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☆ Canada gives Toronto millions to shelter asylum seekers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The federal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which has responsibility for refugees and asylum seekers, prides itself on its record of accepting those fleeing oppression even as it tries to tighten its border with the United States. But Toronto, Canada's largest city, says Ottawa has not provided anywhere near enough money to keep shelters open. At the end of 2022, Canada had more than 70,000 pending refugee claims. Almost 40,000 asylum seekers entered Canada through irregular border crossings from the United States last year -- nine times higher than in 2021 when COVID-19 related restrictions were enforced. In March, the United States and Canada changed a two-decade-old refugee agreement as part of an attempts to reduce the influx across the world's largest land border.

Persons: Marco Mendicino's, Soe, Sean Fraser, Justin Trudeau, Kevin Vuong, Trudeau, Fraser, David Ljunggren, Susan Heavey Organizations: Rights, Public Safety, REUTERS, Rights OTTAWA, Canadian, Thomson Locations: Canada, United States, Toronto , Ontario, Toronto, Canada's, Ottawa, COVID, Quebec

Baghdad, Iraq CNN —Condemnation grew in Iraq after a 300-year-old minaret, viewed as a heritage site by the Ministry of Culture, was demolished in the southern city of Basra on Friday. Built in 1727, the 11-meter Siraji minaret, was demolished to create road expansion following complaints of traffic around the mosque, Basra Governor Assad Al Eidani said in a televised interview with Al Taghyeer news channel on Friday. He added that the leveling was a necessary step for road expansion in a growing city experiencing traffic jams. Local residents and government officials were left furious with the decision to proceed with the demolition. A resident of Basra, Ahmed Ali Ibrahim, told CNN that the people of the city “are in pain” over the demolition of the historic minaret.

Persons: Basra Governor Assad Al Eidani, Al, Al Eidani, Ahmed Al Badrani, Ahmed Ali Ibrahim, ” Ibrahim Organizations: Iraq CNN, Ministry of Culture, Iraq’s, CNN Locations: Baghdad, Iraq, Basra, Basra Governor

☆ U.S. Virgin Islands seeks at least $190 million from JPMorgan Chase in Jeffrey Epstein case
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The government of the U.S. Virgin Islands in a court filing Friday estimated that it will seek damages of at least $190 million from JPMorgan Chase in a lawsuit accusing the big bank of facilitating sex trafficking by its former long-time customer Jeffrey Epstein. The Virgin Islands also said it wants an order requiring JPMorgan to take a series of steps to protect young women and girls from other predators in the future. The filing says the Virgin Islands wants at least $150 million in civil penalties alone. JPMorgan in its own court filings has accused the Virgin Islands itself of being "complicit in the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein." Last month in the same court where the Virgin Islands is suing the bank JPMorgan agreed, without admitting wrongdoing, to pay $290 million to victims of Epstein to settle a suit by one of his accusers.

Persons: Jeffrey Epstein, Epstein, Jed Rakoff, Jeffrey Epstein's, JPMorgan Chase, Ariel Smith, Smith, Patricia Wexler, JPM, Virgin, Sergey Brin, Bill Gates, Lex Wexner, Glenn Dubin, Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew of Great Organizations: New York State Division, Criminal, Services, Reuters, U.S . Virgin, JPMorgan Chase, Virgin, JPMorgan, Virgin Islands, Google, Microsoft, Limited Brands, Deutsche Bank, New York state's Department of Financial Services Locations: U.S, Manhattan, United States, Virgin, Eastern, Prince Andrew of Great Britain, Florida, New York

It also wants JPMorgan to pay damages to compensate Epstein's victims, pay punitive damages, separate its business and compliance functions, and hire a compliance consultant. The bank also called the U.S. Virgin Islands' arguments for damages "misdirected" and "not well founded." Friday's filing marks the first time the U.S. Virgin Islands has put a dollar figure on its lawsuit. In the U.S. Virgin Islands case, JPMorgan has sought to shift blame. The case is U.S. Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

