5 jilivip A visit to Ottawa's Taffy Lane in Orléans is a staple this time of year, but a dispute amongst neighbours over traffic congestion is threatening to dim the magic of the holidays. "I'll politely refer to them as grinches," said Tony Sullivan. "They're complaining about the traffic and traffic issues." Sullivan lives on Sugar Creek Way off Taffy Lane, which is famously known for spreading holiday cheer with its elaborately decorated homes. Each year, the brightly lit street attracts thousands, and Sullivan says people will often stop at the end of his driveway to donate and collect chocolate and other goodies in return. But the exchange is prompting complaints to police. "They implied they are going to start ticketing us if we are on the street and we are obstructing traffic," Sullivan said. Police say they've received two calls about the traffic, but neither resulted in a ticket. Police would not comment about future enforcement. "There are some neighbours on the street that are frustrated with trying to leave their house and they have to wait just for the collection of the money," said neighbour Peter Abercrombie. The homes on Taffy Lane have been known to light up the holidays since the 1970's. For Abercrombie, it's his 47th year and says he doesn't mind the traffic. "People will actually line up and wait for the lights to come on at 5 p.m.," said Abercrombie. "Lots of smiles everyone comes up the laneway and does a tour." While donations are not required to enjoy the magic, Sullivan says he refuses to let the situation dampen his spirits. "If they want to charge me over kindness they can go ahead and charge me with that, but I'll always give back to the community," he said. Shopping Trends The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us. 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Manitoba government to make permanent cut to gas tax Manitobans can expect to see a permanent change at the gas pump as early as next week Winnipeg police arrest corrections officer following sexual assault of a youth A corrections officer at a “youth custody facility” has been arrested following a number of sexual assaults against a youth. Calgary Low Canadian dollar a 'double-edged sword' as more Americans travel north: economist A Calgary economist says the low Canadian dollar is a mixed blessing, with data showing that more Americans are travelling north to make the most of their spending. Taxpayers Federation unveils its annual spending 'Naughty and Nice List' A media president and the Prime Minister have topped the Canadian Taxpayers Federation’s annual 'Taxpayer Naughty List' for 2024. 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Vancouver Island BREAKING | Emergency crews responding to avalanche in Whistler, B.C., area Paramedics and search crews have been dispatched to the scene of an avalanche that struck Monday in the Whistler, B.C., area. Cleanup underway after rockslide derails train in B.C. No injuries were reported after a rockslide derailed a freight train, sending railcars into British Columbia's Fraser River, on Sunday night. Court rules B.C. law to push through Vancouver housing project is unconstitutional The B.C. Court of Appeal says a law passed by the provincial government to stave off opposition to a supportive housing development in the Vancouver neighbourhood of Kitsilano is unconstitutional. Kelowna Forfeited Hells Angels clubhouse in Kelowna, B.C., sold to the city A former Hells Angels clubhouse that was seized by the British Columbia government in 2023 after years of fighting in court has been sold to the City of Kelowna. 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Aaron Boupendza rattled the crossbar early, while Denis Politic and Cătălin Cîrjan came close for Dinamo. Rapid goalkeeper Marian Aioani produced a stunning save to deny Politic in the first half. The second half saw fewer chances but heightened tensions. Deep into stoppage time, Braun and Opruț were dismissed after a heated altercation. Moments later, Rapid’s Nicolae Micovschi was brought down by Olsen during a potential match-winning break, but referee Marian Barbu opted for a yellow card. The draw leaves Rapid in eighth place, two points shy of the playoff spots, while Braun faces suspension. Rapid will look to regroup in January as they host Politehnica Iași and Universitatea Craiova.

