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Giuliani files for bankruptcy after staggering $148M verdict

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:14:13 GMT

Rudy Giuliani filed for bankruptcy Thursday, days after a jury ordered him to pay a staggering $148 million to two ex-Georgia election workers Giuliani baselessly accused of committing fraud in the 2020 election.Giuliani’s Chapter 11 petition, filed in U.S. bankruptcy court in New York, lists between $1 million and $10 million in assets and between $100 million and $500 million in liabilities, the filing shows.For months, the former New York City mayor has appeared to experience a cash crunch as he defended against increasing legal troubles in part for spearheading former President Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in court.But the bankruptcy filing was spurred by a jury’s verdict last week ordering him to pay about $148 million to former Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss following a four-day civil defamation trial.Giuliani vowed to appeal the verdict, calling the amount “absurd.” But at Freeman and Moss’s request, the judge on Wednesday ordere...

Honda to recall 297,000 cars in Canada due to fuel pump defect

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:14:13 GMT

Honda says it will recall approximately 297,000 Acura and Honda vehicles in Canada to replace their fuel pumps – a defect that can increase risks of engine failure or stalling while driving.This includes 2017 to 2020 models whose fuel pump impeller was improperly moulded, resulting in low-density impellers. A Honda Canada spokesperson said the car manufacturer had not received any reports of crashes or injuries related to this issue, noting that Canadian owners of affected vehicles will be notified of this safety recall by mail in Feb. 2024.The automaker said Thursday that it will replace fuel pumps for all vehicles impacted by the recall at no cost in separate phases.The recalled Acura models include the 2018-2020 ILX, 2018-2020 MDX, 2018-2020 MDX Sport Hybrid, 2017-2020 NSX, 2018-2020 RDX, 2018-2020 RLX and the 2018-2020 TLX.Honda models being recalled2018-2020 Accord 2017-2020 Accord Hybrid 2018-2020 Civic 2018-2020 Civic Type R&...

Two county officials in Arizona plead not guilty to charges for delaying 2022 election certification

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:14:13 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Two officials from a rural Arizona county pleaded not guilty Thursday to felony charges for delaying the certification of their county’s 2022 midterm election results. Cochise County Supervisors Peggy Judd and Tom Crosby had balked for weeks about certifying the results, in a process known as canvassing. They didn’t cite problems with election results. But they said they weren’t satisfied that the machines used to tabulate ballots were properly certified for use in elections, though state and federal election officials said they were.During brief arraignment hearings on Thursday, Judd and Crosby pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and interference with an election officer and were informed of future court dates, including a May 16 trial.“We feel like there is no basis for these charges,” Kurt Altman, an attorney for Judd, said outside of court. “She was charged for doing her job.”Crosby and Tim Grimm, a lawyer representing the supervisor, declined to comment a...

4 Indian soldiers killed and 3 wounded in an ambush by rebels in disputed Kashmir

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:14:13 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Four Indian soldiers were killed and three others were wounded in an ambush by militants fighting against New Delhi’s rule in disputed Kashmir, officials said on Thursday.The Indian military said militants fired at two army vehicles in southern Poonch district late afternoon on Thursday. The area is close to the highly militarized line of control that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.Lt. Col. Suneel Bartwal, an Indian army spokesman, said soldiers retaliated to the fire and in the ensuing fight, four soldiers were killed and three others were injured. He said a search operation continued in the area.No other details were available and there was no independent confirmation of the ambush.Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety.Militants in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi’s rule since 1989. Most Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels’ goal of...

Dutch court orders Amanda Todd’s tormentor to serve six years of 13-year B.C. term

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:14:13 GMT

AMSTERDAM — The man who extorted and bullied British Columbia teenager Amanda Todd into suicide has had his 13-year sentence from a Canadian court converted to a six-year prison term in Europe. An Amsterdam court handed Aydin Coban the six-year sentence on Thursday, which is the maximum allowed under Dutch law and is longer than the 4 1/2 years prosecutors recommended to the court in July. Todd was 15 when she died by suicide at her home in Metro Vancouver in October 2012, weeks after posting a video watched by millions around the world describing being harassed and extorted by an online predator.Coban was convicted in B.C. Supreme Court last year on charges of child pornography, child luring and criminal harassment after the court heard he blackmailed Todd to expose herself in front of a webcam.He was already serving an 11-year sentence in the Netherlands after being convicted on similar charges involving the online extortion of 33 young girls and gay men. The sentence imposed Thur...

