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Major changes to US immigration policy are under discussion. What are they and what could they mean?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:53:15 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is discussing changes to the immigration system in exchange for providing money to Ukraine in its fight against Russia and Israel for the war with Hamas.President Joe Biden has said he is willing to make “significant compromises on the border” to meet Republican demands that the assistance be tied to an overhaul of U.S border policy.Republicans say the record numbers of migrants crossing the southern border pose a security threat because authorities cannot adequately screen all the migrants and that those who enter the United States are straining the country’s resources. GOP lawmakers also say they cannot justify to their constituents sending billions of dollars to other countries, even in a time of war, while failing to address the border at home.But many immigration advocates, including some Democrats, say some of the changes being proposed would gut protections for people who desperately need help and would not really ease the chaos at the border.Much o...

West African leaders acknowledge little progress in their push for democracy in coup-hit region

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:53:15 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — In a renewed push for respect for democracy in coup-hit West Africa, leaders from across the region kicked off a crucial meeting in Nigeria on Sunday and acknowledged for the first time that their efforts to stem the tide of coups have so far met with little success.The 15-nation regional bloc, ECOWAS, has unsuccessfully tried to restore political stability across the entire West and Central Africa which has recorded eight military takeovers since 2020, including in Niger and Gabon. In the past month, the governments of Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau have also described their country’s political crises as attempted coups.Despite sanctions and other efforts by ECOWAS to reverse the coups, Niger has consolidated its grip on power while the military governments of Mali and Burkina Faso have stopped collaborating with the bloc on their countries’ transition to civilian rule, ECOWAS commission president Omar Alieu Touray told the 64th ordinary session of the b...

A gigantic new ICBM will take US nuclear missiles out of the Cold War-era but add 21st-century risks

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:53:15 GMT

F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. (AP) — The control stations for America’s nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles have a sort of 1980s retro look, with computing panels in sea foam green, bad lighting and chunky control switches, including a critical one that says “launch.” Those underground capsules are about to be demolished and the missile silos they control will be completely overhauled. A new nuclear missile is coming, a gigantic ICBM called the Sentinel. It’s the largest cultural shift in the land leg of the Air Force’s nuclear missile mission in 60 years. But there are questions as to whether some of the Cold War-era aspects of the Minuteman missiles that the Sentinel will replace should be changed. Making the silo-launched missile more modern, with complex software and 21st-century connectivity across a vast network, may also mean it’s more vulnerable. The Sentinel will need to be well protected from cyberattacks, while its technology will have to cope...

Man suffers serious injuries from early morning stabbing in Scarborough

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:53:15 GMT

A man is in hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries following a stabbing at a bar in Scarborough on Sunday morning.At approximately 3:15 a.m. police responded to reports of a large bar fight at 2109 Kennedy Road, in the area of Kennedy Road and Finch Avenue East.During the altercation, several people received minor injuries, and one man was stabbed. He was transported to hospital by medics with life-threatening injuries.There is no word on any suspects, or an exact number of how many victims had minor injuries.STABBING:Kennedy Rd + Finch Av East3:15 a.m.– Reports of a large bar fight– During the altercation, several people received minor injuries– A man was stabbed– He was transported to hospital by medics w/life-threatening injuries#GO2837853^lb— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) December 10, 2023

Children of imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi accept the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:53:15 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — The children of imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi have accepted this year’s Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf in a ceremony Sunday in the Norwegian capital. Mohammadi is renowned for campaigning for women’s rights and democracy in her country, as well as fighting against the death penalty.Ali and Kiana Rahmani, Mohammadi’s twin 17-year-old children who live in exile in Paris with their father, will be given the prestigious award at Oslo City Hall, after which they will give the Nobel Peace Prize lecture in their mother’s name. Mohammadi, 51, was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize in October for her decades of activism despite numerous arrests by Iranian authorities and spending years behind bars. She is currently detained in a prison in Tehran.At a news conference in Oslo on Saturday, Kiana Rahmani read out a message from her mother, in which the imprisoned activist praised the role international media played in “conveying the voice of dissenters...

