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Judge tells Ibrahim Ali jury to disregard testimony of Crown witness who died

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

VANCOUVER — The judge in the first-degree murder trial of Ibrahim Ali, who is accused of killing a Burnaby, B.C., teenager six years ago, has told the jury to completely disregard the testimony of a witness who died before the end of her cross-examination.Dr. Tracy Pickett, a sexual assault expert called by the Crown, had not finished testifying when she was found dead on Sept. 28.Justice Lance Bernard has instructed the jury to disregard Pickett’s testimony and to resist all speculation or research into her death.He says Pickett’s unexpected death significantly curtailed cross-examination by defence lawyers and his instructions to the jury recognize the importance of cross-examination as a cornerstone of the adversarial justice system.Bernard told the jury that Pickett’s death and its circumstances are not relevant to their deliberations and the trial will continue in B.C. Supreme Court as though she had never testified.Ali has pleaded not guilty to first-degree m...

Waterfront Toronto takes Mayor Chow on tour of area from Lake Ontario

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

The ongoing development of the waterfront was centre stage Tuesday with Waterfront Toronto and George Brown College hosting Mayor Olivia Chow and others on a boat to discuss what’s happening right now and what’s still badly needed. “There was never a big federal or provincial plan for the Waterfront to the east. And you can really see the difference. So as we take this tour, you’re gonna see a much less evolved part of the waterfront that is really turning into this city within a city as we move along,” said Chris Glaisek, Chief Planning and Design Officer at Waterfront Toronto Those on board the boat were asked to envision what is now the empty land and condos now under construction as future communities in Quayside and Villiers Island. “One hundred and 30 thousand new people, 75,000 new homes 50,000 new employees all coming in the future, mixed-use, mixed income and with parks and public spaces and employees to celebrate,” said Joe Cressy, former City...

World Series 9-inning games averaged 3 hours, 1 minute – fastest since 1996

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — If you think the World Series sped by, it did.Nine-inning games averaged 3 hours, 1 minute, the fastest since 1996, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The first postseason of the pitch clock also included defensive shift limits and larger bases, leading to increased stolen bases and appearing to contribute to higher batting averages.“From what I’ve heard of people that pay attention to our games, it’s really more interactive and the pitch clock is good for baseball,” said first baseman Nathaniel Lowe of World Series champion Texas.Postseason nine-inning games overall averaged 3:02, down from 3:23 last year and 3:37 in 2021, the last season before the PitchCom electronic pitch-calling device. That mirrored a regular season with an average game time of 2:40, the lowest since 1985.Just one postseason game topped 4 hours, when the Rangers beat Arizona in an 11-inning World Series opener. Six of 40 postseason games exceeded 4 hours in 2022. Three World Series games end...

Blue diamond sells for more than $44 million at Christie’s auction in Geneva

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — The largest fancy vivid blue diamond to ever come to auction sold Tuesday for more than $44 million, far outstripping the pre-sale estimate, Christie’s said.The “Bleu Royal” — a ring featuring a fancy vivid blue pear-shaped diamond of 17.61 carats — was one of the standout pieces to go under the hammer at the auction house for Geneva’s Luxury Week.Christie’s had estimated the ring would fetch around $35 million.The auction house said the sale made the “Bleu Royal” the most expensive jewel sold at auction this year. Christie’s said the gemstone would be handed over to another private collection for the first time in 40 years.The Associated Press

Ex-CIA officer accused of sexually abusing dozens of women pleads guilty to federal charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former CIA officer accused of drugging and sexually assaulting at least two dozen women during various overseas postings pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal sex abuse charges.Brian Jeffrey Raymond kept nearly 500 videos and photographs he took of naked, unconscious women, including many in which he can be seen opening their eyelids, groping or straddling them, prosecutors say. The images date to 2006 and track much of Raymond’s career, with victims in Mexico, Peru and other countries.The case was just the latest embarrassment for the CIA, which in recent months has seen a reckoning over its often secretive and antiquated handling of sexual misconduct claims within the spy agency. The Associated Press found at least two-dozen women have come forward to tell authorities and Congress about sexual assaults, unwanted touching and what they contend are the CIA’s efforts to silence them. A CIA officer trainee was convicted in August of assault and battery for wrapping a s...

