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New Nagorno-Karabakh crisis as fuel depot blast kills at least 20

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:38:20 GMT

GORIS, Armenia — An explosion on Monday night at a fuel depot used by civilians fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh killed at least 20 people and left hundreds more injured.In a statement, Gegham Stepanyan, the human rights defender of the unrecognized Karabakh Armenian administration, said that “the number of injured exceeds 200” and “the health condition of the majority is severe or extremely severe. The medical capacities of Nagorno-Karabakh are not enough.” As part of an agreement with Azerbaijan, the Armenian Ministry of Health on Tuesday confirmed that a team of Armenian doctors had been given permission to fly in to Stepanakert to evacuate the wounded. Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani government says it has dispatched an ambulance containing burn dressings, sterile gloves, medicines and other essential supplies.Local authorities were already struggling to cope with hundreds of people wounded after Azerbaijan launched a military offensive to capture the region last Tues...

2 explosions ripped through dwellings in Sweden. At least one is reportedly connected to a gang feud

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:38:20 GMT

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Two powerful explosions ripped through dwellings in central Sweden, injuring at least three people and damaging buildings, with bricks and window sections left spread outside. Late Monday, an explosion occurred in Hasselby, a suburb of the capital, Stockholm. In the early hours of Tuesday, a blast in Linkoping, some 175 kilometers (110 miles) to the southwest, ripped the facade off a three-story building, leaving debris strewn across a parking area. It was not known whether the blasts were related to each other. Swedish radio said Tuesday that the explosion in Linkoping was connected to an ongoing feud between criminal gangs, a growing problem in Sweden with drive-by shootings and bombings. Two gangs, one led by a Swedish-Turkish dual national who lives in Turkey, the other by his former lieutenant, are reportedly fighting over drugs and weapons. So far this year, there have been 261 shootings, 36 people have died and 73 were wounded. The count doesn’t include...

Column: Ryder Cup is in America’s head. But it’s in Europe’s blood

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:38:20 GMT

GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, Italy (AP) — The Americans have won more majors. The Europeans have won more Ryder Cups.There’s really no connection, except that it might explain why the Americans always seem to be the favorite on paper, and Team Europe has more often left the Ryder Cup with possession of the 17-inch gold trophy since they were invited to this raucous party in 1979.It doesn’t mean the Americans don’t care. That’s an insult to think otherwise. But an argument can be made the Ryder Cup means more to Europe as a whole.“In America, it’s in our head. We desperately want to win,” Paul Azinger said. “But over there, it’s in their blood. It’s part of the fabric of their souls. It’s what they deem as the most relevant thing in their life.”Consider the many Europeans whose careers were defined by the Ryder Cup:— Ian Poulter, whose Ryder Cup legacy was cemented when he birdied his last five holes at Medinah in a fourballs match (Rory McIlroy was along for th...

Ukrainian boat captain found guilty in Hungary for the 2019 Danube collision that killed at least 27

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:38:20 GMT

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The captain of a river cruise boat that collided with another vessel in Hungary’s capital in 2019, killing at least 27 people most of them South Korean tourists, was found guilty on Tuesday of negligence leading to a fatal mass catastrophe and sentenced to five years in prison. Judge Leona Nemeth with the Pest Central District Court found that the negligence of the Ukrainian captain, Yuriy Chaplinsky, had caused his river cruise boat, the Viking Sigyn, to collide with the tourist boat Hableany (Mermaid) from behind, causing it to sink into the Danube River within seconds.The court acquitted Chaplinsky of 35 counts of failure to render aid. He may appeal. The collision occurred May 29, 2019, when the Hableany, carrying mostly the South Korean tourists, sank after being struck beneath Budapest’s Margit Bridge by the much larger Viking Sigyn. Seven South Koreans were rescued from the water in the heavy rain following the collision, and 27 people wer...

China goes on charm offensive at Asian Games, but doesn’t back down from regional confrontations

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:38:20 GMT

HANGZHOU, China (AP) — A month before the Asian Games, China released a new national map, doubling down on its claims to almost the entire South China Sea and disputed border territories with India. A few days before the event, it flew more than 100 warplanes toward Taiwan, stepping up its regular military harassment of the self-governing democratic island that Beijing claims for its own. At the games themselves, however, outward aggression has taken a backseat to unctuous charm as China sought to win the hearts of more than 40 Asian nations and regions by dazzling them with technology and slathering them with praise. In a personal appearance in the eastern city of Hangzhou, into which the government poured billions of dollars for the two-week games, Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed leaders and officials at an opening banquet on Saturday. “The Asian Games embodies the Asian people’s shared desire for peace, unity and inclusiveness,” Xi told them, according to his prepared remar...