A new report says Canada needs to rethink its approach to health care to help manage rising costs as people age. CSA Group, an organization that helps policymakers develop standards around health and safety, says health care currently costs about $12,000 per year for each person 65 years and older, compared to $2,700 for each person younger than 65. Today’s report says seniors make up about 18 per cent of Canada’s population but account for about 45 per cent of health-care spending by provincial and territorial governments. The group projects costs will continue to increase significantly, with seniors making up 22 per cent of the Canadian population by 2040. Jordann Thirgood, manager of CSA Group’s public policy centre, says that will coincide with more retirees and therefore less income tax revenue to pay for health costs. Thirgood says governments need to put more resources into illness prevention, including addressing factors such as housing, mental health and loneliness, which affect people’s overall health as they age. “The Canadian health-care system is often described as a ‘sickness treatment’ or ‘illness treatment’ system, (where) our public health-care system is primarily focused on doctors and hospitals,” she said in an interview Tuesday. That means “less focus on preventive care, wellness, and increasingly urgent needs in uninsured areas such as mental health,” says the report, which is called Aging Canada 2040: Policy Implications of Demographic Change. Thirgood said focusing on social determinants of health and addressing people’s health needs over the course of their lives to help them age well is critical to reducing illness and the associated health-care costs. She said that can have a big impact on improving people’s overall health as they age. ”There’s strong evidence that correlates social isolation and loneliness with serious health risk,” Thirgood said. “Research shows that (it) is similar to or even exceeding risks such as smoking, obesity and physical inactivity.” Homelessness is another factor that puts people at higher risk of chronic illness, she said — and many seniors are affected. ”We are increasingly seeing older adults that are unhoused as a result of increasing cost (and) financial insecurity,” Thirgood said. “Given ... the context of the housing crisis, I think we can imagine that that’s going to remain an urgent issue for the years to come.”Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Andy Carroll and his ex-wife, Billi Mucklow , couldn’t have had very different weeks, according to recent pictures of the former couple. The footballer, 35, and the Towie star, 36, announced their divorce in October after secretly parting ways earlier this year, ending an 11-year relationship. They share five children, two of whom are Andy's from a previous relationship, but Billi has always treated them as her own. Now, they seem to be navigating a co-parenting arrangement. This was evident on Monday night when Andy was seen kissing his new love interest, Lou Teasdale , at Vas J Morgan's British Fashion Awards afterparty, while Billi posted a photo from the hospital with their nine year old son, Arlo. Last year, Billi shared on Instagram that Arlo had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. She posted pictures of the youngster, telling followers "there is so much to learn" and that the family would be experiencing "lots of life changes," but they had received "amazing support" from their healthcare team. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the body can't produce enough insulin, which helps regulate blood sugar levels. Following Arlo's diagnosis, he was fitted with a Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) device to help manage his condition, reports the Mirror . But in August, Billi revealed that he switched to a Dexcom G7. His latest hospital visit was just a routine check-up with their specialist. Alongside an adorable snap of Arlo getting his blood pressure checked at the doctor's office, she penned: "Next stop hospital with my boy seeing his diabetes specialist for his review! We are doing good baby, 75% in range, but lots of changes made to get his pump working more efficiently." It came just hours after Andy was spotted getting flirty with Lou at the Monday night London event. In pictures from the occasion, the new couple were seen all loved up as Andy placed an affectionate kiss on the celebrity makeup artist’s head as they got their picture taken. Andy and Lou went public with their relationship back in October at a Halloween party where the footballer channelled NFL star Travis Kelce and Lou seemed to be dressed as Taylor Swift. They later flaunted their love on Instagram with pictures of them locking lips. . It’s unclear when the pair began seeing each other; however, Billi is reportedly aware of the new romance. Andy and Billi’s relationship appeared to be doomed from the beginning of their marriage after the footballer was photographed with multiple women in his bed during his Dubai stag do. Following the release of these boozy snaps on social media, Billi ditched her £200,000 engagement ring and moved out of their Essex home. However, she decided to forgive Andy when Taylor Jane Wilkey, one of the women in the photo, assured her that nothing happened. Not long after, the ex-couple faced another hurdle when Andy declared bankruptcy after signing to play in Bordeaux, France. This was a significant step down for the star, as he went from playing for Newcastle United in the Premier League to a team in the fourth division of the French league. Andy was forced to declare bankruptcy after taking a massive pay cut. While at Newcastle, he reportedly earned £23,000 a week and had £10million in savings. Now, he is estimated to be earning just £750 a week in France.

NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers formally asked a judge Monday to throw out his hush money criminal conviction, arguing continuing the case would present unconstitutional “disruptions to the institution of the Presidency.“ In a filing made public Tuesday, Trump’s lawyers told Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan that dismissal is warranted because of the extraordinary circumstances of his impending return to the White House. “Wrongly continuing proceedings in this failed lawfare case disrupts President Trump’s transition efforts,” the attorneys continued, before citing the “overwhelming national mandate granted to him by the American people on November 5, 2024.” Prosecutors will have until Dec. 9 to respond. They have said they will fight any efforts to dismiss the case but have indicated openness to delaying sentencing until after Trump’s second term ends in 2029. Following Trump’s election victory last month, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed his sentencing, previously scheduled for late November, to allow the defense and prosecution to weigh in on the future of the case. He also delayed a decision on Trump’s prior bid to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. Trump has been fighting for months to reverse the conviction, which involved efforts to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels, whose affair allegations threatened to disrupt his 2016 campaign. He has denied any wrongdoing. Trump takes office Jan. 20. Merchan hasn’t set a timetable for a decision. A dismissal would erase Trump’s historic conviction, sparing him the cloud of a criminal record and possible prison sentence. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office. Merchan could also decide to uphold the verdict and proceed to sentencing, delay the case until Trump leaves office, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump’s parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court or choose some other option.Rams don't dominate, but they're rolling toward the playoffs with superb complementary football

Ganghwa, South Korea: For seven years, Kim Seongmin has been facing a cancer that has spread to his lungs, brain and liver. Doctors recently gave him only months to live. He can’t sleep at night without painkillers. Still, Kim broadcasts into North Korea twice a day, bringing its people news and information they are cut off from because of strict censorship laws. “North Korea is keeping its people like frogs trapped in a deep well,” ​said Kim​, 62, during an interview at his rural home on this island west of Seoul, where he records and edits shows for Free North Korea Radio. “We broadcast to help them realise that there is something wrong with their political system.” Kim Seongmin, president of Free North Korea Radio, edits content for the station at his home on Ganghwa Island, west of Seoul, South Korea. Credit: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times For two decades, North Korean defectors living in South Korea have been infiltrating the North with outside news and entertainment, through balloons floated across the border or broadcasts such as those from Kim’s radio station. But Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, has grown increasingly sensitive to “anti-socialist and non-socialist” influences that could threaten his totalitarian grip on power, and he is cracking down on such efforts like never before. Authorities are searching homes and pedestrians, meting out harsh punishments, including public executions, to people who consume news and TV dramas ​from South Korea, or even if they sing, speak​, dress ​and text-message like South Koreans, according to North Korean documents and a South Korean government report. Bottles filled with rice and packages, each containing propaganda posters, a US dollar bill and a Bible, which Kim Seongmin’s group plans to send to North Korea. Credit: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times North Korea has been flexing its military muscle beyond the Korean Peninsula by sending troops and weapons to Russia to support its war against Ukraine. But at home, Kim Jong-un is reinforcing the country’s defences against foreign influences. He has built more walls along North Korea’s border with China, giving soldiers there a shoot-to-kill order to stop an outflow of refugees and an influx of people smuggling outside goods and information. He has destroyed ​his country’s few roads and railways linking to South Korea​, after declaring that the North was no longer interested in reunification with the South. And he has introduced a slate of draconian new censorship laws. “We sense the fears of the Kim Jong-un regime​,” Admiral Kim Myung-soo, the chair of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, told parliament recently. This year, the North called foreign content being sent across from the South “filth” and retaliated by sending balloons filled with rubbish and broadcasting eerie noises across the border. Defectors prepare to release balloons carrying leaflets and a banner denouncing Kim Jong-un in 2016. Such continued campaigns have enraged the Kim regime. Credit: AP Kim, the founder of Free North Korea Radio, was a captain and propaganda writer at a North Korean artillery unit when he fled to China in 1995. He wanted to defect to South Korea but was arrested at a Chinese port. He said he was on his way to Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, for certain execution when he jumped through the window of a train toilet booth while an armed guard waited outside. He fled back to China and arrived in Seoul in 1999. He launched Free North Korea Radio in 2004. “He was a pioneer, the first North Korean defector to start a radio broadcast into the North,” said Lee Min-bok, a fellow defector who began sending leaflet-filled balloons to the North around the time Kim started his radio broadcasts. “He spoke more closely to the North Korean heart, because he broadcast in North Korean dialects.” During recent broadcasts,​ Kim’s station reported international criticism of the North’s troop ​dispatch to Russia and invited North Korean female veterans to testify to any sexual violence they had endured in the North’s Korean People’s Army. It carried letters from Japanese people whose family members had been kidnapped to ​the North. North Korean defectors living in ​the South reported that there was hot water in every South Korean home while ordinary North Koreans had to take cold showers, even in the winter. Lee Si-young, director of Free North Korea Radio, at the recording studio where its content is recorded daily in Seoul, South Korea. Credit: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times Kim often gets information from informers inside the North who use mobile phones with prepaid Chinese SIM cards. With those phones, they can pick up Chinese signals from near the border and exchange calls, text messages and photos with Kim. With their help, he reported the execution of Jang Song-thaek, Kim Jong-un’s uncle, in 2013, days before the North’s state media announced