Author: Enrique Collier

The Alaska Police Standards Council voted down a regulation change that would allow the state to hire corrections officers as young as 18 years old — the current minimum age for hire is 21 years old. The Department of Corrections floated the proposal as a tool to combat its staff shortage, decreased applicant pool and high vacancy rate. In September, the department reported more than 100 open positions and a 30% decrease in applications compared to the previous year. Most members of the council wanted to accept the new regulation, but said the department needed a plan in place to train…

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A former US diplomat who served as ambassador to Bolivia has been charged with working as an agent of the Cuban government for more than 40 years. Victor Manuel Rocha, 73, is accused of helping Cuba gather intelligence against the US since 1981. Mr Rocha referred to the US as “the enemy” and claimed his work as a secret agent “strengthened the Revolution”, according to court papers. It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer to comment on his behalf. The former diplomat was arrested last Friday in Miami after an undercover sting operation that lasted more than…

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On the night of October 19-20, a military transport aircraft Il-76MD of the Russian Aerospace Forces caught fire at a military airfield in Ayni, 10 km west of Dushanbe. Video recording of the plane fire was sent by Radio Ozodi users. According to them, the incident occurred at the Ayni air base, known as Hissar air base. Attempts by Radio Ozodi to obtain a comment from the Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan were unsuccessful; on October 21, no one answered the telephone number of the press service of this ministry. The official Russian media did not publish any information on this matter.…

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Maryanne Trump Barry, a federal appellate judge and the older sister of former President Donald Trump, has died at age 86. Barry was pronounced dead at her Fifth Avenue apartment in Manhattan by medical workers who were called to the scene after 4 a.m. ET on Monday, a spokesman for the New York Police Department told CNBC. There were no signs of trauma or foul play. Barry was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 1999 by then-President Bill Clinton. She largely avoided the spotlight that was constantly pointed at her brother, first as a television…

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A majority of Canadians favour Canada’s support for Israel in its war with Hamas, which most respondents classify as a terrorist organization, according to a new poll for the National Council of Canadian Muslims. The polling, done by Mainstreet Research, also shows that a strong majority of Canadians believe the government should call for a ceasefire and that the top priority in the war should be protecting Palestinian civilians. “The reality is that it’s a very complex issue and of course complex opinions will emerge about these issues. The conclusion I came to was that most Canadians still have shared…

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Global Affairs Canada says 32 more Canadians were able to leave the Gaza Strip for Egypt on Thursday after a key border crossing reopened. The department says there had originally been 40 Canadian names on the list of people approved to leave through the border crossing at Rafah, but precisely what changed wasn’t immediately clear. The key crossing had been reported closed earlier in the day as hundreds of people with links to Canada awaited news of when — and whether — they would be able to escape the besieged Palestinian territory. On Tuesday, 75 Canadian citizens, permanent residents and…

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A water taxi captain came to the rescue when a 300-foot loose barge began drifting toward Seattle’s waterfront. Capt. Dan Krehbiel with King County Metro Water Taxi says he will never forget what happened Thursday afternoon. He and his two-deckhand crew were traveling to Pier 50 from West Seattle around 1 p.m. when they noticed a 300-foot container barge drifting toward the city’s waterfront. “It was one of those ‘this isn’t good’ situations, and we were the only ones around to help to try to make it better,” Krehbiel said. The captain alerted the passengers about a slight delay as…

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In Whitehorse, Crews in Whitehorse are in the process of building a very different kind of firebreak — one made out of trees. The Yukon Government is calling it “natural infrastructure.” Most cities build firebreaks on a temporary, seasonal basis, and focus on removing potential fuel sources – like trees and shrubs – rather than planting more. But this project involves clearing a corridor of flammable tree species, like conifers, and replacing them with a band of fire-retardant, deciduous species like Aspen. The ambitious design incorporates contemporary wildfire research as well as Indigenous traditional knowledge. “This is the country’s first-ever…

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Israel should not have to fight Hamas alone. An international coalition, Canada included, must destroy the terror group and give the Palestinian people the space to put their house in order. An army of international troops would offer the best chance of freeing the hostages held by Hamas, ensuring humanitarian aid reaches the people of Gaza, salvaging any hope of a two-state solution and bringing stability to the region. And it is a task that Canada is uniquely suited to. On his trip to Israel last week, French President Emmanuel Macron suggested the Global Coalition against Daesh — an 86-member…

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A geomagnetic storm washing over Earth this weekend could generate widespread auroras across Canada on Sunday night If you’ve got clear skies and a warm coat, you might be able to see the aurora borealis shine bright across much of Canada on Sunday night. A geomagnetic storm washing against Earth’s magnetic field triggered widespread auroras across the northern hemisphere this weekend, affording folks as far south as Ukraine a rare sighting of the northern lights. Sunday night’s aurora potential across North America caught the interest of both space weather enthusiasts and photographers for the potential for vivid lights over Canada…

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