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After fire kills 3, NYC officials say retailers, delivery apps must to more to ensure e-bike safety

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:40 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City officials say retailers and food delivery companies must do more to halt the proliferation of unsafe e-bike and e-scooter batteries, after a fire blamed on an electric scooter’s lithium ion battery killed three people over the weekend.“There is blood on the hands of this private industry,” Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said at a news conference Monday in front of the charred remains of the Brooklyn row house where the early Sunday blaze killed Albertha West, 81, her son Michael West, 58, and her grandson Jamiyl West, 33.Fire officials said the fire broke out on the ground floor of the building. “It’s extensively damaged,” Kavanagh said, adding that the battery that sparked the fire was for a “scooter of some kind.”The city has seen hundreds of fires linked to the lithium ion batteries that power electric bikes and scooters in the last few years. City officials have blamed off-market batteries and chargers that don’t meet safety standards ...

The Bird flu outbreak isn’t over, but it’s less severe, helping egg and poultry prices recover

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:40 GMT

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nearly 5 million chickens, turkeys and other birds have been slaughtered this year because of a persistent bird flu outbreak that began in 2022, but as big as that number may sound, it’s far less than the number of birds killed last year which means consumers aren’t seeing as much impact on poultry and egg prices.The 4.6 million birds killed this year compares to the nearly 58 million birds the U.S. Department of Agriculture said were slaughtered last year in the first year of the outbreak. While that decline is welcome news, the fact that infections continue is a worrisome indication that unlike earlier outbreaks, the current virus has found a way to survive through the summers, and poultry will likely always be at risk of the disease.The key problem with bird flu is that the highly contagious virus is spread easily by wild birds through droppings and nasal discharges, and it mutates over time. Despite the best efforts of farmers, it is hard to keep the vir...

US Catholic bishops meet; leaders call for unity and peace amid internal strife and global conflict

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:40 GMT

BALTIMORE (AP) — Catholic leaders called for peace in a war-torn world and unity amid strife within their own clerical ranks on Tuesday, as U.S. bishops gathered in Baltimore for their annual fall meeting.The meeting came soon after two actions by Pope Francis that illustrated the divisive challenges facing the Catholic Church – removing one of his harshest conservative critics from his role as bishop of Tyler, Texas, and releasing a document conveying a more welcoming stance to transgender people than the official positions of the U.S. bishops.In his opening address Tuesday, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, expressed empathy for those in conflict zones, from Myanmar to the Middle East. “We recognize and defend the right of Israel to exist and to enjoy a place among the nations,” said Broglio, who heads the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.” At the same time, we know that the Palestinians … have a right to a ...

Nygard sentence to ‘set the tone’ for similar cases, expert says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:40 GMT

TORONTO — Peter Nygard, the former Canadian fashion mogul who was found guilty of four counts of sexual assault, could face up to a decade or more behind bars as an Ontario court hands down a sentence expected to “set the tone” for similar cases in the future, an Ontario legal expert said.Nygard, 82, was found guilty of those charges on Sunday, but was acquitted of a fifth count, as well as a charge of forcible confinement. The charges stemmed from allegations dating back from the 1980s until the mid-2000s. His sentencing date is to be set later this month. Nygard’s defence lawyer has said he is considering whether to appeal the verdict. Five women testified during trial that they were invited to Nygard’s headquarters at 1 Niagara St. in Toronto under pretexts ranging from tours to job interviews, with all encounters ending in a top-floor bedroom suite where four of them were sexually assaulted. The women’s identities are protected under a standard publ...

Bloc challenges Liberals to nix 18-month wait from bill banning replacement workers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:40 GMT

OTTAWA — Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet is challenging the federal Liberals to do away with a clause in their bill banning replacement workers that would cause the law to take effect after an 18-month waiting period.The party says in a statement today that it is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to remove that time frame from the bill that Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan tabled last week. The legislation proposes to ban the use of replacement workers during lockouts or strikes in federally regulated workplaces, such as airports, ports and the telecommunications sector.The Liberals initially promised to bar employers from using such workers during lockouts, and they expanded the policy to cover strikes as part of a supply-and-confidence agreement with the NDP.The Bloc, which has the third-highest number of seats in the minority Parliament after the official Opposition Conservatives, say the Liberals should work to pass the legislation befo...

