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Jurors in Peter Nygard’s sexual assault trial begin deliberating their verdict

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:31 GMT

TORONTO — Jurors at the sexual assault trial of Peter Nygard began their deliberations late Wednesday afternoon, with the fate of the former fashion mogul now resting in their hands.Over several hours on Wednesday, Justice Robert Goldstein gave the jury his final instructions and told them their duty is to impartially assess the evidence in the case by applying the legal principles he outlined. “You should consider carefully and with an open mind all the evidence presented at trial,” Goldstein told the jurors, who heard testimony from multiple witnesses over the course of six weeks. “You are the judges of the facts.”Nygard, the 82-year-old founder of now-defunct women’s fashion company Nygard International, has pleaded not guilty to five counts of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement in alleged incidents ranging from the 1980s to mid-2000s.Five complainants – whose identities are protected by a publication ban – have testified that they were i...

Immersive theater experience ‘Sleep No More’ will end its 13-year New York City run in January

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:31 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The “Macbeth”-inspired immersive theater experience “Sleep No More” that is hosted in three empty, hulking warehouse spaces in downtown New York City will say goodbye early next year on its 5,000 performance.Producers said Wednesday that they’ll wrap up the experience on Jan. 28 after 13 years and having welcomed more than 2 million visitors to the art installation-meets-theater-and-dance piece with elements of both Shakespeare and Alfred Hitchcock.“Thirteen years ago, we could never have imagined the astonishing journey this show has been on. It’s had an incalculable impact on us all and will live on in our hearts, seep through our skin and sleep in the deepest parts of our imaginations,” producers Felix Barrett and Maxine Doyle said.Created by the British theater troupe Punchdrunk, visitors to the fictional 100,000-square-foot McKittrick Hotel are handed Venetian-style masks to wear and are encouraged to explore. About 25 performers act out mostly...

Man shot in Mississauga, suspect on the loose

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:31 GMT

A suspect remains on the loose after a man was shot in Mississauga on Wednesday afternoon.Police were called to 5200 Creekbank Road at around 2:05 p.m. for reports of a shooting.Police say a man was shot following an altercation. It’s not clear what prompted the argument.He was taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries.Police are calling it an isolated incident and say there’s no threat to the public.Creekbank Road is currently closed between Aimco Boulevard and Matheson Boulevard.More to come

Man wanted Canada-wide for 2022 shooting in Brampton considered ‘armed and dangerous’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:31 GMT

A Canada-wide arrest warrant has been issued for a man considered armed and dangerous with ties to a February 2022 targeted shooting that left another man injured in Brampton.Peel Regional Police were called to the Queen Street East and Rutherford Road area just after 10:30 p.m. on February 3, 2022, for reports of a shooting.Officers located a 33-year-old male victim with gunshot wounds, resulting in serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Police later determined that the shooting was targeted.In an update from investigators on Wednesday, police said an investigation dubbed Project Journey was launched into this shooting. To date, six people have been arrested.Authorities also said the investigation has led to the seizure of five firearms, 10 kilograms of methamphetamine, and quantities of fentanyl and cocaine.Investigators are searching for 33-year-old Nakeem Jamar Johnson of Vaughan, Ont., who is wanted Canada-wide. He’s sought on several charges, including attempted murd...

The Lewiston, Maine, mass shooting was the first test of Biden’s new gun violence prevention office

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:31 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The first thing Greg Jackson did when he arrived in Lewiston, Maine, was to drive through the city, into its neighborhoods, past the crime scene tape and the boarded-up windows, to get a feel for a community reeling from a mass shooting. The deputy director of the new White House office of gun violence prevention was looking for his starting point.He set to work figuring out what grief and trauma resources were available for families of the victims and where the city could use assistance. He got a briefing from law enforcement. He met with the governor. And he started doling out help. “Most governors and even city leaders see the federal government as a big machine — there’s so many different levers and processes and contacts,” Jackson said in an interview. “So me just being a navigator and being able to help cut through some of the government jargon or get the proper contact within 15 minutes versus two days was huge.” The Oct. 25 shootings at a bowlin...

