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Canadians making fewer trips to the grocery store as inflation pinches: report

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:14:37 GMT

A new report by RBC says Canadians are on average making fewer grocery store runs as food inflation persists, but still spending roughly the same amount per tripRBC’s consumer spending tracker shows the average number of grocery transactions in February was up 8.4 per cent relative to pre-pandemic levels, compared with a roughly 13 per cent bump relative to pre-pandemic levels seen toward the end of November 2022.Economist Carrie Freestone says it could show some Canadians are being cognizant of rising prices and making fewer trips to the store as they feel the pinch of inflation.RELATED: Grocery CEOs deny accusations that food price inflation is driven by profit mongeringThe report also says discretionary spending held steady through February.Restaurant spending remains strong despite a slight decline over the last three months, while Canadians continue to book trips despite flight costs rising 28 per cent from pre-pandemic levels.RBC says spending growth on international tra...

John Paul abuse claims trigger angry reaction from Poland

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:14:37 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The fallout over an explosive television report alleging that St. John Paul II covered up clergy sex abuse cases escalated Thursday, with Poland’s Catholic Church strongly defending “one of the greatest Poles” and the Polish government inviting the U.S. ambassador for talks.A report this week on TVN24, which is owned by the U.S. company Warner Bros. Discovery, named three priests whom John Paul allegedly moved around during the 1970s after they were accused of abusing minors. At the time, John Paul was Archbishop Karol Wojtyla, the head of the church in Krakow in southern Poland. John Paul is revered in the predominantly Roman Catholic country for his role in helping to bring down communism, and the TVN report ignited a national debate about his legacy at a time when the Polish Catholic Church overall has been undergoing a reckoning with its own record of clergy sexual abuse. A heated debate erupted Thursday in parliament debating his legacy. Government figures...

Security committee of parliamentarians begins latest foreign interference study

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:14:37 GMT

OTTAWA — The committee of parliamentarians that oversees national security says it has begun a study of foreign interference, following a request from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.In a statement, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians says it will examine the state of foreign interference in Canada’s democratic processes since 2018.That will continue the work done in its previous review of the government’s response to foreign interference, which covered the period from 2015 to 2018.The committee says it will also consider the independent report by former public servant Morris Rosenberg on the federal protocol for monitoring foreign interference attempts during the last general election.The committee, chaired by Liberal MP David McGuinty, plans to consult other review bodies to avoid duplication as it develops its terms of reference for the latest review.“Foreign interference and influence have been identified as significant threats to the r...

Yeti recalls 1.9 million coolers and cases for magnet hazard

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:14:37 GMT

U.S. product regulators said Thursday that Yeti has recalled 1.9 million coolers and gear cases because magnets can come detached from them, posing a risk of serious injury or death.The Consumer Product Safety Commission said consumers should immediately stop using the four recalled products and contact Yeti for refund information.The closures on the recalled products can fail, resulting in detached magnets, the CPSC said. If swallowed, two or more high-powered magnets can attract to each other or to another metal object and get stuck in the digestive system. The CPSC said if that happens, it can cause perforations, twisting and blockage of the intestines, potentially resulting in infection, blood poisoning and death.The products being recalled are the Sidekick dry gear case, M20 soft backpack cooler and M30 soft cooler, version 1.0 and 2.0.The coolers and gear bags were sold at Dick’s Sporting Goods, Ace Hardware, Academy Sports and Outdoors, Yeti and other stores, including Amazon...

Budget highlights Biden’s ‘values’ as he eyes 2024 campaign

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:14:37 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — With Republicans in control of the House, there’s no chance that President Joe Biden’s new budget plan will become law as it stands. Instead, the financial blueprint that he’s announcing in Philadelphia on Thursday will serve as a political talking point for a president preparing to run for reelection. “When you look at the budget, it’s a statement of the president’s values,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.Many of the key proposals are designed to draw sharp contrasts with Republicans. Some of the highlights of Biden’s plan:THE TOP LINEBiden’s budget covers the next 10 years. Overall, he expects an additional $4.7 trillion in tax revenues and $800 billion in savings from making changes to government programs. Biden also wants $2.6 trillion in new spending. That leaves him with an estimated $2.9 trillion reduction in the deficit. The president emphasized fiscal responsibility as he prepared his budget, portraying Republic...

