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The Canadian Press
The Canadian Press
National

Top News Advisory for Monday, Feb. 14

Here are the latest Top News stories from The Canadian Press. All times are Eastern unless otherwise stated. Coverage plans are included when available. Entries are subject to change as news develops.

IF YOU NEED HELP, PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO mainslots@thecanadianpress.com and we'll get back to you right away.

TOP HEADLINES:

Trudeau invokes Emergencies Act

Canada sends $500M loan, lethal weapons to Ukraine

Canada to boost immigration levels over 3 years

RCMP arrest 11, seize weapons at Alberta border

Traffic moving freely across Ambassador Bridge

Provinces begin day with loosened restrictions

Tributes pour in for filmmaker Ivan Reitman

De Bruin wins Canada's first sliding medal

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NEW TOP STORIES SINCE THE LAST ADVISORY:

Canada sends $500M loan, lethal weapons to Ukraine

Cda-Ukraine

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will provide a $500-million loan and $7.8 million worth of lethal equipment and ammunition to Ukraine as the threat of a Russian invasion grows.  Wire: National. Photos: 1

Canada to boost immigration levels over 3 years

Immigration-Levels

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada -- The federal government plans to keep ramping up the record number of new permanent residents in Canada over the next three years as it works through a massive backlog of applications that have piled up during the COVID-19 pandemic. By Laura Osman.  Wire: National. Photos: 1

Premier plans visit to First Nation after fire

Mba-Fatal-Fire

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada -- Manitoba’s premier says she is arranging a visit to a northern Indigenous community where three children died in a fatal house fire.  Wire: Prairies/BC.

Police investigating toppling of Vancouver statue

Memorial-March

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada -- Police say they are investigating after a statue commemorating the founder of a Vancouver neighbourhood was pulled down during the annual Women's Memorial March on Monday.  Wire: National. Photos: 1

Ex-Speaker didn't consider conflict of interest

Legislature-BC-Trial

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada -- A former Speaker of the B.C. legislature says he doesn't recall being worried about a conflict of interest after he took guidance from the same lawyer who gave a former clerk advice about a retirement payment that's at the centre of a breach-of-trust trial. By Camille Bains.  Wire: National. Photos: 1

UPDATED CONVOY PROTESTS:

Trudeau invokes Emergencies Act

Trucker-Protest

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday invoked the national Emergencies Act to bring to an end the antigovernment blockades he describes as illegal and not about peaceful protest. By Mia Rabson.  Wire: National. Photos: 1

What is the Emergencies Act? A primer on the law

Emergencies-Act

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada -- The federal move to invoke the Emergencies Act could allow authorities to forbid more large trucks from rolling into the gridlocked area around Parliament Hill. By Jim Bronskill.  Wire: National. Photos: 1

Feds go after blockade financing with new powers

Trucker-Protest-Banks

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada -- The federal government is broadening the scope of anti-money laundering rules and directing banks to cut off services to those suspected of aiding the trucker protesters as it looks to put an end to what it says are illegal blockades.  Wire: National, Business, Finance. Photos: 1

Canadians donated most to convoy: alleged leak

Trucker-Protest-Funding

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada -- A transparency group says it has received information on donors to antigovernment protests after a major fundraising platform was reportedly hacked, and an analysis of the data suggests Canadians contributed the largest amount of money to the cause. By Erika Ibrahim.  Wire: National. Photos: 1

RCMP arrest 11, seize weapons at Alberta border

Trucker-Protest-Alta

Coutts, Alberta, Canada -- RCMP arrested 11 people near the main United States border crossing in southern Alberta on Monday after becoming aware of a cache of firearms and ammunition.  Wire: Prairies/BC. Photos: 1

Traffic moving freely across Ambassador Bridge

Trucker-Protest-Border

Windsor, Ontario, ,  -- Commercial trucks and other vehicles flowed steadily over the reopened Ambassador Bridge on Monday, with police in Windsor, Ont., keeping a close watch on the busy international border crossing. By Noushin Ziafati.  Wire: Ontario/Quebec. Photos: 1

