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Sowei 2025-01-12
OTTAWA — Former foreign minister Lawrence Cannon says he denied an emergency passport to Abousfian Abdelrazik in 2009 because he considered the Montreal man a possible threat to national security. Cannon told a Federal Court hearing Tuesday he did not want Abdelrazik to return to Canada from Sudan and "put any Canadians in jeopardy." The Sudanese-born Abdelrazik settled in Montreal as a refugee and became a Canadian citizen in 1995. During a 2003 visit to his native country to see his ailing mother, he was arrested, imprisoned and questioned about suspected extremist connections. Abdelrazik, who denies involvement in terrorism, says he was tortured by Sudanese authorities during two periods of detention. He is suing the Canadian government, claiming officials arranged for his arbitrary imprisonment, encouraged his detention by Sudanese authorities and obstructed his repatriation to Canada for several years. The suit also names Cannon, Conservative foreign affairs minister from October 2008 to May 2011. Federal lawyers argue Abdelrazik is an author of his own troubles, saying Canada did not urge Sudan to keep him in detention or mistreat him, or create a risk that these things might happen. Abdelrazik's second release from Sudanese custody came in July 2006. However, his inclusion on a United Nations security watch list complicated his efforts to return to Canada. At various times he was also on U.S. and Canadian no-fly lists. In response to a query from Canada's foreign ministry, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the RCMP said in November 2007 that neither agency had current and substantive information to support Abdelrazik's continued inclusion on the UN list. But Abdelrazik remained stuck in Sudan. In April 2008, he sought safe haven at the Canadian Embassy in Khartoum. He lived there in makeshift conditions for over a year. Canadian officials stated on several occasions the federal government would issue him an emergency passport if he were able to arrange air passage to Canada. In March 2009, Abdelrazik obtained a ticket to Canada for the following month. A March 12, 2009, email message filed in court indicates Cannon's office was questioning the authority to issue an emergency passport to Abdelrazik while he was on the UN list. Cannon seemed to know little about the inquiry, suggesting one of his staff was seeking more information, "as much as we were all looking for information." In early April 2009, Cannon refused Abdelrazik an emergency travel document under a section of the Canadian Passport Order that said he could refuse or revoke a passport if "such action is necessary for the national security of Canada or another country." Cannon told the court Tuesday that responsibility for national security is one of the important roles a minister plays. "I took that responsibility very seriously," Cannon said. "I did not want to put any Canadians in jeopardy or have Mr. Abdelrazik come back to Canada and pose a threat to the security and livelihood of a number of Canadians." Paul Champ, a lawyer for Abdelrazik, said during cross-examination of Cannon that Passport Canada had been quite ready to issue the document before the minister's decision. "I'm suggesting someone from your office pumped the brakes and said, 'Wait, do not issue that, because Mr. Cannon wants to review it. I'm suggesting to you, that's what happened." "I can't confirm what you're suggesting," Cannon replied. "I don't know." Abdelrazik has told the court the passport refusal was like "a mountain falling down on my head," causing great distress. He returned to Canada in late June 2009 after a judge ruled Ottawa violated his Charter right to enter Canada in denying him a temporary travel document. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2024. Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Pressfortune gems 2 jili

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A charming grade two-listed home with exposed timber beams is on the market in one of the most expensive regions of Cambridgeshire for £675,000. The current owners of Tree Cottage in Stapleford have taken care to preserve its original character. Great Shelford and Stapleford form the fourth-most expensive region of Cambridgeshire, coming under Addenbrooke's and Queen Edith's; central and west Cambridgeshire; and west Chesterton. Find out the ten most expensive and cheapest neighbourhoods in the county . The period home is in the centre of the village, and comes alongside a pretty cottage garden. It comes with a stunning inglenook fireplace in the sitting room, alongside a stained glass window in the study area. The property listing describes: "The accommodation comprises an entrance hall, which leads to a study area with stained glass window to rear aspect, a secondary staircase leading to the master bedroom. The dual aspect sitting room boasts an inglenook fireplace and exposed timbers, the bay window dining room has French doors out to the garden and the primary staircase to the first floor with quarry tile flooring. "The kitchen has been re-fitted in recent times with solid oak cabinetry, granite working surfaces with a one and a half inset sink and drainer, five-ring gas hob, double oven, extractor, dishwasher and space for a fridge freezer and washing machine. Upstairs, there are three bedrooms with a family bathroom, which boasts a roll top, claw foot bath. "There are the most impressive exposed timber beams throughout the entire cottage. Outside, the side and rear garden are laid mainly to well maintained lawns with well-stocked flower and shrub borders and beds, a selection of both specimen and fruit bearing trees, mature bushes and a paved patio. "There is a large timber shed/workshop with power and light connected, and all enjoys excellent levels of privacy and seclusion." Take a look at this gorgeous property below.