Newfoundland and Labrador’s Union House Arts wins $50K Lacey Prize

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:31 GMT

OTTAWA — A community art space on Newfoundland and Labrador’s Bonavista Peninsula has won the $50,000 Lacey Prize.The 2023 jury lauded Union House Arts in Port Union, N.L., for its “ability to produce programs that affect close communities.”The art space bills itself as an experimental, multi-functioning venue that focuses on “place-specific dialogues” and collaborative programming.Union House’s programming director Bethany MacKenzie says in a release that the prize will help its “limited staff” meet interest that’s grown since the space opened in 2019.Awarded every two years, the prize recognizes the role small arts organizations play in fostering Canadian creativity.The runners-up, who each receive $20,000, were Charlottetown’s “this town is small” and “Spill.Propagation” from Gatineau, Que.Established in 2019, the prize is funded by a $1.3 million gift from oil and gas entrepreneur John Lacey and ...

5 Republicans will take the stage in Miami, while Trump holds a rally nearby. Follow live updates

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:31 GMT

Five candidates will take the stage at a whittled-down third Republican presidential debate in Miami as front-runner Donald Trump holds his own event a short drive away.What to knowWhat to watch during the Republican debateHow to tune in for the third GOP presidential debateTrump looks to upstage the debate with a rally targeting South Florida’s Cuban communityDebate will focus on Israel and foreign policy — and who can beat TrumpScott hosting Jewish high school and college students at debateThe ongoing Israel-Hamas war is sure to feature in discussion during Wednesday night’s GOP presidential debate, and Sen. Tim Scott is bringing with him some students who might be particularly interested.Scott’s campaign says the South Carolina Republican is hosting more than 20 Jewish students from the University of South Carolina, University of Miami and a local South Florida high school at the debate.The Republican Jewish Coalition is one of the partners for Miami’s debate. Scott was among the...

The family of a Palestinian activist jailed for incitement says young woman’s account was hacked

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:31 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — The family of Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi insists she didn’t write the words for which she now sits in an Israeli jail.Israeli authorities burst into the Tamimi home in the occupied West Bank on Monday and arrested the 22-year old for “inciting terrorism” on her Instagram account. But her mother says the account was hacked.Tamimi gained worldwide fame in 2017 after a video of her slapping an Israeli soldier went viral on social media. She later said the soldiers had shot her cousin in the head just before the video was taken. After being released from prison, she wrote a book and crisscrossed Europe and the Middle East, becoming a sort of superstar in the campaign against Israeli occupation.Tamimi’s recent arrest has prompted criticism of an Israeli crackdown on Palestinian online speech in the wake of the Hamas cross-border attack Oct. 7. Palestinians have been arrested by Israeli authorities, fired by Israeli employers and expelled from Israeli sc...

General Motors tells AP it is only interested in entering Formula One with Andretti Global

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:31 GMT

General Motors will not break its partnership with Andretti Global to enter Formula One and is not interested in considering other teams to gain entry to the global motorsports series, an executive with the U.S. auto giant told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “GM is committed to partnering with Andretti to race in F1,” GM President Mark Reuss told AP. “The collaboration between Andretti-Cadillac brings together two unique entities built for racing, both with long pedigrees of success in motorsport globally.”General Motors plans to send a small group of executives to next week’s Las Vegas Grand Prix in hopes of jump-starting conversations with F1 and series owner Liberty Media about the Andretti application. Andretti told AP at last month’s U.S. Grand Prix that F1 President Stefano Domenicali was not returning his calls or texts.A month ago, F1 governing body FIA said Michael Andretti’s application was the only one of seven applicants to meet all required criteria to expand ...

Democratic lawmakers want President Biden to protect Palestinians in US from being forced home

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:31 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dozens of Democratic lawmakers are urging President Joe Biden to take steps to protect Palestinians in the United States as Israeli forces continue to fight Hamas militants inside Gaza City and thousands flee the area amid increasingly dire humanitarian circumstances.In a letter Wednesday to Biden, the Democrats call for enacting temporary protections for Palestinians through government programs that shield immigrants from returning to countries that are ravaged by natural disasters or war. The lawmakers cite the rising death toll in Gaza, especially among children, from the month-long Israel-Hamas war and the lack of food and water. “In light of ongoing armed conflict, Palestinians already in the United States should not be forced to return to the Palestinian territories, consistent with President Biden’s stated commitment to protecting Palestinian civilians,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter, provided to The Associated Press in advance of its release. The ...