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ICC chief prosecutor says he has ‘every confidence’ South Africa will arrest Putin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:51 GMT

OTTAWA — The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor says he has every confidence that South Africa will arrest Vladimir Putin when the Russian president is expected to attend an international summit there in August.Karim Khan defended his decision to issue the arrest warrant at a news conference in Ottawa today, saying it is a “litmus test” for whether the international community will take collective action against Putin for Russia’s year-old assault against Ukraine. The court is trying to hold Putin personally responsible for war crimes including the abduction of Ukrainian children. He is expected to attend the BRICS summit as Russia’s representative, alongside the leaders of Brazil, India, China and South Africa. South Africa’s ambassador to Canada recently told The Canadian Press that the country prefers the idea of peace talks to the West’s approach of trying to punish the Russian aggressors. Khan says that, “God willing,&...

Kenyan pastor suspected in cult deaths to remain jailed

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:51 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A court in Kenya on Friday gave police five more days to hold a pastor facing possible terror-related charges in the deaths of more than 100 his congregants, many of whom are believed to have starved to death. Police rescued 15 emaciated parishioners from the 800-acre Kilifi County property of Paul Mackenzie last month. Four of them died after the group was taken to a hospital, and survivors told investigators the pastor had instructed them to fast to death before the world ends so they could meet Jesus. A search of Mackenzie’s property, located in a remote forested area, found more than 100 bodies and dozens of mass graves dug out, authorities have said. Autopsies on the bodies were ongoing, but completed ones showed some of the buried people had died of starvation, strangulation or suffocation.Mackenzie was arrested two weeks ago for alleged links to cultism. A lower court freed him this week but he was rearrested and presented to a higher court. Police...

King Charles III surprises crowd outside Buckingham Palace

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:51 GMT

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III surprised cheering fans who started gathering outside Buckingham Palace on Friday, a day ahead of his coronation, as final touches were made in preparation for an occasion that London hasn’t celebrated in 70 years. People in the crowd screamed his name as Charles stepped from a chauffeur-driven Bentley wearing a blue suit. One person could be heard yelling “God save the king” as the British monarch approached the throng lined up behind a barricade.Charles thanked the well-wishers for coming, shaking hands as he slowly moved along the line.Theresa Iredale, wearing a plastic crown, said she trembled when the king approached her after she screamed his name. “I saw his hand coming out to mine and I was like, ‘I can’t believe I’m shaking the king’s hand,’” she said. Prince William, heir to the throne, and his wife, Kate, also greeted the public during the walkabout, talking to fans on the opposite side of The Mall, posing for selfies and chit-chatting...

New Enbridge tolling deal will protect Mainline pipeline from impacts of TMX opening

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:51 GMT

CALGARY — Enbridge Inc.’s successful negotiation of a tolling deal for its Mainline pipeline system will help protect the company against significant volume losses once the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion opens, analysts say.The Calgary-based pipeline giant has been trying to reach a deal with oil shippers on a new tolling agreement since November 2021, when Enbridge’s proposal to fill the Mainline network through long-term contracts was rejected by the Canada Energy Regulator.The Mainline network is Canada’s largest oil pipeline system, providing about 70 per cent of the total oil pipeline transportation capacity out of Western Canada.On Thursday, Enbridge announced a new agreement covering both the Canada and the U.S. portions of the Mainline system. Once finalized and approved by the regulator, the new tolling deal will be in place through 2028.Demand for shipping on the Mainline has exceeded capacity over the past few years, and the pipeline system is current...

Lebanon’s finance minister questioned in Central Bank probe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:51 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — A European judicial team questioned Lebanon’s caretaker finance minister on Friday in an investigation related to corruption probes of the country’s Central Bank governor, officials said.The questioning is part of a probe by a delegation from France, Germany, and Luxembourg, now on its third visit to Lebanon to interrogate suspects and witnesses in the case. Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh is being investigated abroad over several financial crimes and the laundering of some $330 million.During Friday’s session, caretaker Finance Minister Youssef El Khalil was questioned about his work as a close associate of Salameh while working at the Central Bank, before he became a Cabinet minister, officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing probe. El Khalil worked for the Central Bank from 1982 until he became finance minister nearly two years ago and was last the executive director of its financial operations department.On Thursday, the E...