Police doing their job in B.C. protests: minister

Trucker-Protest-BC

Vancouver, ,  -- Protests against COVID-19 mandates in British Columbia have been loud, but mostly lawful, the province's solicitor general said Monday. By Brieanna Charlebois.  Wire: Prairies/BC. Photos: 1

Officers working with protesters to open traffic

Trucker-Protest-Mba

RCMP say investigators are speaking with organizers of a blockade near Emerson today in an attempt to open up a lane of traffic to allow vehicles to cross the Manitoba-U. S. border on both sides.  Wire: Prairies/BC. Photos: 1

Noisy N.B. COVID protest dwindles to small group

NB-Trucker-Protest

Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada -- A handful of demonstrators and a half-dozen vehicles were all that remained on Monday of a protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates in Fredericton, which was inspired by the trucker convoy in Ottawa.  Wire: Atlantic. Photos: 1

UPDATED COVID-19 AND OMICRON:

Provinces begin day with loosened restrictions

COVID-Cda

Ontario ramped up plans to drop a raft of COVID-19 restrictions, including the province's vaccine certificate system, while Alberta schools opened Monday without mask mandates for children. By Melissa Couto Zuber.  Wire: National. Photos: 1

Saskatchewan ends proof of vaccination policy

COVID-Sask-Vaccines

Regina, ,  -- Days of dining indoors are over for Tenille Lafontaine, who was planning to stick to takeout for Valentine's Day. By Mickey Djuric.  Wire: Prairies/BC. Photos: 2

Some Albertans anxious about no masks in schools

COVID-Alta-Education

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada -- Students in Alberta were planning to walk out of their classrooms Monday afternoon to protest the government's decision to lift a mask mandate in schools. By Fakiha Baig.  Wire: Prairies/BC. Photos: 1


 

Ontario ending vax certificates March 1

COVID-Ont

Toronto, Ontario, Canada -- Ontario is ending its vaccine certificate system on March 1, when capacity limits in public settings and restrictions on social gathering sizes will fully lift as well, though masking requirements will remain for now. By Allison Jones.  Wire: Ontario/Quebec.

N.S. starts easing COVID-19 restrictions today

COVID-NS

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada -- Phase 1 of a three-step plan to ease COVID-19 restrictions in Nova Scotia is starting today.  Wire: Atlantic. Photos: 1

Vacation bookings abroad are on the rise

COVID-Vacations

Montreal, Quebec, Canada -- Travel agencies are seeing a surge in bookings as the March break approaches, but say a real spike will hinge on how far the federal government rolls back COVID-19 testing rules.  Wire: Business. Photos: 1

Ottawa invests $672,000 in N.S. vaccine outreach

NS-Vaccine-Outreach

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada -- Ottawa is investing $672,000 into Nova Scotian organizations to boost COVID-19 vaccine uptake in undervaccinated communities throughout the province and the Atlantic region.  Wire: Atlantic. Photos: 1

OTHER TOP NEWS:

Ontario projects $13.1-billion deficit

Ont-Finances

Toronto, Ontario, Canada -- Ontario is projecting a $13.1-billion deficit this fiscal year, down from the province's last forecast, mostly due to higher revenues.  Wire: Ontario/Quebec.

Marineland makes first court appearance

Ont-Marineland

Marineland has made its first appearance in court as it faces a charge for allegedly using dolphins and whales for entertainment purposes.  Wire: Ontario/Quebec. Photos: 1

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Feds, N.L. sign financial terms for Muskrat Falls

NL-Muskrat-Falls

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada -- The Newfoundland and Labrador government said today it has signed a $5.2-billion financing agreement with Ottawa aimed at staving off a spike in electricity rates due to the beleaguered Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project.  Wire: Atlantic. Photos: 1

N.S. NDP leadership race has first candidate

NS-NDP-Leadership

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada -- The Nova Scotia NDP leadership contest got its first candidate Monday after party house leader Claudia Chender jumped into the race. By Keith Doucette.  Wire: Atlantic. Photos: 1

