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B.C. and Ottawa applaud NAFTA decision on U.S. softwood lumber duties

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:26:57 GMT

OTTAWA — Officials in Ottawa and British Columbia have welcomed a ruling under the North American Free Trade Agreement that found elements of the United States’ calculation of softwood lumber duties are inconsistent with its own law.A statement from Mary Ng, Canada’s minister of international trade, says the government is pleased that the NAFTA dispute panel agreed with its challenge of American’s so-called “dumping determination.”Under the U.S. Tariff Act, the Department of Commerce determines whether goods are being sold at less than fair value or if they’re benefiting from subsidies provided from other governments.Ng’s statement says the duties on Canadian softwood lumber are “unwarranted” and “the only fair outcome” is for the U.S. government to revoke them right away.The statement says the NAFTA panel directed the U.S. Department of Commerce to review key aspects of its dumping determination.B.C. Forests Minister...

Advocate, artist, grandmother: National leaders and family gather to honor Feinstein’s legacy

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:26:57 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein was toasted Thursday at a memorial service as a leader with uncommon integrity and a defender of American values — as well as a talented artist and a grandmother who gave crooked haircuts in her kitchen.President Joe Biden, who sent recorded remarks, was among the short list of speakers who praised Feinstein at the private memorial service outside San Francisco City Hall. Vice President Kamala Harris, herself a product of San Francisco politics, and other national leaders spoke in person to send off the first female mayor of San Francisco and longest-serving woman in the U.S. Senate. “She was always tough, prepared, rigorous, compassionate. She always served the people of California and our nation for the right reasons,” Biden said. “God bless a great American hero. She was something else, and she was a dear friend.”The service marked the end of two days of events in the city that launched Feinstein’s political career amid tra...

Millions of children are displaced due to extreme weather events. Climate change will make it worse

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:26:57 GMT

Storms, floods, fires and other extreme weather events led to more than 43 million displacements involving children between 2016 and 2021, according to a United Nations report. More than 113 million displacements of children will occur in the next three decades, estimated the UNICEF report released Friday, which took into account risks from flooding rivers, cyclonic winds and floods that follow a storm. Some children, like 10-year-old Shukri Mohamed Ibrahim, are already on the move. Her family left their home in Somalia after dawn prayers on a Saturday morning five months ago. The worst drought in more than 50 years scorched the once-fertile pastures the family relied on, leaving them barren. So, bundling only a few clothes and some utensils into sacks, they moved to a camp in the capital Mogadishu, where Ibrahim, who dreams of being a doctor, is now going to school for the first time. That’s a plus, but the camp lacks proper shelter and sanitation, and food is scarce. “We need some...

NYC mayor to residents of Puebla, Mexico: ‘Mi casa es su casa,’ but ‘there’s no more room’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:26:57 GMT

PUEBLA, Mexico (AP) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams brought a mix of messages to central Mexico’s Puebla state Thursday, trying carefully to walk the line for a city known for welcoming migrants from around the world, but currently struggling with an influx of asylum seekers.Inside Puebla’s ornate state congress building, decked floor-to-ceiling in cream-yellow Portuguese tiles broken only by Greco-Roman columns, Adams focused on the ties binding his city and a Mexican state that has sent some 800,000 of its people to New York over the years.But later, talking to reporters, Adams again returned to the refrain that he has carried on his Latin America trip: New York is “at capacity.”“We are neighbors. We are familia. Mi casa es su casa. Your struggles are my struggles,” Adams said inside the legislative chamber shortly after state Gov. Sergio Salomón Céspedes dubbed him “Mayor of Puebla York.”Migrants “are our future and we cannot lose one of them,” Adams said...

Ramaswamy says angry protesters rammed his car in Iowa; police say no evidence crash was intentional

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:26:57 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign says at least two protesters upset about the Republican presidential candidate’s remarks in opposition to aid for Ukraine purposely rammed his car in Iowa in retaliation on Thursday, but police say there is no evidence to support the claim that the crash was intentional.The police account of the crash in the central Iowa city of Grinnell sharply diverged from the story told earlier by Ramaswamy’s campaign, which contended that protesters yelled and swore at the candidate before at least one of them jumped into a vehicle, rammed his empty campaign car and sped off.The campaign said that no one was injured and that it had filed a police report.Police say they were dispatched to a coffee shop in the city shortly after 1 p.m. for a report of property damage. While there, they contacted a 22-year-old woman who reported that she had just eaten lunch at a nearby deli and was backing her car out of her parking spot when sh...

