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Bomb targeting Pakistani police in SW kills 4, wounds 18

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:21:55 GMT

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A roadside bomb targeting a police vehicle in volatile southwestern Pakistan on Monday killed at least four people and wounded 18 others, mostly civilian pedestrians, a government spokesperson said.The attack happened in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, said Babar Yousafzai, a spokesman for the provincial government. He said the dead included two police and two civilians.In a statement, the outlawed Baluchistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack. The BLA, which was designated a terrorist group by the United States in 2019, said its fighters targeted the vehicle of a police officer who was behind the arrest of members of the group. Although such attacks are common, the Pakistani Taliban have also stepped up assaults on troops and police across Pakistan since November, when they ended a monthslong cease-fire with the government.Pakistan has also been battling an insurgency in Baluchistan for more than a decade, with separatists in...

Scotiabank picks new head of international banking from outside ranks

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:21:55 GMT

TORONTO — The top ranks of Scotiabank will have another new face as the bank said Monday that Francisco Aristeguieta will lead the bank’s international division. The appointment of Aristeguieta, to take effect May 1, comes less than three months after Scott Thomson stepped into the role of chief executive after being chosen from outside the bank’s executive team. Since taking the helm, Thomson has repeatedly talked about the need to improve the bank’s performance as it undergoes a strategic review, and at Scotiabank’s shareholder meeting last week he noted its international operations are a key differentiator for the bank.Thomson said in a statement that Aristeguieta is a “seasoned transformational leader” who will help drive the bank’s turnaround.“As we look to refresh our strategy this year, Francisco will be a strong complement to our leadership team and will play a central role in helping us deliver long-term profitable and sustain...

S&P/TSX composite up in mid-morning trading on health care, energy stocks

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:21:55 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index rose in late-morning trading, as health care and energy stocks trended upward.The S&P/TSX composite index was up 46.15 points at 20,242.84.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 9.97 points at 33,495.26. The S&P 500 index was down 17.54 points at 4,087.48, while the Nasdaq composite was down 82.20 points at 4,087.48.The Canadian dollar traded for 73.93 cents US compared with 74.19 cents US on Thursday.The May crude contract was down 28 cents at US$80.42 per barrel and the May natural gas contract was up 15 cents at US$2.15 per mmBTU.The June gold contract was down US$22.80 at US$2,003.60 an ounce and the May copper contract was down four cents at US$3.97 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 10, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X)The Canadian Press

Dinosaur fossil unearthed at Mildred Lake

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:21:55 GMT

An eagle-eyed Suncor worker is being applauded for a discovery some 115 million years in the making.Officials with the Royal Tyrrell Museum have confirmed the fossilized remains of a plesiosaur were found at Syncrude’s Mildred Lake site on March 12.Employee Jenna Plamondon, who started her first dayshift at the mine, said she noticed a contrast in the oilsand.“I kept staring at this little chunk of dirt. As a shovel operator, we’re trained to see things that are out of the ordinary. We take a lot of pride in our pit and keeping the area clean.”Plamondon notified the site Geology team and decided to move the shovel in case it was an actual fossil.A rare findPlesiosaurs are marine reptiles known to have lived in Alberta 115 million years ago, when the area was just a large, shallow sea.Dr. Donald Henderson, Curator of Dinosaurs at the Royal Tyrrell Museum, said the find is unique as cases are usually found higher up in the McMurray Formation layer.“This one may have been buried ...

Michael Lerner, ‘Barton Fink’ Oscar nominee, dies at 81

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:21:55 GMT

Michael Lerner, the Brooklyn-born character actor who played a myriad of imposing figures in his 60 years in the business, including monologuing movie mogul Jack Lipnick in “Barton Fink,” the crooked club owner Bugsy Calhoun in “Harlem Nights” and an angry publishing executive in “Elf” has died. He was 81. His nephew, actor Sam Lerner, announced his death in an Instagram post Sunday. Sam Lerner wrote that his uncle died Saturday but did not provide further details. Neither his nor Michael Lerner’s representatives immediately responded to requests for further comment. “He was the coolest, most confident, talented guy,” Sam Lerner wrote. “Everyone that knows him knows how insane he was — in the best way…we’re all lucky we can continue to watch his work for the rest of time. RIP Michael, enjoy your unlimited Cuban cigars, comfy chairs, and endless movie marathon.”Born in 1941 to Romanian-Jewish parents and raised in Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood, Michael Lerner began act...