Tributes pour in for filmmaker Ivan Reitman

FILM-Ivan-Reitman-Legacy

Tributes are pouring in for Toronto-raised filmmaker and producer Ivan Reitman, who reshaped comedic cinema with a distinctly Canadian sensibility. By Sadaf Ahsan and Adina Bresge.  Wire: Entertainment. Photos: 1

Black filmmakers say progress is slow, steady

Black-History-FILM-Creator

Toronto, Ontario, Canada -- When Tonya Williams began acting in the late 1970s in Canada, she noticed she was often the only person of colour in the room. By Sadaf Ahsan.  Wire: Entertainment. Photos: 1

De Bruin wins Canada's first sliding medal

OLY-Canada-Roundup

BEIJING --  Christine de Bruin wore an Olympic medal around her neck for the first time in her career, and the Canadian bobsledder liked the feeling. "It feels awesome," she said of the bronze medal she claimed in the Olympic debut of the monobob. "It feels heavy. It's nice." No doubt, the feeling of two medals would be even nicer. She will have a chance to add to Canada's coffers in the two-woman event on Saturday. 1,000 words. MOVED. PHOTO

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LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE STORIES:

The LJI is a federally funded program to add coverage in under-covered areas or on under-covered issues. This content is delivered on the CP wire in the "Y" or spare news category, or you can register to access it at https://lji-ijl.ca. This content is created and submitted by participating publishers and is not edited by The Canadian Press. Please credit stories to the reporter, their media outlet and the Local Journalism Initiative. Questions should be directed to LJI supervising editor Amy Logan at amy.logan@thecanadianpress.com. Below is a sample of the dozens of stories moved daily:

State of Manitoba’s rural emergency services continues to decline, union warns

LJI-Man-Rural-Wait-Times

The union that represents rural Manitoba paramedics says they have once again obtained leaked information that shows the state of rural emergency services in the province continues to be on the decline. 600 words. Dave Baxter/Winnipeg Sun

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'Filled with hope': Charity prepares 150 winter survival kits for the unhoused in Halifax

LJI-NS-unhoused-survival-kits

The prayer hall at the Nova Scotia Islamic Community Centre bustled with volunteers on Sunday morning. About 20 people were there to help assemble 150 winter essential kits as part of a national campaign run by Islamic Relief Canada. 500 words. PHOTO. Nebal Snan/The Chronicle Herald

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Games and snacks help Pond Inlet children through COVID-19 isolation

LJI-NU-COVID-ISOLATION-GAMES

The Hamlet of Pond Inlet in Nunavut is giving children who have to isolate due to COVID-19 bags filled with games and snacks to help cure their boredom. The initiative began about two weeks ago when staff at the local health centre reached out to the hamlet, concerned that children who should have been isolating were leaving their homes to meet with friends. 400 words. PHOTO. David Venn/Nunatsiaq News

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UPDATED FROM AP:

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NEW/DEVELOPING

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ADDS: TRUMP-LEGAL TROUBLES; PALIN-NY-TIMES; FEDERAL RESERVE-WHAT'S NEXT; SCHOOL MASK MANDATE-VIRGINIA; VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK; NAVY ENGINEER-NUCLEAR SECRETS; REDISTRICTING LAWSUITS-KANSAS; SENATE-NEVER EASY; AMTRAK-STUCK TRAIN; ALBUQUERQUE STABBING; DOWNED AIRCRAFT SEARCH; TV-BEL-AIR-JABARI BANKS; OBIT-IVAN REITMAN-REACTIONS.

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ONLY ON AP

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TRUMP-WASHINGTON HOTEL — Former New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez, once vilified by Donald Trump as a “druggie” unworthy of wearing the pinstripes, is now a key part of an investment group seeking to buy the rights to the ex-president’s marquee Washington, D.C., hotel. That’s according to two people familiar with the deal who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. By Bernard Condon. SENT: 1,160 words, photos.

