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Chicago Bears’ Jaylon Johnson, Montez Sweat named Pro Bowlers

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 01:09:53 GMT

Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson and defensive end Montez Sweat were named Pro Bowlers for the first time Wednesday.Johnson’s selection to the 2024 Pro Bowl Games, which will be held in Orlando, Fla., in early February, comes amid a career season for the fourth-year Bears player. Johnson has four interceptions, including a pick-six, 10 passes defended, a forced fumble and 36 tackles in 14 games.He has allowed a career-low 50.9 passer rating by opposing quarterbacks, according to Pro Football Reference.“It is special that God has blessed me with the opportunity and favor to be selected for the Pro Bowl,” Johnson said in a statement released by the Bears. “I’m thankful for all of those who have played a role in my success because when I win, we all win.”Johnson has been open about aiming to be an All-Pro in this contract season, after which the Bears must try to either work out an extension, use the franchise or transition tag, or let Johnson...

The UK is not cooperating enough to curb migrant crossings of the Channel, a French report says

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 01:09:53 GMT

PARIS (AP) — A French report said the United Kingdom is not sufficiently coordinating with France in efforts to reduce the number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, as part of a broader assessment pointing to the “uncertain effectiveness” of illegal migration policies.France is “struggling to develop operational cooperation arrangements” with the U.K., according to the report published Thursday by France’s Court of Accounts, a body in charge of auditing the use of public funds, independent from the government and parliament.The report refers in particular to a joint intelligence unit created in 2020 to fight human smuggling and reduce the number of people risking their lives to cross the Channel illegally. In 2022, it helped dismantle seven illegal migration networks.The Court “found that the British don’t provide usable information on the departures of small boats, and give very general, first-level information that has not been counter-checked.”In...

South Korea views the young daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as his likely successor

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 01:09:53 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The young daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is seen as her father’s likely heir apparent, South Korea’s spy agency said Thursday, its first such assessment on the girl who was unveiled to the outside world a little more than a year ago.There has been intense outside debate and speculation about the girl, reportedly about 10 years old and named Ju Ae, since she made her first public appearance in November 2022, when she watched a long-range missile test-launch with her father. The girl has since accompanied her father at a number of major public events, with state media calling her father’s “most beloved” or “respected” child and churning out footage and photos proving her rising political standing and closeness with her father.A senior general knelt and whispered to her when she clapped while watching a military parade at a VIP observation stand in September. She was photographed standing in front of her father at one point during a visit to the a...

Denmark’s queen makes one last public appearance before stepping down in a rare abdication

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 01:09:53 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Europe’s longest reigning monarch Queen Margrethe rode through Denmark’s capital Thursday in a gilded, horse-drawn coach as she concluded her last New Year celebrations before her abdication later this month. Thousands braved the freezing temperatures, strong winds, snow and sleet to cheer the popular queen along the route in what is to be her last public appearance as monarch. She will step down on Jan. 14 after 52 years on the throne.The 83-year-old monarch will hand the throne to her oldest son, Crown Prince Frederik in the first such resignation in Europe’s oldest ruling monarchy in nearly 900 years.Margrethe rode in the so-called Gold Coach — pulled by six white horses — that is used when the monarch rides from the royal residence at the Amalienborg Palace to the Christiansborg Palace during the traditional New Year’s fete with officers from the Armed Forces, among others.The monarch wore a fur coat and white gloves in the closed, 19th century c...

In the news today: Canada warns against ‘mass displacement’ of Palestinians from Gaza

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 01:09:53 GMT

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…Israel’s peers warn against displacing Palestinians in Gaza to places like CanadaCountries that have traditionally aligned with Israel are warning the nation about trying to displace people living in the Gaza Strip.Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich made comments this week that countries should be “encouraging migration” of Palestinians from Gaza, while adding that Israel should re-establish settlements in the Strip.A spokesperson for Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Canada will not condone the mass displacement of Palestinians.Next week, Canada is expected to launch a temporary immigration program for the extended family members of Canadians who are trapped in the besieged territory.Sentencing hearing set for London attacker todayA sentencing hearing is set to begin today for a man who killed four members of a Muslim family...

