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Pope Francis says he’ll spend 3 days in Dubai for COP28 climate conference

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:51 GMT

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis said Wednesday that he will travel to Dubai for three days during the COP28 climate conference hosted there. Francis said during an interview on Italian television network RAI that he would depart for Dubai on Dec. 1 and stay until Dec. 3. Excerpts of the interview were broadcast on Wednesday evening and recorded a few hours earlier. The full hourlong interview was to be broadcast later Wednesday night.Francis offered no details of his trip’s program, including any appearance at the conference. The travel comes about two weeks before his 87th birthday. When asked about his health — after setbacks that included abdominal surgery just a few months ago to repair a hernia and remove intestinal scarring — Francis quipped in reply in what has become his standard line — “I’m alive.”The international climate conference begins on Nov. 30 and runs through Dec. 12. Francis has made the need for urgent care for the environment a hallmark priority of his papa...

Blinken heads to Israel, Jordan as Gaza war and criticism of it intensifies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:51 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel and Jordan this week as Israel’s war in Gaza and international criticism of it intensify, the State Department said Wednesday.Blinken will depart Washington on Thursday and will be in Israel and Jordan on Friday and Further stops in the Middle East are possible, meaning the trip may follow the frenetic pace of Blinken’s last trip to the region shortly after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel where last-minute schedule changes were frequent. Blinken ended up traveling to Israel three times as well as six Arab nations during that trip.Blinken will be entering a diplomatic maelstrom that will likely complicate his mission. Jordan announced Wednesday that it had recalled its ambassador to Israel and would not permit Israel’s ambassador to Jordan to return to the country. It said it would not revisit those moves until the Gaza conflict was over.State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Blinken would once again und...

Republican US Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado won’t seek reelection, citing party’s ‘insidious narratives’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:51 GMT

DENVER (AP) — U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, a conservative Republican who represents much of Colorado’s rural eastern plains, announced Wednesday he would not seek a sixth term in Congress, citing many in his party who refuse to accept the results of the 2020 presidential election and to condemn the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.In a video message posted online, Buck said voters’ hopes that Republicans will take decisive action may be in vain, and that his party’s “insidious narratives breed widespread cynicism and erode Americans’ confidence in the rule of law.”“Too many Republican leaders are lying to America, claiming that the 2020 election was stolen, describing Jan. 6 as an unguided tour of the Capitol and asserting that the ensuing prosecutions are a weaponization of our justice system,” Buck said.The 64-year-old former prosecutor, who has served in Congress since 2015, was one of the eight Republicans who joined with Democrats to oust House Speaker Kevin M...

Labour shortages cost Canadian agriculture sector $3.5 billion in 2022: research

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:51 GMT

OTTAWA — The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council says labour shortages cost the agriculture sector $3.5 billion in sales in 2022. Research by the Conference Board of Canada on behalf of the council found the sector has a vacancy rate of 7.4 per cent. The council says the agriculture sector employed more than 420,000 workers in 2022, and almost a quarter of them were foreign workers. Jennifer Wright, executive director of the council, says there’s an urgent need to boost the labour supply in Canadian agriculture. She says this new data on Canada’s agriculture labour market is important so that the industry can tackle these challenges. The council says the data is part of a longer term initiative to update its labour forecasting system and support its national workforce strategic plan. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2023.The Canadian Press

A section of the Blue Ridge Parkway is closed after visitors allegedly try to hold a young bear

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:51 GMT

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A section of the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway in western North Carolina has been closed temporarily after the National Park Service said it received multiple reports of visitors feeding and attempting to hold a young bear.The 8-mile (12.9-kilometer) closure just northeast of Asheville stretches from milepost 367.6 near the Craggy Gardens Picnic Area to milepost 375.6 at Ox Creek Road. National Park Service officials blocked off the road on Monday and say it will remain closed until further notice.The recent bear interactions allegedly took place at the Lane Pinnacle Overlook, a popular high-elevation viewpoint, at the height of leaf-peeping season, officials said. The temporary closure is necessary to protect bears and park visitors alike, said Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Tracy Swartout.“When people intentionally attract bears with trash and food it can lead to very dangerous situations,” Swartout said in a written statement. “In this instance we want to gi...

