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FACT FOCUS: A baseless claim about Putin’s health came from an unreliable Telegram account

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:12 GMT

An explosive claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin had suffered a heart attack spread across the globe this week, amplified by news outlets and social media users. The news didn’t come from the Kremlin, which dismissed it as a “hoax,” nor verified reporting in Russia. It came from a single anonymous account on the messaging service Telegram that provided no evidence, yet was viewed hundreds of thousands of times.Misinformation researchers warn the account isn’t credible and has spread baseless claims about Putin’s health in the past. But the case highlights the dangers of seeking information on the loosely moderated messaging platform that has surged in popularity amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.Here is a closer look at the facts.CLAIM: Russian President Vladimir Putin suffered a serious heart attack on Sunday and needed to be resuscitated.THE FACTS: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday called the claim “just another hoax,” telling reporters that “everything is fine.”Photos...

NHL suspends Senators forward Shane Pinto 41 games for gambling

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:12 GMT

Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto has been suspended 41 games for violating the NHL’s gambling policy.The 22-year-old is the first modern-day NHL player to be suspended for sports wagering. The league announced the half-season ban for “activities relating to sports wagering” Thursday, saying Pinto did not bet on NHL games.A memo sent in March 2022 to all league and club personnel said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is authorized to “discipline individuals determined to have engaged in improper gambling activities in any or all of the following respects: expulsion or suspension a definite or indefinite period; cancelling any contract that such individual may have; and/or by imposing a fine.”“The League will act swiftly and aggressively in penalizing any League or Club personnel determined to have engaged in acts in violation of the NHL Gambling Policy,” the policy states.The exact timeline is unclear at this point, but it’s believed the investigation in...

Prosecutors drop charges against woman who accused Jonathan Majors the day after her arrest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:12 GMT

New York (AP) — Manhattan prosecutors on Thursday dropped all charges against a woman who accused the movie star Jonathan Majors of assault, less than a day after she was arrested by New York City police following his allegation that she initiated the physical confrontation.Grace Jabbari was briefly put under arrest at a New York City police station Wednesday evening and charged with misdemeanor assault and criminal mischief. She and Majors, her ex-boyfriend, have accused each other of battery during an argument in a car ride earlier this year. Jabbari was given a court summons and released.By the morning, the case against Jabbari was already over.“The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has officially declined to prosecute the case against Grace Jabbari because it lacks prosecutorial merit. The matter is now closed and sealed,” said Doug Cohen, a press secretary for the prosecutor’s office.Majors, a fast-rising Hollywood star, still faces criminal charges that led to his arr...

Canadian researcher released from Algerian prison after sentence reduced on appeal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:12 GMT

MONTREAL — A Canadian researcher whose criminal conviction in Algeria was criticized by human rights groups has been released from prison after a court reduced his sentence.Raouf Farrah’s lawyer, Kouceila Zerguine, says an appeals court in the eastern Algerian city of Constantine reduced his client’s prison sentence from two years to eight months, and Farrah, who had been detained since February, was released today with time served. He says Farrah’s release is a relief but not a victory and that he is now seeking to have the Algerian Supreme Court review the conviction.Farrah said in a phone interview he’s looking forward to reuniting with his wife, his four-year-old daughter and his parents.The former Montreal resident, who studies migration and criminal economies for an international non-governmental organization, was convicted of publishing secret information and being paid to commit offences against public order.Farrah’s employer, the Global Initiat...

Sheila North announces candidacy for national chief of Assembly of First Nations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:12 GMT

OTTAWA — Sheila North, a former grand chief of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, has announced her bid to become the next national chief of the Assembly of First Nations.North is an advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous women, a former journalist and a member of Bunibonibee Cree Nation.North says she has the right qualifications, training and people around her to become the next national chief, and she has received an endorsement from Bunibonibee Cree Nation Chief Richard Hart.The election comes after the dramatic ouster of former national chief RoseAnne Archibald, who was voted out after colleagues accused her of creating a toxic work environment — an allegation she continues to deny.David Pratt, who currently serves as a vice-chief with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, was the first to announce his intention to run in the contest scheduled for December.Manitoba regional chief Cindy Woodhouse, the lead Assembly of First Nations negotiator for a landmark child-w...