D.J. Demers finds humour in his hearing loss in new CBC comedy ‘One More Time’

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 01:09:53 GMT

TORONTO — D.J. Demers is willing to joke about almost anything, though it took him a while to feel at ease poking fun at his hearing loss.“I didn’t necessarily want to talk about my hearing aids right away in standup,” says the Kitchener, Ont.-born comedian, 37, who was diagnosed with severe-to-profound hearing loss at age four. “I didn’t want it to be a gimmick or a crutch. But then once you feel confident in your abilities, you go, ‘Well, I’ll find a way to make this funny, and it’s a big part of who I am.’ So, I learned pretty early on that there was a lot of humour in it, and a lot of people would relate to it. I like to believe I learned to make it relatable for people who don’t even have hearing loss.” It’s safe to say Demers’ comedy is resonating; his standup career has earned him appearances on “America’s Got Talent” and “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.” Now, he has his own CBC sitcom.In “One More Time,” premiering Jan. 9, Demers somet...

Sentencing hearing today for man found guilty in London attack on Muslim family

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 01:09:53 GMT

LONDON, Ont. — A sentencing hearing is set to begin today for a man who killed four members of a Muslim family in London, Ont.Nathaniel Veltman, 23, was found guilty in November of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder for hitting the Afzaal family with his truck while they were out for a walk on June 6, 2021.His trial was heard in Windsor, Ont., but the sentencing proceedings –including the delivering of victim impact statements – will be taking place in London, where the attack took place.Forty-six-year-old Salman Afzaal; his 44-year-old wife, Madiha Salman; their 15-year-old daughter, Yumna; and her 74-year-old grandmother, Talat Afzaal, were killed, while the couple’s nine-year-old son was seriously hurt but survived.The attack devastated the city and triggered national calls to combat Islamophobia.Veltman’s trial was the first where Canada’s terrorism laws were put before a jury in a first-degree murder trial.Justice Renee Pomera...

Rate cuts and a return to growth: What Deloitte sees on the Canadian economic horizon

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 01:09:53 GMT

TORONTO — Deloitte Canada says the Canadian economy will return to growth in the second half of 2024, with interest rate cuts as early as this spring. The firm’s economic outlook report predicts stagnant growth during the first half of the year as the effects of higher interest rates continue to work their way through the system.The Bank of Canada held its key rate steady at five per cent in December after a heavy-handed hiking campaign to fight inflation.Deloitte says inflation is still uncomfortably high at 3.1 per cent as of November, but it’s unlikely the central bank will hike rates further. However, Deloitte Canada chief economist Dawn Desjardins says we shouldn’t expect interest rates to return to their pre-pandemic lows. Desjardins says momentum in the economy and the job market is poised to improve in the second half of 2024 as confidence starts to recover. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 4, 2024.The Canadian Press

Scenes of loss play out across Japan’s western coastline after quake kills 84, dozens still missing

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 01:09:53 GMT

SUZU, Japan (AP) — His face hidden under a humble straw hat, the man stood silent, watching several helmeted rescue workers carefully lift his wife’s body from the rubble, wrapped in blue plastic on a stretcher.He wiped his weary face with a rag. His eyes were red.This scene in the city of Suzu was tragically repeated across Ishikawa Prefecture and nearby regions on the western coastline of Japan after Monday’s 7.6 magnitude temblor that decimated houses, twisted and scarred roads and scattered boats like toys in the waters, and prompted tsunami warnings.The death toll stood at 84 people as of Thursday. Ishikawa officials said 48 of those who died were in the city of Wajima and 23 were in Suzu. The 13 others were reported in five neighboring towns. More than 300 people have been injured, at least 26 seriously.Those reported missing ballooned from 15 to 79 overnight, including a 13-year-old boy. Officials initially said 80 were missing but corrected the number later.What exacer...

SWAT call out ends; man kills self inside apartment, police say

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 01:09:53 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin Police said Thursday a man is dead from self-inflicted gunshot wounds after a SWAT callout at an apartment complex on East Stassney Lane in south Austin. Police did not name the complex but the address they gave matches Austin City Lights which is between South Congress Ave and Interstate 35. Police said the situation began when 911 got a call around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday about a woman being assaulted by her boyfriend inside their apartment. The woman was able to get out by the time officers arrived, police said, but the boyfriend remained inside with a gun. That's when SWAT was called out, APD said. SWAT officers found the man's body inside the apartment at 2:45 a.m. Police said the man never made contact with officers. APD said the man was the only one inside the apartment other than some dogs when SWAT officers found his body.