RCMP watchdog investigates force how B.C. unit handles resource project protests

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:14:37 GMT

OTTAWA — The RCMP watchdog has launched a systemic investigation of the national police force’s British Columbia unit that deals with protests against logging and pipeline projects.Civilian Review and Complaints Commission chairperson Michelaine Lahaie says in a statement issued today that the investigation will look into the activities and operations of the RCMP “E” Division Community-Industry Response Group.The group is tasked with providing a co-ordinated response to public order events related to large-scale resource-based industrial projects in British Columbia.Protesters against old-growth logging on Vancouver Island allege police have used excessive force, such as pepper-spraying people’s faces at close range, as well as shoving and throwing them to the ground.The complaints commission plans to assess if the group’s procedures followed the law and its own polices.It also intends to look at whether the group’s polices, procedures and trainin...

Former Trump lawyer censured for falsehoods about election

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:14:37 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Jenna Ellis, a former attorney for Donald Trump ‘s reelection campaign and a prominent conservative media figure, has been censured by Colorado legal officials after admitting she made repeated false statements about the 2020 presidential election.Ellis acknowledged making 10 “misrepresentations” on television and Twitter during Trump’s fight to stay in power after losing the 2020 election to President Joe Biden, according to the censure from the office of attorney regulation counsel in Colorado, where Ellis is from. The statements include claiming on Jeanine Pirro’s Fox News show on Dec. 5, 2020 that “we have over 500,000 votes (in Arizona) that were cast illegally” and telling the conservative network Newsmax on Dec. 15 that Trump was “the true and proper victor.”On November 20, 2020, Ellis appeared on the Newsmax show of former Trump spokesman Sean Spicer and said: “with all those states (Nevada, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia) combined...

Illinois woman leads police on 120 mph chase

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:14:37 GMT

WHEATON, Ill. -- A 23-year-old woman has been charged after leading police on a high speed chase Tuesday.According to the DuPage County State's Attorney Office, an Illinois State Trooper pulled over Tianna Bryson, of Sleepy Hollow, just before 12:30 p.m. Tuesday after she was reportedly going 107 mph westbound on I-88 in Naperville.Tianna Bryson, 23, of Sleepy HollowWhen the trooper attempted to walk up to Bryson's vehicle, she fled the scene at a high rate of speed. The trooper then reinitiated the pursuit. FBI release pics of suspects wanted for armored car robbery in Orland Park Bryson reportedly weaved in and out of traffic, driving on the shoulder of the road, reaching up to 120 mph. Authorities then terminated the pursuit for safety reasons.Law enforcement was able to identify Bryson as the driver. She later turned herself in Tuesday evening.Bryson appeared before a judge Thursday morning where her bond was set at $25,000.She has been charged with one county of aggravated fl...

Big cat in Cincinnati tests positive for cocaine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:14:37 GMT

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) -- A big cat found in a tree in a Cincinnati neighborhood has reportedly tested positive for cocaine.The Hamilton County Dog Warden was dispatched on a report of a "leopard" in a tree in Oakley, a neighborhood in east Cincinnati, on Jan. 28. Crews worked to retrieve the cat, named Amiry, and it was taken to Cincinnati Animal CARE.At first, the care team at the CAC facility believed Amiry was a "Hybrid F1 Savannah," which is legal to have and own in Ohio. A representative of the facility said a big cat expert who was consulted was "pretty certain" the animal found was not a leopard, but rather a "serval," which is illegal to own in the state. Weekend events around the Miami Valley: March 9-12 The CAC medical team who examined the big cat took a DNA sample and tested it for narcotics. The DNA test confirmed the cat to be a serval, and it reportedly tested positive for cocaine. It wasn't immediately known how the cat came into contact with the cocaine. Since the C...

Virginia man filmed allegedly shooting drive-thru worker through car door pleads guilty

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:14:37 GMT

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) – A man accused of shooting and injuring a fast food worker in Virginia pleaded guilty to two charges at an arraignment on Monday.Jose Hernandez, 23, was arrested in connection with the shooting in November, several months after the incident occurred. Video shows Utah traffic stop ending in barrage of gunfire Police say Hernandez had driven a blue Toyota sedan into the drive-thru of a Cook Out restaurant in Chesterfield County on July 31, 2022, and ultimately shot a gun through the door of the Toyota — toward the drive-thru worker — after receiving his order. The employee was shot and taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.Video of the incident previously made public by the Chesterfield Police also appears to show the suspect paying for his order before firing the gun at the worker, and shattering his own window in the process. He then quickly drove off, according to police.The suspect in the shooting of a Virginia drive-thru ...