B.C. woman faces multiple charges for under-18 sex trafficking, say Langley RCMP

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:14:13 GMT

LANGLEY, B.C. — Police in British Columbia say a woman faces more than a dozen charges related to an alleged human trafficking scheme involving sexual exploitation of people under 18. Langley RCMP say Jennifer Lynn Stephens faces 14 criminal charges for her alleged role in a human trafficking and pimping operation, including forcible confinement, assault with a weapon, uttering threats, and benefiting and advertising sexual services.Police say they were called to a gas station in Langley in early March 2023 where they found a “distressed adult female,” and an investigation led them to a hotel nearby before Stephens was first charged with assault. They say she failed to appear in court in July, leading to a Canada-wide warrant for her arrest. Police say they arrested Stephens on Dec. 7 after a complex investigation involving multiple agencies including Surrey RCMP, Vancouver police, and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit. Insp. Erica Moir with Langley RCMP says ...

Harris to kick off 2024 with stops in Nevada, South Carolina, home to some of Democrats’ first votes

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:14:13 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is visiting Nevada and South Carolina next month, two of the earliest states on the Democratic presidential calendar, where she’ll court voters she and President Joe Biden hope to win over.Harris will meet with members of the powerful casino workers’ Culinary Union in Las Vegas on Jan. 3, which offers one of the most powerful endorsements in Nevada Democratic politics, the White House said Thursday.Three days later, she plans to head to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, home of the Democrats’ leadoff primary, to address an annual women’s retreat of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the oldest historically Black denomination in the U.S.Harris has been touring the country to tout the administration’s accomplishments, most recently angling to energize younger voters during a multi-stop college tour. Next month she plans to embark on a nationwide series of events to rally voters to give Biden a second term an...

Colombia will try to raise objects from a 1708 shipwreck believed to have a cargo worth billions

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:14:13 GMT

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The Colombian government said Thursday it will try to raise objects from the 1708 shipwreck of the galleon San Jose, which is believed to contain a cargo worth billions of dollars. The 300-year-old wreck, often called the “holy grail of shipwrecks,” has been controversial, because it is both an archaeological and economic treasure. Culture Minister Juan David Correa said the first attempts will be made between April and May, depending on ocean conditions in the Caribbean. Correa pledged it would be a scientific expedition. “This is an archaeological wreck, not a treasure,” Correa said following a meeting with President Gustavo Petro. “This is an opportunity for us to become a country at the forefront of underwater archaeological research.”But the ship is believed to hold 11 million gold and silver coins, emeralds and other precious cargo from Spanish-controlled colonies, which could be worth billions of dollars if ever recovered. Correa said the materia...

Comedian Jo Koy is picked to host the Golden Globes as award season kicks off

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:14:13 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Comedian and actor Jo Koy has been tapped to host the Golden Globes, picked by producers for his “infectious energy and relatable humor.”Koy last year saw his “Easter Sunday” become the first big studio movie with an all-Filipino ensemble. He has released five stand-up specials on Comedy Central and Netflix, including his most recent Netflix special, “Live From The Los Angeles Forum.” The Globes are recovering after scandal and several troubled years, including one without a broadcast. The show will take place on Jan. 7 and will mark Koy’s first major award show hosting gig.“We are thrilled to have Jo host the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards and bring his infectious energy and relatable humor to kick off Hollywood’s award season,” said Helen Hoehne, Golden Globes president, in a statement Thursday. “We know Jo is bringing his A-game.”“I’ve stepped onto a lot of stages around the world in my career, but this one is going to be extra special. I’m so excited to be...

Homebuilders step up construction of single-family homes as 30-year mortgage rate eases below 7%

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:14:13 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Homebuilders are stepping up construction of single-family homes following a steady decline in mortgage rates and broad expectations among economists that home loan borrowing costs will ease further next year.Builders broke ground on single-family homes in November at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of about 1.14 million units, the Commerce Department reported this week. That’s an 18% jump from October and a 42.2% increase from November last year. It also marks the fastest pace for single-family housing starts since April 2022.Single-family housing starts have now risen three months in a row and are outpacing home completions for the first time since the spring of last year.Even with November’s ramp-up, construction of single-family homes remains on pace for its second straight annual decline, with starts down 7.2% through the first 11 months of this year versus the same period in 2022.Still, if mortgage rates continue to fall, that should spur more homebuyers t...