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UN cuts global aid appeal to $46 billion to help 180 million in 2024 as it faces funding crisis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:34 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations is targeting fewer people and seeking less money in its 2024 global humanitarian appeal launched on Monday as it grapples with a severe funding crisis. U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths told the launch that the U.N. has cut its appeal to $46 billion, to help 180 million people with food and other essential aid despite escalated needs. The reduction was made after the U.N. received just over one-third of the $57 billion it sought to held 245 million people this year, “making this the worst funding shortfall … in years,” Griffiths said.Through “a heroic effort,” 128 million people worldwide received some form of assistance this year, but that means 117 million people did not, he added.Almost 300 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection in 2024 — a figure that would amount to the population of an entire country that would rank as the fourth most populous nation, after India, China and the United States.Griffith...

Brampton man charged after dragging Toronto officer during traffic stop

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:34 GMT

A Brampton man has been charged for allegedly fleeing the scene of a traffic stop and dragging and injuring a Toronto police officer last week.Police pulled over an eastbound vehicle on Harbour Street near York Street in Toronto’s Harbourfront around 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 8, after the man was observed using his cellphone while driving.After the driver refused to identify himself, police say he fled the scene, dragging the officer a short distance before he fell onto the road.The officer was taken to hospital and treated for minor injuries. They have since been released.On Monday, 22-year-old Christian Marryshow Dixon of Brampton turned himself in to police. The accused faces several charges, including dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, failing to stop at the scene of an accident and driving while under suspension, among other offences.He was expected to appear in court on Monday morning.With files from John Marchesan of CityNews

5 countries in East and southern Africa have anthrax outbreaks, WHO says, with 20 deaths reported

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:34 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Five countries in East and southern Africa are in the middle of outbreaks of the anthrax disease, with more than 1,100 suspected cases and 20 deaths this year, the World Health Organization said Monday.A total of 1,166 suspected cases had been reported in Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Thirty-seven cases had been confirmed by laboratory tests, WHO said. It said the five countries have seasonal outbreaks every year, but Zambia was experiencing its worst since 2011 and Malawi reported its first human case this year. Uganda had reported 13 deaths.Anthrax usually affects livestock like cattle, sheep and goats, as well as wild herbivores. Humans can be infected if they are exposed to the animals or contaminated animal products. Anthrax isn’t generally considered to be contagious between humans, although there have been rare cases of person-to-person transmission, WHO says.Anthrax is caused by spore-forming bacteria and is sometimes associ...

Third Mississippi man is buried in a pauper’s grave without family’s knowledge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:34 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A third man in Mississippi has been discovered buried in a pauper’s cemetery without his relatives’ knowledge — and despite authorities knowing the identities of the deceased. It is the latest case in which families learned of their deceased love one’s death from news reports instead of from officials in Hinds County, Mississippi, according to civil rights attorney Ben Crump. Jonathan David Hankins, 39, is the third person to have been quietly buried in the paupers’ cemetery near the Hinds County Penal Farm in suburban Jackson, said Crump, who represents the families.“Jonathan David Hankins’ family has been desperately seeking answers about their loved one’s disappearance for more than a year,” Crump said in a news release. “Now, to find out from news reports that his body was found in the same county where Dexter Wade’s body was buried after being struck by a police cruiser raises disturbing questions.”Hankins was first reported missing...

Man sues NYC after he spent 27 years in prison, then was cleared in subway token clerk killing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:34 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A man who was recently cleared in the gruesome, fiery 1995 killing of a subway token booth clerk sued New York City and two detectives on Monday, saying that “a wanton and reckless” law enforcement culture subjected him to decades of wrongful imprisonment that left grave psychological damage. Thomas Malik, who is seeking at least $50 million, is one of three men who spent decades in prison before prosecutors last year disavowed all three convictions in the death of Harry Kaufman. “Malik seeks redress for the official misconduct that caused him to spend nearly 27 years in prison, and the mental and physical injuries he sustained while incarcerated,” lawyers Ronald Kuby and Rhidaya Trivedi wrote in the lawsuit. The city Law Department said it would review Malik’s suit. His former co-defendants, Vincent Ellerbe and James Irons, also have sought compensation. Kaufman, 50, was set ablaze during an attempted robbery as he worked an overnight shift in a Brooklyn...