Telus, TerreStar complete trial of mobile-to-satellite connectivity

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:51 GMT

MONTREAL — Telus Corp. says it has successfully trialled technology that allows smartphones to send and receive voice calls and text messages using satellites.The test was conducted in partnership with Montreal-based telecom provider TerreStar Solutions Inc. and non-terrestrial network service provider Skylo.Telus president and CEO Darren Entwistle says the trial could pave the way to eliminate no-coverage zones, which would keep people in remote regions connected and ensure emergency services remain reachable during outages.The technology could also be used to improve employee safety in industries that require remote field work and deliver real-time data on temperature and water to farmers.The Vancouver-based telecommunications company says it hopes to introduce smartphones with 5G satellite capabilities to customers next year.Earlier this year, Rogers Communications Inc. announced it was partnering with SpaceX and Lynk Global to deliver satellite-to-phone connectivity, enabling co...

Movember marks 20 years of changing the face of men’s health

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:51 GMT

You may notice some fuzzy upper lips around the office over the next few weeks. Movember, the annual moustache-growing fundraiser for men’s health, is back for another year. In fact, 2023 marks its 20th anniversary, including 17 right here in Canada.Initially conceived as a way to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer, Movember has since evolved beyond simply growing a moustache.“We also encourage people to move for your health and we encourage people to set a goal of 60 kilometers [for the month of November],” said Todd Minerson, country director for Movember Canada.  “That 60 represents one man we lose every minute to suicide around the world in each hour of the day. You can also host an event and you can ‘mo your own way’ [and] set your own goals, set your own objectives.”He says your donations can make a big difference.“We just have announced in September about $5.8 million in new funding towards prostate cancer research,&#...

Canada’s immigration targets to level out in 2026

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:51 GMT

New targets tabled in Parliament show the government plans to level out the number of new permanent residents to Canada in 2026, forecasting an end to record-breaking year-over-year immigration.Immigration Minister Marc Miller submitted new targets for the next three years, which call for the number of new permanent residents to hold steady at 500,000 in 2026.The plans show that the targets for 2024 and 2025 will increase as planned.The Liberals have aggressively increased their targets over the past several years, and surpassed records for the number of permanent residents admitted in a year in both 2021 and 2022.The minister said last week that Canada needs immigration to fuel Canada’s gross domestic product and there would be an economic cost to lowering yearly targets.The government says the levelling off in 2026 will allow time for new permanent residents to integrate successfully while still augmenting the labour market.

How does Jaylon Johnson feel about not being traded by the Bears?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:51 GMT

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Bears player who asked for a trade before the NFL deadline on Tuesday might have been a little surprised he was at Halas Hall in front of a microphone on Wednesday.But Jaylon Johnson is still a member of the Bears, wearing a team hat as he addressed a simple question."Oh yeah, for sure," said the cornerback when he was asked if he thought he would be traded before the Tuesday 3 p.m. Central Time deadline. Of course, that didn't happen, and Johnson will suit up for the Bears as their top defensive back against the Saints on Sunday afternoon at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The team may have made attempts to trade Johnson or even sign him to a new deal prior to the deadline, but both are out the door as possibilities at the moment. So after an eventful Tuesday, does the fact that he didn't get traded and still doesn't have a long-term contract disappoint Johnson as he looks ahead to the final nine games of the 2023 season?"Yeah, I would say as far as so...

Hammond ordinance that closes all gas stations overnight now in effect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:51 GMT

HAMMOND, Ind. — An ordinance requiring all gas stations in the city of Hammond to close overnight went into effect Wednesday. As of Nov. 1, all 37 gas stations in the city must close from midnight to 5 a.m. following a 7-2 council member vote in August to pass the regulation. The ordinance was drafted in response to a series of crime-related events at Hammond-area gas stations. Hammond Mayor Thomas M. McDermott Jr. backed the proposal.SEE ALSO: Hammond man arrested after woman, 16-year-old shot dead in MattesonNotably, a Chicago man was shot and killed at Luke’s gas station in the 5100 block of State Line Avenue in late June. The next month, a man was critically wounded at the Speedway gas station in the 6800 block of Calumet Avenue, days after Hammond council members delayed voting on the ordinance.Ultimately, City Hall members favored the ordinance amid a council meeting on Aug. 14. Some business owners stressed to WGN News that the ordinance could cost people their jobs, while ot...