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Oprah brings supplies at Maui shelter, calls for more aid to fire-ravaged evacuees

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:30:16 GMT

By REBECCA BOONE (Associated Press)Follow live updates about wildfires that have devastated parts of Maui in Hawaii this week, destroying a historic town and forcing evacuations. The National Weather Service said Hurricane Dora, which passed south of the island chain, was partly to blame for strong winds that initially drove the flames, knocking out power and grounding firefighting helicopters. Oprah Winfrey has visited an emergency shelter on the fire-ravaged island of Maui to highlight the plight of evacuees.Hawaii News Now reports that Winfrey said on her visit Sunday that it’s critical that aid gets to residents fast. The TV icon is also a part-time Maui resident.Winfrey warned that news crews will eventually depart from the destruction, while the world will move on. But she said that “we’re all still going to be here trying to figure out what is the best way to rebuild … I will be here for the long haul, doing what I can.”Winfrey spoke outside the ...

Coast Guard searches for 4 missing divers off the Carolinas

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:30:16 GMT

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard said it is searching for four divers who disappeared Sunday off the Carolinas. The four men did not resurface after diving from a pleasure craft named Big Bill’s. The Coast Guard said Sunday in a news release that the vessel was about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Cape Fear, North Carolina, and about 63 miles (101 kilometers) east of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.The many shipwrecks off the coasts of both states are a popular draw for divers. The area is known for hundreds of shipwrecks and is called the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.”The Coast Guard said it has sent several aircraft and boats to search for the divers. The Associated Press

A throng of interfaith leaders to focus on combating authoritarianism at global gathering in Chicago

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:30:16 GMT

More than 6,000 people representing scores of religions and belief systems are expected to convene in Chicago starting Monday for what organizers bill as the world’s largest gathering of interfaith leaders.For the Parliament of the World’s Religions, the week-long event marks a return to its roots – the organization was founded in Chicago in 1893. In the past 30 years, it has convened six times, most recently in Toronto in 2018.Past gatherings have drawn participants from more than 80 nations. This week’s speakers and presenters will represent Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Baha’i, Hinduism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Sikhism, Indigenous religions, paganism and other beliefs.This year’s theme is “A Call to Conscience: Defending Freedom and Human Rights,” with a focus on combating authoritarianism around the world. Topics on the agenda include climate change, human rights, food insecurity, racism and women’s rights. “We will take a stand for the rights we’re all at risk of los...

Rights group urges rapid international intervention to end spiraling gang violence in Haiti

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:30:16 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A human rights group urged the international community on Monday to intervene quickly to end spiraling violence by gangs in Haiti.The call by Human Rights Watch comes as Haiti awaits a response from the U.N. Security Council to its request in October for the immediate deployment of an international armed force to fight the surge in violence.“The longer that we wait and don’t have this response, we’re going to see more Haitians being killed, raped and kidnapped, and more people suffering without enough to eat,” said Ida Sawyer, the group’s crisis and conflict director, who visited Haiti to compile a report on the violence.The U.S. said earlier this month that it would introduce a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing Kenya to lead a multinational police force to fight gangs in Haiti. However, no timetable for such a resolution was given.“The main message we want to get across is that Haitian people need support now,” Sawyer said. “We heard again an...

How ‘the Montreal shuffle’ is destroying a city’s rental market

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:30:16 GMT

Earlier this year, a fire tore through an Old Montreal building killing seven people, six of whom were staying in Airbnbs at the time. The tragedy led to greater scrutiny of Montreal’s property market where traditional rental units are being carved up and turned into multiple short-term rentals, and a real estate manoeuvre known as ‘the Montreal shuffle’ is making these moves possible at scale.Ethan Cox is a senior editor and co-founder of Ricochet Media. He says that greed is driving the proliferation of short-term rental buildings, also known as “ghost hotels”, in Montreal. “You could rent out at the normal market rate and you’d still be making a fortune… but you just have to make that extra buck by exploiting international students, by putting stuff out illegally on the short-term rental market,” says Cox.So how does the scheme work? What is the proliferation of short-term rentals doing to a city once known as one of Canada’s best places to rent? What is the gov...