Sleep Sprays Market Insights: In-Depth Analysis of Key Players and Market Dynamics 11-23-2024 12:56 PM CET | Advertising, Media Consulting, Marketing Research Press release from: Valuates Reports Sleep Sprays Market Sleep spray is a product that can improve insomnia. Aromatherapy is used to assist falling asleep and promote deep sleep, thereby improving sleep. The global Sleep Sprays market was valued at US$ million in 2023 and is anticipated to reach US$ million by 2030, witnessing a CAGR of % during the forecast period 2024-2030. Get Free Sample: https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/QYRE-Auto-5O8010/Global_Sleep_Sprays_Market_Insights_Forecast_to_2028 North American market for Sleep Sprays is estimated to increase from $ million in 2023 to reach $ million by 2030, at a CAGR of % during the forecast period of 2024 through 2030. Asia-Pacific market for Sleep Sprays is estimated to increase from $ million in 2023 to reach $ million by 2030, at a CAGR of % during the forecast period of 2024 through 2030. The major global manufacturers of Sleep Sprays include Canopy Growth, REN Clean Skincare, Votary, Asutra, Supermood, Vitruvi, Neal's Yard Remedies, L'OCCITANE and Living Libations, etc. In 2023, the world's top three vendors accounted for approximately % of the revenue. Purchase Regional Report: https://reports.valuates.com/request/regional/QYRE-Auto-5O8010/Global_Sleep_Sprays_Market_Insights_Forecast_to_2028 This report aims to provide a comprehensive presentation of the global market for Sleep Sprays, with both quantitative and qualitative analysis, to help readers develop business/growth strategies, assess the market competitive situation, analyze their position in the current marketplace, and make informed business decisions regarding Sleep Sprays. Report Scope The Sleep Sprays market size, estimations, and forecasts are provided in terms of sales volume (K Units) and revenue ($ millions), considering 2023 as the base year, with history and forecast data for the period from 2019 to 2030. This report segments the global Sleep Sprays market comprehensively. Regional market sizes, concerning products by Type, by Sale Channel, and by players, are also provided. For a more in-depth understanding of the market, the report provides profiles of the competitive landscape, key competitors, and their respective market ranks. The report also discusses technological trends and new product developments. The report will help the Sleep Sprays manufacturers, new entrants, and industry chain related companies in this market with information on the revenues, sales volume, and average price for the overall market and the sub-segments across the different segments, by company, by Type, by Sale Channel, and by regions. By Type •Lavender •Gastrodia Elata By Application •Online •Offline Key Companies Canopy Growth, REN Clean Skincare, Votary, Asutra, Supermood, Vitruvi, Neal's Yard Remedies, L'OCCITANE, Living Libations, OSEA International, Bamford, Bath & Body Works Direct Inc, This Works Products Ltd View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-5O8010/global-sleep-sprays Please reach us at sales@valuates.com Address: Valuates, 4th Floor, Balaraj's Arcade, Whitefield Main road, Bangalore 560066 Valuates offers an extensive collection of market research reports that helps companies to take intelligent strategical decisions based on current and forecasted Market trends. This release was published on openPR.