it. Through his sources, Kim also monitored young North Koreans who grew up in the wake of a famine in the 1990s and have depended more on unofficial markets than on state rations to feed themselves. They trust their government less than the generations before them did and have an insatiable appetite for foreign entertainment and news, which they obtained through CDs, DVDs and computer memory sticks smuggled from China, as well as through balloons carrying USB drives and broadcasts such as Kim’s. Kim can’t tell how many North Koreans listen to his shortwave broadcasts, which are financed by US and South Korean human rights and religious groups. In the North, all radio and TV sets have their channels fixed to receive only government broadcasts, although defectors say people often manipulate their devices to receive South Korean broadcasts. Free North Korea Radio and other sources of outside news – such as Radio Free Asia, funded by the US Congress, and North Korea Reform Radio, which is run by another group of defectors – seek to chip away at the information blackout. The office of Free North Korea Radio in Seoul, South Korea. Credit: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times Efforts to exert influence from abroad have increasingly drawn Kim Jong-un’s ire as he seeks to control the country’s younger generations, according to internal North Korean government documents Kim received from his informers. “Anti-socialist and non-socialist practices” have become a malicious tumour that “penetrated deep into social life in general,” putting North Korea’s socialist system at a crossroads, said one of the ​North Korean documents that Kim shared with The New York Times . In an unnamed provincial city, 9000 high school students surrendered themselves for watching “impure” videos after authorities promised not to punish them. Under laws introduced recently by Kim Jong-un, those who watch, possess or distribute South Korean content face a punishment of five to 10 years in labour camps, according to the South’s National Intelligence Service. Even those who “speak, write or sing” in a South Korean style or publish texts using South Korean fonts face up to two years of hard labour. Those who distribute them widely face the death penalty. A 22-year-old farmworker was killed by firing squad in 2022 for possess​ing 70 songs and three movies from South Korea​ and sharing them with seven other people, according to a human rights report from South Korea’s Unification Ministry. Last year, North Korea called for “random inspections” of electronic devices to ferret out those who consume South Korean videos and broadcasts. The crackdown has created a chilling effect, leading to an estimated 70 per cent drop in outside information reaching North Koreans, said Kang Shin-sam, head of the Seoul-based human rights group Unification Academy, during a recent forum. But some North Koreans find new ways to circumvent censorship, other analysts say. Kim Seongmin worked at a studio in Seoul with a staff of five other North Korean defectors until he moved months ago to his island house. Two police officers are assigned to guard him against possible terrorist attacks from North Korea. Over the years, he has received numerous threats from South Koreans who accused him of raising tensions with the North, as well as anonymous packages that contained dead mice or dolls smeared with red paint, and with knives stuck in their chest. A North Korean secret police officer he had known in the North​ once called him from China, threatening to harm ​his sisters in the North, Kim said.​ But he persisted. In July, the South Korean government awarded him a citizen’s medal for his work. Lee Si-young, another defector who joined the station’s staff eight years ago, said she listened to Free North Korea Radio while in the North. “For North Koreans, our radio signals are like a lighthouse in the darkness, bringing hope that a better day will come,” she said. Kim said he would die knowing that the work he started would be continued by younger defectors he trained. “I will die a happy man,” he said. This article originally appeared in The New York Times .Reliable Link: Pioneering a New Era of Reliable Connectivity for Everything

Minister lauds SRSP, PATRIP's efforts to boost education in ChitralLincoln businesses, shoppers feel pressure with shorter holiday buying season

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Australia's prime minister said Sunday he was ready to "engage" with billionaire X owner Elon Musk over his criticism of the government's ban on under-16s joining social media. Anthony Albanese hailed the parliament's Thursday passage of landmark legislation requiring social media firms to take "reasonable steps" to prevent young teens from having accounts. The law, which will come into effect after 12 months, gives few details of how it will be enforced, including how sites like Facebook, Instagram and X will verify users' ages. Musk -- who has been named Donald Trump's government efficiency chief in the incoming US administration -- posted on X last month that the law "seems like a backdoor way to control access to the Internet by all Australians". "We will talk to anyone," Albanese said when asked if he would discuss the legislation with Musk. "With regard to Elon Musk, he has an agenda. He's entitled to push that as the owner of X, formerly known as Twitter," Albanese told Australian public broadcaster ABC. When the interviewer mentioned that Musk was also Trump's "right-hand man", the prime minister replied: "We will engage, we will engage." Social media firms that fail to comply with the new law face fines of up to Aus$50 million (US$32.5 million) for "systemic breaches". Musk's platform in October lost a legal bid to avoid a US$417,000 fine levelled by Australia's online watchdog, which has accused X of failing to stamp out harmful posts. The government will decide over the next 12 months how to implement the ban, Albanese said, insisting, however, that it would not require people to provide identification. "The obligation will be on social media companies to do everything they can to make sure that those people under 16 don't have access to social media," the prime minister said. "We know that social media companies have more information about you and I than some of our friends do," he added. "We know that they are able to do that, and the obligation will be on them." Albanese said he was "determined" to implement the legislation. "I've met parents who have had to bury their children as a result of the impact that social media has had as a result of bullying, and we need to do something about it," he said. Several social media giants have promised to work with the government on implementing the law. But they have also criticised the legislation, saying it was "rushed", full of unanswered questions, and did not take into account the views of experts who opposed it. The UN children's charity UNICEF Australia warned this week that the law was no "silver bullet" against online harm and could push kids into "covert and unregulated" spaces online. djw/mp/cwl