In the news today: NDP and Bloc ask Rota to resign, Quebec daycare crash

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:38:20 GMT

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…Here’s what else we’re watching … NDP, Bloc say Speaker should resign after honouring man who fought for NazisSome opposition leaders are calling on House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota step down from his position after he invited a man who fought for the Nazis into Parliament.Yaroslav Hunka was invited by Rota, without knowledge to the rest of the House of Commons, to attend Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s address to Parliament last Friday.The 98-year-old Hunka lives in Rota’s constituency and is a veteran of the First Ukrainian Division, which was also known as the S-S 14th Waffen Division, a voluntary unit that was under the command of the Nazis. Accused in Quebec daycare crash returning to courtA Quebec man accused of killing two young children by driving a city bus into a Montreal-area daycare is scheduled to return...

Neve Campbell on her ballet past, Karen Kain and the need for change in dance world

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:38:20 GMT

TORONTO — Dancer-turned-actress Neve Campbell says she hopes her documentary about the National Ballet of Canada sheds light on some of the uglier aspects of the dance world that demand change.Campbell says it’s one of the reasons she agreed to produce the film “Swan Song,” which traces the company’s 2022 production of “Swan Lake” as envisioned by principal dancer-turned-artistic director Karen Kain.Directed by Chelsea McMullan, the feature includes interviews with young dancers who address the mental health struggles, racism, classism and rivalries that dog the profession. It opens Friday after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival.The film centres on Kain as she recounts a glittering international career that includes a celebrated partnership with Russian superstar Rudolf Nureyev and culminates with her vision for a more modern take on the quintessential romantic crowd-pleaser, “Swan Lake.”Cameras follow Kain as the National Ballet of Canada attempts to rebound fro...

Arguments set to begin in Peter Nygard sex-assault case in Toronto

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:38:20 GMT

TORONTO — Arguments in the Toronto sexual-assault case against former Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard are expected to begin today.The 82-year-old appeared in court in a wheelchair last week to plead not guilty to five counts of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement.Nygard, the founder of a now-defunct international women’s clothing company, has been accused of using his position in the fashion industry to lure women and girls.He founded Nygard International in Winnipeg in 1967, and for years Nygard stores throughout the city were draped in photos of him.He stepped down as chairman of the clothing company in February 2020 before it filed for bankruptcy.The trial is expected to last approximately seven weeks.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2023.The Canadian Press

Man accused of driving bus into Quebec daycare, killing two kids, returning to court

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:38:20 GMT

LAVAL, Que. — A Quebec man accused of killing two young children by driving a city bus into a Montreal-area daycare is scheduled to return to court today.Pierre Ny St-Amand was arrested after a bus crashed into the front of a daycare in Laval, Que., on Feb. 8, killing two four-year-olds and injuring six other children.The 51-year-old bus driver has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder as well as seven other charges, including attempted murder and aggravated assault.The case, which has been postponed several times, was last in court in August, when the Crown requested more time to disclose evidence.St-Amand, who remains detained, was judged fit to stand trial in February following a psychological assessment that took place after his arrest.A separate evaluation assessing St-Amand’s mental state at the time of his alleged crimes and whether he should be considered criminally responsible was sealed by a judge in April.This report by The Canadian Press was first pub...

Pipestone shareholders to vote on Strathcona Resources’ buyout offer

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:38:20 GMT

CALGARY — A dissident shareholder’s campaign against a proposed merger between Pipestone Energy Corp. and Strathcona Resources Ltd. will be put to the test Wednesday.Shareholders of Calgary-based Pipestone are set to vote on a proposal which would see privately-held Strathcona Resources buy them out in an all-stock deal, creating a combined company with an initial market capitalization of $8.6 billion.The deal would also see Strathcona — one of North America’s fastest growing oil and gas producers — go public.The combined company would be the fifth largest oil producer in Canada, according to a Pipestone news release, with current production of approximately 185,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day across the Cold Lake, Lloydminster and Montney oil-producing regions.Pipestone’s board supports the deal, arguing the company’s shareholders will be gaining “ongoing exposure to one of the largest, well diversified, upstream producers in North America — one ...