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Feds select Boeing military plane in sole-source deal, bypassing Bombardier

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:29:14 GMT

The federal government is expected to announce as early as Thursday that it has selected Boeing to replace the military’s aging patrol planes in a multibillion-dollar deal, according to three sources familiar with the matter.The decision to go with a sole-source contract would close the door on Quebec-based business jet maker Bombardier, which has been pushing for an open bid.The sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, say that last week cabinet green-lit the purchase of 16 P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft to replace the half-century-old CP-140 Auroras.They say the Treasury Board held a special meeting last night and approved the contract, which a U.S. agency has listed at $US5.9 billion.The procurement department has stated that Boeing’s off-the-shelf reconnaissance plane is the only one available that meets Royal Canadian Air Force requirements, particularly around submarine-hunting technology.Bombardier has argued that its alternative — cu...

Jury to decide whether officer fatally shooting handcuffed man was justified

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:29:14 GMT

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (AP) — A Maryland jury will decide in the coming weeks whether a Prince George’s County police officer broke the law when he shot and killed a handcuffed man in 2020.A trial began Tuesday for Michael Owen Jr., who had served on the police force for 10 years when he became the first officer in the county’s history to be charged with murder in an on-duty killing. He faces second-degree murder and other charges.In opening statements, prosecutors and the defense agreed on certain basic facts: that Owen fatally shot William Green, 43, while the handcuffed man was sitting in the front seat of the officer’s police cruiser, The Washington Post reported. But the two sides disputed other aspects of the case, including whether a struggle preceded the shooting and whether Owen acted in self-defense.Several months after Green’s death, in September 2020, county officials announced a $20 million settlement with his family.Prince George’s County has nearly 1 million residents an...

Book Review: ‘Eyeliner’ examines the staple makeup product’s revolutionary role in global society

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:29:14 GMT

Zahra Hankir opens “Eyeliner: A Cultural History” by marveling over her mother’s elegant beauty process as she delicately sweeps black kohl on her waterline, dreaming of displaying that same confidence one day.For Hankir, eyeliner is more than just a cosmetic product. It provides protection and empowerment. It provides cultural connection. It exists beyond borders, gender roles and Western beauty standards. Lining one’s waterline or drawing a delicate black line across an eyelid is more than aesthetics. For many of the underrepresented groups and communities of color highlighted in Hankir’s book, applying the product is a ritual deeply rooted in spirituality, culture, identity and more. If self-care is an act of resistance, then eyeliner is a tool in the rebellion.The Lebanese-British journalist seamlessly takes her readers on a global investigation of how the cosmetic product is used worldwide. Through intimate narratives with varied characters from different cultures and communiti...

Charges laid in shooting deaths of two Edmonton officers while on duty: police

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:29:14 GMT

Edmonton police say charges have been laid in the deaths of two officers who were shot while responding to a call in March.Const. Brett Ryan and Const. Travis Jordan were responding to a family dispute at an apartment building when they were gunned down by a 16-year-old boy. Police said the teen also shot and wounded his mother during a struggle over the gun.The boy then shot himself and died at the scene. Police say they will release details about the charges at a news conference later today.A staff sergeant with the guns and gang section is to be in attendance.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 29, 2023.The Canadian Press

Memphis couple to remove references to Michael Oher being adopted as part of legal battle

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:29:14 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A lawyer for the Memphis couple who took in former NFL player Michael Oher when he was in high school said Wednesday that references to Oher being their adopted son will be removed from the couple’s websites and public speaking materials as part of their legal battle over Oher’s finances.Lawyer Randy Fishman told a Memphis probate judge that mentions of Oher being adopted by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy will be taken off advertising for public speaking engagements and the couple’s websites immediately.References to Oher being adopted had been a key argument by Oher in his efforts to force the Tuohys to account for money made from the film “The Blind Side,” which focuses on Oher’s story and his relationship with the Tuohys. The film earned Sandra Bullock an Oscar.Oher said in a court filing in August that the Tuohys misled him into thinking they adopted him when they entered into a conservatorship agreement with Oher in 2004, when he was 18.In September...

