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Spanish court orders Meta to pay nearly half a billion euros in damages to media outlets
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spanish legacy media companies in Spain scored a victory against social media giant Meta after a Madrid-based court ordered Thursday that it must pay news outlets nearly half a billion euros in damages. According to a court statement, the mercantile court No. 15 of Madrid ruled that Mark Zuckerberg’s social media…
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Supreme Court of Canada to look at request for religious records through B.C. law
The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear a case about applications for access to personal information held by Jehovah’s Witnesses congregations. The congregations withheld information from two former members who applied under B.C.’s Personal Information Protection Act for records about themselves, on the basis it was confidential religious communication. After mediation failed, an…
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Judge to proceed with contempt probe after US flew migrants to El Salvador prison in March
A federal judge said Wednesday he plans to move ahead quickly on a contempt investigation of the Trump administration for failing to turn around planes carrying Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador in March. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington said a ruling Friday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia…
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US charges Chinese hackers, government officials in broad cybercrime campaign
WASHINGTON (AP) — Twelve Chinese nationals, including mercenary hackers, law enforcement officers and employees of a private hacking company, have been charged in connection with global cybercrime campaigns targeting dissidents, news organizations, U.S. agencies and universities, the Justice Department announced Wednesday. A set of criminal cases filed in New York and Washington add new detail…
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Adversaries see opportunities to exploit ‘strategically valuable’ Arctic, CSIS says
Canada’s spy agency warns that colliding global developments make the Arctic an “attractive, strategic and vulnerable destination” for foreign adversaries seeking to establish a presence in Canada. A newly released Canadian Security Intelligence Service assessment flags the environment, critical infrastructure, economic activity and geopolitics as converging factors making the region susceptible to threats from abroad. …
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One oil and gas site was ‘stinky,’ another was ‘gurgling.’ B.C. officials gave them a pass anyway
This investigation is a collaboration between The Narwhal and Investigative Journalism Foundation. “Serious deficiency.” “Very stinky.” “Leakage.” “A hazard.” Those are some of the ways BC Energy Regulator officials described oil and gas sites when they documented apparent environmental infractions during routine inspections, according to internal documents. The regulator, a provincial government agency, is largely…
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Veterans are speaking out on the Trump administration’s plans to cut the VA’s budget
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Stephen Watson served in the Marines for 22 years and receives care through the Department of Veterans Affairs for a traumatic brain injury. He supports President Donald Trump and adviser Elon Musk’s cost-cutting program — even if it affects the VA. “We’re no better because we’re veterans,” said Watson, 68, of…
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Manitoba school boards adapt to tariffs by halting travel, preparing for cost hikes
Transcona’s school board has decided to stop paying for teachers and other employees to participate in U.S.-based education conferences and training opportunities. The River East Transcona School Division, which operates 42 schools in northeast Winnipeg, is the latest to promote domestic tourism — in the form of student field trips and staff professional development —…
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Environmental groups criticize Albania for delay in probing suspected toxic waste
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Environmental groups on Tuesday criticized Albania’s silence and lack of progress in analyzing 102 containers suspected of carrying a large amount of hazardous waste. Albanian prosecutors have put the containers in Porto Romano, 6 kilometers (4 miles) from Durres port, saying they would ask government institutions to conduct lab tests. The…
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Government watchdog wants thousands of federal workers to be reinstated
WASHINGTON (AP) — A government watchdog wants more than 5,000 probationary employees to be reinstated at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the latest example of resistance to President Donald Trump ‘s efforts to downsize the federal workforce. The Office of Special Counsel made the request Friday and disclosed it Tuesday. If the request is granted…
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15 prison staffers placed on leave after the death of a man incarcerated in New York
NEW YORK (AP) — Fifteen prison staffers have been placed on leave following the death of a man incarcerated in New York state, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday The Democrat said the state department of corrections staffers were taken off the job at her direction as state police have launched a probe into the death…