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(CNN) — The man accused of killing 22-year-old college student Laken Riley in February while she was jogging on the University of Georgia campus was convicted of murder this week and sentenced to life in prison . Laken’s sister, Lauren Phillips, now a University of Georgia student herself, walks the grounds of her dream school in fear. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — CNN wants a court to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed by North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson that attacks its report that he made explicit posts on a pornography website’s message board. The network says Robinson presented no evidence that the network believed its story was false or aired it recklessly. The September report says Robinson, who ran unsuccessfully for governor this month, left statements over a decade ago on the message board in which, in part, he referred to himself as a “black NAZI" and said he enjoyed transgender pornography. The report also says he preferred Adolf Hitler to then-President Barack Obama and slammed the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as “worse than a maggot.” Robinson, who was seeking to become the state's first Black governor, said he didn’t write those posts and sued in October, just before early in-person voting was to begin. While filing a dismissal motion Thursday in Raleigh federal court, attorneys for CNN said Robinson’s arguments suggesting he was the likely victim of a computer hacking operation that created fake messages would require a series of events that is not just “implausible, it is ridiculous.” Generally speaking, a public official claiming defamation must show a defendant knew a statement it made was false or did so with reckless disregard for the truth. “Robinson did not and cannot plausibly allege facts that show that CNN published the Article with actual malice,” attorney Mark Nebrig wrote in a memo backing the dismissal motion, adding that the lawsuit “does not include a single allegation demonstrating that CNN doubted the veracity of its reporting.” For Robinson, who already had a history of inflammatory comments about topics like abortion and LGBTQ+ rights , the CNN story nearly led to the collapse of his campaign. After the report's airing, most of his top campaign staff quit, advertising from the Republican Governors Association stopped and fellow Republicans distanced themselves from him, including President-elect Donald Trump. Robinson lost to Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein by nearly 15 points and will leave office at year-end. Robinson's lawsuit was initially filed in state court. It says, in part, that CNN chose to run its report based on data from the website NudeAfrica, which had been hacked several years ago and ran on vulnerable, outdated software. His suit claims the network did nothing to verify the posts. He's seeking monetary damages. Thursday's memo highlights the network's story, including a section where the CNN journalists showed how they connected Robinson to a username on the NudeAfrica site. As the CNN story said previously, the memo says the network matched details of the account on the message board to other online accounts held by Robinson by comparing usernames, an email address and his full name. The details discussed by the account holder matched Robinson’s length of marriage, where he lived at the time, and that both Robinson and the account holder had mothers who worked at a historically Black university, the memo says. CNN also said it found matches of figures of speech used by both the NudeAfrica account holder and in Robinson’s social media posts. “This is hardly a case where, as Robinson alleges, CNN ‘disregarded or deliberately avoided the truth’ rather than investigate,” Nebrig said, adding later that the network “had no reason to seriously doubt that Robinson was the author” of the posts. Robinson's attorneys didn't immediately respond to an email Friday seeking comment. The lawsuit says anyone could have used Robinson's breached data to create accounts on the internet. His state lawsuit also sued Louis Love Money, a former porn shop worker who alleged in a music video and a media interview that for several years starting in the 1990s, Robinson frequented a porn shop where Money was working and that Robinson purchased porn videos from him. Robinson said that was untrue. Money filed his own dismissal motion in the state lawsuit. But since then, CNN moved the lawsuit to federal court, saying that it's the proper venue for a North Carolina resident like Robinson and a Georgia-based company like CNN and that the claims against Money are unrelated.

htmumbai@hindustantimes.com MUMBAI: NMIA to take load off CSMIA The passenger and air traffic load on the existing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) will ease by 2025, as the much-awaited Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is scheduled to begin commercial operations by May 2025, with one terminal and one runway. In October, the Indian Air Force aircraft successfully landed on the 3,700-mt runway. The airport is expected to handle passenger capacity of 20 million and 0.8 million cargo every year. More than 80% of the terminal building is also ready. As the second international airport for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), NMIA was planned to reduce the burden on Mumbai airport, the second busiest in the country – it handled 52.8 million passengers in FY 2024 against 43.9 million in FY 2023. Spread over 1,160 hectares, the largest greenfield airport in the country is designed to handle 90 million passengers and 2.6 million tons of cargo annually. The airport will have parking facilities for 350 aircraft, two parallel runways and two full-length parallel taxiways for separate movement of aircraft. The ₹ 18,000 crore airport is being developed through a public private partnership by NMIA, a special-purpose vehicle formed by Adani Airports Holdings Limited and CIDCO. The airport will be named after late Dinkar Balu Patil, a former MP and activist who led several protests by farmers and