Persons: JPMorgan Chase, Jeffrey Epstein's, Epstein, Ariel Smith, Prince Andrew, Ehud Barak, Ghislaine Maxwell, Cecile de Jongh, Jes Staley, Staley, Jonathan Stempel, Nupur Anand, Luc Cohen, Jonathan Oatis, Deepa Babington Organizations: YORK, U.S . Virgin, JPMorgan, Virgin Islands, U.S . Virgin Islands, Deutsche Bank, U.S ., Barclays, Virgin, JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, U.S, Court, Southern District of, Thomson Locations: U.S, Manhattan, U.S . Virgin Islands, British, Southern District, Southern District of New York, New York

☆ Opinion | Why We Shouldn’t Lose Faith in Organized Religion
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Tish Harrison Warren | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Stephen Prothero wrote the book “Religious Literacy,” about the absence of religious literacy in American civic life. I wonder how many people who are reading that have alarm bells going off about the state of American civil society. American religion has long been entrepreneurial, and American religion will likely adapt in ways that increase religious participation in the medium to long run. But I fear that American society and social services will suffer in the short run. This is my understanding of religion, of pluralism, of social change: If you tell an inspiring story, people will want to move in that direction.

Persons: Stephen Prothero, Jessica Grose’s, ”, — Organizations: Catholic Locations: America

☆ Jury acquits former Florida deputy of failing to protect students in Parkland school shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

June 29 (Reuters) - A Florida jury on Thursday acquitted a former sheriff's deputy accused of failing to protect students during the 2018 mass shooting at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. After the verdict, Peterson told reporters at the courthouse that he would like to talk to the parents of students who lost their lives in the shooting. Peterson was armed but never went inside while the shooting was underway, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office and surveillance video. A jury in October spared Nikolas Cruz, the gunman in the Parkland shooting, from the death penalty, instead calling for life in prison without possibility of parole. In May, the United States marked the one-year anniversary of the deadliest U.S. school shooting in nearly a decade, in which a gunman in Uvalde, Texas, killed 19 children and two teachers and injured 17 others.

Persons: Parkland's Marjory Stoneman, Scot Peterson, Peterson, Tony Montalto, Gina, Montalto, Nikolas Cruz, Julia Harte, Deepa Babington Organizations: Parkland's, Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Broward State Attorney’s Office, Broward County Sheriff's Office, Police, Texas Department of Public Safety, Thomson Locations: Florida, Broward County, Parkland, United States, Uvalde , Texas

☆ Fact Check-Fictional New Mexico emergency broadcast circulates online
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video circulating online that purports to show an Emergency Alert System broadcast warning of an emergency at a New Mexico research facility is fabricated, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security said. A spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said in an email that no such broadcast was made. No such statement was released via the New Mexico government official website (www.nm.gov/news/) nor through the New Mexico Department of Public Safety site (here). There is no evidence that a “Black Mesa” research facility exists in New Mexico. No such broadcast was aired, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said.

Persons: Alp Toker, Read Organizations: New, New Mexico Department of Homeland Security, Emergency Management, Reuters, New Mexico Department of Public, Valve Software Locations: Mexico, New Mexico

☆ Grand Canyon Skywalk: A 33-year-old man fell 4,000 feet to his death in Arizona, authorities say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Ashley R. Williams | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A man fell 4,000 feet to his death from a popular tourist attraction walkway in the Grand Canyon, according to authorities in Arizona. The sheriff’s office said it is investigating the incident. Located outside of Grand Canyon National Park in the Grand Canyon West area, the Skywalk is managed by the Hualapai Tribe, according to the National Park Service. The Skywalk has seen more than 10 million visitors since 2007, according to the Grand Canyon West website. The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office and the Hualapai Nation Police Department did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for a comment.

Persons: “ Organizations: CNN, of Public Safety, National Park Service, Hualapai Nation Police Department Locations: Arizona, Grand, Mohave County, Kingman, Hualapai

☆ Tornado Kills 3 in Texas and Injures Dozens
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Livia Albeck-Ripka | Mike Ives | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It’s not unusual for officials in Texas to issue heat advisories around this time of year, said Monte Oaks, a meteorologist at the Weather Service’s San Antonio office. They typically do so when high temperatures combine with other factors, including high humidity and westerly winds that blow hot air from high-altitude deserts, he added. In this case, Mr. Oaks said, the humidity is high because Texas had a wetter and stormier spring than usual. But it also means that the hot ground is “cooking a lot of the moisture” and releasing it into the air. But there is enough supply to meet the demand, the company added, and it does not expect an “energy emergency.”Global warming is making dangerously hot weather more common, and more extreme, on every continent.

