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At least 103 wedding guests killed when boat capsizes in northern Nigeria

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:02:25 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A boat returning from a wedding capsized in northern Nigeria, killing at least 103 people, including children, officials said Tuesday. Residents and police were still searching for dozens of people who were on the overcrowded boat that capsized early Monday on the Niger River in the Pategi district of Kwara state, which is 160 kilometers (100 miles) from Ilorin, the state capital, according to police spokesman Okasanmi Ajayi. He said 100 people had been rescued so far.Most of those who drowned were relatives from several villages who attended the wedding together and partied late into the night, according to Abdul Gana Lukpada, a local chief. They arrived at the ceremony on motorcycles but had to leave on the locally made boat after a downpour flooded the road, he said.“The boat was overloaded and close to 300 persons were in it. While they were coming, the boat hit a big log inside the water and split into two,” said Lukpada.The wedding was held in the village...

Police investigating after missing Toronto man found dead in garbage bin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:02:25 GMT

Toronto police are investigating a suspicious death after a man that had been reported missing was found dead in a garbage bin last week.First responders were called to the East Liberty Street and Western Battery Road area in the city’s downtown core on Thursday, June 8.Toronto Fire Services confirmed with CityNews that the unit was called for hazardous material in a garbage compactor room at 54 East Liberty, but no medical assistance was required.On Tuesday, police confirmed an investigation has commenced into the suspicious death of a man, identified as 53-year-old Reeyaz Habib of Toronto.A missing persons news release was issued last Friday that mentioned Habib had not been seen or heard from since June 5 and that police were concerned for his safety.His last point of contact occurred in the Western Battery Road and East Liberty Street area. Investigators are now looking into Habib’s activities between June 4 and June 8.Anyone with information or video from the area o...

Toronto man wanted for trying to run over uniformed officer with car

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:02:25 GMT

Toronto police are searching for a man who is accused of trying to run down a uniformed police officer.Just before 2 p.m. on Monday, police responded to a person with a gun call in the Mount Pleasant Road and Eglinton Avenue East area.It’s alleged the suspect met the victim in an underground garage and threatened to harm them and their family.As the suspect was driving away, it’s alleged he drove at a uniformed police officer. He missed the cop but crashed into a marked police car and two other parked vehicles.The uniformed officer was not injured.Police said 22-year-old Mcaium Aarons of Toronto is wanted on numerous charges, including failing to stop for police, attempted murder, dangerous operation of a vehicle, uttering threats to cause death and failing to comply with a release order.Aarons is described as five-foot-ten, around 200 pounds, with black dreadlocks.

Rain should help Quebec firefighting effort as more than 7,200 people still evacuated

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:02:25 GMT

MONTREAL — Rain in the forecast and the pending arrival of dozens of foreign firefighters raised hopes that Quebec’s more than 7,000 fire evacuees would be able to return home in the coming days, the province’s public security minister said Tuesday.François Bonnardel told reporters that rain showers and cooler temperatures were expected to move into northwestern Quebec, where powerful forest fires have threatened the towns of Lebel-sur-Quévillon and Normétal. The rain should provide some relief to firefighters over the next three or four days — and hopefully bring good news for displaced residents eager to return home, Bonnardel said.“People want a little hope,” he told reporters Tuesday in Montreal. “I’m going to try to give them some by telling them that with the weather forecasts for the next hours, we should be able to give you good news in the next 24, 48 hours.” He said there were slightly more than 7,200 evacuees as of Tuesday morning...

Air Canada pilots kickstart bargaining, hot on heels of WestJet crew wage gains

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:02:25 GMT

MONTREAL — Air Canada pilots have kickstarted the bargaining process with their employer in a move that comes days after their fellow union members at WestJet ratified a new collective agreement.Representing about 4,500 employees, the Air Line Pilots Association’s Air Canada contingent said it has provided a bargaining notice to company management, the first step toward hashing out a new deal.The decision comes two weeks after the pilots’ group invoked a clause to end its 10-year collective agreement a year early and launch negotiations for a new one.Key issues include a widening wage gap between Canadian pilots and their U.S. counterparts as well as job security and career progression, said Charlene Hudy, who heads the contingent.“The Air Canada pilots have not been in a meaningful negotiating position since 2014, and in these negotiations we are striving for a historic contract for our Air Canada pilots to address this growing disparity between the United States and Ca...