land owners in Navi Mumbai when the Maharashtra government acquired land in the area in the 1970s and 1980s to build the planned city. New rail corridors planned Every day, between 65 to 70 lakh commuters travel by local trains on the Western and Central lines – the fortunate squeezed into overcrowded coaches, the not-so-fortunate dangerously hanging on to their lives on the edge of the footboard, in peak hours. In the last two years around 5,000 people have died in rail-related accidents on both routes, as per data from GRP. The pressure on the locals has continuously mounted, as citizens are pushed into distant suburbs of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) for affordable housing, given Mumbai’s expensive real estate. In order to alleviate commuter concerns, the railways have planned to introduce new non-AC and AC local trains, creating new routes, and expanding and laying new tracks, across rail corridors in Mumbai and MMR in 2025. Foremost is laying the sixth rail line from Kandivali to Borivali that will be ready by March 2025. WR has completed laying the 5-6 rail lines till Kandivali connecting Bandra Terminus. The two new rail lines will improve punctuality because it will segregate suburban and non-suburban train corridors. By the end of 2025, a new suburban rail corridor connecting Panvel and Karjat, the two ends of MMR, will be ready, which will reduce travel time between Karjat and CSMT by 20-30 minutes from the approximately two hours it takes now. Following repeated demands, commuters can expect more AC local trains. Of the 10 new AC locals requested by WR and CR, each from the Railway Board, both have received one each. Reviving monorail The Mumbai Monorail, considered a white elephant for over a decade now, is likely to get a shot in the arm in 2025. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has started receiving new train sets at its Wadala depot which will improve the frequency of its services along the 19.48-km Chembur-Wadala-Jacob Circle route. MMRDA has planned to retain some existing rolling stock to give the transport system fresh life. Ten new trains will be introduced to reduce the headway from the present 15 minutes to about 7-10 minutes. The first train set has been delivered by the Telangana-based Medha Servo Drives, while more are expected to reach Mumbai in 2025. Once operational, this transport system will connect the eastern suburbs and south Mumbai. At present, of the seven trains available, only five are put into service; one is kept on standby, while the other undergoes maintenance. The daily ridership hovers between 17,000-18,000, but is expected to improve after additional services introduced, and metro lines 3 (Aarey-Bandra-Colaba) and 4 (Wadala-Ghatkopar-Thane-Kapurbawdi) become operational. Metro 3 will link monorail at Jacob Circle, while metro 4 will be integrated at Wadala’s Bhakti Park. The Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Limited, an arm of MMRDA, is currently operating and maintaining the entire transportation system. BEST foot forward The century-old Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking, the city’s second lifeline after the local train network, has been challenged with a dwindling fleet which has affected commuters as well as the public utility’s balance sheets. BEST’s image took a beating recently when the driver of a wet lease bus rammed into multiple vehicles at Kurla, killing nine people and injuring 40, on December 9. Between April and November, BEST buses including those on wet lease have been involved in 35 accidents that have resulted in four deaths. The gloom around the transport utility is likely to be lifted, as it has rolled out plans to increase the fleet to 8000 buses in FY 2025-26, from its present depleted number of 2,885 buses, of which a mere 985 are part of their owned fleet while 1,900 buses are run by wet lease operators. In the financial year starting March, BEST expects 5,115 new single and double-decker electric and air-conditioned buses. After the incident in Kurla, the transport body has also moved its attention towards updated training modules for drivers, which is a part of its refurbished standard operating procedure. At least two electric buses will be inducted for training. The undertaking’s electricity supply division also has a ₹ 6000 crore plan to replace 80-year-old underground power cables. Work, including upgrading substations and other power equipment, costing around ₹ 2,000 crore is expected to be undertaken in 2025. 6 metro lines to be operational That Mumbai needs a separate mode of public transport -- the Mumbai metro –to reduce vehicular congestion and shave off load from local train network, was conceived over a decade ago. The numbers speak for themselves – each day, suburban locals ferry approximately 6.5-7 million people. On the other hand, there are nearly 49 lakh vehicles in Mumbai of which approximately 60% comprise two-wheelers. The much-compromised Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking’s fleet has added to the pressure on other modes of public transport. Come 2025, as many as six Mumbai metro lines will be partially or wholly operational to provide relief to commuting Mumbaikars. The six metro corridors are: 2B, 3, 4, 4A, 7A and 9. On the 2B route, Andheri West to Mandale and Mandale to Diamond Garden stretches will be ready in June 2025, while the entire metro 2B with 19 stations will be ready in 2026 The second phase of the underground metro 3 from Bandra Kurla Complex to Cuffe Parade is likely to be ready by July 2025. On Mumbai Metro 4 and 4A (Wadala to Kasarvadavli to Gaimukh), the stretch on Thane’s Ghodbunder Road, is likely to be operational by the end of 2025. Mumbai Metro 7A from Gundavali to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport will connect Terminal 2 and existing Mumbai Metro 3 with the western suburbs creating a metro network with interchanges. Mumbai Metro 9 from Dahisar East to Mira-Bhayander, which is an extension of the currently operational Mumbai Metro 7 on the northern side of the corridor will connect Mira-Bhayander with the rest of Mumbai. MMRDA intends to partially operationalise