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B.C. Wildfire Service dealing with nearly 400 fires, Cranbrook airport briefly closed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:00 GMT

VANCOUVER — Dozens of properties are on evacuation order or alert in British Columbia’s Kootenay region after new wildfires near Cranbrook temporarily shut the city’s airport.The B.C. Wildfire Service says the St. Mary’s River wildfire is thought to have been sparked by downed power lines and has grown to three square kilometres. A statement from the St. Mary’s Indian Band Monday evening says fire crews worked to protect structures as helicopters and air tankers tackled the blaze from above in strong winds and tough flying conditions. The City of Cranbrook says the airport was reopened by 8 p.m. Monday but evacuation alerts remain in place. The B.C. Wildfire Service says it’s dealing with nearly 400 fires, including notable blazes near Burns Lake in the Bulkley-Nechako area.The service says the Tintagel wildfire, the Parrot Lookout wildfire and the Peacock Creek wildfire are all “wildfires of note,” and is reminding people not to interfere w...

Blockade dismantled at Winnipeg landfill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:00 GMT

WINNIPEG — A blockade is down at a Winnipeg landfill where demonstrators have been demanding the search of a different landfill for the remains of two Indigenous women.Workers with front-end loaders and other machinery, along with police, arrived at the landfill this morning to begin taking apart the blockade. A Manitoba judge granted a temporary injunction Friday to end the blockade at the Brady Road landfill after the City of Winnipeg argued in court it was causing environmental and safety risks.Dozens of protesters have blocked the landfill’s main road for nearly two weeks, after Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson said the province would not search the privately-owned Prairie Green Landfill, north of the city, for the remains of the two slain Indigenous women.The judge had said demonstrators could continue to protest at the Brady Road landfill, but they could not block the road. The Manitoba and federal governments have been sparring over the issue with Crown-Indigenous Rel...

Ottawa gives $212M funding boost for housing asylum seekers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:00 GMT

MONCTON, N.B. — The federal government is announcing $212 million more in funding for interim housing for people claiming asylum in Canada, including about $97 million for Toronto.The city has been seeing asylum seekers and refugee claimants sleeping on the sidewalks, unable to get a space in Toronto’s overwhelmed shelter system.A church in Toronto is now reportedly housing them temporarily.Officials have said that the number of asylum seekers in Toronto’s shelter system grew by 500 per cent in 20 months and the city has had to turn them away from at-capacity shelters toward federal programs.Mayor Olivia Chow has asked for Ottawa to cover the $157 million Toronto is spending for existing refugee shelter spaces, and support with additional housing, shelter space and personnel.Sean Fraser, the minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship announced the new funding today, saying it will ensure Toronto and other cities can keep a roof over the heads of people fleeing vio...

GTA Metro grocery workers could strike as soon as tonight: Unifor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:00 GMT

Metro grocery store workers in the Greater Toronto Area are gearing up to strike as early as tonight as bargaining continues between the retailer and some 3,700 employees.Employees at 27 Metro stores in the GTA could strike as early as 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday.Unifor, the national union representing the Metro workers, called a strike vote before bargaining began, garnering 100 per cent support for the job action if a deal cannot be reached.The union says progress has been made since negotiations began on June 26, but major wage, benefit and other monetary issues remain outstanding.RELATED: Metro grocery store workers in GTA unanimously vote to give strike mandate, union saysUnifor national president Lana Payne says the bargaining committee is prepared to negotiate day and night to get a fair deal for workers.She says Metro employees deserve an agreement that addresses affordability challenges and helps workers benefit from the company’s profits.Last week, a Metro spokesperson told City...

No injuries or hazardous spills in 10-car train derailment in northern Minnesota, officials say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:00 GMT

COOK, Minn. (AP) — No one was injured and no hazardous material spilled when 10 Canadian National Railway cars derailed in northern Minnesota, officials there said.The derailment happened just before 8:30 p.m. Monday in a rural, unpopulated area about 6 miles (10 kilometers) north of Cook, the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Sheriff’s deputies and firefighters who responded found five of the derailed cars had tipped over, while the others remained upright.Two of the cars contained liquefied propane and butane, but none appeared to have spilled, both the sheriff’s office and Canadian Railway said.The sheriff’s office originally reported that nine cars had derailed, but Canadian Railway spokesman Jonathan Abecassis said Tuesday that 10 cars had derailed. The cause of the derailment in being investigated, Abecassis said, and cleanup was continuing Tuesday. Abecassis said he could not give an estimate of when the rail line would reopen to traffic.“We woul...

