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‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero to be released from Rwanda prison

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:11 GMT

 (CNN) — Paul Rusesabagina, who inspired the Hollywood film “Hotel Rwanda” and had been sentenced to prison in Rwanda, has had his sentence commuted by the country’s President Paul Kagame after his request for clemency, officials in Rwanda said Friday.Rusesabagina was found guilty on terrorism-related charges in September 2021 and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.“Commutation of sentence does not extinguish the underlying conviction,” said government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo on Friday.“Rwanda notes the constructive role of the US government in creating conditions for dialogue on this issue, as well as the facilitation provided by the State of Qatar,” she added.Rusesabagina, who is a dual Rwandan and Belgian citizen and resident of the United States, will be released on Saturday along with 19 other people that had been convicted alongside him, Makolo told CNN.Rusesabagina was arrested by Rwandan authorities while he ...

Orioles name veteran right-hander Kyle Gibson opening day starter March 30 vs. Red Sox

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:11 GMT

The Orioles have an opening day starter.Veteran right-hander Kyle Gibson will start Baltimore’s first game March 30 against the Boston Red Sox, the Orioles announced Friday morning.“I’m excited to announce that Kyle Gibson’s going to be our opening day starter,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “It was fun to break the news to him a few days ago. This is going to be his second one, and what a great honor and he’s earned every bit of it. I’m happy to have him, happy he’s going to be out there for opening day.”While starting opening day wasn’t a goal of his coming into camp, Gibson said “it does mean a lot” to earn the opening nod.“I’ve only been in uniform one time [during a game] my entire career on the first day of the season,” Gibson said. “So, it is a big deal. It’s fun to be on the field for that first game,”The announcement is far from a shock. Gibson, 35, entered spring ...

3.5-magnitude earthquake shakes parts of San Diego County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:11 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A 3.5-magnitude earthquake struck near Borrego Springs in San Diego County on Friday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey. The USGS reported the quake hit at 6:45 a.m., with a depth of about 7.5 miles. It reportedly occurred in Anza Borrego State Park. Is this San Diego’s rainiest ‘water year’ on record? According to "Did You Feel It?" responses on the USGS website, trembles from the quake were felt as far south as Chula Vista, as east as Indio and as west as Carlsbad.Here's a look at the USGS Community Internet Intensity Map as of 7:30 a.m. Friday.(USGS data map)There are no immediate reports of damages or injuries.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Man killed in two-car crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:11 GMT

SAN DIEGO — A man was killed Thursday after a two-vehicle crash in the Serra Mesa neighborhood, officials confirmed.The collision happened shortly before 12:30 p.m. in the area near Murray Ridge Road and Mission Center Road, City of San Diego spokesperson José Ysea said.According to the San Diego Police Department, a 53-year-old man was driving a Chevrolet pickup truck northbound on Mission Center Road when he lost control of the vehicle and spun into the southbound lane. At that time, a 31-year-old man driving a Land Rover LR3 in the southbound lane collided with the truck.Emergency crews attempted CPR on driver of the Chevrolet, who was found unconscious and not breathing. He was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, officials said. Kensington community calls for change after fatal crash The Land Rover driver was transported via ambulance to a nearby hospital with injuries suffered from the crash, Ysea said.The circumstances that led to the crash are still under ...

Rwanda says Rusesabagina of ‘Hotel Rwanda’ fame to be freed

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:11 GMT

KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — Rwanda’s government has commuted the sentence of Paul Rusesabagina, who inspired the film “Hotel Rwanda” for saving hundreds of countrymen from genocide but was convicted of terrorism offenses years later in a widely criticized trial.Government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo told The Associated Press on Friday that the 25-year sentence was commuted by presidential order after a request for clemency.Rusesabagina, a 68-year-old U.S. resident and Belgian citizen, is expected to be released on Saturday, she said.“Rwanda notes the constructive role of the U.S. government in creating conditions for dialogue on this issue, as well as the facilitation provided by the state of Qatar,” Makolo said. President Paul Kagame earlier this month said discussions were under way on resolving the issue.The case had been described by the United States and others as unfair. Rusesabagina disappeared in 2020 during a visit to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and appeared days later...