the metro line by June 2025 between Dahisar East and Kashigaon, a stretch having three of the total seven stations along the corridor. Civic Elections: Poll Position Of the people, for the people, by the people... Municipal corporators represent the voice of citizens, a direct line to the municipality, whose policies and functioning have a powerful impact the quality of our lives. After nearly three years sans corporators, Mumbai is hoping that 2025 will be the year for the BMC elections. When the term of the city’s elected representatives ended on March 7, 2022, power was concentrated in the hands of a state-appointed administrator – the municipal commissioner - Iqbal S Chahal till March 2024 and Bhushan Gagrani since. A system of checks and balances was replaced with a single decision-making authority, that too during the longest vacancy in the 150-year history of the country’s richest municipal corporation. Proposals were drawn up, approved and executed solely under their authority, without corporators present to debate and vote on budgets and the legion of issues that affects our daily lives. But everything hinges on a Supreme Court hearing on the delimitation of civic wards, in January. If the case concludes, elections to Mumbai’s 227 wards can be held before the monsoon. “Corporators will increase the accountability, vibrancy and feedback mechanism in the municipality,” said Gagrani. It will be interesting to see how the elections play out, politically. After the Mahayuti alliance’s strong showing in the recent assembly elections, the ruling coalition is eager – and a little restless – to seize power in the BMC as well. Traditionally, the Shiv Sena ruled the civic body, but after its split in 2022, the two Sena factions will be pitted against each other. Coastal Road: Full Speed Ahead After decades in the planning, 2024 saw Mumbai’s Coastal Road being opened to traffic. It’s 11km of pure magic, quite literally converting hours into minutes as you drive without interruption from Marine Drive to Worli – overland and underground. The Coastal Road is one of Mumbai’s flagship infrastructure projects, and the Marine Drive-Worli stretch opened in a phased manner on March 11. There’s still a long way to go, as this super-expressway will eventually extend from Marine Drive all the way to Palghar, a distance of 167km. The next piece of this engineering marvel to be put in place is the south-bound connector between the Coastal Road and the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, on January 26. On November 27, the final span of the bow-string bridge was moved into place, another milestone in this colossal project. A seamless ride will then be possible from Marine Drive to Bandra. The last two of the eight arms of the Haji Ali interchange will open early next year. Anticipation is also building for the 70 hectares of open spaces that will be created along the length of the coastal road, through massive land reclamation. Among these is a promenade that will forever change the city’s coastline. Also planned are sections and precincts with different themes, namely the Green Shore, Nature’s Cove and Park Line. But this will take a while. For now, in a city where gridlocked traffic regularly swallows hours of precious time, the focus is on providing Mumbai’s motorists a dream ride. Concretisation: Hitting Roadblocks If you thought the relentless excavating of the city’s streets and the plumes of dust thus exhumed would cease, forget it! Only 30% of phase 1 of the plan to concretise Mumbai’s roads was completed by June, 2024 – there is a long way to go. Concretising Mumbai’s roads was a project initiated by former chief minister Eknath Shinde, as the solution to making the city pothole-free within two years. Announced in June 2022, the municipality cleared contracts worth ₹ 6,080 crore, for 397km of road. Five firms were awarded the contracts in January 2023, the largest civic contract to date. But the plan is way behind schedule. Worse still, the plan for South Mumbai has run aground. A major contractor’s tender was terminated in January 2024, and fresh bids were invited. Work hasn’t even begun. The target for Phase 1 was thus revised to 324km, and limited to the western and eastern suburbs. But even where concretisation is underway, work is moving at snail’s pace. Utilities under Mumbai’s streets are also posing a challenge. Now the BMC aims to complete Phase 1 by May 2025, a very optimistic deadline they’re unlikely to meet. For citizens, this means another year of navigating endless traffic snarls, mountains of rubble underfoot, and worsening air quality. Bridges: On the Fly The new year will finally see the east-west connector, the Gopal Krishna Gokhale bridge, being completed, after numerous delays. The revised deadline is April 2025 and it’s likely to be revised further. This is only one in a series of bridges – over railway tracks and the city’s streets – that will hopefully be thrown open to traffic in 2025, easing your daily commute. First in line are two rail over bridges (ROBs) – one connecting Worli Naka at Dr E Moses Road and Dhobi Ghat at Saat Rasta, and the other a cable-stayed bridge connecting Saat Rasta and Keshavrao Khade Marg. They are expected to the opened for motorists in February 2025, after an earlier deadline of 2023. The next, perhaps by March, is an east-west connector, the Vikhroli ROB, connecting LBS Marg to the Eastern Express Highway. Work orders were first issued in 2018. Next – if all goes to plan – will be the historic east-west Carnac ROB. The first girder was moved into place in October, and 80% of installation work for the second one is complete. The deadline is May 2025. Another major flyover will be completed next year – the 840-mt extension of the Mrinal Gore flyover, from Ram Mandir to Goregaon (West). Extending above the congested S V Road and Oshiwara River and ending at Relief Road, the flyover is expected to cut travel time, from the Western Express Highway at Goregaon to the Link Road in Oshiwara, from 40 minutes to less than 10 minutes. It is unlikely to be completed before the end of the year.

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