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A house explodes and bursts into flames in Minnesota, killing at least 1 person, fire chief says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:43 GMT

An explosion and subsequent fire leveled a home in a St. Paul, Minnesota, suburb early Thursday, killing at least one person, a fire official said.The explosion happened just after 6:15 a.m. in South St. Paul, said South Metro Fire Department Chief Mark Juelfs. Firefighters arrived within minutes and quickly extinguished the flames, Juelfs said. An initial search of the demolished home turned up one person dead inside the garage. Authorities haven’t yet identified the person and don’t yet know if there were other people in the house, Juelfs said. “We can’t confirm whether there are additional victims until we sort through a lot of the debris,” he said.Fire officials are working with local police and public works officials to determine the cause of the blast, Juelfs said. South St. Paul is a city of about 21,000 about 8 miles (13kilometers) south of St. Paul.Margery A. Beck, The Associated Press

Former Myanmar colonel who once served as information minister gets 10-year prison term for sedition

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:43 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — A former high-profile Myanmar army officer who had served as information minister and presidential spokesperson in a previous military-backed government has been convicted of sedition and incitement, a legal official said Thursday. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.Ye Htut, a 64-year old retired lieutenant colonel, is the latest in a series of people arrested and jailed for writing Facebook posts that allegedly spreading false or inflammatory news. Once infrequently prosecuted, there has been a deluge of such legal actions since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.He was arrested in late October after a military officer from the Yangon Regional Military Command reportedly filed a change against him, around the time when some senior military officers were purged on other charges, including corruption. He was convicted on Wednesday, according to the official familiar with the legal proceedings who insisted on anony...

Ontario to strengthen bail system, make it easier for victims of crime to sue offenders for emotional distress

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:43 GMT

The Ford government will table new justice legislation Thursday which will make it easier for more victims of crime to sue an offender for emotional distress, protect children and youth from cannabis, enhance community safety and make court and government operations more efficient.Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey says the proposed legislation would make it easier for victims of crimes to sue their offenders for emotional distress and related bodily harm, including terrorism, motor vehicle theft, human trafficking-related offences, and hate-related crimes targeting places of worship.He says it would do this by not forcing victims of crime to prove their distress in the civil court system.The new omnibus bill, Enhancing Access to Justice Act, 2023, will also further strengthen the province’s bail system to ensure that high-risk and repeat offenders comply with their bail conditions. Related: Ontario police groups, legal advocates call for different approaches to p...

CP NewsAlert: Moe says Saskatchewan to stop collecting carbon levy for electric heat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:43 GMT

REGINA — Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says the province is to stop collecting the carbon levy on electric heat starting Jan. 1. He says many people in northern Saskatchewan use electricity to heat their homes, and that they should be exempt from paying the price. The premier says the province is to examine who uses electricity to heat their homes, and then will figure out how to take the carbon price off their bills. In late October, Moe announced the province won’t remit the carbon charge on natural gas after Ottawa exempted home heating oil. Moe says the federal government’s exemption is unfair, as it mainly helps those in Atlantic Canada. The province has introduced legislation to shield executives at SaskEnergy, its natural gas utility, from being fined or facing jail time should the company not remit the charge.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 30, 2023.The Canadian Press

Extreme weather, guilt tipping and, yes, Barbie: We’re over you, 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:43 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — All things Barbie, going pantless, humungo Stanley Cup bottles and pressure tipping. There’s plenty from 2023 to leave behind come the new year.Extreme weather hit historic heights. Fakeness took a huge turn with the rise of AI. The rudeness epidemic continued with the help of FaceTime. Here’s a less than all-inclusive list of what we’re over as we look ahead to 2024:BARBIE, TAKE A HIKEBarbiecore, aka all things hot pink and playful and hyper-feminine, has been around since the dawn of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. Pierpaolo Piccioli at Valentino added some high-fashion oomph in 2022 with a buzzy Barbie pink collection. And there’s Nicki Minaj, of course, and her army of fans dubbed the Barbz.Then along came Barbenheimer and bam! July 2023 was nuts with the conflation of the films “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.” They shared an opening weekend. Big Barbie (and “Oppenheimer”) money was made. It was fun. We needed that feel-good frenzy. Now, pleas...