2 mass shootings in 2 days plunge Serbia into shock, dismay

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:51 GMT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — The first shooting left Serbia weeping. The second set off waves of soul-searching in a deeply divided nation, awash in weaponry, where war criminals are glorified and memories run deep of years of civil war.Two mass killings in two days. Nineteen people dead and 21 injured. "We walked around like zombies for 24 hours, not believing what has happened and looking for reasons,” President Aleksandar Vucic, a populist authoritarian who began his political career as a far-right Serbian nationalist during the Yugoslav civil wars, said Friday in a nationwide TV address. The back-to-back bloodshed sent shockwaves through a Balkan nation scarred by wars, but unused to mass murders. Though Serbia is full of weapons left over from the conflicts of the 1990s, the last mass shooting before this week was in 2013, when a war veteran killed 13 people in a central Serbian village.In Thursday's attack, a gunman apparently firing at random killed eight people and wounded 14 in ...

Five things to watch in King Charles III's coronation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:51 GMT

(The Hill) - On Saturday, the U.K. will hold a coronation ceremony to formalize the reign of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla, an affair filled with pomp and pageantry that will draw a crowd of notable political and societal figures.The U.K. is the only European country to hold a coronation ceremony, a tradition that dates back to 1066. King Charles III's celebration will be held at London's Westminster Abbey, the site of several other glitzy royal affairs including the 2011 nuptials of Prince William and Princess Kate of Wales.The ceremony, dubbed Operation Golden Orb, will be the first in Britain in 70 years. All major U.S. and U.K. networks will be broadcasting the event, slated to begin at 11 a.m. local time, or 6 a.m. EST and 3 a.m. PST. Here's what to look for in Saturday's ceremony:Reactions from statesideMadeline Monroe/Greg NashFormer President Trump has already shared his thoughts surrounding the historic event, slamming President Biden in a recent interview for ...

Matt Mervis won't wait long to make MLB debut with Cubs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:51 GMT

CHICAGO — As the Cubs begin a homestand at Wrigley Field, one of their best prospects is beginning his Major League Baseball career. Manager David Ross made sure Matt Mervis wouldn't have to wait long to take the field. On Friday morning, the Cubs not only officially announced the call-up of the power-hitting first baseman to the major league roster but also that he'll be in the starting lineup for Friday's series opener with the Marlins at Wrigley Field. Mervis will be in the lineup at first base and will bat seventh for the club as he gets to play in the first game he's been with the club. Miguel Amaya, who made his MLB debut on Thursday against the Nationals in Washington, will take the field for the second game of his career as he'll catch starting pitcher Justin Steele and bat ninth. This marks a fast rise for the former Duke University player through the Cubs system after he was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2020. Mervis caught the eye of many around minor league baseba...

Who are the 5 greatest Kentucky Derby-winning horses of all time?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:51 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDKY) — The lore and pageantry of the Kentucky Derby have been etched in racing history since its inaugural running in 1875, but some winners of "The Run for the Roses" stand apart. Long-shot winners like Rich Strike in 2022 and blazing-fast times like those achieved by Secretariat in 1973 have cemented the race as one of the most memorable sporting events each year. Kentucky native to perform National Anthem at 149th Derby Some names have become synonymous with Churchill Downs over the 148 years of The Derby. Feel free to sip a mint julep as we look back at the greatest Kentucky Derby-winning horses.5. Whirlaway (1941)Whirlaway was bred at Calumet Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. The thoroughbred was known as “Mr. Longtail” due to his abnormally long tail that would blow far behind him while he was racing.Trainer Ben Jones told jockey Eddie Arcaro to ride the horse around 10 feet off the inner rail. Arcaro was able to keep Whirlaway on a straight path, and the horse...

Do not use: FDA issues warning about recalled COVID-19 tests due to bacterial contamination

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:51 GMT

(WHTM) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a safety warning against the use of some recalled at-home COVID-19 tests. The FDA says SD Biosensor Inc. Pilot COVID-19 at-home tests, which are distributed by Roche Diagnostics, have been recalled over concerns of bacterial contamination in the liquid solution that comes in the test kits. The FDA is urging both consumers and health care providers to stop using the affected tests. Ford recalls some vehicles for air bag inflator installation According to the FDA, direct contact with the contaminated liquid could pose a safety concern such as possible skin irritation or bacterial infection. The contamination could also affect the performance of the test, including potentially false results, the FDA says. None of the impacted tests were distributed through the U.S. government's Free at Home COVID-19 tests program.Around 500,000 of the recalled tests were distributed to CVS Health, and around 16,000 went to Amazon. The FDA and ...