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Australia forecasts first annual budget surplus in 15 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:11 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The Australian government on Tuesday forecast the nation’s first balanced annual budget in 15 years but warned that economic pressures such as inflation would push the country into deeper debt in future years.Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced a surplus was forecast for the fiscal year ending June 30 ahead of releasing the government’s economic blueprint for next year that aims to ease financial hardships of the most needy without stoking stubbornly high inflation.High prices for commodities including iron ore, coal and gas plus income tax revenue buoyed by an extraordinarily low jobless rate of 3.5% are expected to deliver the first surplus since the global financial crisis tipped the Australian economy into the red in 2008.“We are now forecasting a surplus this year, smaller deficits after that, and less debt throughout the budget,” Chalmers told reporters. Australian annual budgets typically contain forecasts for the next four years.Chalmers did not say h...

Toronto police identify suspect in separate stabbings of 2 women downtown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:11 GMT

Toronto police have identified a suspect after two women were stabbed in separate incidents while walking in downtown Toronto on Saturday. Both incidents took place on Saturday, May 6, between 12:00 and 1 p.m. in the Spadina Avenue and Cecil Street and Spadina Avenue and Dundas Street West areas.In the first incident a 75-year-old woman was walking southbound on Spadina when a man approached her from behind and stabbed her on the side of the neck with a sharp object before fleeing southbound. The woman was treated at hospital for non life-threatening injuries. A short time later another woman was walking northbound on Spadina while the suspect walked in the opposite direction. Police say as their paths crossed the suspect reached over and stabbed her in the right arm with a sharp object. She was also treated for a non life-threatening injury. Police have now identified the suspect as Tyrel Lindo-Mascoe, 30, of Toronto. He’s wanted for assault with a weapon and aggravated assau...

Chile: Conservatives will now control Constitution rewrite

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:11 GMT

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chile seemed on the cusp of a progressive revolution last year when a committee dominated by leftists drafted a bold new constitution to replace the country’s dictatorship-era charter. But voters have put the brakes on the effort, first rejecting the proposed constitution and now giving conservatives the leading role in writing its replacement.The far-right in Chile was the big winner of Sunday’s vote to select the members of the commission that will be tasked with writing a new constitution to replace the one imposed by Gen. Augusto Pinochet.The Republican Party, which has long said it opposes a new charter, obtained 23 of the 50 seats in the commission, meaning its representatives will not only have the most seats but will also enjoy veto power over any proposals they dislike. “It’s ironic that the sector that said it was the least enthusiastic about the process now controls it,” said Robert Funk, a political scientist at Chile University. A coalition of lef...

Utah author of book on grieving death charged with murder

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:11 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — After her husband died last year, she wrote a children’s book on grief. Now she’s charged with his murder.Kouri Richins was arrested on Monday in Utah and is accused in charging documents of poisoning her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl at their home in Kamas, a small mountain town near Park City.Prosecutors allege that Richins called authorities in the middle of the night in March 2022 to report that her husband, Eric Richins, was “cold to the touch.” The mother of three told officers that she had made her husband a mixed vodka drink to celebrate him selling a home and then went to soothe one of their children to sleep in their bedroom. She later returned and upon finding her husband unresponsive, called 911.A medical examiner later found five times the lethal dosage of fentanyl in his system.In addition to the murder charge, Richins also faces charges involving the alleged possession of GHB — a narcolepsy drug frequently used in recreational settings, ...

Amazon films, series to get wider distribution via licensing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:11 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon said Monday it will distribute its original films and TV shows, like “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” to media outlets outside its Prime Video service for the first time. The works will be licensed via a new unit called Amazon MGM Studios Distribution, which expands the number of titles currently offered by Hollywood studio MGM. Last year, the e-commerce-behemoth-turned-media-giant closed its acquisition of MGM — which houses more than 4,000 film titles and 17,000 TV episodes — for $8.5 billion. At launch, the new division will offer several series and films including “Coming 2 America” and “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” Amazon said. The unit will be led by Chris Ottinger, the head of distribution at MGM, who will continue to oversee distribution of MGM’s new releases and film franchises, such as the James Bond and Rocky series. “With the integration of MGM, we wanted to take advantage of the existing team to expand our business in ways that will greatl...