Coup leader Guy Philippe repatriated to Haiti as many question his next role in country in upheaval

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:43 GMT

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Notorious coup leader Guy Philippe returned to Haiti on Thursday after the U.S. government repatriated him, sparking concerns that his presence could unleash further upheaval in a country already reeling from gang violence and political instability.It wasn’t clear what role, if any, Philippe expected to play upon his return to Haiti, which is under siege by gangs that grew extremely powerful in the political vacuum created by the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.“One would have to wait and see what his return means, if anything at all,” Alex Dupuy, a Haiti-born sociologist and former professor at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, said in an interview. “He’s not going to be necessarily the principal actor in the drama that’s going on in Haiti and the awful political situation.”Philippe’s attorney, Jean Joseph Louicher, confirmed to The Associated Press that Philippe arrived in the capital of Port-au-Prince on Thursday...

Cristiano Ronaldo faces $1B class-action lawsuit after promoting for Binance NFTs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:43 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo has been hit with class-action lawsuit seeking at least $1 billion in damages for his role in promoting cryptocurrency-related “non-fungible tokens,” or NFTs, issued by the beleaguered cryptocurrency exchange Binance. The lawsuit filed in federal court in the Southern District of Florida Monday alleges that Ronaldo’s promotion of Binance was “deceptive and unlawful.” Binance’s partnership with high-profile figures like Ronaldo, the plaintiffs claim, led them into costly and unsafe investments.“Evidence now reveals that Binance’s fraud was only able to reach such heights through the offer and sale of unregistered securities, with the willing help and assistance of some of the wealthiest, powerful and recognized organizations and celebrities across the globe—just like Defendant Ronaldo,” the suit reads.Representatives for Ronaldo declined to comment Thursday. Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange...

Elderly man critically injured after being struck by vehicle in North York

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:43 GMT

An elderly man is fighting for his life in hospital after being struck by a vehicle in North York. Police were called to the intersection of Jane Street and Maple Leaf Drive around 10 a.m. for reports someone had been struck.Paramedics transported a man via emergency run to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries.Police say the driver involved in the incident remained on the scene.

Israel says two more hostages have been released from Gaza strip

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:43 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military said Thursday that two Israeli hostages were released from captivity in the Gaza Strip.In a statement, the army said the Red Cross had transferred the two women to Israeli forces. They were to be taken to an Israeli military base.The two hostages are among a larger group of Israelis expected to be released Thursday as part of the latest extension of a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. Israel was to free some 30 Palestinian prisoners later Thursday. Freed Israeli hostage said they were fed well and ‘OK,’ Hamas leader assured no harm THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel and Hamas agreed at the last minute Thursday to extend their cease-fire in Gaza by another day to allow more hostages and prisoners to be released. But any further renewal of the truce, now in its seventh day, could prove more daunting since Hamas is expected to set a higher price for many of the remaining hostages....

Northern lights: Illinois among states that have a chance at seeing the auroras Thursday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:43 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — Multiple states have a chance at seeing the northern lights Thursday and into Friday, all thanks to an active bout of space weather. NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center upgraded its geomagnetic storm watch for Friday, noting that multiple coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, are expected to impact Earth in the coming days. With three CMEs already inbound and a fourth expected, forecasters upgraded the storm watch Wednesday evening to a G3 (on a strength scale of 1 to 5). What causes the northern lights? We get to see the northern lights when space weather -- like CMEs and the geomagnetic storms associated with them -- impact Earth. CMEs are explosions of plasma and magnetic material from the sun that can impact navigation, communication and radio signals on Earth. They’re also able to cause auroras by creating currents in Earth’s magnetic fields that send particles to the North and South Poles, which then interact with oxygen and nitrogen, according to NASA...