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TOP STORIES

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UKRAINE-TENSIONS — The Kremlin signaled Monday it is ready to keep talking with the West about security grievances that led to the Ukraine crisis, offering hope that Russia might not invade its neighbor within days as the U.S. and Europe increasingly fear. Questions remain about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intentions, and some nations are evacuating diplomats amid the worst East-West tensions since the Cold War. By Vladimir Isachenkov and Yuras Karmanau. SENT: 1,350 words, photos. Developing. With: UKRAINE-TENSIONS-DOES WEATHER MATTER? Any decision to invade Ukraine is likely to depend very little upon fears that a thaw will hinder tanks from crossing boggy ground. SENT: 500 words, photos. And UKRAINE-TENSIONS-THINGS TO KNOW (sent)

For full coverage of Ukraine.

TRUMP-LEGAL TROUBLES — The accounting firm that prepared former President Donald Trump’s annual financial statements says the documents, used to secure lucrative loans and burnish Trump’s image as a wealthy businessman, “should no longer be relied upon” after investigators said they found evidence he and his company regularly misstated the value of assets. By Michael R. Sisak. SENT: 440 words, photos. Developing.

BIDEN-GUNS — Four years after 17 people were gunned down at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, families and gun control advocates are pressing President Joe Biden to do more to address gun violence. Biden’s efforts to pass legislation to tighten gun laws haven’t left the drawing board. By Zeke Miller and Colleen Long. SENT: 790 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-PROTESTS — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has invoked emergency powers to try to quell the protests by truck drivers and others who have paralyzed Ottawa and blocked border crossings in anger over the country’s COVID-19 restrictions. By Rob Gillies and Ted Shaffrey. SENT: 1,280 words, photos. Developing.

VIRUS OUTBREAK — As the remaining vaccine mandates for medical workers are set be implemented this week in 25 mostly conservative states, it is once again becoming clear how widespread the use of religious exemptions is in the U.S. as a workaround to complying with such requirements. At one rural hospital near Yellowstone National Park, about 200 of the 620 staffers have put in requests for religious exemptions, most of which have been granted. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte pledged his support to the unvaccinated last week and urged them to consider seeking exemptions. By Heather Hollingsworth. SENT: 1,120 words, photos. With SCHOOL MASK MANDATE-VIRGINIA — Local school systems in Virginia would be banned from imposing mask mandates on students, under a bill passed by the state’s House of Delegates. SENT: 410 words.

SCI-WESTERN-MEGADROUGHT-RECORD — The megadrought bedeviling the American West got even drier last year and is becoming the deepest dry spell in more than 1200 years. Monday’s study says the megadrought is now the worst-case scenario officials and scientists worried about in the 1900s. By Seth Borenstein. SENT: 750 words, photos.

OLY-FIG-RUSSIAN WOMEN — The biggest barrier between Russian figure skating star Kamila Valieva and another Olympic gold medal is no longer a panel of judges holed up in a Beijing hotel room but rather the teammates she practices with every day. That would be Alexandra Trusova and world champion Anna Shcherbakova. SENT: 650 words, photos.

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MORE ON THE OLYMPICS

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OLY-CHINA’S BUBBLE WORKFORCE — Tens of thousands of Chinese workers have been hermetically sealed inside the ring-fence of virus prevention measures that China has erected around the games, locked in with the athletes and Olympic visitors. But while Olympians jet in for just weeks, Chinese workers who cook, clean, transport, care for them and otherwise make the games tick are spending several months sequestered inside the sanitary bubble. China’s ruling Communist Party does not allow workers to organize independently, so there is not a whisper of public complaint. But there’s plenty of enthusing from workers about how lucky they are. SENT: 1,050 words, photos. WITH OLY-BEIJING-OLYMPICS-THE LATEST (sent).

OLY-OLYMPICS-CRASHES-PHOTO-GALLERY — Sometimes Olympic dreams and physics are on an unenviable collision course. Athletes have literally crashed out of competition, ending their quests for a medal by smashing into siding, toppling over amid a crowded cross-country skiing field or simply pitching face-first into the snow. SENT: 100 words, photos.

OLY-COMPETING FOR ANOTHER COUNTRY-EXPLAINER — U.S.-born athletes have taken centerstage at the Winter Olympics in Beijing — for the host country, that is, generating scrutiny of nationality switching. Freestyle skier Eileen Gu’s decision to compete for her mother’s native China over her native U.S. has drawn critical coverage that has at times veered into plain racism and misogyny. But she’s not the first to do it. SENT: 1200 words, photos.

