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Judge warns of limits to what Trump can say about election case, agrees to limited protective order

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:58:48 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal judge overseeing the election conspiracy case against Donald Trump agreed with the defense on a looser version of a protective order for evidence in the case, but she largely sided with the prosecution on what sensitive materials should be protected as she vowed to keep politics out of her rulings.U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington on Friday repeatedly said that Trump was subject to the court’s rules as a defendant before trial even though he is also running for president at the same time. She warned that she would not let political considerations affect her rulings.“Your client’s defense is supposed to happen in this courtroom, not on the internet,” Chutkan said.Chutkan rejected prosecutors’ broader protective order proposal that sought to prevent the public airing of all evidence they hand over to Trump’s defense as they prepare for trial. She instead seemed poised to impose a more limited protective order that would bar th...

Town of Bourne issues boil water order

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:58:48 GMT

The Town of Bourne has issued a boil water order after e. coli was detected this week, according to officials.In an alert Friday morning, the town’s Emergency Management Department said the order affected residents who get their water from the Bourne Water District, which encompasses the Cape side of Bourne, “from the Sandwich town line to the Falmouth town line,” according to the police department.Speaking with 7NEWS, the water district’s treasurer, Paul Moriarty, said e. coli had been detected in the water, and that officials hoped to resolve the issue within the next 2-3 days.In the meantime, he said the water remains safe for all purposes other than drinking and ingesting.Anyone with questions is asked to contact the water district at 508-563-2294 or 508-209-4863.

Tennessee hospital faces civil rights investigation over release of transgender health records

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:58:48 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Vanderbilt University Medical Center is facing a federal civil rights investigation after turning the medical records of transgender patients over to Tennessee’s attorney general, hospital officials have confirmed.The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ investigation comes just weeks after two patients sued VUMC for releasing their records to Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti late last year.“We have been contacted by and are working with the Office of Civil Rights,” spokesperson John Howser said in a statement late Thursday. “We have no further comment since this is an ongoing investigation.”VUMC has come under fire for waiting months before telling patients in June that their medical information was shared late last year, acting only after the existence of the requests emerged as evidence in another court case. The news sparked alarm for many families living in the ruby red state where GOP lawmakers have sought to ban gender-affirming care f...

All of the oil from a deteriorating tanker moored off Yemen has been transferred, UN says

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:58:48 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The transfer of more than a million barrels of oil from an aging tanker moored off the coast of war-torn Yemen has been completed, avoiding an environmental disaster, the United Nations said Friday. In a statement, Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Farhan Haq said that the operation had prevented “monumental environmental and humanitarian catastrophe.” An international team began siphoning the oil from the dilapidated vessel known as SOF Safer on July 25. All of the oil is now aboard a replacement tanker called Nautica.For years, international organizations and rights groups have warned of a potential spill or even an explosion from the tanker, which has not been maintained for years and has seawater in its engine compartment and damaged pipes.It is moored 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) from Yemen’s western Red Sea ports of Hodeida and Ras Issa, a strategic area controlled by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who are at war with the internationally recognized...

Ransomware fallout, softer demand weigh on Indigo’s first-quarter results

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:58:48 GMT

TORONTO — The aftereffects of a ransomware attack and challenging macroeconomic conditions weighed on Indigo Books & Music Inc.’s first-quarter results, said CEO Peter Ruis. Indigo’s search engine optimization was heavily affected by the attack, which happened in February, affecting the company’s online traffic from internet searches, he said on a call with analysts Friday.“While we have made substantial progress to achieve almost full operational function by the end of the quarter, the ransomware attack did have a material impact on quarterly sales,” he said. The company’s ability to replenish inventory was also challenged, which impacted its retail and online assortment, while consumers were more sensitive to prices, he said. The remarks by Ruis came the day after Indigo reported a loss of $28.5 million in its first quarter, compared with a loss of $25.4 million in the same quarter last year.Revenue for the Toronto-based retailer’s qua...

