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Trump lawyers go after accountant and appeal major pretrial ruling in New York fraud case

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:35:15 GMT

By MICHAEL R. SISAK, BOBBY CAINA CALVAN and JENNIFER PELTZ (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — Warned to mind his out-of-court comments, former President Donald Trump returned to his New York civil fraud trial Wednesday as lawyers on both sides closely questioned an accountant who prepared financial statements at the heart of the case. Outside the courtroom, Trump’s lawyers appealed a key pretrial ruling. The civil case, filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James, accuses Trump and his business of exaggerating his wealth in financial statements that went to banks, insurers and others. With accountant Donald Bender on the witness stand, state lawyers sought to show that Trump and others at his company had full control over the preparation of the financial statements. Bender testified Tuesday that the Trump Organization didn’t always supply all the information needed to produce the documents. Trump denies any wrongdoing, and his defense continued Wednesday to f...

30 years ago, the Kremlin crushed a parliamentary uprising, leading to strong presidential rule

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:35:15 GMT

Three decades ago, the world held its breath as tanks blasted the Russian parliament building in central Moscow while the Kremlin moved to flush out rebellious lawmakers in a crisis that shaped the country’s post-Soviet history.While Russia narrowly avoided what many feared could be a civil war, the violent clashes on Oct. 3-4, 1993, marked a watershed. It led to the creation of a top-down government system short of the checks and balances that later allowed Vladimir Putin to establish a tight grip on the country and become the longest-serving Kremlin leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.The crushing of the parliamentary rebellion against then-President Boris Yeltsin was widely seen as a lesser evil, compared with a possible victory of nationalist and Communist forces that supported it.Many observers, however, said the use of military force to end the crisis dealt a heavy blow to the nascent Russian democracy and strengthened authoritarian trends in its politics, which re...

Reason for rail outage still under investigation after thousands stranded in GTA

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:35:15 GMT

MONTREAL — Questions remain about the root cause of a massive outage on CN Rail lines that delayed thousands of Toronto-area commuters during the evening rush hour.While connectivity has been restored, Canadian National Railway Co. said in an update Tuesday night, the reason for the digital disruption that also affected its website was still under investigation.The country’s largest railroad operator said there was no indication of a cyberattack and apologized for the incident.CN’s rail traffic control system was out of commission for several hours starting at around 1 p.m. Tuesday, forcing GO Transit commuter trains in the Greater Toronto Area to stop at the nearest station. Meanwhile, riders crowded the city’s Union Station downtown during rush hour in hopes the network would resume.The rail link connecting the downtown core to Toronto’s Pearson airport also stalled, while more than 30 Via Rail arrivals and departures at Union Station were late — 11 by more...

University of Maryland bus hits light pole, sending 27 to hospitals

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:35:15 GMT

COLLEGE PARK, MD. (AP) — A University of Maryland bus crashed Wednesday morning, injuring 27 people, emergency officials said.The bus hit a light pole at the intersection of Baltimore Avenue and University Boulevard in College Park, Prince George’s County Fire/EMS posted on social media. Crews took 27 people to hospitals with minor injuries. Details on the injuries weren’t released.A white commuter shuttle-style bus appeared to have crashed head-on into a pole in a grass median, according to video footage shown by news outlets.Authorities didn’t immediately release further information, including the cause.The Associated Press

A building collapse in Havana leaves 1 person dead and at least 2 injured

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:35:15 GMT

HAVANA (AP) — A building in the historic center of Havana that housed 13 families partially collapsed, leaving one person dead and at least two injured, Cuban authorities said Wednesday.Rescue teams were trying to access the building where two people remained trapped after Tuesday night’s collapse.While the reason for the collapse was not immediately known, the area has several aging buildings that lack maintenance and deteriorate in tropical rains, like those currently hitting the island.Alexis Acosta Silva, mayor of Old Havana, told local media there were 54 people in the three-story building at the time of the collapse. Families were evacuated to a nearby school, and no damage was reported to surrounding buildings.Poor maintenance of existing residential buildings and the slow rate of building new ones have been top complaints among Cuba’s citizens.Cuba’s Director of Housing Vivian Rodríguez said this week that the island has a housing deficit of 800 homes, especially in th...