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TRENDING NEWS

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CORRESPONDENTS DINNER — Trevor Noah, the host of “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central, will be the featured entertainer for the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on April 30. SENT: 170 words, photo.

WHOOPI-GOLDBERG-HOLOCAUST — Whoopi Goldberg returned to “The View” on Monday following her two-week suspension for remarks about the Holocaust. SENT: 250 words, photo.

OSCARS-HOSTS — After three years without a host, the Oscars are reportedly making up for lost time with three hosts for this year’s awards: Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes are in final talks to host the 94th Academy Awards, the trade publication Variety reported Monday. SENT: 200 words, photos.

ICE-FISHING-PROSTITUTION COMMENT — The mayor in Ohio who suggested allowing ice fishing shanties on a lake could lead to prostitution has resigned. SENT: 300 words, photos.

AMTRAK-STUCK TRAIN — A high-speed Amtrak train heading from Boston to Washington lost power in New York City and was stuck for almost seven hours. SENT: 240 words.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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BIDEN-INFLATION — President Biden came into office with a plan to fix inflation — just not the particular inflationary problem that the country now faces. Biden is now trying to remedy the situation with 72 distinct initiatives. SENT: 1,130 words, photos.

SENATE-NEVER EASY — The House last week easily approved bills that would avoid a government shutdown and relieve much of the financially strapped Postal Service’s huge debt. There’s little doubt the Senate will approve them, but each bill is encountering speed bumps. SENT: 710 words, photo.

ELECTION 2022-DEMOCRATIC GOVERNORS — Four states are emerging as top priorities for Democrats in an election year when the party is facing fierce political headwinds. Wisconsin as well as Kansas, Michigan and Pennsylvania have Republican-controlled legislatures and Democratic-held governorships on the ballot this fall. Democratic loses could lead to GOP-led changes in election laws that have an impact on the 2024 presidential race. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.

NAVY ENGINEER-NUCLEAR SECRETS — A Navy nuclear engineer has pleaded guilty to trying to pass information about American nuclear-powered warships to a foreign country. SENT: 410 words, photos.

ELECTIONS 2022-TEXAS PRIMARY — Early voting in the first primary of the 2022 midterm elections is starting in Texas. But polls will open Monday under a rushed rollout of tougher voting restrictions that were passed last fall by state Republicans. SENT 920 words, photos.

REDISTRICTING LAWSUITS-KANSAS — Kansas officials face two lawsuits over a Republican redistricting law. The lawsuits filed Monday challenge a map that costs the state’s only Democrat in Congress some of the territory in her Kansas City-area district that she carries by wide margins in elections. SENT: 800 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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AHMAUD ARBERY-HATE CRIMES — A federal prosecutor says the three white men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery had all expressed negative views toward Black people and used racist slurs in the past. A jury that includes three Black people heard opening statements in the federal hate crimes trial Monday shortly after being sworn in. SENT: 930 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK — New York City fired more than a thousand workers who failed to comply with the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. SENT: 460 words.

PALIN-NY-TIMES — A judge says he’ll dismiss a libel lawsuit that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin filed against The New York Times. The judge made the decision while a jury continued to deliberate the Republican’s claim that the newspaper maliciously damaged her reputation with an editorial linking her campaign rhetoric to a mass shooting.. SENT: 350 words, photos. Developing.

FATAL-STABBING-CHINATOWN — Authorities say a woman was stabbed to death inside her lower Manhattan apartment by a man who followed her from the street into her building. Police say 35-year-old Christina Yuna Lee was found fatally wounded in her bathtub at about 4:30 a.m. Sunday. SENT: 300 words, photos.

GEORGE FLOYD OFFICERS CIVIL RIGHTS — Federal prosecutors have rested their case against three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights. The prosecution rested Monday after nearly three weeks of testimony from bystanders, doctors, police officers and others. SENT: 720 words, photos.

REL-NORTH CAROLINA CHURCH-RACIAL UNITY — More than five years after a Black congregation merged with a mostly white North Carolina church, members of The Refuge Church continue striving to be an example of unity and racial reconciliation in the American South. Church member Troy Savage says Martin Luther King Jr.’s decades-old criticism of the racial divide in the U.S. church still rings true today. SENT: 950 words, photos.