Ex-US Homeland Security agent gets life for sex assaults

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:11 GMT

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — A former U.S. Homeland Security special agent was sentenced to life in federal prison Monday for sexually assaulting two women he silenced by telling them he was “above the law.”John Jacob Olivas, 48, of Riverside was sentenced by a judge who said he had engaged in “systematic torture of women” and his victims would “live with this trauma for the rest of their lives,” the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement.Last December, Olivas was found guilty of three counts of deprivation of rights under color of law. Olivas began his career with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2007 and resigned in 2015 after working for more than six years as a Homeland Security special agent.Olivas attacked both women in 2012, prosecutors said.One victim testified that Olivas tried to rape her “after making it clear to her that the police would not be responsive to any report she would make about Olivas because he was ‘above a cop,’ and ‘untouchable’ and...

Worker fatally injured at Amazon warehouse in Fort Wayne

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:11 GMT

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — A worker died after being injured at an Amazon warehouse in Fort Wayne in an incident that closed the facility for the rest of the day Monday, authorities said.Emergency medical crews were called to an Amazon Fulfillment Center about noon Monday, Allen County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Cpl. Adam Griffith said. The worker was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.The death is under investigation, the sheriff’s department said. Additional details about the death were not immediately released.The worker has not been identified.Amazon spokesman Andre Woodson issued a statement saying the company’s “thoughts and prayers are with our employee’s loved ones and our team at the facility. ”“We’re conducting a thorough investigation of the incident and working closely with authorities as they conduct their own investigations as well,” the statement said.Employees were sent home for the day with pay after the warehouse was closed, the company said. It said a ...

Blackhawks will get No. 1 pick in 2023 NHL Draft

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:11 GMT

CHICAGO — There was a lot on the line for the Blackhawks on Monday night - and it all came down to the luck of the draw.That's exactly what they got thanks to a lucky ping pong ball.The team won the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery and was awarded the No. 1 overall selection in this summer's draft. This now means they'll have the chance to select center Connor Bedard, who is one of the most highly-rated players in the draft in a number of years. It marks the third time the Blackhawks have won the NHL Draft Lottery since it began in 1995, doing so in 1999 and 2007. In the first year, since the team could only move up four spots, so they were awarded the fourth-overall pick. Eight years later, the team was able to move up from the fifth to the first spot, where they selected nine-time All-Star, three-time Stanley Cup champion, and 2016 Hart Trophy winner Patrick Kane. If the Blackhawks indeed keep the pick and select Bedard, which is highly likely, it will be just the second No. 1 overall pick ...

Chicago among the top cities in US for paranormal activity, per survey

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:11 GMT

CHICAGO — If you're a fan of the supernatural, then Chicago is your place to be, according to a recent survey.Per Lawn Love, the city is ranked third in the United States when it comes to paranormal activity.The company looked at 14 different metrics when ranking the 200 biggest cities in America when it comes to their instances of the supernatural. They were put into four categories: Sightings, haunted locations, lifestyle, and community.In the survey, Chicago was second in the number of paranormal conventions and vampire-friendliness, third in the number of paranormal sightings, and eighth in the number of haunted sites.In the four main categories, the city was third in lifestyle, fourth in community, tenth in haunted locations, and 11th in sightings. According to this system, Chicago had a score of 44.25, which put it behind first place Los Angeles (59.21) and second place New York (48). San Diego (42.83) and New Orleans (39.56) rounded out the top five. Indianapolis was the only...

3-year-old boy, security guard among those killed in Texas mall shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:11 GMT

ALLEN, Texas (KETK) - Authorities have identified the victims of the mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets in Allen, Texas. According to the Texas Department of Safety, the youngest victim was a 3-year-old boy from Dallas. The oldest were his parents. The victims, all from Texas, have been identified as:Female, age 11, SachseFemale, age 8, SachseKyu Song Cho, male, age 37, DallasCindy Cho, female, age 35, DallasMale, age 3, DallasChristian LaCour, male, age 20, NevadaElio Cumana-Rivas, male, age 32, DallasAishwarya Thatikonda, female, age 26, McKinneyWhile authorities declined to identify victims under the age of 18, officials in the Wylie Independent School District said two students at its Cox Elementary School - Daniela and Sofia Mendoza, grades four and two - were among those killed. They were remembered as “the kindest, most thoughtful students with smiles that could light up any room,” Principal Krista Wilson said in a letter to parents.Three members of a Korean American ...