Italy marks 5th anniversary of Morandi bridge collapse with demands for justice for the 43 killed

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:30:16 GMT

ROME (AP) — Italy on Monday marked the fifth anniversary of the collapse of Genoa’s Morandi Bridge with a minute of silence and demands for justice for the 43 people who died in what authorities say was an example of greed-fueled negligence.Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini told relatives of victims, local residents and authorities at the Genoa commemoration that the people who plunged to their deaths weren’t victims of a flood or natural disaster. Rather, he said, they were “victims of greed, of people who didn’t do their jobs.”A huge section of the Morandi bridge broke off during a rainstorm on Aug. 14, 2018, when highways were packed on the eve of Italy’s biggest summer holiday, sending cars plunging into the dry riverbed below.Fifty-eight people went on trial last year, accused of manslaughter and other charges. They include former executives and technical experts of the company that managed many of Italy’s bridges and highways, as well as former officials of Salvini’s mini...

Rogers Sugar to spend $200 million to grow production capacity in Montreal

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:30:16 GMT

MONTREAL — Rogers Sugar Inc. says it plans to spend $200 million to grow its production capacity at its plant in Montreal to help meet increased demand in Eastern Canada.The company says the plan will increase production capacity at the plant by about 20 per cent or 100,000 tonnes a year.The project includes an expansion of refining capacity with new sugar refining equipment and construction of a new bulk rail loading section in Montreal.The company will also expand its logistics and storage capacity in the Greater Toronto Area.Rogers Sugar says the increased production and logistics capacity is expected to be in service in about two years.The company says financing for the project includes support from the Quebec government in the form of loans from Investissement Quebec to the company’s operating subsidiary, Lantic, for up to $65 million.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:RSI)The Canadian Press

4 shot, 1 critically, on Chicago's North Side

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:30:16 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago police are looking for the suspect who shot four people, one critically, on the city's North Side.The shooting happened on the 100 block of West Division around 11:45 p.m. Sunday. Police responded to a person shot and found multiple gunshot victims.According to police, a 22-year-old woman was struck once on the leg and is listed in good condition at Stroger Hospital. A 28-year-old man sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the body and is listed in critical condition at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. A 42-year-old man was shot in the leg and is listed in good condition at Stroger. A 24-year-old man was struck on the thigh and is listed in good condition at Stroger. Teen killed in shooting in Highland Park Police said further investigation reveals the victims were shot by a male offender who fled the scene in a black sedan.No one in custody and Area One Detectives are investigating.

How a Georgia Trump indictment would differ from the federal Jan. 6 case

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:30:16 GMT

(The Hill) - A sprawling, multi-defendant indictment. An ex-president’s trial televised for the world to watch. Potential charges typically used for organized crime.  Before charges have even been announced, the possible indictment of former President Trump in Georgia — hinging on his efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 election results to remain in power — already has the makings of a watershed moment in U.S. history.Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) has signaled charges in her years-long investigation are imminent, setting the stage for the former president’s fourth indictment this year. Trump's prior charges have stemmed from probes into his business dealings, handling of classified documents and behavior after losing the 2020 presidential race.“The work is accomplished,” Willis recently said. “We’ve been working for two-and-a-half years. We’re ready to go.” A partial grand jury report released in February included charging recommendations, and an Ap...

Sentencing hearing for Cecily Aguilar, connected to Vanessa Guillén death, set for Monday

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:30:16 GMT

WACO, Texas (KXAN/KWKT) – A woman charged in connection with the death of U.S. Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén will face a sentencing hearing Monday morning. The hearing for Cecily Ann Aguilar is set to begin at 9 a.m. in Waco before Judge Alan D. Albright in the U.S. District Court in Waco. According to KXAN sister station in Waco, KWKT, Aguilar will be sentenced on charges of tampering with evidence. Aguilar entered a guilty plea to four lesser charges connected to Guillén's death. She appeared before Judge Jeffrey C. Manske in November 2022 – where she admitted to being an accessory after the fact and making false statements to law enforcement. Woman pleads guilty to four counts in connection with Vanessa Guillén’s death Guillén disappeared in April 2020 after meeting with Specialist Aaron Robinson in an arms room on Fort Cavazos, which was called Fort Hood at the time, KWKT reported. Guillén’s body was found in July 2020. Robinson later died by suicide when conf...