Persons: Oaks, Cindy Barkley Organizations: Texas, Electric, of Texas, Climate Central, Texas Department of Public Safety, Sheriff’s Locations: Texas, Oaks, Antonio, Mexico

☆ Trial opens for former Florida deputy in Parkland school shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People attend a memorial service on the five-year anniversary since gunman Nikolas Cruz opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School killing 14 students and three staff members, in Parkland, Florida, U.S., February 14, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello/File PhotoJune 7 (Reuters) - Florida prosecutors and defense attorneys will make opening statements on Wednesday in the trial of a former sheriff's deputy charged with failing to protect students as the 2018 mass shooting unfolded at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Peterson never went inside while the shooting was underway, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office and surveillance video. A jury in October spared Nikolas Cruz, the gunman in the Parkland shooting, from the death penalty, instead calling for life in prison without possibility of parole. In May, the United States marked the one-year anniversary of the deadliest U.S. school shooting in nearly a decade, in which a gunman in Uvalde, Texas killed 19 children and two teachers and injured 17 others.

Persons: Nikolas Cruz, Marjory Stoneman, Marco Bello, Scot Peterson, Peterson, Julia Harte, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, REUTERS, Broward County Sheriff's Office, Police, Texas Department of Public Safety, Thomson Locations: Parkland , Florida, U.S, Florida, Broward County, Parkland, United States, Uvalde , Texas

In Ontario, a layer of haze blanketed parts of Ottawa and Toronto, where Canadian officials warned residents about the poor air quality, as smoke floated over portions of New York State and Vermont. All of New York City was under an air quality alert on Tuesday because of the smoke; by the afternoon, the Manhattan skyline was obscured by hazy skies. In eastern Canada, Quebec was most affected by wildfires as of early Tuesday afternoon, with more than 150 active blazes across the area, according to the fire agency. Weather officials warned that people more sensitive to poor air quality, such as people with lung disease and heart disease, children and older adults, should limit certain activities outdoors. Air quality alerts were also in place in New York City and in multiple counties in upstate New York through midnight.

Persons: Jiménez, Derrick Bryson Taylor, Bill Blair, ” Mr, Blair, Eric Adams Organizations: New York, New, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire, Residents, U.S . National Weather Service, Weather Service, Weather, Twitter, New York State Department of Environmental Locations: United States, Canada, Minnesota, Massachusetts, In Ontario, Ottawa, Toronto, New, New York State, Vermont, New York City, Manhattan, Quebec, Lake Superior, New York, “, Connecticut , Massachusetts

☆ Uvalde school massacre: Mothers wanted to watch horrific footage of their children escaping. Here's why we showed them. And why they want others to see.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Shimon Prokupecz Matthew J. Friedman Rachel Clarke | Shimon Prokupecz | Matthew J. Friedman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Uvalde, Texas CNN —Editor’s note: This story contains graphic images and descriptions of the Uvalde school massacre. We really do,” Kassandra Chavez told CNN. Miguel Cerrillo, father of Miah, came into the room and said he wanted to watch, too. Credit: Texas Department of Public Safety Texas Department of Public SafetyJamie Torres, who watched separately, told CNN she wanted to see the video of her daughter. “Thank you for doing that,” Chavez told CNN.

☆ Gun-loving Texas, where most households own a firearm, has become an epicenter of mass shootings
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Emma Tucker | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +23 min

CNN and the GVA define a mass shooting as a shooting that injures or kills four or more people, not including the shooter. They argue that more firearms and higher gun ownership increases public safety – a stance that continues to be at odds with gun violence experts and data. The area around the Robb Elementary School signs has become a memorial dedicated to the victims of the May 24 mass shooting. Mass shootings are just a piece of that, and the strategies that we’re laying out will impact mass shootings. They’ll also impact a lot of other types of gun violence and that’s absolutely critical to saving lives,” Horwitz said.

