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Iran’s president denies sending drones and other weapons to Russia and decries US meddling

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:46:27 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Iran’s president on Monday denied his country had sent drones to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine, even as the United States accuses Iran of not only providing the weapons but helping Russia build a plant to manufacture them.“We are against the war in Ukraine,” President Ebrahim Raisi said as he met with media executives on the sidelines of the world’s premier global conference, the high-level leaders’ meeting at the U.N. General Assembly.The Iranian leader spoke just hours after five Americans who had been held in Iranian custody arrived in Qatar, freed in a deal that saw President Joe Biden agree to unlock nearly $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets.Known as a hard-liner, Raisi seemingly sought to strike a diplomatic tone. He reiterated offers to mediate the Russia-Ukraine war despite being one of the Kremlin’s strongest backers. And he suggested that the just-concluded deal with the United States that led to the prisoner exchange and assets release could ...

‘Credible’ intelligence links Indian government to B.C. Sikh leader’s death: Trudeau

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:46:27 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada has expelled an Indian diplomat and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is demanding the Indian government co-operate following what Trudeau calls “credible” intelligence linking the government’s agents to the shooting death of a British Columbia Sikh leader. Harjit Singh Nijjar was shot in the parking lot of his gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., on June 18. While Sikh community leaders in Canada have insisted the government of India was involved, police have always said they had no evidence of that. But in a somber address to the House of Commons Monday afternoon, Trudeau said there is credibility to the allegations.“Over the past number of weeks, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” he said.“Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil...

TSX declines, U.S. stock markets flat as U.S. Federal Reserve rate decision looms

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:46:27 GMT

TORONTO — Losses in technology and base metal stocks helped lead a broad-based decline as Canada’s main stock index fell almost 130 points, while U.S. stock markets lost steam midway through the trading day to essentially end flat. Broader economic anxiety weighed on markets ahead of a long-anticipated rate decision from the U.S. Federal Reserve Wednesday, said Philip Petursson, chief investment strategist at IG Wealth Management.The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 129.51 points at 20,492.83.Shopify was a major drag on Canadian markets Monday, Petursson noted, helping explain why the TSX posted a worse day than U.S. markets. The tech company’s stock closed down more than five per cent. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 6.06 points at 34,624.30. The S&P 500 index was 3.21 points points at 4,453.53, while the Nasdaq composite was up 1.90 points at 13,710.24.The new dynamic of oil prices, which continued their steady climb above US$90 per barrel, wi...

Lawsuit by Islamic rights group says US terror watchlist woes continue even after names are removed

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:46:27 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mohamed Khairullah, the longest serving Muslim mayor in the U.S., thought he had finally resolved years of airport searches and border interrogations in 2021, when his name appeared to be removed from the government’s secret terror watchlist.Then, earlier this year, the discriminatory treatment renewed when Khairullah, the mayor of Prospect Park, New Jersey, found himself uninvited from a White House celebration of the Eid al-Fatr holiday marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, without explanation.A lawsuit filed Monday by an Islamic civil rights group on behalf of Khairullah and other plaintiffs says his exclusion from the White House event demonstrates that Muslims face negative repercussions even after they are able to clear their name from the list.The Secret Service declined to comment on the lawsuit. “As we stated in the past, we were not able to grant entry to the Mayor at the White House and we regret any inconvenience that may have cause...

Blinken meets Chinese VP as US-China contacts increase ahead of possible summit

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:46:27 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Monday with China’s vice president on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly as the Biden administration and Beijing step up high-level contacts ahead of what could be a leader-level summit this fall. Blinken and Vice President Han Zheng held talks Monday at the Chinese mission to the United Nations. Their discussion came as China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi was in Moscow meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after wrapping up two days of talks with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan in Malta. The quick succession of U.S.-China contacts is fueling speculation that President Joe Biden may meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in November at an Asia-Pacific Economic conference in San Francisco.“I think it’s a good thing that we have this opportunity to build on the recent high-level engagements that our countries have had to make sure that we’re maintaining open communications and demonstrate that we are res...

