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Supports for Gaza Strip evacuees to be determined based on need, minister says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:36 GMT

OTTAWA — Immigration Minister Marc Miller says the immigration status and supports available for evacuees who escape from Gaza Strip will have to be determined based on individual circumstances once people make their way to Canada.The federal government has been working to secure the safe passage of more than 400 people with connections to Canada as part of ongoing negotiations between Israel and Egypt that are being mediated by Qatar.The slow trickle of people allowed through the highly controlled Rafah border crossing has so far included 75 people on Canada’s list of anticipated evacuees, and they are only allowed to remain in Egypt for 72 hours.The list includes Canadian citizens and permanent residents, as well as eligible family members who don’t have immigration status in Canada.Global Affairs Canada says it is also aware of reports that four Canadian citizens got out with the help of a third party. Miller says family members without Canadian citizenship or permane...

Daily horoscope for November 9, 2023

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:36 GMT

Moon Alert: After 3:30 a.m. EST today (12:30 a.m. PST), there are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions. The Moon is in Libra.Happy Birthday for Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023:You’re a risk-taker. Your approach to life is physical. You’re intelligent, witty and enthusiastic. This year is the final year of a nine-year cycle, which means it’s time to take inventory and let go of people, places and things in the past that have held you back.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★★★This is a lovely day to schmooze with others. It’s also a wonderful day or evening for a sweet date. Keep in mind that the Moon is in Libra for two days, which puts it directly opposite your sign. This means you have to go more than halfway when dealing with people. Tonight: Cooperate.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★★Today you will attract someone to you who is strong and forthright. (Generally, those are euphemisms for “pushy.”) Perhaps this is why you will find yourself in a positio...

Commission consults member states on a proposal for a partial adjustment of the phase-out schedule of the State Aid Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework in view of the upcoming winter heating period

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:36 GMT

The European Commission has sent to member states for consultation a draft proposal to partially adjust the phase-out schedule of the provisions of the State aid Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework aimed at providing a crisis response following Russia's aggression against Ukraine and the unprecedented increase in energy prices.Since the beginning of Russia's war against Ukraine and in the context of its direct and indirect effects on the EU economy, the State aid Temporary Crisis Framework, adopted on 23 March 2022, has enabled member states to provide timely, targeted and proportionate support to businesses in need. The Framework has allowed member states to act quickly and effectively to help companies affected by the significant economic uncertainties, disrupted trade flows and supply chains, and the exceptionally large and unexpected price increases, in particular of natural gas, electricity, numerous other input and raw materials, and primary goods. Those effects taken to...

Miss Manners: My neighbor is convinced I’m making this noise. How do I get him to drop it?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:36 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have a neighbor in the apartment directly below mine who, during the 20 years I have lived here, has regularly complained about the various noises they hear from my apartment. Not once has X ever said anything to me that wasn’t a criticism about The Noise.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: My wife rebuked cinema patrons who walked in front of us. Who was rude? Advice | Miss Manners: The host seemed put out by the guests’ sober dress. Were they rude? Advice | Miss Manners: Should I have done something about this shopper’s bad behavior? Advice | Miss Manners: How do I keep my wife’s art off our walls without a blowup? Advice | Miss Manners: Three years after disappearing, she sent me a rude email Do I have a pet? Do I exercise? Is there some machinery I am running?No, to all of these. I am sure any noise isn’t from me: My apartment is fully carpeted, I...

Gaza faces imminent typhoid, cholera outbreak, health bodies warn

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:36 GMT

Health organizations are warning of an imminent public health crisis in the Gaza Strip, where disruptions to health and water systems are raising the risk of disease outbreaks.The International Rescue Committee (IRC) on Thursday warned of the inevitable spread of waterborne illnesses such as cholera and typhoid, caused by contaminated water sources and a lack of sanitation.Currently, 95 percent of the population in Gaza has no access to safe water, while 64 percent of primary health facilities have shut down, IRC warns, as Israel conducts a lethal bombing campaign. “The conditions are ripe for the spread of communicable and waterborne diseases — diseases that adversely affect children and lead to preventable deaths,” said Bob Kitchen, the IRC’s vice president of emergencies.The World Health Organizations (WHO) on Wednesday warned that lack of fuel has disrupted waste collection and caused desalination plants to shut down, leading to a significant increase in the spread of bact...

