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Trial opens for 3 charged with aiding Chinese campaign to pressure expats into returning home

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:53:39 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — An American sleuth and two Chinese men faced jurors Wednesday in the first trial to come out of U.S. claims that China’s government has tried to harass, intimidate and arm-twist dissidents and others abroad into returning home.Michael McMahon, Zheng Congying and Zhu Yong are charged with being part of a conspiracy to hound a former Chinese city official, his wife and their adult daughter to get him to go back to his homeland, where the government alleges he took bribes.“If you are willing to go back to the mainland and spend 10 years in prison, your wife and children will be all right,” read a translated note that Zheng helped tape to their New Jersey door in 2018, though his lawyer said Zheng quickly had second thoughts and took the note down.Prosecutors say it was one in a series of pressure tactics that included flying in the man’s then-octogenerian father to warn him that relatives would suffer if he didn’t come home.“The victim and his family endured years of ha...

Toronto and GTA under heat warning for next two days

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:53:39 GMT

Toronto and much of the GTA are under a heat warning for the next several days.Environment Canada says the two-day heat event will see maximum daytime temperatures of up to 31 C in some areas.“Daytime high temperatures are expected to be near 30 degrees Celsius today and Friday. Overnight temperatures are expected to be in the high teens, providing little relief from the heat,” it said in the advisory issued Thursday. “Cooler temperatures return on Saturday.”It’s possible Toronto could set several new temperature records in the process.“The record for June 1, 28.3 set in 1948, we could easily break that with our guaranteed high of 31, and tomorrow’s record of 30.2 set in 2016 …certainly we could break that,” said CityNews 680 meteorologist Jill Taylor.The national weather service also warned that hot and humid air can also bring deteriorating air quality and can result in the Air Quality Health Index approaching the high risk cat...

Laurentian Bank reports Q2 profit down from year ago, raises quarterly dividend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:53:39 GMT

MONTREAL — Laurentian Bank of Canada raised its quarterly dividend as it reported a second-quarter profit of $49.3 million, down from $59.5 million a year ago.The Montreal-based bank says it will now pay a quarterly dividend of 47 cents per share, up a penny from 46 cents.The increased payment to shareholders came as Laurentian says it earned $1.11 per diluted share for the quarter ended April 30, down from $1.34 per diluted share in the same quarter last year.Revenue for the quarter totalled $257.2 million, down from $259.6 million in the second quarter of 2022, while the bank’s provision for credit losses amounted to $16.2 million, up from $13.0 million a year earlier.On an adjusted basis, Laurentian says it earned $1.16 per diluted share in its most recent quarter, down from an adjusted profit of $1.39 per diluted share a year earlier.Analysts on average had expected an adjusted profit of $1.12 per share, based on estimates compiled by financial markets data firm Refinitiv....

Coast Guard suspends search for Carnival Magic passenger who went overboard off Florida

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:53:39 GMT

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended the search for a 35-year-old man who was reported missing from a Carnival cruise ship off of Florida’s Atlantic Coast.The agency said the man fell from the Carnival Magic about 185 miles (300 kilometers) east of Jacksonville early Monday.The man’s companion reported him missing, and the ship’s crew notified the Coast Guard. Security footage on the ship shows that the man “leaned over the railing of his stateroom balcony and dropped into the water” around 4 a.m., a statement said.The Coast Guard searched for 60 hours, covering some 5,171 square miles (13,392 square kilometers) through Wednesday evening. The search included air crews and the Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba, along with U.S. Navy ships and aircraft in the area.Carnival said the ship returned to port in Norfolk, Virginia. The ship can hold nearly 4,000 guests and is about 1,000 feet (300 meters) long.The Associated Press

Renewable energy surges, driven by solar boom and high fuel prices, report finds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:53:39 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — The world is set to add a record amount of renewable electricity capacity this year as governments and consumers seek to offset high energy prices and take advantage of a boom in solar power, according to a new report Thursday.The International Energy Agency said high fossil fuel prices — resulting from Russia’s attack on Ukraine — and concerns about energy security had boosted the rollout of solar and wind power installations, which are expected to reach 440 gigawatts in 2023.That’s about a third more than the world added the previous year, taking the global installed capacity to 4,500 GW, roughly the combined total power output of the United States and China combined, the Paris-based agency said.“The global energy crisis has shown renewables are critical for making energy supplies not just cleaner but also more secure and affordable,” said Fatih Birol, the IEA’s executive director.“Governments are responding with efforts to deploy them faster,...