Canada has a secretive history of adoption, and some want it brought to light

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:53:15 GMT

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — In a theatre in St. John’s, N.L., a murmur spreads through the audience as people timidly raise their hands. They have been asked if they saw their own stories reflected in the film they just watched — “A Quiet Girl.”The National Film Board documentary by Montreal director Adrian Wills follows him as he searches for his biological mother in her home province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Each step closer to his mother takes him deeper into the history of adoption in the province, where many unwed pregnant women in deeply Christian towns surrendered their babies to be brought up by someone else.“What people said to us afterwards was, ‘My God, this is my cousin’s story, this is my sister’s story, this is our story,'” Wills said in a recent interview after screenings in central Newfoundland. “It was really emotional … so many people want to tell you their stories.”Many more of those stories need ...

A bright start to the week, with temperatures climbing to 50 degrees

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:53:15 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- There were clouds overhead this morning. We'll see decreasing clouds throughout the day, but highs will only hit the low 40s. The winds will continue to ease through the day. Partly cloudy overnight, with lows down into the 20s. There is plenty of sunshine for Monday, with highs rebounding to close to 50 degrees. We'll settle into a dry pattern for the work week, with highs each day near or a little above normal for this time of year.

Avalanche Journal: Two months in, who are the contenders, pretenders in the NHL?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:53:15 GMT

The 2023-24 NHL season is two months old, and one of the biggest storylines is how many teams with high expectations have stumbled out of the starting gate.Look no further than any preseason Stanley Cup odds. The five teams that had the best odds to win a title per BetMGM were sixth, 11th, 14th, 19th and 25th in the league standings after the games Friday night. The most recent Stanley Cup champions were first, sixth, 15th, 20th, 18th and 21st.There’s enough data to start to form some opinions, and to identify some weaknesses. There is time for disappointing teams to get it together, but it’s unlikely that they all will.This field feels pretty wide open. The 2021 Tampa Bay Lightning or 2022 Colorado Avalanche would almost certainly be a significant favorite against anyone in the NHL right now. But those teams aren’t going to be in the 2024 tournament.Which teams look like true Stanley Cup contenders? Which ones have started well but aren’t actually threats to win 16 playoff games?No...

Brandon Royval, a homegrown talent from MMA epicenter Factory X, vies to become first Denver-born fighter to win UFC belt

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:53:15 GMT

ENGLEWOOD — Before Brandon Royval got his chance at a UFC belt, he almost ran out of gas.Royval walked into the 1stBank Center in Broomfield in November 2019 with a torn shoulder and broken foot. Between his job working overnight at a juvenile detention center and his training, he was hurt, hardly sleeping and one defeat away from quitting on his dream.“I was desperately trying to get to the UFC, staying up all night to work, practicing as much as I could,” Royval recalled. “I knew I was so close. I remember walking in there, thinking, ‘If I don’t win this fight, this is the end of my career. I can’t do this any longer, and I just need to move on with my life.’“Then I went out there and smoked the dude in like 20 seconds. The dream was back on.”Royval submitted his opponent with an arm bar 23 seconds into that bout for the Legacy Fighting Alliance title. About three months later, he got the call he’d been waiting for ...

Can Rockies follow Diamondbacks’ or Rangers’ path to postseason glory?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:53:15 GMT

NASHVILLE — The Rockies’ road to contention is steep and narrow, with little room for error.But is there hope for a team coming off a 103-loss season? The 2023 World Series says yes.In 2021, the Texas Rangers lost 102 games and the Arizona Diamondbacks lost 110. Yet there they were, just two years later, playing in the Fall Classic, with the Rangers prevailing in five games.The two organizations followed different yellow brick roads to reach their destinations. The Rangers spent big in free agency and traded boldly. The D-backs developed their young players and made shrewd trades.“(The Diamondbacks) have good young players,” Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt said last week during the winter meetings. “I said a year ago at this time that they were running ahead of us and were in the process of getting better.”Although the D-backs and Rangers built their teams differently, the clubs had a couple of things in common, beginning with a passion to win.R...