Coroner’s inquest hears from doctor who saw Soleiman Faqiri

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:29:14 GMT

A coroner’s inquest into the death of a mentally ill man at an Ontario jail is hearing from the doctor who examined him at the facility.Dr. Brent MacMillan says he could see that Soleiman Faqiri was “quite sick” and experiencing delusions when he saw him on Dec. 9, 2016, but felt it would not be in Faqiri’s best interest to send him to hospital.MacMillan says he was concerned that “trying to corral a man who’s frightened and vulnerable” to take him to hospital would “instigate a reaction” that could cause him physical or mental harm.He says the hospital also had a history of sending inmates back to the jail after administering medication, rather than admitting them, so he felt the risks outweighed the benefits.The doctor says his priority was to get Faqiri the medication he needed, regardless of where that happened, and he believed Faqiri would see a psychiatrist soon.Faqiri died after a violent struggle with corrections officers on Dec. 15, 2016....

Boy who was 12 when he fatally ran over his foster mother gets 2 years in custody

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:29:14 GMT

A British foster child who told police “Looks like I got my first kill” after he ran over the 60-year-old woman caring for him was sentenced Wednesday to two years in custody.The boy, who was 12 at the time, fatally struck Marcia Grant when she tried to stop him from taking her car and fled the scene on April 5. He threatened to kill a police woman when he was arrested about an hour later, prosecutors said.“Is she dead?” he asked officers, according to prosecutor Gary Crothers at an earlier hearing. “Looks like I got my first kill.” He then swore it had been an accident.The boy, now 13, cannot be named because of his age. He previously pleaded guilty in Sheffield Crown Court to causing death by dangerous driving. Prosecutors dropped a murder charge.Grant had been a foster mother since 2016 and was considered a pillar of the community in the Greenhill area of Sheffield in Northern England, police said.Her daughter, Gemma Grant, told the court through tears that her mother “wanted to ...

Quebec coroner recommends better training at ski hills after six-year-old’s death

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:29:14 GMT

MONTREAL — A Quebec coroner is asking the province’s ski industry to review its training and safety practices after a six-year-old girl died after being dragged by a T-bar lift during a ski lesson in January. Coroner Julie-Kim Godin released her report this month into the Jan. 29 death of Lily Leblanc at the Val-St-Côme ski resort in Quebec’s Lanaudière region.The report says the girl was riding the T-bar with another student when her instructor, who was riding another bar behind her, asked them to get off because another student had fallen.Leblanc tried to get off but fell, and the hood of her coat got caught in the T-bar, resulting in her being dragged some 540 metres and asphyxiated.Godin said several factors contributed to the death, including that the child wasn’t riding with an adult and was told to get off the moving lift, likely because the instructor had been taught to keep their group together at all times.The report also found the employees operating the...

Actor Jonathan Majors in court for expected start of jury selection in New York assault trial

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:29:14 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The actor Jonathan Majors appeared in court in New York on Wednesday for the expected start of jury selection in a trial in which he is accused of injuring his then-girlfriend during an argument last spring.The trial could wind up playing a big role in what happens next with Majors, who had emerged as a breakout star with major roles in films including “ Creed III ” and who was being set up as the next great supervillain in the Marvel multiverse.The 34-year-old actor entered a Manhattan courtroom alongside his current girlfriend, the actress Meagan Good, carrying a Bible and one of his signature coffee cups. He did not speak during the start of the proceeding.Majors was arrested in March over a confrontation between the actor and Grace Jabbari, his girlfriend at the time, during a car ride in Manhattan.Prosecutors said Jabbari had grabbed a phone out of the actor’s hand after seeing a text, presumably from another woman, saying “Wish I was kissing you right now...

Algeria passes law to protect media freedom. Others used to imprison journalists remain on the books

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:29:14 GMT

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Algeria’s National Council passed a new media law that officials hailed as a major victory for the country’s journalists as concerns about press freedoms have plagued President Abdelmajid Tebboune’s first term in office.The new law repeals the country’s “press offense” law and enshrines new protections for journalists to ensure they will not face arrest or imprisonment for doing their jobs. However, two prominent journalists remain behind bars and the laws that authorities have used to prosecute journalists — including one banning foreign funding for media outlets — remain on the books.Still, the law’s author, Algerian Minister of Communications Mohamed Laagab, called it “the best law in the history of independent Algeria regarding the journalism industry.” He said it was a directive that came from President Tebboune.Many journalists hailed the law passed Tuesday as major progress. Some responded with more caution. Retired ...