Immigrant workers say future in limbo as government ranking system scores soar
Kanika Maheshwari moved to Brampton from India in 2020 to study business management. Her dream, she says, was to open a jewelry business one day. Since graduating, she has been working with a logistics company as a sales executive. The 29-year-old has built a life in Canada with her husband, who works as a trader — both are saving to open her jewelry store. But Maheshwari says her dream is now at risk because her Canadian work permit expires in August, and she hasn’t heard back about her permanent residencyRead more
OpenAI previews chatbot with real-time voice capabilities
ChatGPT maker OpenAI said on Monday it would release a new AI model called GPT-4o, capable of realistic voice conversation and able to interact across text and image, its latest move to stay ahead in a race to dominate the emerging technology. New audio capabilities enable users to speak to ChatGPT and obtain real-time responses with no delay, as well as interrupt ChatGPT while it is speaking, both hallmarks of realistic conversations that AI voice assistants have found challenging, the OpenAI researchers showed at a livestream event. “It feels likeRead more
Destroying Michael Cohen: Trump team sets off on mission at trial
Donald Trump’s legal team set out to demolish the credibility of the key witness in his criminal trial, assailing Michael Cohen as an untrustworthy, ill-tempered, revenge-hungry narrator. For two days, a jury heard Cohen methodically build up elements of the case against his former boss and confidant. But just seconds into the cross-examination Tuesday, the defence’s objective became clear: Tear down the witness in the jury’s eyes. The grilling started with a fiery opening. Cohen was accused of making clear his desire to see Trump imprisoned, in profane public tirades against the defendantRead more
Biden condemns antisemitism in Holocaust memorial speech
U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday warned that the threat of antisemitism is growing, in remarks honouring the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust, as his support for Israel’s assault on Gaza divides his Democratic Party. “Never again simply translated for me means: Never forget. Never forgetting means we must keep telling the story, we must keep teaching the truth,” Biden said as he addressed a bipartisan memorial held at the U.S. Capitol’s Emancipation Hall. “The truth is we’re at risk of people not knowing the truth.” Biden spoke inRead more
On the witness stand, Stormy Daniels details alleged sex with Trump
Porn star Stormy Daniels described her 2006 encounter with Donald Trump in unflattering terms at his criminal trial in New York on Tuesday, testifying she tried not to think about the sex while it took place and feared it would become public. For several hours, Daniels, 45, offered details on the witness stand about her encounter with the former U.S. president, 77, and the hush-money deal she reached to stay quiet about it ahead of the 2016 election, when he won the White House. She told jurors that her life descended into “chaos” afterRead more
Hamas agreement, public protests put pressure on Israel to reach ceasefire deal
After 24 hours of fast-breaking and often contradictory actions by both Hamas and Israel’s government, a ceasefire in their catastrophic seven-month war still feels distant. Yet a flurry of diplomatic activity could put the two sides closer to a deal than they’ve been in months. When the news broke Monday afternoon that Hamas’s leadership in Qatar had agreed to the terms of an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire, Israel’s government appeared caught off-guard. The immediate reaction from Israeli media commentators was that it was a “trap” — not a sincere gesture, but ratherRead more
Poilievre hints to police he would use notwithstanding clause to change justice laws
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre says he would use “whatever tools the constitution allows” to pass criminal justice laws if his party forms the next government. Speaking to the Canadian Police Association on Monday, Poilievre promised to implement more stringent requirements for bail and make it harder for convicted murderers to transfer out of maximum security prisons. “All of my proposals are constitutional,” Poilievre said. “We will make them constitutional using whatever tools the constitution allows me to use to make them constitutional. I think you know exactly what I mean.”Read more
NATO chief chides Ukraine allies for delays that helped Russia
NATO countries haven’t delivered what they promised to Ukraine in time, the alliance’s chief said Monday, allowing Russia to press its advantage while Kyiv’s depleted forces wait for military supplies to arrive from the U.S. and Europe. “Serious delays in support have meant serious consequences on the battlefield” for Ukraine, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Outgunned, Ukraine’s troops have struggled to fend off Russian advances on the battlefield. They were recently compelled to make a tactical retreat from three villagesRead more
Columbia University starts suspending Israel-Hamas war protesters who won’t leave encampment
Protesters and police clashed Monday at the University of Texas in a confrontation that resulted in dozens of arrests, and Columbia University began issuing suspensions as colleges around the U.S. begged pro-Palestinian demonstrators to clear out tent encampments as commencement ceremonies approach. From coast to coast, demonstrators are sparring over the Israel-Hamas war and its mounting death toll, and the number of arrests at campuses nationwide is approaching 1,000 as the final days of class wrap up. The outcry is forcing colleges to reckon with their financial ties to Israel,Read more
U.S. government agrees to $138.7M settlement over FBI’s botching of Larry Nassar allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a $138.7-million US settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest. When combined with other settlements, roughly $1 billion now has been set aside by various organizations to compensate hundreds of women who said Nassar assaulted them under the guise of treatment for sports injuries. Nassar worked at Michigan StateRead more