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House of Commons ‘dropped the ball’ on rushing Liberal bail-reform bill, Senate hears

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:10:37 GMT

OTTAWA — The Liberal government’s representative in the Senate encouraged the Upper Chamber to pass its bail-reform bill “expeditiously” Thursday, while acknowledging the picture of what bail looks like in Canada is incomplete. Sen. Marc Gold confirmed during a debate that the bail-reform package will be studied by a Senate committee, after the House of Commons gave unanimous consent Monday to pass the bill without study by MPs.The legislation was ultimately referred to the Senate’s legal affairs committee Thursday afternoon, but not before many senators voiced concerns about the potential effects of the bill — and the fact members of Parliament declined to study it. Prince Edward Island Sen. Percy Downe said that MPs “dropped the ball” in rushing the changes through the House of Commons without further scrutiny.He said that leaves the Senate having to start from “ground zero” in its review of the legislation. The speedy passage of the...

Prada explores lightness with windswept translucent chiffon for next summer

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:10:37 GMT

MILAN (AP) — Prada achieved a state of unbearable lightness in a series of translucent chiffon dresses that gently cosseted the form, trailed by wispy strands of the finest organza. Designers Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons aptly dubbed the series of ethereal, windswept dresses previewed during Milan Fashion Week on Thursday as “Haze.” They never altered shape, only the shades of muted pastels shifted. They were paired with bright satin mules, either flats or with small triangular heels.As they did during menswear in June, models walked past a wall of clear, oozing slime, which pooled, then drained down an industrial grate runway, this season in peach. Miuccia Prada said there was a thematic link.“The whole thing started from lightness,’’ Prada told reporters backstage. “We wanted to do a really light, light, light show. Usually, we … tend to do heavy. It was a challenge to do light.”Simons said it took the pair the full three years of their collaboration to date to figure ...

Nick Chubb’s injury underscores running backs’ pleas for bigger contracts and teams’ fears

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:10:37 GMT

Nick Chubb’s injury underscores why running backs want better contracts and why NFL teams are reluctant to pay them.Chubb’s season ended abruptly when he suffered the devastating knee injury that was too gruesome for replay in Cleveland’s loss to Pittsburgh on Monday night. The four-time Pro Bowl pick faces a long, arduous road to recovery with no guaranteed money coming his way beyond the $10.85 million he’s making this season.Chubb will be attempting his second comeback from a significant injury to the same knee at age 28 with a non-guaranteed salary of $12.2 million due in 2024. The Browns would assume a $4 million dead cap hit if they release him next year, according to Spotrac.com.Running backs have been arguing for bigger contracts and more guaranteed money in recent years because they’re underpaid in comparison to their peers. Only kickers and punters had a lower franchise tag than running backs ($10.1 million) in 2023. The franchise tag represents the average of the top five...

Departure of Murdoch as Fox leader comes as conservative media landscape is increasingly fractured

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:10:37 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The departure of Rupert Murdoch as the leader of Fox’s parent company and his News Corp. media holdings after decades at the helm is unlikely to have as much of an impact on conservative media overall as it would have a decade ago.That’s because the landscape in general is increasingly fractured, experts said. With a growing number of digital media sources available to them, right-leaning audiences have plenty of options for getting news, opinion and entertainment.“I think if Rupert Murdoch had stepped down in 2000 it would have had a much greater impact,” said Howard Polskin, whose website The Righting.com monitors conservative media. “The conservative media landscape is just much more diverse now.”Fox News’ website had nearly 74.8 million viewers in July 2023, while the No. 2 most visited site, The Washington Examiner, had just 7.5 million and No. 3, The Epoch Times, had 6.2 million, according to TheRighting.com.But people are turning more a...

Toronto’s 2023 CNE records highest attendance in 25 years

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:10:37 GMT

Toronto’s Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) says this year’s annual event saw the highest attendance in 25 years.The CNE has confirmed its final attendance of more than 1.6 million visitors for the 144th edition from Aug. 18 to Sept. 4., surpassing the record of 1.601 million set in 2015.The fair’s CEO says last year’s impressive attendance of 1.56 million was primarily a result of an increase in demand following two years off because of the COVID-19 pandemic.“…We attributed the impressive attendance in part to pent-up demand following the pandemic; however, this year is validation that the CNE remains steadfast as one of the most enduring, resilient, and beloved annual events that continues to evolve and resonate with people across generations,” says Darrell Brown, CNE CEO.“Despite inflation and challenging economic times for many, we want to thank our patrons for coming out to enjoy the fair. The CNE is an important tradition for so...

