The #Philippine vice president publicly threatens to have the president assassinated

NEW YORK, November 23. US President-elect Donald Trump has nominated investor Scott Bessent to serve as Treasury Secretary.

"Scott is widely respected as one of the world’s foremost international investors and #geopolitical and economic strategists," #Trump wrote on his Truth Social page.

Janet Yellen currently holds the position of Treasury Secretary.

#BANGKOK, #Thailand -Two Australian teenagers and a British woman died from suspected methanol poisoning after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos. An American man and two Danes also died, though their exact causes of death have not been released. A New Zealander also has been sickened. The U.S. State Department issued a warning to travelers to be “alert to the potential risk of methanol poisoning.”

But what is methanol, and how do you avoid it?

What is methanol?

There are three main types of alcohol: ethanol, methanol and isopropyl. Ethanol is what is found in consumer spirits and is the only one intended for consumption. Isopropanol is the main ingredient in rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizers. Methanol, commonly called wood alcohol because it is the byproduct of wood distillation, is frequently used as fuel and in products such as antifreeze and solvents.
What happens if you consume methanol?

According to the Methanol Institute, the global trade association for the industry, drinking just 25 to 90 ml (0.7 to 3.0 ounces) of methanol can be fatal without proper medical treatment, but can be successfully treated if caught early.

#Methanol poisoning can cause headaches, dizziness and decreased consciousness including coma, seizure, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision and multiple other symptoms, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The CDC recommends seeking medical attention immediately if methanol poisoning is suspected.

“Individuals vary in their response to methanol,” said toxicologist Alastair Hay from Britain’s University of Leeds. “Some will be able to tolerate more than others because we all have variability in the capacity of our enzymes to detox. But small quantities ... might be fatal for individuals; others may survive slightly more.”
Why would it be in drinks if it's not meant for consumption?

Methanol is sometimes added deliberately by unscrupulous bars to mixed drinks to give them more “kick” and to save money on using higher-priced ethanol-based spirits such as vodka or rum. This practice is not specific to Laos or Southeast Asia, but occurs wherever taxes on legitimate alcohol or the cost of legitimate alcohol is perceived as being too high, according to the Methanol Institute.

Methanol is also a normal product of the distillation process that produces ethanol, and in home-brew distilleries without strict controls — often found in poorer countries — it can end up in the mix.
How do you avoid methanol poisoning?

The answer is easy: don't drink it.

But it's colourless, odourless and tasteless, so that can be something of a challenge.

In guidance issued after the Laos poisonings, Britain’s Foreign Office recommends only purchasing alcoholic beverages from licensed liquor stores, buying drinks only from licensed bars and hotels, always checking if bottle seals are intact, and checking labels for poor print quality or incorrect spellings.

The Methanol Institute notes that beverages such as canned beer, cider, wine, pre-mix, and duty-free products tend to be safer and less easy to adulterate.

It also urges people to be wary of homemade brews, and free drinks or drinks priced far below normal.

NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks Tuesday after Russia attacked a central city with an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile that escalated the nearly 33-month-old war.

The conflict is “entering a decisive phase,” Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday, and “taking on very dramatic dimensions.”

Ukraine’s parliament cancelled a session as security was tightened following Thursday's Russian strike on a military facility in the city of Dnipro.

In a stark warning to the West, President Vladimir Putin said in a nationally televised speech that the attack with the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile was in retaliation for Kyiv’s use of U.S. and British longer-range missiles capable of striking deeper into Russian territory.

Putin said Western air defence systems would be powerless to stop the new #missile.

Ukrainian military officials said the missile that hit Dnipro had reached a speed of Mach 11 and carried six nonnuclear warheads each releasing six submunitions.

Speaking Friday to military and weapons industries officials, Putin said Russia is launching production of the Oreshnik.

“No one in the world has such weapons,” he said with a thin smile. “Sooner or later other leading countries will also get them. We are aware that they are under development."

But he added, "we have this system now. And this is important.”

Canada's tax relief plan: Who gets a cheque? The Canadian government has unveiled its plans for a sweeping GST/HST pause on select items during the holiday period.

The federal Liberals also announced most working Canadians can expect a cheque in the mail for $250. The cheques and tax relief still need approval in Parliament.

The day after the announcement, questions remain on how the whole thing will work. Here are the answers to some basic questions.

When does the tax break start?

GST/HST will be paused on a range of groceries, alcoholic products, kids’ clothes and more from Dec. 14 to Feb. 15.
How much money will I save?

Everyone’s shopping habits are different. CTVNews.ca has published a full list of qualifying products, which includes kids’ clothing, restaurant takeout, books and audiobooks, beer and wine, and more.

“A family spending $2,000 on qualifying goods, such as children’s clothing, shoes and toys, diapers, books, snacks for the house, or restaurant meals would realize GST savings of $100 over the two-month period,” reads the government’s estimation published online.
Who will get the $250 rebate?