Liberals expand loans and grants in budget, but students hoping for more next year

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:21:55 GMT

OTTAWA — This year’s federal budget sets aside more than $800 million to expand loans and grants for the upcoming school year, but students are looking forward to permanent changes to financial assistance.For the 2023-24 school year, the Liberals are planning to increase the maximum grants available to $4,200, up from $3,000. The loan limit is also increasing $300 per week of study from $210.Those changes are part of a set of affordability measures in the budget.The government also promised to “work with students in the year ahead to develop a long-term approach to student financial assistance.”Mackenzy Metcalfe, executive director of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, says students need more support to keep up with the rising cost of living.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 10, 2023.The Canadian Press

Alberta premier says she’s under ethics investigation related to COVID-19 prosecution

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:21:55 GMT

EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she’s under investigation by the provincial ethics commissioner into whether she interfered in the administration of justice in relation to a COVID-19 prosecution.The premier’s office says in a statement that Smith welcomes the investigation, will co-operate and is confident the probe will determine she has done nothing wrong.Smith has faced renewed accusations of interference in the justice system after a leaked phone call was released almost two weeks ago in which she is heard discussing an active criminal case with the accused.On the call, Smith is heard sharing details of an internal disagreement over Crown case strategy with Calgary street pastor Artur Pawlowski as they discuss his case.Smith is heard promising to make inquiries on Pawlowski’s behalf and report back to him while also telling him the charges against him are politically motivated.Smith has defended the call, saying while politicians are not free to contac...

Blumenthal to leave hospital after surgery for parade injury

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:21:55 GMT

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal was expected to be discharged from a hospital Monday following what he called successful surgery on a minor leg fracture he suffered during a victory parade for the national champion University of Connecticut men’s basketball team over the weekend.The 77-year-old Connecticut Democrat said on Twitter that he had surgery on his upper femur Sunday at Stamford Hospital and began physical therapy later the same day. The operation included installing some pins to make sure it heals properly, a spokesperson said.Video of the mishap shows the senator walking in the parade in downtown Hartford on Saturday when he was bumped from behind by a man walking backward with a camera. Their legs appeared to get tangled briefly and both men fell into the street, with Blumenthal landing on his back after bracing his fall with both arms a short distance from the parade’s end.People tended to Blumenthal, who got back up and finished the rout...

4 killed in shooting at downtown Louisville bank building; suspected shooter also dead

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:21:55 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A shooting Monday at a bank in downtown Louisville killed at least four people and wounded at least eight others, police said. The suspected lone shooter was also dead.Louisville Metro Police Department Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey told reporters officers who arrived on the scene “encountered active gunshots still being fired inside the location at that time.”Officers exchanged gunfire with the shooter, who appeared to be a former employee of the bank, but it wasn't clear how he died.“We do not know exactly the circumstances of his death at this time,” Humphrey said.Humphrey said at least eight people were being treated for wounds, including two police officers. One officer and another of the wounded were in critical condition.Police later said on a twitter that officers we’re on the scene of the shooting within minutes. Calls first came in for the shooting at the Old National Bank about 8:30 a.m.In a tweet, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he was heading to the ...

Woman found guilty after pregnant nurse kicked in stomach

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:21:55 GMT

MCHENRY COUNTY, Ill. — A suburban woman has been found guilty after a pregnant nurse was kicked in the stomach over two years ago.Briana Veurink, 31, of Algonquin, was found guilty of aggravated battery to a nurse and aggravated battery to a pregnant woman.The decision comes after a bench trial on March 27.Witnesses testified that on Feb. 17, 2021, Veurink was at Northwestern Hospital in McHenry receiving treatment. At some point, she intentionally kicked one of the nurses in the stomach. Suburban man charged following break-in at Michael Jordan’s mansion At the time, the nurse was six months pregnant. Sentencing is scheduled for June 15.