DOWNED AIRCRAFT-SEARCH — The Coast Guard says searchers have found a field of debris off the coast of North Carolina near where a plane carrying eight people disappeared from radar. SENT: 300 words.

ALBUQUERQUE STABBING — Albuquerque police have arrested a man suspected of stabbing 11 people, apparently at random, as he rode a bicycle around the city. SENT 510 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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MEXICO-AVOCADOS-VIOLENCE — Mexico’s president says a U.S. suspension on avocado imports and recent environmental complaints are part of a conspiracy against his country by political or economic interests. The U.S. measure was due to years of worries that drug cartel violence and threats against growers in the western Mexico state of Michoacan has spilled over to threats against U.S. inspectors. SENT: 650 words, photos.

CLIMATE REPORT — A special United Nations panel is putting the finishing touches on a major science report that’s supposed to tell people the “so what?” about climate change. The report will highlight how global warming disrupts people’s lives, their natural environment and Earth itself. SENT: 870 words, photos.

MALAYSIA-CORRUPTION-GOLDMAN SACHS — Federal prosecutors say a former Goldman Sachs executive pocketed $35 million in “secret kickbacks” in the multibillion-dollar ransacking of a Malaysian state investment fund. Prosecutors said Monday that Roger Ng played a “crucial” role in the massive money laundering and bribery scheme that bankrolled lavish spending on luxury real estate. SENT: 630 words, photos.

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HEALTH/SCIENCE

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SCI-IVORY POACHING NETWORKS — A new study suggests that as few as three major criminal groups are responsible for smuggling the vast majority of elephant ivory tusks out of Africa. Researchers used analysis of DNA from seized elephant tusks and evidence such as phone records, license plates, financial records and shipping documents to map trafficking operations across the continent and better understand who was behind the crimes. SENT: 770 words, photos.

SPACEX-PRIVATE FLIGHTS —The billionaire who flew on his own SpaceX flight last year is headed back up, aiming for an even higher orbit. Tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman announced Monday that he will make another private spaceflight launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. SENT: 530 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/TECH

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FEDERAL RESERVE-WHAT'S NEXT —- A worsening inflation picture has touched off a range of opinions from the Federal Reserve’s policymakers about just how fast they should raise interest rates beginning at their next meeting in March. SENT: 780 words, photos.

FINANCIAL MARKETS — Stocks closed lower on Wall Street Monday as the U.S. moved to close its embassy in Ukraine amid heightened geopolitical tensions over the thousands of Russian troops that have been amassing on the border. SENT: 770 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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SOC-FIFA-BRAZIL-ARGENTINA — FIFA handed out fines and suspensions while ordering Brazil and Argentina to replay the World Cup qualifier that was abandoned after health agents stormed the field in Sao Paulo to dispute the quarantine status of players. SENT: 500 words.

BKW—T25 WOMEN'S BKB POLL — Iowa State has climbed to No. 6 in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll. That is the best ranking for the program in 20 years and it comes with big games against No. 14 Texas and No. 15 Oklahoma this week. South Carolina remained a unanimous No 1 in the poll, followed by Stanford, Louisville, N.C. State and Indiana. SENT: 330 words, photos.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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OBIT-IVAN REITMAN-REACTIONS — Ivan Reitman had his army of well-known collaborators but the filmmaker and producer’s influence extended beyond that too, as evidenced by the tributes that poured in at the news of his sudden passing at age 75. SENT: 860 words, photos.

TV-BEL-AIR-JABARI BANKS — The producers of “Bel-Air,” the new dramatic take on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” knew they had big shoes to fill when looking for their lead actor. The character of Will was originally played by Will Smith. They found him in Jabari Banks. SENT: 720 words, photos.

BOOKS-DR. DEBORAH-BIRX — Former White House health official Dr. Deborah Birx has a memoir coming out this spring. It will center on her contentious time as White House coronavirus task force coordinator in the administration of President Donald Trump. SENT: 400 words, photo.

The Canadian Press

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