A look at some Americans who crossed into North Korea over the past years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:00 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The U.S.-led United Nations Command is trying to secure the release of an unidentified American soldier who entered North Korea from the South Korean side of a border village. It’s not immediately clear what motivated the soldier to cross into North Korea during a time of high tensions as the pace of both the North’s weapons demonstrations and U.S.-South Korean joint military training have intensified in a cycle of tit-for-tat.There have been cases of Americans crossing into North Korea over the past years, including a small number of U.S. soldiers. Some of the Americans who crossed were driven by evangelical zeal or simply attracted by the mystery of a severely cloistered police state fueled by anti-U.S. hatred. Other Americans were detained after entering North Korea as tourists. In one tragic case, it ended in death.Here’s a look at Americans who entered North Korea in the past years:___CHARLES JENKINSBorn in Rich Square, N.C., Charles Jenkins was one of...

Rescued Australian man and dog who were adrift 3 months in Pacific set to arrive in Mexican port

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:00 GMT

MANZANILLO, Mexico (AP) — An Australian sailor who was rescued by a Mexican tuna boat after being adrift at sea with his dog for three months will step foot on dry land Tuesday for the first time since their ordeal began.Timothy Lyndsay Shaddock, 54, was aboard his crippled catamaran Aloha Toa in the Pacific Ocean about 1,200 miles (1,930 kilometers) from land when the crew of the fishing boat from the Grupomar fleet spotted them, the company said in a statement. Shaddock and his dog, Bella, were in a “precarious” state when found, lacking provisions and shelter, and the tuna boat’s crew gave them medical attention, food and hydration, the company said. Grupomar did not say what day Shaddock was rescued or when he had started his voyage. However, the Australian and his dog were expected to arrive late Tuesday morning on the Maria Delia Tuna in the Mexican port of Manzanillo, which is about 210 miles (337 kilometers) west of Mexico City.Antonio Suárez Gutiérrez, Grupomar’...

Americans bump up spending in June as inflation eases in a strong jobs market

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans increased their spending last month as inflation eased in many areas, and the job market remained remarkably strong. Retail sales rose 0.2% from May to June, following a revised 0.5% increase the previous month, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. The figure matched the pace of consumer inflation in June from the prior month, underscoring that shoppers are just about keeping up with pricing pressures. While the headline number of 0.2% was a bit weaker than expected, economists Tuesday focused on data that excludes volatile autos, gas, building materials and food services, which rose a solid 0.6% in June. That 0.6% figure is used to help calculate overall economic growth in the U.S., and it was a pretty strong showing in June. Shoppers increased spending at electronic stores and furniture and home furnishings stores after a recent pullback. Online sales also had a solid increase. But sales at grocery stores, gas stations and sporting goods stores fell....

Stock market today: Big financial companies lead Wall Street higher after mixed economic data

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks of several financial titans are leading Wall Street higher Tuesday following some mixed reports on the economy. The S&P 500 was 0.4% higher in midday trading, with the majority of the stocks in the index on the upswing. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 357 points, or 1%, at 34,942, as of 11:15 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.1% lower.Charles Schwab jumped 11.7% after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the spring than analysts expected. Several other big financial companies also reported better results than forecast, including Bank of America, Morgan Stanley and Bank of New York Mellon.On the losing end was Masimo, which makes medical equipment and also runs a consumer audio business home to the Bowers & Wilkins and Denon brands. It tumbled 21.7% after it said it expects to report weaker-than-expected revenue for the spring in part because of fewer patients at U.S. hospitals. It also said a decline in demand for audio pro...

Spain fines Apple and Amazon $218 million for elbowing out small retailers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:00 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Amazon and Apple were fined a total of 194 million euros ($218 million) Tuesday for colluding to box out competitors by favoring sales of Apple products directly from the online retail giant, Spain’s antitrust watchdog said.Amazon and Apple reached agreements in 2018 that limited the free competition of third-party sellers who hawk Apple goods through Amazon’s platform for smaller retailers, according to Spain’s National Markets and Competition Commission, which oversees Spanish markets for antitrust violations.“The investigated behaviors could be restricting competition in the sectors of the Internet sale of electronic products, and the provision of marketing services to third-party retailers through online platforms (Marketplace) in Spain,” the regulator said.The tech giants also limited the capacity for third parties to advertise Apple products on Amazon, according to Spanish regulators. In addition, the companies are accused of reaching a deal that limited Am...