New tax-free first home savings account for Canadians, to help reach home ownership faster

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:58:48 GMT

MONTREAL – As house prices continue to climb, saving for a down payment is out of reach for many Canadians, particularly young people – says the federal government.“The new tax-free First Home Savings Account is available and helping put home ownership back within reach of Canadians across the country,” says Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, in a statement.It’s a registered savings account that helps Canadians become first-time home buyers by contributing up to $8,000 per year (up to a lifetime limit of $40,000) for their first down payment within 15 years.“To help Canadians reach their savings goals, First Home Savings Account contributions are tax deductible on annual income tax returns, like a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP). Like a Tax‑Free Savings Account, withdrawals to purchase a first home, including any investment income on contributions, are non-taxable. Tax-free in; tax-free out.”Financial i...

S&P/TSX composite index inches up as week-long rise levels off, U.S. markets mixed

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:58:48 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock market index crawled upward Friday morning, buoyed by energy and telecom stocks and restrained by tech and metals, while U.S. markets were mixed.The S&P/TSX composite index rose 24.32 points to 20,367.20, capping a week of gains that kicked off on Aug. 4.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average increased 36.55 points to 35,212.70. The S&P 500 index dipped 13.42 points to 4,455.41, while the Nasdaq composite decreased 113.71 points to 13,624.28.The Canadian dollar traded for 74.46 cents US compared with 74.58 cents US on Thursday.The September crude oil contract was up 60 cents at US$83.42 per barrel and the September natural gas contract was down five cents at US$2.71 per mmBTU.The December gold contract was down a dollar at US$1,947.90 an ounce and the September copper contract was down four cents at US$3.73 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)Th...

In the twilight of the muscle car era, demand for the new 486-horsepower V-8 Ford Mustang is roaring

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:58:48 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — New versions of the Mustang muscle car will begin shipping next week and more than two thirds of the orders include the big, 5-liter V-8 engine, Ford said Friday. Demand for roaring engines remains strong in an era when Detroit automakers are starting to phase out the rumbling gas burners and transition to electric vehicles in order to meet strict government emissions and fuel economy requirements. There are about 13,000 U.S. orders for the 2024 Mustangs, Ford says, which also can be equipped with a four-cylinder turbocharged engine. Of those orders, 67% have the V-8, and more than a quarter of the people seeking that Mustang want the six-speed manual transmission, spokesman Mike Levine says.But muscle cars, at least new ones, are on their way out. General Motors announced in March that it will stop making the Chevrolet Camaro early next year as a 2024 model. The company wouldn’t rule out a replacement for the Camaro at a future date.Stellantis, formerly Fiat Ch...

US government sanctions Russians on the board of Alfa Group in response to war in Ukraine

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:58:48 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday imposed financial sanctions against four Russians on the board of Alfa Group, one of Russia’s largest conglomerates with interests in oil, natural gas and banking.The sanctions are part of continuing efforts to place restrictions on the economy of Russia and its wealthiest powerbrokers, a response to its invasion last year of Ukraine and the ensuing war. Sanctioned by Treasury are Petr Olegovich Aven, Mikhail Maratovich Fridman, German Borisovich Khan and Alexey Viktorovich Kuzmichev.“Wealthy Russian elites should disabuse themselves of the notion that they can operate business as usual while the Kremlin wages war against the Ukrainian people,” said Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo. “Our international coalition will continue to hold accountable those enabling the unjustified and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.”Also sanctioned is the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. The group is involved in the te...

Foundations seek to advance AI for good – and also protect the world from its threats

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:58:48 GMT

While technology experts sound the alarm on the pace of artificial-intelligence development, philanthropists — including long-established foundations and tech billionaires — have been responding with an uptick in grants.Much of the philanthropy is focused on what is known as technology for good or “ethical AI,” which explores how to solve or mitigate the harmful effects of artificial-intelligence systems. Some scientists believe AI can be used to predict climate disasters and discover new drugs to save lives. Others are warning that the large language models could soon upend white-collar professions, fuel misinformation, and threaten national security.What philanthropy can do to influence the trajectory of AI is starting to emerge. Billionaires who earned their fortunes in technology are more likely to support projects and institutions that emphasize the positive outcomes of AI, while foundations not endowed with tech money have tended to focus more on AI’s dangers.For example, form...