2 deputies are charged with attacking an inmate at a Memphis jail

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:40 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Two Tennessee jail deputies were charged Tuesday with attacking a Memphis inmate who was injured but survived.Shelby County Sheriff’s Office deputies Odell Underwood and Reginald Wilkins have been indicted on charges of official misconduct, official oppression and assault with bodily harm, court records show.Shelby County Jail inmate Damian Florez-Ramirez was injured in the May confrontation with Underwood and Wilkins, county district attorney Steve Mulroy said during a news conference.The deputies attacked the handcuffed inmate as he was being taken to a medical facility in the jail, Mulroy said. Florez-Ramirez had attacked a deputy jailer earlier in the day and had been hit with a “chemical agent,” Mulroy said.Florez-Ramirez suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, but details of his injuries were not immediately disclosed. Details of the attack on the inmate also were not disclosed. Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner said Underwood and Wilkins...

Mexican government sends conflicting messages over death of LGBTQ+ magistrate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:40 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities on Tuesday sent conflicting messages about the violent death of a leading LGBTQ+ figure after thousands marched Monday night demanding justice.Jesús Ociel Baena was found dead with around 20 wounds next to their partner in their home in the central Mexican city of Aguascalientes on Monday, according to state prosecutors. Baena, the first openly nonbinary person to assume a judicial post in Mexico, was one of the most visible LGBTQ+ figures in a country where sexual minorities are often violently targeted.Baena and their partner had already received death threats and hateful messages and had protection from state security, prompting many across the country Monday to call their death a hate crime.Authorities have provided minimal details about the slaying and local prosecutors hinted it may have been a murder-suicide.The Aguascalientes prosecutor’s office on Tuesday offered new details, saying it appeared that Baena was murdered with razor ...

Ex-fundraiser for George Santos pleads guilty to posing as congressional aide to raise campaign cash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:40 GMT

A former fundraiser for U.S. Rep. George Santos pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal wire fraud charge, admitting he impersonated a high-ranking congressional aide while raising campaign cash for the embattled New York Republican.Sam Miele was caught soliciting donations in late 2021 under the alias Dan Meyer, who was then chief of staff for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, when the former House speaker was the Republican minority leader, according to Santos. Federal authorities still have not confirmed that Meyer was the aide who Miele impersonated. Miele, who had been indicted on four wire fraud charges and one count of aggravated identity theft, is scheduled to be sentenced April 30. He faces more than two years in prison, according to estimated sentencing guidelines, a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office said.He also acknowledged he committed access device fraud involving credit cards that resulted in losses totaling about $100,000, John Marzulli, the spokesperson, said.Miele&#...

San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler, who spent big in pursuit of a World Series title, dies at 63

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:40 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Padres owner Peter Seidler, who spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to bring a long-elusive World Series championship to San Diego, died on Tuesday, the team announced. He was 63.A cause of death wasn’t disclosed. Seidler, a third-generation member of the O’Malley family that used to own the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, was a two-time cancer survivor. The team announced in mid-September that Seidler had an unspecified medical procedure in August and wouldn’t be back at the ballpark the rest of the year.The Padres planned to open Petco Park on Tuesday afternoon for fans who wished to gather to pay respects.“Today, our love and prayers encircle Peter’s family as they grieve the loss of an extraordinary husband, father, son, brother, uncle and friend,” Padres CEO Erik Greupner said in a statement. “Peter was a kind and generous man who was devoted to his wife, children and extended family. He also consistently exhibited heartfelt...

Albertans should not want to lose benefits of Canada Pension Plan, head of CPP says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:40 GMT

The head of CPP Investments says Albertans should not want to lose the benefits of the Canada Pension Plan.CEO John Graham, who leads the professional organization that manages the Canada Pension Plan Fund, made the pitch to a Calgary business crowd Tuesday.He said there is a strong business and public policy case for Albertans to stay with what he called an established global investment fund with a proven track record.He said as a large fund, the Canada Pension Plan offers the benefit of risk pooling and diversification, which helps it weather economic downturns and changing demographics.WATCH: Alberta receives warning letter about CPP exit He added the CPP is also portable, meaning Albertans can take their pension with them if they choose to retire out-of-province. Under Premier Danielle Smith, Alberta is taking a look at a plan for the province to exit the Canada Pension Plan and set up its own provincial alternative.