Blue Jays’ Belt to IL, Jansen activated ahead of pivotal series in Baltimore

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:02:25 GMT

The Toronto Blue Jays have placed first baseman Brandon Belt on the injured list with hamstring discomfort and activated catcher Danny Jansen in a flurry of moves on Tuesday.Belt left Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Twins with the injury, which was later confirmed to be a hamstring ailment.Belt tested out his injured hamstring on the field in Baltimore before the roster move was made. The 35-year-old has been one of Toronto’s hottest hitters of late, slashing .296/.406/.667 with two home runs and four RBIs in June.ROSTER MOVES: ????INF Brandon Belt (left hamstring inflammation) placed on 10-day IL, retroactive to June 11???? RHP Adam Cimber placed on Paternity List???? C Danny Jansen reinstated from 10-day IL and will be active tonight???? INF Ernie Clement and RHP Bowden Francis recalled… pic.twitter.com/cosDMRbwmb— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) June 13, 2023Jansen hasn’t played since May 24 after being placed on the IL with an injured groin. He’...

Improving transparency ‘not a priority’ for the Trudeau government: info watchdog

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:02:25 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal government’s key transparency provision has steadily eroded to the point where it no longer serves its intended purpose, says information commissioner Caroline Maynard.In her annual report to Parliament tabled Tuesday, Maynard said chronic issues continue to plague the access-to-information system, with no solutions in sight. For a $5 fee, Canadians can use the access law to request federal records, from briefing notes and reports to emails and invoices. However, requesters have long complained the system is clumsy, slow and full of loopholes that allow government agencies to refuse to release information. Maynard, an ombudsperson for users of the law, noted that despite calls for meaningful change, a federal review concluded with a report last December that outlined no firm commitments and proposed no legislative change. The commissioner, who took office five years ago, said money to bolster the system has evaporated, commitments to transparency have vani...

Report: Canada’s Atiba Hutchinson retiring from club, international football

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:02:25 GMT

Canada men’s soccer team captain Atiba Hutchinson is retiring from club football and will likely make his final international appearance at this month’s Nations League Finals, according to a report by Joshua Kloke of The Athletic.Hutchinson, 40, has made 104 appearances for his country, including at the World Cup in Qatar this past November where he was the oldest outfield player. The tournament marked just the second time the Canadian men had qualified for the event.The veteran midfielder, who was born in Brampton, Ont., has played in the Turkish league with Istanbul club Besiktas since 2013, but he made just five appearances this past season for the team, scoring once.His club career has seen him play in Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands, in addition to Turkey and his time in Canada, for a total of 568 games.

'Half of them don't even know football': Bears' Justin Jones has no love for Packers fans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:02:25 GMT

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — He was the first player to take to the podium at the Chicago Bears' mandatory mini-camp in 2023 and he made two things very clear to the reporters in attendance. First, Justin Jones is very confident in his team's chances to compete after a 3-14 season in 2022. The defensive tackle also isn't a fan of those who root for the Bears' biggest rival.Both topics came up when Jones was asked about his impressions of the NFC North in his first season in the division last year, and how it changes with Aaron Rodgers gone. That's when he took aim at Packers fans, remembering the Week 2 loss at Lambeau Field in 2022."I wish he played one more year with Green Bay, honestly," said Jones in response to the question on the division and Rodgers' departure. "We went up there and we played a pretty good game, but they got away from us at the end, obviously, and they won. But their fans are really (expletive). Yeah, I wanted to go back up there and I wanted to play them and I wante...

Suburban man charged after accidentally shooting himself while dreaming

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:02:25 GMT

LAKE BARRINGTON, Ill. — A Lake Barrington man with a revoked FOID card accidentally shot himself while dreaming, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.Deputies said they responded to a report of a person with a gunshot wound around 9:50 p.m. on April 10 in the 100 block of shoreline Road. When deputies arrived at the home, they found 62-year-old Mark Dicara with a gunshot wound to the leg.Deputies applied a tourniquet to Dicara’s leg, as he was losing a significant amount of blood.Further investigation revealed Dicara had a dream that someone was breaking into his home. In his dream, he retrieved his .357 magnum revolver and shot at who he believed was the intruder.When he fired, he shot himself instead and apparently woke up from the dream.Dicara was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for his wounds and later released.It was also confirmed there was not a burglary attempt at Dicara's residence. 5 injured after school bus overturns on Dan Ryan Expressway Deputi...