Indigenous supporters march to defend Guatemala’s president-elect amid vote fraud allegations

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:46:27 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Thousands of indigenous supporters protested in Guatemala City on Monday to defend Guatemala’s president-elect as government prosecutors seek to ban his political party.Many of the protesters carried banners or chanted slogans demanding the resignation of government officials who have sought to prosecute Bernardo Arévalo and ban his Seed Movement party. Aleisar Arana, a leader of the Xinca ethnic group, called the prosecutions an attempt at a “coup.” “The coup that the prosecution is leading must be stopped,” Arana said. Protesters threatened to keep demonstrating until the efforts against Arévalo are stopped.Arévalo won the Aug. 20 presidential runoff in a landslide, but prosecutors have continued pursuing multiple investigations related to the registration of Arévalo’s Seed Movement party, and alleged fraud in the election. International observers have said that is not supported by evidence.Arévalo announced plans last week to call Guatemalans into the street...

‘A serious moment in the life of the world’: Trudeau heads back to United Nations

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:46:27 GMT

WASHINGTON — At the annual UN General Assembly, that traffic-snarling symposium of international hand-wringing and high dudgeon now underway in New York City, the peril of climate change is always a prominent topic. But as Taylor Swift might say, it hits different after the summer of 2023.The year saw a record-setting wildfire season in Canada, more than 11,000 dead from catastrophic flooding in Libya and a record 23 separate billion-dollar weather disasters in the U.S. in just the first eight months. And it’s far from the only existential crisis that will confront Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when he arrives Tuesday for two days of meetings with world leaders, environmental crusaders and civil-society luminaries. His trip comes on the heels of news Monday that Canadian intelligence agencies are investigating what Trudeau called “credible” information linking India’s government to the killing of a prominent Sikh leader in British Columbia. Russia’s war...

Canada expels Indian diplomat amid probe around Surrey Sikh leader’s killing

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:46:27 GMT

Canada has expelled a top Indian diplomat amid intelligence that suggests India was behind the killing of a high-profile Sikh leader in B.C.The diplomat has been identified by Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly as the head of RAW — the Indian intelligence agency — in Canada.She confirmed the news Monday, just shortly after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canadian intelligence agencies were “actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and the killing of … Hardeep Singh Nijjar.”“Since this was brought to our attention, we’ve been guided by three principles: the first one, we will seek the truth. The second one, we will protect Canadians at all times. And thirdly, we will protect Canada’s sovereignty,” Joly said. “I have conveyed these principles to my Indian counterpart, and I’ve also told him that we expect India’s full cooperation to make sure t...

Students at Valley View Schools advised to shelter in place as authorities investigate reports of shooting in Bolingbrook

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:46:27 GMT

BOLINGBROOK, Ill. — Officials from Valley View Schools say law enforcement officers are advising students to shelter in place after reports of a shooting and an at-large suspect in the vicinity of Brooks Middle School in Bolingbrook on Monday afternoon.The district made the announcement in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, just before 2:50 p.m. Couple, 2 children, 3 dogs found dead inside Romeoville home: police District officials say all Bolingbrook schools are currently under “secure building and teach” protocol and school dismissals are being delayed until an "all clear" notice is given.The middle school is located near North Lancaster Drive and Blair Lane in Bolingbrook, Ill. Valley View Schools says it has 16,000 students in 21 schools around Bolingbrook & Romeoville.Currently, it is unclear where the reported shooting initially took place or if anyone was injured. Police have not confirmed the reported shooting to WGN News.Anyone with information is as...

Who's on top?: U.S. News releases latest college rankings after formula change

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:46:27 GMT

(The Hill) — U.S. News & World Report released its 2024 best college rankings list after making changes to how it would evaluate schools following criticism.Changes to the ranking formula included focusing on social mobility and outcomes for graduating students, such as how many students on Pell Grants graduate from a particular school. U.S. News also kept some of the more controversial aspects of its formula, such as having universities give peer evaluations of each other. “For 40 years, students and their families have come to count on Best Colleges as a vital resource as they navigate one of the most important decisions of their lives,” said Eric Gertler, executive chairman and CEO of U.S. News. “The significant changes in this year’s methodology are part of the ongoing evolution to make sure our rankings capture what is most important for students as they compare colleges and select the school that is right for them.”The new rankings showed little changes at the top. Pr...