The $250 sum, officially called the “Working Canadians Rebate,” will be sent to all Canadians who worked in 2023 and earned less than $150,000. The government estimated 18.7 million Canadians will get the money.

#Canadians who did not work in 2023, including those who were retired and claiming CPP and/or OAS, are not eligible for the Working Canadians Rebate.

#Trump granted permission to seek dismissal of hush money case. A New York judge on Friday granted Donald Trump permission to seek dismissal of his hush money criminal case, in which he was found guilty earlier this year, in light of his victory in the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election.

Trump, 78, had been scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 26. But prosecutors with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office earlier this week asked New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan to consider deferring all proceedings in the case until after Trump finishes his four-year presidential term that begins on Jan. 20.

Lawyers for #Trump, a Republican, have argued that the case must be dismissed because having it loom over him while he was president would cause what they called "unconstitutional impediments" to his ability to govern.

Bragg's office said they would argue against dismissal, but agreed Trump deserved time to make his case through written motions.

Merchan on Friday set a Dec. 2 deadline for Trump to file his motion to dismiss, and gave prosecutors until Dec. 9 to respond.

#Gaza ministry: hospitals to cut or stop services 'within 48 hours' over fuel shortages

#Hong #Kong activist Jimmy Lai denies he asked a newspaper colleague to draft list of sanction targets.

Former publisher Jimmy Lai denied that he asked a colleague to draft a list of potential sanction targets in his second day of testimony Thursday at his landmark national security trial in Hong Kong.

The 77-year-old founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily pro-democracy newspaper is being tried on charges of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiring with others to issue seditious publications. He was arrested in 2020 in a political crackdown following massive anti-government protests in 2019. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.

THE #HAGUE, #Netherlands -The world's top war-crimes court issued arrest warrants Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas' military chief, accusing them of crimes against humanity in connection with the 13-month war in #Gaza.

The #warrants said there was reason to believe Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have used "starvation as a method of warfare" by restricting humanitarian aid and have intentionally targeted civilians in Israel's campaign against #Hamas in #Gaza -- charges Israeli officials deny.

The action by the International Criminal Court came as the death toll from Israel's campaign in Gaza passed 44,000 people, according to local health authorities, who say more than half of those killed were women and children. Their count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

Experts say hunger has become widespread across Gaza and may have reached famine levels in the north of the territory, which is under siege by Israeli troops.

Netanyahu condemned the warrant against him, saying Israel "rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions" by the court. In a statement released by his office, he said: "There is nothing more just than the war that Israel has been waging in Gaza."

Gallant, in a statement, said the decision "sets a dangerous precedent against the right to self-defense and moral warfare and encourages murderous terrorism."

The decision turns #Netanyahu and the others into internationally wanted suspects and could further isolate them, putting them at risk of arrest when they travel abroad. Its practical implications could be limited since #Israel and its major ally, the United States, are not members of the court.

Still, the warrant marked the first time that a sitting leader of a major Western ally has been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity by a global court of justice. It put Israel's allies, including some of its closest #European friends, in an #awkward position. Several leaders, including France, welcomed the court's decision and signaled they might arrest #Netanyahu if he visited.

The move "represents the most dramatic step yet in the court's involvement in the conflict between Israel and Hamas," said Anthony Dworkin, senior policy fellow at the #European Council on Foreign Relations.

#Israeli leaders, politicians and officials across the spectrum denounced the warrants and the #ICC. The new #defense minister, Israel Katz, who replaced #Gallant earlier this month, said Thursday's decision is "a moral disgrace, entirely tainted by antisemitism, and drags the international #judicial system to an unprecedented low."

Son of Norway crown princess detained for one week in rape probe.
#OSLO, Norway -The son of #Norway's crown princess will be jailed for up to one week while police investigate accusations of rape made against him, a judge ruled on Wednesday.

Police on Monday detained Marius Borg Hoiby, 27, son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson to Crown Prince Haakon, and said he was suspected of having had sexual encounters with two women who were either unconscious or incapacitated.

Each accusation of rape concerned a "sexual encounter without intercourse," a police spokesperson said without elaborating.

Hoiby's lawyer, Oeyvind Bratlien, said his client was innocent and was opposed to being held in preventive detention.

It was not immediately clear if Hoiby would appeal the court's decision to place him in preventive detention.

Investigators had sought permission to hold him for up to two weeks.

Hoiby does not have a royal title and is outside the line of royal succession.

Police have said Hoiby also faces accusations of having used violence against other women and drug use.

On Aug. 4 police named Hoiby as a suspect of physical assault against a woman with whom he had been in a relationship.

Hoiby in a later statement to the media admitted to causing her bodily harm while he was under the influence of cocaine and alcohol and of damaging her apartment. Hoiby said he regretted his acts.

Crown Prince Haakon said on Tuesday the case had had an impact on everyone in the family.