IMF expects continuing US support for Ukraine despite Congress dropping aid

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:35:15 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Officials from the International Monetary Fund say they expect the United States will continue playing its key role in amassing multinational support that has helped keep Ukraine’s economy afloat during Russia’s invasion. That’s despite Congress recently passing a short-term funding package that averted a U.S. government shutdown but dropped $6 billion in aid to Ukraine. It’s not clear if, when or how that aid installment might be restored. The U.S. has already sent or committed $69.5 billion in military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, according to the Institute for the World Economy in Kiel, Germany. “ President Biden has made an announcement … that he is fully committed to supporting Ukraine,” Uma Ramakrishnan, IMF European department deputy director, said at a news conference Wednesday in Kyiv. ”And so from our standpoint, the baseline assumption remains that the U.S. remains committed.”She added that “it is pre...

$1.2 billion Powerball drawing nears after 11 weeks without a winner

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:35:15 GMT

A $1.2 billion Powerball jackpot will again be up for grabs Wednesday night after an 11-week stretch without a big winner, but no matter how large the prize grows the odds stay the same — and they’re terrible.It’s those odds of 1 in 292.2 million that make the jackpot so hard to win and that result in such giant prizes for the lucky player or players who manage to pick the game’s six winning numbers. The latest Powerball jackpot is the world’s seventh-largest lottery prize. The last time someone won the top prize was July 19.GAME DETAILSIn most states, Powerball tickets cost $2 and buyers can chose their own numbers and single Powerball or leave that task to a computer. Powerball drawings are held three times a week at 10:59 p.m. EDT on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturday, with the numbers selected at the Florida Lottery in Tallahassee. Once the numbers are chosen, it usually takes a couple hours to determine if there is a jackpot winner. If there isn’t a ...

Suspect charged in rapper Tupac Shakur’s fatal shooting makes first court appearance in Las Vegas

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:35:15 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A self-described gangster who police and prosecutors say masterminded the shooting death of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas in 1996 made his first court appearance Wednesday on a murder charge.Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 60, stood shackled, wearing a dark-blue jail uniform and plastic orange slippers. He was scheduled to be arraigned on the charge Wednesday, but the hearing was cut short after he asked District Judge Tierra Jones to postpone the hearing while he retains counsel in Las Vegas. Jones rescheduled the arraignment for Oct. 19. Davis was arrested last week during an early-morning walk near his home in suburban Henderson. A few hours after his arrest last Friday a grand jury indictment was unsealed in Clark County District Court charging him with murder. Grand jurors also voted to add sentencing enhancements for the use of a deadly weapon and alleged gang activity. If Davis is convicted, that could add decades to his sentence.Los Angeles-based attorney Edi Faal told T...

Ottawa puts more money toward studying possible Winnipeg landfill search

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:35:15 GMT

OTTAWA — Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree says the federal government will put $740,000 toward further assessing the feasibility of searching a Winnipeg-area landfill for the remains of two First Nations women.He says more research is needed to figure out how a search can be undertaken, after an initial federally funded feasibility study found that a search is possible but toxic materials could pose a risk to workers.Manitoba’s premier-designate Wab Kinew promised his NDP government would search the landfill if he came into power, and Anandasangaree says the federal government aims to work with the province on next steps.Anandasangaree says the money will help governments get all the information they need before sitting at the table together to make a decision about the search itself, but he wouldn’t commit to putting up the estimated $184 million the search would cost.He says the work is expected to be completed within the next 90 days, adding tha...

Trial of man accused in London attack hears of manifesto found on laptop

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:35:15 GMT

A police expert has told a jury that a USB drive linked to the man accused of killing a Muslin family in Ontario contained the manifesto of the New Zealand mosque gunman and a video of that mass shooting.Windsor police Sgt. Liyu Guan, a digital forensic expert, says the video and the manifesto had been opened multiple times from February 2021, when the files first appeared on the USB, to June 6, 2021, the day of the attack in London, Ont. Nathaniel Veltman is accused of deliberately hitting five members of the Afzaal family with his truck while they were out for a walk in London in what prosecutors allege was an act of terrorism. Veltman has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.The jury has seen video of Veltman telling police he took inspiration from the man behind the 2019 New Zealand mass killing of 51 Muslim worshippers at two mosques. Veltman’s case is the first where Canada’s terrorism laws are being put before...