☆ Fact Check-Posts misidentify gunman in Allen, Texas mall shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The first photo appears to be from Recentlybooked.com (archive.ph/pegWi) showing a February 2022 arrest for a man with the same name as the Texas gunman. The sites say the man is 36 years old, but Reuters reported the shooter in Allen was 33 years old. Indeed, these photos are not of the Allen, Texas gunman, but show a man with the same name but different date of birth, a Dallas County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson said. “The photos that we have seen are not the same person in the Allen shooting,” the spokesperson said. The gunman in the recent Texas mall shooting has been misidentified in online posts, which share photos of a man with the same name but different age.

☆ Allen, Texas, Mall Shooter Had Eight Weapons, All Legally Obtained, Police Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Adolfo Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Dashcam footage circulating online appears to show the moment an alleged gunman exits his car and opens fire on a crowd of people outside a Texas mall. Image: StoryfulAuthorities said Tuesday that the gunman they said was responsible for killing eight people at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas, legally obtained the weapons he used and had neo-Nazi ideation, but said they don’t believe he targeted a specific group of people. Hank Sibley , North Texas regional director for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said it appeared to him that Mauricio Garcia targeted the Allen Premium Outlets as a location and not anyone specifically. Among the dead were women, men and children, some of them of Asian descent. Seven people were wounded in the shooting.

Though investigators have yet to pin down a motive in the attack, they are probing whether Garcia was driven by extremist ideologies, a law enforcement source told CNN. Among those killed were two elementary school-aged sisters; three members of a Korean American family, including a child; a mall security guard; and a young engineer. Law enforcement does not yet feel they have a “complete picture” of Garcia’s past and are continuing to dig into his background, a law enforcement source told CNN. The child’s name and age were not given, but the Texas Department of Safety did note a three-year-old child was among those killed. Other victims included Christian LaCour, an outlet mall security guard, and Aishwarya Thatikonda, who was killed while visiting the mall with a friend, CNN affiliate WFAA reported.

☆ Texas gunman had 'neo-Nazi ideation,' officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

May 9 (Reuters) - Texas law enforcement officials said on Tuesday the gunman who killed eight people over the weekend at an outlet mall in suburban Dallas had "neo-Nazi ideation" but that his victims appeared to be chosen randomly without regard for age, sex or race. The gunman, identified as Mauricio Garcia, opened fire with an AR-15-style rifle at the crowded Allen Premium Outlets mall in Allen on Saturday. The eight people who died in the mass shooting included three children. In addition 10 people, ranging in age from 5 to 61, were wounded. The shooter had eight legally purchased weapons, three on him and five in his vehicle, said Hank Sibley, a regional director of the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The online profile being investigated also includes several pictures showing a black tactical vest with an RWDS patch. In addition, the profile includes a screenshot from Google Maps showing the time at which the mall where the shooting took place was likely to be busiest. Even so, one fact weighed heavily on the suburban community outside Dallas where the murders occurred: There were children among the victims. Although the police would not indicate how many children died, officials including President Biden acknowledged that there were more than one. As of Sunday afternoon, one patient had been transferred to a children’s hospital and was in fair condition.

☆ Allen, Texas shooting:New details emerge about Texas outlet mall shooter Mauricio Garcia as investigators continue to probe for motive
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Josh Campbell Ed Lavandera Elizabeth Wolfe Sara Smart | Josh Campbell | Ed Lavandera | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Christian LaCour was working as a security guard in the mall when he was killed, his family said. Brianna SmithIn addition to an AR-15 style firearm and another weapon found with Garcia, police also discovered several more weapons in his car, the law enforcement source told CNN. Neighbors of an address matching that of Garcia’s parents told CNN that police and the FBI arrived at the home about an hour after the attack and had the street blocked off for several hours. As part of his work, Garcia received Level II and Level III security training. He found a surviving child whose mother had been struck and killed as she shielded him from bullets, Spainhouer told CNN affiliate KTVT.