Defence, Crown make final arguments to the jury in Peter Nygard’s sex assault trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

TORONTO — The sexual assault case against Peter Nygard is built on a “false narrative” created by women whose testimony was not credible, his lawyer argued on Tuesday while the Crown urged the jury to reject the former fashion mogul’s “blanket denials.” Defence lawyer Brian Greenspan said in his closing arguments that the Crown’s case is based on “contradictions and innuendo” that do not meet the burden of proof, and that much of what has been said about his client in court is “revisionist history.”“You cannot, you must not act on speculation or suspicion,” Greenspan told the jury as he outlined his argument for Nygard’s acquittal. While Greenspan said it’s “possible” his client may have interacted with the women Nygard has said he has no recollection of, “what never occurred were the sexual assaults described by the complainants.” Assistant Crown attorney Ana Serban, on the o...

Biden will meet with United Auto Workers president in Illinois on Thursday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday will meet in Belvidere, Illinois, with the head of the United Auto Workers union, and the two leaders are expected to highlight plans to reopen an auto factory that Stellantis wanted to close. The White House announced in a statement Tuesday afternoon that during the visit, Biden will deliver remarks and meet with UAW members and the union’s president, Shawn Fain.The event will be an opportunity for the president and Fain to publicly showcase tentative contract agreements that ended a nearly 45-day union strike that targeted General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, maker of Jeep, Dodge and Ram vehicles.Biden will “highlight his commitment to delivering for working families and creating good-paying union jobs, as well as the UAW’s historic agreement that includes bringing thousands of UAW jobs back to Belvidere and reopening a plant,” the White House said. The contracts, if approved by 146,000 union members in the coming weeks, woul...

Charges filed against 2 accused of killing woman during attempted robbery in Worth

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

WORTH, Ill. — Charges have been filed against two people accused of killing a woman during an attempted robbery in the south suburbs over the weekend.According to Worth police, 22-year-old Tamara Jailynn Johnson and 23-year-old Jason Jerry Joseph Johnson have both been charged with first-degree murder for their alleged role in the shooting death of Jonnie Angel Klein, a 32-year-old mother of two. Police say the deadly shooting happened around 3 p.m. in the 6800 block of West 111th Street on Saturday afternoon while the victim was attempting to withdraw money from a bank in the area.  Chicago crime experts offer tips on how to avoid carjackings, minimize harm Family members told WGN-TV that Klein had just gotten off work before heading to the bank.Police responded to the scene after reports of someone “in need of assistance,” but responding officers arrived on scene to find the victim dead. Following an investigation by the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force, aut...

White Sox announce 2024 coaching staff under Pedro Grifol

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox announced their major league coaching staff under manager Pedro Grifol for the 2024 season Tuesday, including five new faces to the franchise, and four returnees.New faces hired include Matt Wise (assistant pitching coach), Marcus Thames (hitting coach), Jason Bourgeois (first base/outfield coach), Drew Butera (catching coach) and Grady Sizemore (major league coach).Already familiar faces returning to the club in 2024 include Charlie Montoyo (bench coach), Ethan Katz (pitching coach), Mike Tosar (assistant hitting coach), and Eddie Rodriguez (third base/infield coach).Wise spent the last three seasons as the pitching coach for the Los Angeles Angels. After serving as the Angels bullpen coach in 2020, he began the 2021 season as interim pitching coach before taking over the position on a full-time basis in late May of that season.During his tenure, the Angels ranked sixth in the American League with a 3.77 ERA in 2022. Shohei Ohtani went 34-16 with a 2...

Government shutdown looms as lawmakers look for a solution

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) -- Another deadline to avoid a government shutdown is steadily approaching."We're working earnestly on that," House Speaker Mike Johnson said.Johnson said his party is determined to avoid a government shutdown."I believe all Republicans want to get to the same end," Johnson said.GOP lawmakers, like Rep. Don Bacon (R-Ne.) and Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) said they support the speaker's goal."I'd probably do a straight CR [continuing resolution] through to January or late January," Bacon said."We're looking at all the options, but we can't shut down the government and we have to fully fund the military," Kiggans said.But Rep. Pete Aguilar said Republicans are wasting time with bills that cut programs that Americans rely on."These are bad policy bills. We should be talking about that in addition to what the Republican plan is in the next 10 days to fund government," Aguilar said.Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the only way forward is for Congress t...