Glen Ellyn boys honored with saving man's life over summer

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:26:57 GMT

GLEN ELLYN, Ill. — Three young boys are credited with saving the life of a man earlier this summer.This week, the boys, from Glen Ellyn, were recognized for their actions of heroism. Voodoo Doughnut opening first Chicago location Declan Devlin, his twin brother Tiernan, Tommy Nitti and Charlie Valerio have been best friends since pre-school.The fifth graders at Forest Glen Elementary were at Lake Ellyn on a warm summer day back in June."We were going fishing and the guy had an RC boat and it flipped over," Nitti said.The man, in his mid-20s, tried to swim out to retrieve it, but started struggling."He was flailing his arms around and yelling for help," Nitti said. "It looked like it was hard for him to swim.""It was a lot going through my mind," Tiernan said. "It was kind of scary at the same time."Three of the boys ran to Tommy's house across the street and grabbed his inflatable paddle board and life vests."Me and Tommy got on the boat," Declan said. "I paddled out.""He threw me...

Mortgage scam artist who conned over 120 people ordered back to jail

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:26:57 GMT

CHICAGO -- A local businessman who has been free awaiting trail on federal charges he allegedly scammed elderly homeowners out of millions of dollars has been ordered back behind bars.Back in 2017, federal authorities charged Mark Diamond and his associates with running an reverse mortgage scheme, allegedly stealing more than $10 million from dozens of mostly elderly, black homeowners on Chicago's West Side. ORIGINAL: Mortgage scam victims still waiting for justice Diamond pleaded not guilty to seven counts of wire fraud and was later released to home incarceration that allowed him to work at a residential remodeling company as long as he didn't interact with customers.The government now alleges it discovered Diamond was back in business running his own firm, and had obtained $826,000 from customers over the last 18 months, including $203,000 in cash from an elderly homeowner.Authorities allege that in Diamond's scheme, he conned more than 120 people into signing over the equity i...

FBI Springfield office warns of cyberattacks, crime in Illinois

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:26:57 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WMBD) -- October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and the FBI Springfield Field Office wants to remind everyone of the dangers of cybercrimesA Springfield FBI news release states that cyber investigations encompass internet crime, where people become victims through online fraud and scams, and cyber intrusions, which include ransomware and phishing scams that affect businesses and infrastructure.“At a time when artificial intelligence is ripe for abuse and criminals attempt to exploit thetechnology, the FBI continues to be the lead federal agency responsible for investigatingcyberattacks. And as threats change, the FBI changes with them,” said FBI Springfield FieldOffice Special Agent in Charge David Nanz. FBI releases video of armored car robbery attempt near south suburban Walmart He continued, “Cybercrime affects individuals and businesses alike, so by educating the public we hope to prevent victimization, and by partnering with the private sector we hope to ...

Rolling candy recalled after girl's choking death

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:26:57 GMT

(WHTM/NEXSTAR) — A popular candy is being recalled over concerns that part of its "rolling ball" end can dislodge. The recall comes after a report of a 7 year-old choking and dying after the rolling ball from Cocco Candy Rolling Candy came loose and became trapped in her throat.Cocco Candy and KGR Distribution are recalling three flavors of their Cocco Candy Rolling Candy, which affects about 145,800 units of the product, according to the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. There’s a conspiracy theory about Taylor Swift attending the Jets game Consumers should throw the candy away immediately and make sure children don't have access to it. Recalled items were Cocco Candy Rolling Candy in 2-fluid ounce containers in Sour Strawberry, Sour Tutti Frutti and Sour Cola flavors.Recalled Cocco Candy Rolling Candy – Sour Tutti Frutti(Photo Courtesy U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)Recalled Cocco Candy Rolling Candy – Sour Cola (Version 1) (Photo Courtesy U.S. Consumer Product ...

APD opens homicide investigation after crash in north Austin

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:26:57 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Thursday, the Austin Police Department identified a man killed during an apparent homicide that occurred Tuesday in north Austin.APD identified 53-year-old John Walker Oden as the victim. MAP: Where have Austin’s homicides occurred in 2023? Police responded to a call at approximately 1:30 a.m. after several callers reported a man was hit by a vehicle in the 12100 block of North MoPac Expressway service road.Oden was found with “significant trauma to his body,” and police said he died a short time later.According to police, officers determined Oden’s injuries indicated he had been “the subject of foul play.”APD said homicide detectives and crime scene specialists also responded to the scene and interviewed witnesses.As of Thursday, no arrests have been made, and the investigation remained active and ongoing.APD asked that anyone with any information contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-TIPS. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the Capital Ar...