☆ Texas gunman may have embraced white supremacy, media reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 8 (Reuters) - The man accused of shooting and killing eight people at a Texas mall appeared to have embraced white supremacist and neo-Nazi ideologies, multiple media outlets reported on Monday. In social media profiles thought to be linked to the suspect, 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia, investigators found posts targeting racial or ethnic minorities, NBC News reported, citing two law enforcement officials. On a Russian social media platform, a user believed to have been Garcia praised the dictator Adolf Hitler and sympathized with neo-Nazi beliefs, according to the New York Times, citing law enforcement sources. The Allen Police Department, Collin County Sheriff's Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the reports. Reporting by Tyler Clifford in New York; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The University of California Santa Cruz is condemning recent antisemitic and anti-LGTBQ actions, including an event to celebrate Hitler’s birthday
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Elizabeth Joseph | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The University of California, Santa Cruz, is condemning recent antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ incidents reported on and near the campus, including a group of students who allegedly gathered to celebrate Adolf Hitler’s birthday. “They sang happy birthday and ate cakes adorned with hateful and horrific symbols,” UC Santa Cruz Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Success Akirah Bradley-Armstrong said in a statement. A second reported incident involved a student who “found an antisemitic and anti-LGBTQIA+ flyer” on their vehicle’s windshield in downtown Santa Cruz on April 21. UC Santa Cruz is encouraging students impacted by “worry, fear, and anger” surrounding the reported incidents to reach out to the school’s Counseling and Psychological Services for support. “White supremacy has no place at UC Santa Cruz.

[1/6] People pay tribute following a school mass shooting, after a boy opened fire on others, killing fellow students and staff in Belgrade, Serbia, May 4, 2023. REUTERS/Antonio BronicBELGRADE, May 4 (Reuters) - Two pupils wounded in Serbia's first mass school shooting were in critical condition on Thursday, health officials said, as the country prepared for three days of national mourning. A teacher and six pupils were wounded. Milika Asanin, director of the University hospital, said that the condition of a severely wounded boy treated there had improved, but was still considered critical, the Tanjug news agency reported. The remaining children and the teacher treated in the two hospitals were in stable condition, both Ducic and Asanin said.

☆ Girl wounded in Serbia school shooting is critical, doctor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] People pay tribute following a school mass shooting, after a boy opened fire on others, killing fellow students and staff in Belgrade, Serbia, May 4, 2023. "The girl who underwent an urgent surgery yesterday due to head injuries ... remains in critical condition and in intensive care," Sinisa Ducic, the acting director at the city's Tirsova hospital, told reporters. They are being treated in the Tirsova hospital and the city's University Hospital. Two wounded boys in the Tirsova hospital were in stable condition and were expected to be discharged in coming days, Ducic said. The suspected shooter used two pistols that belonged to his father, police said on Wednesday.

She was arrested at the same place in Montgomery County that suspected gunman Francisco Oropesa was arrested Tuesday night, case records show. Law enforcement also tracked Oropesa’s wife to the home, which is associated with one of the suspect’s family members, a law enforcement source told CNN. Courtesy Eva GutierrezAuthorities now have 90 days to indict Oropesa, a law enforcement source involved said. Due to his status as a Mexican national, the Mexican consulate will be formally notified of his circumstances on Wednesday, the law enforcement source said. Officials’ efforts may have been stymied by a lack of trust in law enforcement.

☆ Gov. Greg Abbott prompts swift rebukes after calling Texas mass shooting victims 'illegal immigrants' in a statement offering condolences to their loved ones
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Greg Abbott announced a reward for information and offered condolences to the victims. But the governor is getting criticized for identifying the victims as "illegal immigrants." Greg Abbott is getting criticized for identifying the victims of a Friday mass shooting in Cleveland, Texas, as "illegal immigrants" in the same statement in which he offered condolences to their loved ones. The governor also offered condolences to the families, but not before the statement identified the victims as "illegal immigrants." "Five human beings lost their lives and Greg Abbott insists on labeling them 'illegal immigrants,'" Julián Castro, the former Housing and Urban Development Secretary, said.

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