Slain Hezbollah commander fought in some of the group’s biggest battles, had close ties to leaders
BEIRUT (AP) — The elite Hezbollah commander who was Monday in southern Lebanon fought for the group for decades and took part in some of its biggest battles.
Wissam al-Tawil, a 48-year-old commander in Hezbollah’s secretive Radwan Force deployed along the border with Israel, was killed when the strike hit his SUV in his hometown of Khirbet Silem. The strike was about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border, beyond the villages and towns that have witnessed the two sides exchange
NDP on track to pay off 2021 election debt, set to begin building election war chest
OTTAWA — The federal New Democrats believe they will soon be able to pay off their 2021 election debt, but will await end-of-year fundraising totals before marking the occasion.
Just how much was raised during a final 2023 fundraising blitz will become clear at the end of the month, when totals must be reported to Elections Canada, NDP director Anne McGrath said Monday.
The party has less than $1 million left on a $22-million election loan from 202
Insured damage from severe weather exceeded $3.1B in 2023: insurance bureau
Severe weather and natural disasters caused more than $3 billion in insured damages for the second year in a row in 2023.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada’s annual tally is topped by wildfires in the Okanagan and Shuswap areas of B.C., which cost $720 million.
Other notable events included severe summer storms in Ontario, at $340 million, and a spring ice storm in April that caused power outages and left two people dead in Ontario and Quebec, costing $
Man caught on camera accosting a Las Vegas judge in court is sentenced in an unrelated attack
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The same judge in a Las Vegas courtroom last week sentenced her attacker Monday to up to four years in prison in an unrelated case.
Deobra Delone Redden leapt over the bench and attacked Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus in her courtroom last week after trying to convince the judge he was turning around his violent past.
The sentence handed down Monday was in connection with a baseball bat attack on a person last year. Redden stood in court in shackles with a mask on his face and
A notorious Ecuadorian gang leader vanishes from prison and authorities investigate if he escaped
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — A convicted leader of one of Ecuador’s most powerful drug gangs has vanished from the prison where he was serving his sentence, and authorities were investigating whether he escaped like he did a decade ago from another facility.
Ecuadorian authorities reported Sunday that Adolfo Macías, alias “Fito” and leader of Los Choneros gang, wasn’t in his cell, and by Monday they hadn’t found him or explained what had happened.
Ecuador’s prosecutors office tweeted Monday that
Toronto man hoping to break world record for most marathons run in a year
A Toronto man is waiting to find out if he has broken the world record for most marathons run in one year.
At the beginning of last year, Ben Pobjoy dedicated all of 2023 to running as many marathons as possible all across the globe.
By the end of December, he completed 242 marathons, or stretches of 43 kilometres at varying speeds, in nearly 70 countries or jurisdictions. Pobjoy even quit his job and sold his personal possessions to fund the journey he describes as the
Most Torontonians disapprove of new name chosen for Yonge-Dundas Square: poll
More than two-thirds of Toronto residents are not on board with the proposed new name for Yonge-Dundas Square, according to a new poll.
A recent survey from Liaison Strategies suggests widespread disapproval from every part of the city towards changing the name to ‘Sankofa Square’, with 71 per cent of total respondents not in favour of the move.
Last month, City Council voted 19-2 in favour of the new name for Yonge-Dundas Square . Council also voted 17-4 in favour
Belarus refuses to invite OSCE observers to monitor this year’s parliamentary election
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarusian authorities on Monday said they will not invite observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to monitor the country’s parliamentary and local elections, scheduled for Feb. 25.
The move is the latest authoritarian President has undertaken in recent years to further cement his control over the country’s political institutions.
Belarus “has informed the OSCE about its intention not to invite observers and offered its arguments and motivation,” said Andrei Dapkiunas, Belarus’ permanent representative to international
Lobster fishers sue to block monitoring laws designed to help save a rare whale
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A group of lobster fishermen has sued fishing regulators in federal court, claiming that new electronic monitoring requirements designed to are unconstitutional.
The new rules went into effect on Dec. 15 and require fishermen with federal lobster fishing permits to install 24-hour electronic tracking devices on their boats. The Maine Department of Marine Resources, which regulates fisheries in Maine, has promoted the new rule as a way to collect better data that can both benefit the fishery and help save the vanishing North
Tiger Woods, Nike indicate a split after more than 27 years
Tiger Woods has gone from “Hello, world,” to saying goodbye to Nike.
Woods ended months of speculation by making it official Monday that the partnership between golf’s biggest star and the powerful Swoosh brand is ending after 27 years, a move that raises questions about the future of both in the sport.
Woods in thanked Nike co-founder Phil Knight for his “passion and vision” that brought them together when he turned pro.
“Over 27 years ago, I was fortunate to start a