India pauses plans to add new coal plants for five years, bets on renewables, batteries

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:53:39 GMT

BENGALURU, India (AP) — The Indian government will not consider any proposals for new coal plants for the next five years and focus on growing its renewables sector, according to an updated national electricity plan released Wednesday evening.The temporary pause in the growth of the dirty fuel was hailed by energy experts as a positive step for a country that is currently reliant on coal for around 75% of its electricity.Updated every five years, the plan serves as a guideline for India’s priorities in its electricity sector. India is the world’s third highest emitter and most populous country. It plans to reach net zero emissions by 2070, which would mean significantly slashing coal use and ramping up renewable energy.In a draft of the plan released in September, the Central Electricity Authority, which is in charge of planning for India’s electricity needs, projected that nearly 8,000 megawatts of new coal capacity was required by 2027. But Wednesday’s strategy propose...

Editorial Roundup: West Virginia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:53:39 GMT

Gazette-Mail. May 25, 2023. Editorial: Gov. Justice’s distant style catching onIt didn’t take long for Gov. Jim Justice, who can get a little hair-brained from time to time and is very thin-skinned, to recognize the appeal of conducting public briefings online without any constituents or press in the room with him.The regular and remote briefings from his office that were initially done out of necessity during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic continued in the same format long after advisories on gatherings and masking were relaxed. They even continued beyond the lifting of the state of emergency that had been in place for more than two years.Somewhere along the way, the briefings became less about COVID and more of a captive platform for Justice to beat his chest about policy and attack political rivals. (Indeed, the governor didn’t even mention the state of emergency expiration during any briefings the week it happened, but about a month later.)Justice has near-complete control o...

BRP reports $154.5M Q1 profit, up from $121.0M a year ago, revenue also higher

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:53:39 GMT

VALCOURT, Que. — BRP Inc. reported a first-quarter profit of $154.5 million, up from $121.0 million in the same quarter last year, as its revenue rose 34 per cent.BRP chief executive José Boisjoli says the company outpaced the North American powersports industry thanks to sustained consumer demand.The Ski-Doo and Sea-Doo maker says the profit amounted to $1.92 per diluted share for the quarter ended April 30, up from $1.46 per diluted share a year earlier.Revenue totalled $2.43 billion, up from $1.81 billion in the same quarter last year.BRP says its normalized earnings amounted to a profit of $2.38 per diluted share, up from a normalized profit of $1.66 per diluted share a year ago.Analysts on average had expected a normalized profit of $2.32 per share and $2.28 billion in revenue, based on estimates compiled by financial markets data firm Refinitiv.This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:DOO)The Canadian Press

5 simple ways to step up your business’s TikTok game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:53:39 GMT

Dan Oliver, founder of Dan-O’s Seasoning , was slinging his signature blends at trade shows and flea markets around the country when COVID-19 hit, shutting down his primary sales channel and forcing a hard pivot. Oliver turned to TikTok, going all-in on the video-sharing platform, and struck gold.First, a video of him making crab cakes went viral. Daily sales increased sevenfold. A few months later, his bacon-wrapped jalapenos caught fire (figuratively), catapulting sales again.Three years, hundreds of videos and millions of views later, Dan-O’s Seasoning has expanded from an e-commerce business to a supermarket staple and overall revenue has increased nearly 10,000%.Dan-O’s success isn’t a one-off case. Thousands of entrepreneurs have seen their businesses take off on the social video platform. After all, with TikTok you’re only one viral video away from becoming the next big thing. But you have to play your cards right.1. START STRONG“The most important part of your video is the f...

Officer injured in Blue Island shooting; investigation underway

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:53:39 GMT

BLUE ISLAND, Ill. — An investigation is underway after a police officer was injured in a shooting in Blue Island.The shooting happened around 2 a.m. Thursday near the corner of Broadway and Division. Police have not released details surrounding the shooting or the extent of the officer's injuries.At the scene, authorities focused on a silver Range Rover with the driver's window shot out. Off-duty Chicago police officer shot on city’s Near West Side No further details have been provided at this time.This is a developing story. Check back for details.