Feds install temporary impact review process pending new law prompted by top court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:12 GMT

OTTAWA — Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada will limit some of its work while the federal government develops new legislation to respond to a recent Supreme Court of Canada opinion.The court ruled earlier this month that a law passed four years ago, which set up a new environmental review process for major projects, strayed into provincial jurisdiction.It upheld the parts of the law that deal with projects Ottawa is financing on federal land or outside the country, but said measures that allow the federal minister to designate a provincial project for review are unconstitutional.Guilbeault says that pending new legislation to address the court’s decision, the federal agency will look at all its ongoing assessments to determine if they fall under federal jurisdiction.He says he will not designate any more projects for review for the time being.The agency is currently reviewing more than four dozen projects, and almost half of them...

Homicide probe after 19-year-old Quebec City woman killed, second teen injured

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:12 GMT

Quebec City police say a 19-year-old woman was killed in her home early this morning while a 16-year-old boy was seriously injured.Police say doctors fear for the life of the injured teen, who was listed in critical condition.Officers were led to the home in the city’s Limoilou district after arresting another 16-year-old for impaired driving and vehicle theft.While looking inside the residence, authorities found the two victims, and the woman was pronounced dead on the scene.Homicide investigators and forensic teams were at the home today and a mobile command post was also deployed, with police inviting anyone with information to visit the post or call 911.Authorities say the teen who was arrested is expected to appear on charges today of vehicle theft and driving under the influence, while the homicide investigation remains ongoing.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2023.The Canadian Press

Hamas official calls for stronger intervention by regional allies in its war with Israel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:12 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — A senior Hamas official told The Associated Press on Thursday that the Palestinian militant group had expected stronger intervention from Hezbollah in its war with Israel, in a rare public appeal to its allies in the region.Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas’ decision-making political bureau, said in an interview that “we need more” from allies, including Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, in light of an Israeli air campaign that Palestinian health officials say has killed more than 7,000 people, mostly civilians, in the besieged Gaza Strip.The relentless Israeli bombardment of Gaza came in response to a brutal Oct. 7 surprise attack by Hamas that killed more than 1,400 people in Israel, many of them civilians. More than 200 people were dragged back to Gaza as hostages.The death toll on both sides is unprecedented in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict and is likely to rise if Israel launches an anticipated ground offensive aimed at crushing Hamas.On the sid...

Self-reported paid sick leave coverage has increased ‘moderately’ since 1995: StatCan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:12 GMT

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says self-reported paid sick leave coverage has increased moderately since 1995, but coverage for front-line workers is still far from universal. The federal agency says that approximately 64 per cent of workers reported having paid sick leave coverage in November 2022, in comparison to 56 per cent in November 1995.Self-reported coverage appears to have increased for groups that traditionally have lower rates of coverage, including workers with full-time temporary jobs and non-unionized jobs.The report says this suggests inequality in coverage has narrowed between some job types — but lower-wage earners are still less likely to report that they have sick leave coverage. Only 17.2 per cent of workers aged 15 to 64 whose hourly wages are in the bottom 10 per cent say they have coverage.Employees of small businesses are also less likely to report coverage. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2023. The Canadian Press

Prep star Flagg shifts focus to home state Maine after mass shooting, says college decision can wait

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:18:12 GMT

Cooper Flagg, the consensus top player in the 2024 recruiting class, said Thursday that his focus is on the tragedy of a mass shooting in his home state of Maine, an indication that an announcement on where he will play college basketball could be delayed.The 6-foot-9 small forward has been deciding between Duke and defending national champion UConn.There were reports he would announce his decision Thursday. But Flagg indicated in a social media post that would not happen.“All of our focus should be on supporting the victims, their families, and law enforcement — everything else can wait,” Flagg said. “My heart is with Maine.”Flagg plays at Montverde Academy in Florida, but is from Newport, Maine, about 80 miles from Lewiston, where at least 18 people were killed and 13 injured Wednesday night in shootings at a bowling ally and a restaurant.Flagg had called Duke his dream school, but added the Huskies to the mix after an official visit in September, when he hung out with 7-2 center ...