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Keep your bedbugs, Putin tells the EU

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:53:55 GMT

Russian President Vladimir Putin is not worried about Western sanctions — quite the opposite, in fact.Faced with the prospect of a 12th round of EU sanctions — which could include trade in anything from diamonds to needles — the Russian leader brushed off the plan as ridiculous and took a jab at Europe and its crawling bedbug problem.“Perhaps the less junk, the better. There is less of a chance of bedbugs coming here from large European cities,” Putin joked on Wednesday, reported Russian state-run news agency TASS.Several European cities, including Paris, are battling an infestation of bedbugs in recent months. The tiny insects have swarmed public transport, raising alarm among residents and public officials, and sending cities into a frenzy.Last month, French intelligence even blamed Russian propaganda for stoking fears about the bedbugs by posting fake articles that looked like they were written by reputable French newspapers. Putin’s comment comes as the EU is prepari...

British Deputy PM throws backing behind open source AI, downplays risks

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:53:55 GMT

BLETCHLEY, England — Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden has said there should be a “high bar” on restrictions to open source artificial intelligence. Speaking to POLITICO on the sidelines of Rishi Sunak’s AI Safety Summit in Bletchley Park on Thursday, Dowden said he saw “huge potential” in open source AI in driving innovation and economic growth. “It’s not just economies like the U.K. and other European countries that benefit from open source. I see it in so many applications that are being created right now. I see tiny startups that are already billion dollar plus companies within a matter of literally months off the back of open source.“It’s also the case if we want to make sure it spreads globally, in terms of the developing world. So I think there was a very high bar to restrict open source in any way,” said Dowden.The battle between open and closed source AI has emerged as one of the key fault lines from the summit. Closed system companies like OpenA...

Special counsel accuses Trump legal team of trying to manipulate courts with requests to delay trials

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:53:55 GMT

(CNN) — Prosecutors with special counsel Jack Smith’s office have accused former President Donald Trump’s legal team of seeking to manipulate the courts in their bid to delay his trials past the 2024 presidential election.Fresh off a Florida hearing where Trump appeared to gain traction in his effort to delay one of his criminal trials, his attorneys asked Wednesday night for a second trial he faces next year in Washington, DC, to be put on hold.But Trump’s emboldened attempts to delay facing federal juries – on his national security records mishandling and 2020 election cases – while he is running for president were quickly called out by prosecutors who accuse him of manipulating the courts.“Defendant Trump’s actions in the hours following the hearing … confirm his overriding interest in delaying both trials at any cost. This Court should [not] allow itself to be manipulated in this fashion,” the Justice Department said in a court filing Thursday with Judge...

Ravens vs. Seahawks scouting report for Week 9: Who has the edge?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:53:55 GMT

The Ravens hung on to beat the Arizona Cardinals, 31-24. The Seahawks rallied late to defeat the Cleveland Browns, 24-20. Who will have the edge when these playoff contenders meet Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium?Ravens passing game vs. Seahawks pass defenseLamar Jackson struggled to find open targets against an Arizona defense that rushed three or four and dropped seven or eight in coverage to take away his primary reads. Instead of consistently hitting his check down receivers, Jackson held the ball, giving the Cardinals time to disturb him. He averaged 5.8 yards per attempt, 2 yards below his season average. Jackson did niftily adjust his arm angle to connect with tight end Mark Andrews for Andrews’ team-leading sixth touchdown of the season. Jackson’s other favorite target, rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers, caught five passes for just 19 yards against Arizona, finding no space to get loose on quick screens. On the plus side, 2021 first-round pick Rashod Bateman flashed...

Child luring suspects brought candy, toys to meet officers posing as children: OPP

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:53:55 GMT

They were allegedly trying to lure children for sex with baseball cards, candy and toys. Instead, undercover OPP officers posing as children online lured them into handcuffs.Ten people are facing a total of 39 charges as part of Project Limestine — a four-day luring investigation led by Ontario Provincial Police in tandem with several other police forces, including Durham and York Regional Police.“Investigators utilized undercover techniques to access online chatrooms and social media applications designed for children in order to identify, locate and arrest persons looking to sexually exploit children,” the OPP said in a release.The investigation took place between September 12-15, and also resulted in the seizure of 55 devices.Police say six of the suspects were arrested after they showed up to meet with who they thought were children, but were really officers.Even more disturbingly, police say some of the accused arrived with candy, toys and sexual paraphernalia...

