News
Copy by Patrick Lewis
Emergency responders were on the scene of a collision involving a school bus in Bayside.
Quinte West emergency responders were called to Settlers Landing Drive, south of Old Highway 2 after a bus slid off the road into the ditch around 8:30 a.m.
There were seven children on the bus and no injuries were reported.
Belleville police have charged two men from Quebec with fraud over $5,000 after they reportedly tried to buy a vehicle with fake documents.
A local car dealership contacted the Belleville Police Service on Monday after employees became suspicious after a customer attempted to purchase a vehicle over the phone with suspected fraudulent identification and banking information.
Members of the Criminal Investigative Division continued the investigation.
Two people attended the dealership in person to complete the purchase on Thursday, police said.
Officers attended, arrested and charged a 61-year-old and a 31-year-old without incident.
The duo is also charged with identity theft, impersonation and utter forged documents. Both males were held in custody for a bail hearing.
Israel said on Thursday it has begun preparations for the departure of large numbers of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip in line with President Donald Trump’s plan for the territory. Officials meanwhile said Egypt has launched a diplomatic blitz behind the scenes to try and head off the plan.
The Palestinians and much of the international community have rejected Trump’s proposal, fearing Israel will never allow the refugees to return and that it would destabilize the region. Egypt has warned that such a plan could undermine its peace treaty with Israel, a cornerstone of stability and American influence in the Middle East for decades.
Saudi Arabia, another key U.S. ally, has also rejected any mass transfer of Palestinians and says it will not normalize relations with Israel — a key goal of the Trump administration — without the creation of a Palestinian state that includes Gaza.
Palestinians say they don’t want to leave. The New York-based Human Rights Watch and other groups say Trump’s proposal, if implemented, would amount to “ethnic cleansing,” the forcible relocation of the civilian population of an ethnic group from a geographic area.
Meanwhile… Israel’s defence minister ordered the army today to prepare a plan to allow the “voluntary departure” of residents from Gaza, after U.S. President Donald Trump drew widespread condemnation for announcing plans to take over the strip. Defence Minister Israel Katz hailed Trump’s announcement that the United States would aim to take control of Gaza, resettle the more than two million Palestinians living there and transform the territory into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” Katz said his plan would include exit options via land crossings, as well as special arrangements for departure by sea and air.
The world warmed to yet another monthly heat record in January, despite an abnormally chilly United States, a cooling La Nina and predictions of a slightly less hot 2025, according to the European climate service Copernicus.
The surprising January heat record coincides with a new study by a climate science heavyweight, former top NASA scientist James Hansen, and others arguing that global warming is accelerating. It’s a claim that’s dividing the research community.
January 2025 globally was 0.09 degrees Celsius (0.16 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than January 2024, the previous hottest January, and was 1.75 C (3.15 F) warmer than it was before industrial times, Copernicus calculated. It was the 18th month of the last 19 that the world hit or passed the internationally agreed upon warming limit of 1.5 C (2.7 F) above pre-industrial times. Scientists won’t regard the limit as breached unless and until global temperatures stay above it for 20 years.
Sports
The Picton Pirates, on the edge of the seasons end will welcome the Amhurstview Jets tonight at the PEC Community Centre… Puck drops at 7:30 … The Pirates will wrap up their 2024 regular season next Thursday when they host the Frankford Huskies.
Some Canadian teams are facing off in the NHL tonight including …. The Ottawa Senators who will be in Tampa Bay …. Colorado will take the Avalanche to Calgary and the Vancouver Canucks will be in San Jose.
The PGA’s Phoenix Open is underway today and six Canadians are in the field including defending champion Nick Taylor. The Phoenix Open has introduced significant changes to avoid the chaotic scenes of last year including infrastructure remodeling to prevent the grassy slopes from becoming slippery in case of rain. While the event itself was exciting, the action outside also drew attention. Fans created chaotic scenes at the TPC Scottsdale which led to a record number of arrests and some further changes including a two drink minimum and some widening of pathways and lanes.
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