The latest developments on U.S. President Joe Biden’s visit to Ottawa

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:11 GMT

OTTAWA — The latest developments on U.S. President Joe Biden’s visit to Ottawa with first lady Jill Biden on Friday. All times eastern.10:30 a.m. The two Canadians who were imprisoned in China for nearly three years will be in attendance today as Biden addresses Parliament. Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig will also attend the gala dinner tonight.It will be the first public appearance for the two since they were released by China in September 2021, after spending more than a thousand days in prison.Ukraine’s ambassador in Canada, as well as ambassadors from the European Union and other G7 countries are also on the guest list for the address — as are a Ukrainian immigrant to Canada and workers from several Canadian companies, including steel giant Dofasco and rare earth elements mining company Cheetah Resources.–––10:05 a.m. Two university students from the state of Virginia who were jogging in front of the Parliament Buildings had no idea their president was in town, an...

‘Canada I am so sorry’, anthem singer forgets O Canada lyrics before Leafs game

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:11 GMT

If you tuned in to the Toronto Maple Leafs game in Florida on Thursday night you may have noticed something was a little off with the Canadian national anthem.Ryan Michael James sang both the American and Canadian anthems before the game against the Panthers at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida. James appeared to forget some of the words during the first half of his rendition of O Canada, needing some assistance from the Canadian snowbirds in attendance to keep the song afloat.He tells Kiss 92.5 he was a last minute replacement and only found out he was singing hours before the puck dropped between the two teams.“I found out two hours before that I was actually going on,” he said. “I had two hours to learn the national anthem for Canada, of which I was not familiar with before doing the gig.”The replacement singer posted a shirtless selfie on Instagram approximately one hour before the game, with the caption: “Still trying to learn the words to ‘...

4 ex-officers in Tyre Nichols case barred from police work

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:11 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Four of five former Memphis police officers charged with murder in the beating death of Tyre Nichols cannot work as law enforcement officers again in Tennessee, a state panel decided Friday.The Peace Officer Standards & Training Commission, or P.O.S.T., voted to decertify Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin and Justin Smith during a meeting Friday morning. It also approved the decision by Desmond Mills to surrender his certification.The former officers have 30 days to appeal.The Memphis Police Department has requested the decertification of seven former Memphis officers, including one who retired before he could be fired.Mills’ attorney said his client has been wrongly indicted and is “focusing on his freedom.”“It’s a waste of time,” attorney Blake Ballin said. “It is meaningless to him at this stage in his life.”Neither the fired officers nor their attorneys showed up for a hearing Thursday in their cases in front of the panel. They were also not presen...

Canada facing fresh U.S. pressure to agree to review cross-border mining toxins

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:11 GMT

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is expected to add today to the pressure on Canada for a bilateral investigation into toxic mining runoff in a key cross-border watershed. Activists, experts and Indigenous leaders in both Canada and the U.S. want an investigation into toxins from B.C. mining operations they say have been polluting the Kootenay River basin for decades. The “reference,” as it’s known, would be overseen by the International Joint Commission, a bilateral body established by the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. Both countries must agree to a reference — and Canada has been reluctant, despite pressure from Indigenous groups, conservationists and even the U.S. State Department. Erin Sexton, a University of Montana research scientist who specializes in Canada-U.S. transboundary rivers, calls Canada’s reticence “confounding.”Sexton says the White House will push for a reference, which she calls an ideal way to address the issue, since it al...

Police say it’s ‘improbable’ there are more than seven missing in Old Montreal fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:11 GMT

Montreal police say they don’t think they’ll find more than seven bodies in the rubble of an Old Montreal building that caught fire eight days ago.Police told reporters today they don’t have reports of more people missing, adding that it’s “improbable” there are more than seven victims.Searchers have pulled four bodies from the rubble, and only one victim has been identified: a 76-year-old woman who had lived in the building for decades.Insp. David Shane says officials are working to identify the other three.Police say three people reported missing are likely still in the charred remains of the building.The cause of the fire remains under investigation.This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 24, 2023.The Canadian Press