Nutrien optimistic on potash demand as earnings continue to take hit from volatility

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:53:55 GMT

SASKATOON — Nutrien chief executive Ken Seitz says the unprecedented volatility in fertilizer markets that’s contributed to the company’s lower earnings so far this year is stabilizing.He says demand for potash has been strengthening through the second half of the year, and he expects it to return closer to 2021 levels at some point next year.His comments came after the Saskatoon-based fertilizer company reported significantly lower earnings for its third quarter, coming in at US$82 million in the third quarter, down from US$1.6 billion a year earlier.The volatility in fertilizer markets led Nutrien to announce in August that it was indefinitely pausing its planned ramp-up of potash production.Seitz says he feels comfortable with Nutrien’s current capacity, but that the company will be ready to hit play on that ramp-up again when it seems appropriate. Despite BHP’s large potash project currently under construction in Saskatchewan, Seitz expects Nutrien to maintain its market share a...

Crews begin removing debris amid ongoing search for worker trapped after Kentucky mine collapse

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:53:55 GMT

Crews began the arduous process of removing layers of rubble and debris in the search for a missing worker Thursday at a collapsed coal mine preparation plant in eastern Kentucky where a second worker died.The 11-story abandoned building crashed down Tuesday night at the Martin Mine Prep Plant in Martin County while it was undergoing work toward its demolition. Officials briefly made contact with one of the two men working inside, but announced Wednesday he died amid rescue efforts. Authorities said Thursday they have not had any communication with the second worker since the building collapsed at around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in Inez, a town of about 500 people.“We haven’t given up hope,” Martin County Judge Executive Lon Lafferty said at a news conference with reporters Thursday. Lafferty said a family member of the deceased man was at the site before he died and was able to speak with him. Crews have located his remains, but have not yet been able to remove them. Lafferty said the pro...

October new vehicle sales up 20 per cent: DesRosiers

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:53:55 GMT

TORONTO — DesRosiers Automotive Consultants Inc. says new vehicle sales defied affordability headwinds to rise an estimated 20 per cent in October compared with last year.The climb in October marks 12 consecutive months of sales gains, including similarly strong gains the previous two months, as inventory levels improve.DesRosiers estimates that light vehicle sales for the month totalled 145,957 units.While up notably from last year, the total is still well off the close to 160,000 vehicles sold in the month in 2019, the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic.Andrew King, managing partner at the consultancy, said that pent-up demand and improved vehicle availability have helped overcome challenges like high interest rates and stagnant economic growth.The seasonally adjusted annual rate of sales came in at 1.79 million for the month, the highest since January. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2023.The Canadian Press

Lifetime cost of Canada’s F-35 fighter jets is $73.9B: parliamentary budget officer

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:53:55 GMT

OTTAWA — The parliamentary budget officer has pegged the lifetime cost of Canada’s new fleet of F-35 fighter jets at $73.9 billion over 45 years.Yves Giroux says the cost of the acquisition phase is estimated to be $19.8 billion. In January, the federal government announced a deal with Lockheed Martin and the U.S. government to buy 88 jets at a cost of about US$85 million each. Defence minister Anita Anand said at the time that the acquisition cost was estimated at $19 billion, and the lifetime cost of the deal would be $70 billion.The new aircraft are to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force’s aging CF-18s, with the first four planes expected to be delivered in 2026.Giroux says his analysis shows the costs are broadly in line with government estimates, but he also warns that a one-year delay in the program would cost about $400 million.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2023.The Canadian Press

Italy’s premier acknowledges ‘fatigue’ over Ukraine war in call with Russian pranksters

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:53:55 GMT

MILAN (AP) — Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni’s office has expressed “regret” that she fell prey to a prank call that induced her to acknowledge “fatigue” over the war in Ukraine.Meloni, believing she was speaking with officials of the African Union, told a pair of Russian pranksters that “there is a lot of fatigue, I have to say the truth, from all the sides. We are near the moment in which everybody understands that we need a way out.”“The problem is to find a way out which can be acceptable for both, without destroying the international law,’’ she said.Audio of the call was released Wednesday and replayed by Italian media. The call by Russian comedians Vovan and Lexus was made in September. The office of Meloni’s diplomatic advisor said it “regrets having been misled by an imposter who posed as the president of the African Union commission.” The call occurred on Sept. 18, in the run-up to the U.N. General Assembly, where Meloni had meetings with African leaders.Foreign Minister Ant...