:59:05 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An Australian police officer will face charges for shocking a 95-year-old woman with a stun gun and leaving her with critical head injuries as she approached him using a walker and carrying a steak knife in a nursing home, officials said on Wednesday.Clare Nowland, who has dementia, is receiving palliative care in a hospital in Cooma, New South Wales state. She fractured her skull in a fall on Wednesday last week after Constable Kristian White shot her with a stun gun in her retirement home.The violence against an elderly and incapacitated woman has sparked national debate about the police use of stun guns in such circumstances and the competence of aged care staff. Police are allowed to use stun guns when lives are in danger.White was ordered on Wednesday to appear in court on July 5 on charges of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and common assault, a police statement said.The charges are likely to upgraded ...

German prosecutor says clues to McCann child disappearance possible at Portuguese dam site

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:59:05 GMT

ARADE DAM, Portugal (AP) — Police searching for clues regarding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, the British child who went missing in 2007 in Portugal, were concentrating operations Wednesday in several areas around a dam, including one where media reports say a lead suspect in the case often stayed.The latest search for clues regarding the disappearance started Tuesday following a request by German authorities. Some 30 Portuguese, German and British police are taking part in the operation at the Arade dam, which is located about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the resort of Praia da Luz, where the 3-year-old girl was last seen 16 years ago.In Germany, Braunschweig prosecutor Christian Wolters told German public broadcaster NDR, “We have indications that we could find evidence there. I don’t want to say what that is exactly, and I also don’t want to say where these indications come from. “The only thing that I would clarify is that it doesn’t come from the suspect — so we don’t...

Trial for Senegal’s main opposition leader ends, verdict expected next week

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:59:05 GMT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — A highly-anticipated trial of Senegal’s main opposition leader ended Tuesday evening with a verdict expected next week, a court said Wednesday.Ousmane Sonko is being tried for rape and death threats and could face up to 10 years in prison. If convicted, Sonko would be barred from running in next year’s presidential elections.The 20-hour hearing included testimonies from Sonko’s accuser, a woman working at a massage parlor, and a dozen witnesses. Sonko did not attend, remaining home in the southern city of Ziguinchor where he is the mayor. He will be sentenced in absentia. Sonko said he was protesting against injustice. He recently received a 6-month suspended prison sentence in a defamation case and declared he would no longer respond to court summonses. His supporters have called for demonstrations against the trial, which they say aim to prevent him from running for office. Demonstrations have already turned violent in the leadup to the tria...

Anxious retirees, social service groups among those making default contingency plans

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:59:05 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Phoenix retiree Saundra Cole has been watching the news about the debt limit negotiations in Washington with dismay — and limiting her air conditioning use to save money just in case her monthly Social Security check is delayed due to a default.For her, air conditioning is no small thing in a city where the average daily high hits 94 degrees in May. If the government can't make good on its obligations, she says, “I would be devastated.”“What I’m worried about is food banks and electricity here because you know, we’ve had deaths with seniors because of the heat,” says Cole.Politicians in Washington may be offering assurance that the government will figure out a way to avert default, but around the country, economic anxiety is rising and some people already are adjusting their routines. Health insurance for 600,000 Americans at stake in debt ceiling debate Government beneficiaries, social service groups that receive state and federal subsidies and million...

'Am I gay?'-related Google searches soar 1,300 percent in 19 years: analysis 

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:59:05 GMT

(The Hill) - Google searches related to personal sexual orientation and gender identity have skyrocketed since 2004, according to new research.  The Cultural Currents Institute released an analysis that explored Google searches from 2004 to this month that included searches for questions such as "am I gay", "am I lesbian", "am I trans" and "how to come out", as well as searches for "nonbinary." The new analysis found that searches for these phrases jumped by more than 1,300 percent during that period.  The analysis suggested that states that lean more conservative are the “most closeted," with Utah leading the country in searches for “am I gay,” “am I lesbian” and “am I trans.” Iowa, Indiana, West Virginia and New Hampshire followed Utah in searches for “am I gay,” while Connecticut, Kentucky, Washington and Colorado followed it for searches for “am I lesbian.” “The regional differences highlighted below are significant, offering a geographical landscape of self-questionin...