Police say person took loaded gun into Ibrahim Ali murder trial: lawyer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:34 GMT

VANCOUVER — A lawyer for Ibrahim Ali in his first-degree murder trial says police told him a person close to the proceeding brought a handgun into the Vancouver courtroom on Friday with “intent to kill.”Kevin McCullough says police told him the Glock firearm was loaded.He says he and his wife were called to the Victoria Police Department on Sunday, where officers informed them of the incident.The trial concluded Friday after a B.C. Supreme Court jury convicted Ali of killing the 13-year-old girl in a Burnaby, B.C., park in 2017. The girl’s name cannot be reported because of a publication ban.Neither Victoria Police nor Vancouver Police immediately responded to questions about the alleged incident in the B.C. Supreme Court, while a spokesman for the BC Prosecution Service declined to comment.McCullough had asked on Friday that the proceedings be moved to a secure courtroom in light of what he said was a “litany of death threats” against defence lawyers a...

Sarah McLachlan maps 30-date tour to mark anniversary of ‘Fumbling Towards Ecstasy’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:34 GMT

Sarah McLachlan is making a trek across North America to mark 30 years of “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy.” The Halifax-born singer-songwriter has announced a 30-date tour that will celebrate three decades of her third album, known for its singles “Possession,” “Hold On,” and fan favourite “Ice Cream.”McLachlan plans to play the 1993 record in its entirety along with some of her other best-known songs.The tour includes two stops in Canada, one at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage on June 19 and the other at Montreal’s Bell Place on June 20.Grammy-nominated Montreal singer Allison Russell will offer support for the Toronto stop, while Feist is billed as the special guest for the Montreal show and all other North American dates.Public tickets will be available on Friday through Live Nation with one dollar from each sale going towards the Sarah McLachlan School of Music, a non-profit mentorship program with sites in Edmonton, Vancouver and ...

Police to update investigation on Kenneth Law, man accused of selling lethal substance to at-risk people

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:34 GMT

Peel Regional Police will provide an update on the investigation of Kenneth Law, a man accused of selling sodium nitrite and deadly substances to people at risk of suicide.Peel Regional Police said Tuesday’s press conference will be held at 10 a.m. regarding “the investigation into the sale of lethal substances to individuals at risk of self-harm.”The 57-year-old Mississauga man faces 14 charges of counselling or aiding suicide across several different GTA regions, including Toronto, York Region, Durham, London, Ont., Thunder Bay and Waterloo. Law was previously charged with two counts of counselling and aiding suicide in Peel.To date, police have not released the identity of any of the victims but say they range in age from 16 to 36.New Zealand authorities investigating deaths that may be linked to LawThe investigation into Law began earlier in 2023 as a result of a sudden death where the victim was believed to have consumed sodium nitrite. Peel Regional Police sa...

Canadians with family in Gaza urge feds to expand immigration measures

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:34 GMT

Canadians with family in Gaza and the Ontario NDP are urging the federal government to expand the criteria for refugees to include the extended families of Canadian citizens. NDP Leader Marit Stiles introduced a motion to urge the implementation of ‘Special Immigration Measures,’ which was previously enacted during a crisis situations in Ukraine and Afghanistan.Canadians like Rana, Nora and Nesma are among those advocating for a sponsorship program that expands the eligibility criteria to also include parents, siblings, grandparents, nieces, and nephews. The federal government tells CityNews the only non-Canadian eligible family members include spouses or common law partners of Canadian citizens or permanent residents and their dependent children. “We are also facilitating immediate reunification of eligible family members who are not accompanied by a Canadian or a permanent resident in Gaza,” read their statement.Nesma, who lives in the GTA, said multiple me...

The US is restricting visas for nearly 300 Guatemalan lawmakers, others for ‘undermining democracy’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:34 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — The Biden administration announced on Monday that it would impose visa restrictions on nearly 300 Guatemalan lawmakers, private sector leaders and their families it accuses of “undermining democracy and the rule of law.”Guatemala faces mounting criticism by world leaders and watchdogs accusing it of attempts to block progressive president-elect Bernardo Arévalo from taking office in January.The victory of Arévalo and his Seed Movement party is seen as a threat to those who have long wielded power in Guatemala. The anti-corruption crusader has been a target for months, with arrests of party members, raids and repeated requests to lift his immunity so prosecutors can investigate him directly.The State Department in a statement condemned “ongoing anti-democratic actions” by prosecutors and other actors and noted “intent to delegitimize Guatemala’s free and fair elections and prevent the peaceful transition of power.”The State Department did not provide The Associated...