After a lull, asylum-seekers adapt to US immigration changes and again overwhelm border agents

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:10:37 GMT

JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — A group of migrants from China surrendered to a Border Patrol agent in remote Southern California as gusts of wind drowned the hum of high-voltage power lines, joining others from Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia and elsewhere in a desert campsite with shelters made from tree branches.Their arrival Wednesday was another sign that agents have become overwhelmed in recent days by asylum-seekers on parts of the U.S. border with Mexico. In tiny Eagle Pass, Texas, nearly 6,000 migrants crossed from Mexico in to the U.S. in two days, prompting authorities to close one of the town’s two official border crossings so those agents could instead help with the influx. Border crossings have closed recently for similar reasons in San Diego and El Paso, Texas.After a dip in illegal crossings that followed new asylum restrictions in May, President Joe Biden’s administration is again on its heels. Democratic mayors and governors are seeking more relief for hosting a...

Police suggested charging a child for her explicit photos. Experts say the practice is common

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:10:37 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — When an Ohio father learned that his 11-year-old daughter had been manipulated into sending explicit photos to an adult, he turned to the police for help.But instead of treating the girl as a crime victim, an officer seemingly threatened to charge her under a law most people view as designed to protect child victims.The shocking interaction was recorded last week on body camera audio and by the father’s doorbell camera in Columbus, Ohio. The footage drew criticism from the public and from experts who said law enforcement officials have long misused laws meant to protect children by threatening to charge them with being part of the same crime.Experts said the incident also showed that training for officers on how to respond to child exploitation cases is spotty and not standardized between police departments.“It was a complete fail on a legal level and on a human level,” said Scott Berkowitz, founder and president of the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Net...

Coastal GasLink fined $340,000 for erosion, sediment control challenges

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:10:37 GMT

CALGARY — Coastal GasLink has been fined $340,000 by the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office for issues related to erosion and sediment control.Coastal GasLink, which is owned by Calgary-based TC Energy Corp., said the fines stem from four inspections of its ongoing pipeline construction project that occurred in April and May of 2022.Those inspections took place before Coastal GasLink signed a compliance agreement requiring the company to ensure erosion and sediment control measures are incorporated into its construction plans.“In 2023, we continue to make significant strides forward in how we manage (erosion and sediment control), including through this year’s challenging spring melt season,” the company said in a statement Thursday. “We continue to work closely with our regulators to improve and adapt our environmental protection measures as we look ahead to the final cleanup of our project route.” Coastal GasLink is a 670-km pipeline spanning northern Bri...

DuckDuckGo founder says Google’s phone and manufacturing partnerships thwart competition

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:10:37 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Appearing in the biggest antitrust trial in a quarter century, DuckDuckGo founder Gabriel Weinberg testified Thursday that it was hard for his small search engine company to compete with Google because the powerhouse has deals with phone companies and equipment manufacturers to make its product the default search option on so many devices.“We hit an obstacle with Google’s contracts,” Weinberg said in U.S. District Court in Washington.The U.S. Department of Justice argues that Google has smothered competition by paying companies such as Apple and Verizon to lock in its search engine as the default choice — the first one users see — on many laptops and smartphones. Google counters that it dominates the internet search market because its product is better than the competition. Even when it holds the default spot on smartphones and other devices, Google argues, users can switch to rival search engines with a couple of clicks.But Weinberg testified that gett...

Sophie Turner sues to force estranged husband Joe Jonas to turn over children’s passports

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:10:37 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Actor Sophie Turner sued her estranged pop star husband Joe Jonas on Thursday to force him to turn over the passports of the couple’s two young daughters so she can take them to England.Turner, who was served with divorce papers this month after four years of marriage to Jonas, said in her petition that the couple had planned to raise their daughters in her native England. It also said that the girls, ages 3 and 1, “are both fully involved and integrated in all aspects of daily and cultural life in England.”Best known for playing Sansa Stark on HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” Turner filed her petition in federal court in New York under the child abduction clauses of the Hague Convention, an international treaty aimed at compelling the return of a child taken from their country of “habitual residence.”Turner, 27, says that she and Jonas, 34, made a mutual decision to raise their daughters in England and to relocate there in April of this year.During part of Augus...