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POLICE have started to crack down on speeding drivers as winter weather leads to slippery roads - and it's led to some pricey fines. A driver in Canada was hit with a $7,000 charge after being caught speeding in a restricted highway lane. On Wednesday, police in Ontario pulled over a driver going more than 35 mph over the speed limit on Highway 417. The vehicle was also driving in the high-occupancy vehicle lane. The HOV lane is a designated traffic lane meant for vehicles carrying at least two or more people. However, this driver was traveling alone. READ MORE ON TRAFFIC FINES On top of speeding in the HOV lane, cops said the vehicle wasn't insured - which led to a pile of charges. The driver is now facing a minimum of $7,000 in fines upon conviction. They also are hit with a stunt driving charge. They'll have a mandatory 14-day vehicle impound and a 30-day driver's license suspension. Most read in Motors Upon conviction, they'll also face losing six demerit points and a one-year driving suspension. Ontario Provincial Police caught three other speeding drivers on Wednesday as their crackdown begins. Officials are urging drivers to slow down on winter roads. Police in the area are also starting their annual campaign aiming to stop impaired drivers. The crackdown, called the festive RIDE campaign, started on November 21 and will continue until New Year's Day. Police are focusing on checking drivers throughout the holiday season. According to a legally reviewed post, there are five effective strategies to fighting a speeding ticket if it was wrongfully issued. If pulled over and issued a ticket, drivers can argue or dispute a driver's personal opinion. When issuing a speeding ticket, an officer is required to write their opinion and come to an "objective" conclusion. If the ticket was written based on that judgment, it can be contested. An example would be if you were going 75 mph in a 65 mph zone because others were traveling at the same speed, you could argue that it would be more dangerous to travel at 65 mph. You can dispute the officer's presentation of evidence. If you were ticketed for something like running a stop sign or making an illegal u-turn, you can't contest that if an officer saw you, but you can call things into court like eyewitnesses, diagrams, or photos. Argue that the ticket was issued by a "mistake of fact." This is tricky, but a "mistake of fact" is a mistake made by a driver about a situation that was beyond their control, or if a driver legitimately did not know they were violating the law. For example, you were driving in two lanes because the lane markers were so worn down that you could not see them. You could say circumstances justified your driving. You could say you were speeding to pass a possibly drunk driver, or avoiding an accident by rapidly changing lanes. However, the argument won't work if there's proof you continued to speed after passing. Similar to the above, it could be argued that speeding was necessary to avoid harm. The key is to argue that if you weren't speeding, you or someone else could have been harmed. Consult a traffic attorney, if all else fails. Many have free consultations to decide whether or not there's a case. Source: FindLaw “Impaired Driving is a leading cause of collisions on our highways, and a threat to public safety in our communities,” a press release for the initiative said. “There are many options to avoid driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs: take a taxi, call a friend, stay over, or have a designated sober driver.” The Canadian crackdown as thousands of drivers in New York could lose their licenses due to a new rule. Truck drivers had until November 18 to begin their Return-to-Duty process due to tightened regulations around the Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse. A recent report revealed 163,318 truck drivers are classified as "prohibited" in a database tracking violations of a drug and alcohol testing program. Read More on The US Sun The new rule means drivers had to pass a new drug and alcohol test in order to keep their licenses after November 18. Plus, drivers could face a $350 fine for violating Leaf Day parking rules in Portland, Oregon.new fortune cookie

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British government officials have held two high-level, secret security meetings in the wake of mysterious drone activity over American air bases in England. That has led Borough President Vito Fossella to slam U.S. officials for their lack of transparency over drone activity in the United States. “What are we waiting for?” the borough president said in a prepared statement. The Times of London reported that two secret meetings of the Civil Contingencies Committee have been held by top U.K. officials after mystery drones buzzed American air bases in England. Concerns were heightened because the drones had technology so sophisticated that authorities have been unable to track them or identify those responsible, the Times said. Military officials have not ruled out the involvement of a hostile state but have expressed alarm that it has so far proved impossible to find the pilots responsible for controlling the drones. It was said that the drones were not programmed but were controlled in real time by live operators. Also known as COBRA or COBR, the meetings are convened to handle matters of national emergency or major disruption. Its purpose is to coordinate different departments and agencies in response to such emergencies. The meetings are held in the Cabinet Office Briefing Room in London and include top officials, including sometimes the British prime minister. “Our concern, from day one, has been the lack of transparency and clear understanding of these vast drone sightings,” Fossella said. “There were reports that even President Biden made attempts to determine what they were, and those attempts resulted in no credible information.” Said Fossella, “Each time our concerns are raised, we are told there is no public safety risk, even as our closest ally in Europe assesses the possibility that these drones may be operated by a foreign adversary.” He said, “If the United Kingdom can take this concern of public safety seriously, so can we. The federal government needs to do the right thing, sooner than later, and give the American public the answers they deserve.” The U.S. drone sightings were first reported in New Jersey five weeks ago and have spread to other parts of the country, including Staten Island and military bases across the U.S. Mystery drones have also been spotted over a U.S. military base in Germany. The Federal Aviation Administration has banned drones over certain areas of the country, including Staten Island, and has warned that deadly force could be used against operators who break the ban. Most Popular Stories by Tom WrobleskiThe Case For Salutogenic Health: A 360° Solution With Prosocial AI

ACM Research Comments on Updated U.S. Export Restrictions‘Cong to devote coming year for organisational revamp’

Thousands of protesters marched through Barcelona on Saturday demanding lower rents in Spain's second city. Barcelona, which has already taken action to stop the spread of holiday rental apartments, is the latest Spanish city to see protests for cheaper housing. Backed by left-wing parties and unions, the demonstrators gathered in central Barcelona behind a giant banner declaring "Lower the rents". "Today a new political cycle starts concerning housing," Carme Arcarazo, spokesperson for the Catalan Tenants Union, the main organiser, told reporters. "Investors must not be allowed to come to our cities and play with the apartments like a game of Monopoly," she added. The union would target "profiteers" who are taking "half of our salaries", Arcarazo said. The demonstrators demanded a 50 percent cut in rents, leases with an unlimited term and a ban on "speculative" sales of buildings. They threatened to start a rent strike. An estimated 22,000 people took part in a similar demonstration in Madrid on October 13. Campaigns have been launched in other cities. According to the Idealista specialised website, rental prices per square metre have risen 82 percent across Spain over the past decade. The average salary has gone up by 17 percent in that time, according to the national statistics institute. Facing pressure over a housing crisis, the government in 2023 passed legislation calling for more social housing, greater restrictions on rents in high demand areas and penalties for owners who do not occupy properties. But rents have continued to rise while the government has battled city and regional authorities to get some parts of the law applied. vid-vab/tw/jmFEMA under investigation over Trump supporter discrimination