Boris Johnson brands Rishi Sunak a ‘stooge’ put in place by Dominic Cummings

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:36 GMT

LONDON — Boris Johnson accused his successor Rishi Sunak of being a “stooge” installed at the behest of Johnson-adviser-turned nemesis Dominic Cummings.In his most direct criticism yet of the current U.K. prime minister, Johnson also said Sunak had left the governing Conservatives “drifting to defeat” with no clear strategy.The comments came in an interview with Nadine Dorries, a staunch Johnson ally who has just published a book on what she calls the “political assassination” of the ex-prime minister.Johnson was forced from office in 2022 after a series of scandals, with the resignation of Sunak — then-Johnson’s lead finance minister — dealing his administration a mortal blow.In his interview with Dorries, Johnson claimed his own former adviser Cummings had always wanted to get Sunak into the top job.“I heard that Cummings has said he started to plot to get rid of me in January 2020,” Johnson said. “The plot was always to get Ri...

‘Merry Ham-Mas’: Aussie store pulls Christmas bag after outcry

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:36 GMT

Australia’s Kmart retail chain on Wednesday was forced to remove a Christmas bag bearing the inscription “Merry Ham-Mas” from sale after the item attracted criticism from a Jewish group.The colorful drawstring bag, which can be used to store a Christmas ham in a refrigerator, could no longer be ordered on Kmart’s website as of Thursday morning.“We got it wrong on this occasion, and we apologise unreservedly,” a Kmart spokesperson said in a written statement to POLITICO on Thursday.“When designing this product we clearly didn’t think through all the implications and the product has been removed from sale,” the spokesperson added.Launched just a few weeks after the Palestinian militant group Hamas’ violent attacks which killed more than 1,400 people in Israel, the Christmas bag sparked public outcry after the Australian Jewish Association (AJA) asked for the product to be pulled.“Although this is potentially funny (the AJA co...

Alex Caruso shut down Kevin Durant, but it wasn’t enough for a Chicago Bulls OT win — and 6 other takeaways from Wednesday

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:36 GMT

For the final eight minutes of the Chicago Bulls’ Wednesday loss to the Phoenix Suns, Alex Caruso drove Kevin Durant into a state of frustration.The guard acted as a shadow for Durant throughout the night, poking and prodding to keep the forward from settling into a comfortable scoring rhythm down the stretch. Caruso hung all over Durant on his final attempt at a game-winner with time expired, forcing him to take a slightly off-balance shot that clanked off the rim to send the game into overtime.Durant finished with 25 points, nearly five points below his season average. But Durant scored only four in the final two frames of the game, a testament to Caruso’s nullifying presence.“It’s his mentality,” Durant said. “He’s a hard worker who’s going to do everything he can. He’s a phenomenal player. I don’t even want to call him a role player, but just a guy that you can plug with any lineup and he’s going to make the right...

A TotalEnergies pipeline project in East Africa is disturbing community graves, watchdog says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:36 GMT

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — The French oil company TotalEnergies is failing to protect the sanctity of hundreds of graves in a controversial project that aims to build a heated pipeline from oil fields in Uganda to a port in Tanzania, according to a report by a New York-based climate watchdog. In a report released Thursday, GreenFaith charges that TotalEnergies “has consistently failed to respect local customs and traditions related to the treatment of graves,” distressing local communities in the East African nations of Uganda and Tanzania. The report is the latest effort by a growing list of campaigners who urge TotalEnergies and its partners — China National Offshore Oil Corporation and the governments of Uganda and Tanzania — to cancel the project. As the majority shareholder, TotalEnergies has long faced legal pressure from activists who say the nearly 1,500-kilometer (900-mile) pipeline project undermines the Paris climate accord. TotalEnergies has denied each of the charges, sayin...

Putin visits Kazakhstan, part of his efforts to cement ties with ex-Soviet neighbors

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:36 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Kazakhstan on Thursday, part of his efforts to cement ties with the ex-Soviet neighbor and major economic partner in the midst of tensions with the West over Ukraine.Putin’s talks in Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana follow his trip last month to Kyrgyzstan for a summit of ex-Soviet nations and a visit to China.Speaking at the start of his talks with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Putin hailed “multi-faceted” ties between the countries and said they would determine new areas of “strategic” cooperation.Oil-rich Kazakhstan and other Central Asian nations have maintained a delicate balancing act, preserving strong economic ties with Moscow but refusing to recognize its annexation of Ukrainian regions. The Russian leader has made few foreign trips since he sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. The International Criminal Court’s move to indict Putin in March for alleged war crimes connected to the deportati...