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Dissent over US policy in the Israel-Hamas war stirs unusual public protests from federal employees

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:27 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal government workers from the State Department to NASA are circulating open letters demanding that President Joe Biden pursue a cease-fire in Israel’s war against Hamas. Congressional staffers are picking up microphones in front of the Capitol, speaking out to condemn what they say is the silence of lawmakers about the toll on Palestinian civilians. As the deaths soar in Gaza, Biden and Congress are facing unusually public challenges from the inside over their support for Israel’s offensive. Hundreds of staffers in the administration and on Capitol Hill are signing on to open letters, speaking to reporters and holding vigils, all in an effort to shift U.S. policy toward more urgent action to stem Palestinian casualties.“Most of our bosses on Capitol Hill are not listening to the people they represent,” one of the congressional staffers told the crowd at a protest this month. Wearing medical masks that obscured their faces, the roughly 100 congressional aides ...

Tentative deal reached, strike averted at 17 No Frills stores in Ontario

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:27 GMT

A tentative agreement has been reached with almost 1,300 workers at 17 No Frills grocery stores in Ontario.Details of the agreement have not been released. A ratification vote is expected to take place in the coming days.“Our bargaining committee at No Frills was determined to build on what grocery store workers had achieved this past summer with Metro,” said Lana Payne, National President of Unifor. “This tentative agreement delivers pattern wages and many other improvements for our members.”No Frills is the discount grocery banner owned by Loblaw Cos. Ltd., the largest grocery company in Canada. The 17 stores include five in Toronto, as well as locations in Whitby, Etobicoke, Niagara Falls and elsewhere. This round of bargaining is the first with a major grocery chain for Unifor since it reached a deal with Metro this summer that brought more than 3,700 workers in the Toronto area significant wage gains. Unifor had said the Metro deal would help i...

Final Ontario Liberal leadership debate set for today

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:27 GMT

The Ontario Liberal Party’s final leadership debate is set for this afternoon.Four candidates remain vying for the job, with two candidates recently forming an alliance in an effort to take down perceived front-runner Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie.Federal Liberal legislators Yasir Naqvi and Nate Erskine-Smith have asked their supporters to rank each other ahead of Crombie.Former MP and current provincial Liberal caucus member Ted Hsu is also running, while fellow caucus member Adil Shamji dropped out of the race to support Crombie.Party members are set to vote Nov. 25 and Nov. 26, with the ballots counted and the round-by-round results announced on Dec. 2 in downtown Toronto.The affordability crisis, increasing housing supply and taking down Premier Doug Ford have dominated the Liberal leadership race. 

Massive potash mine being built in Saskatchewan breaks new ground for women

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:27 GMT

In July of this year, mining giant BHP announced a company first.More than 14,000 kilometres away from its Melbourne, Australia headquarters, BHP said it had achieved its “gender balance” target for its local workforce in Saskatchewan.With women making up more than 43 per cent of the company’s workforce at its Jansen potash mine project as well as its Saskatoon corporate office, the province became the first BHP location in the world to reach a goal set back in 2016.That was when the Australian multinational announced its aim to achieve gender balance — defined by the company as a minimum of 40 per cent women and 40 per cent men — across its global workforce by the end of 2025.BHP had good reason to hail its Saskatchewan achievement, which was no small feat in an industry where the typical worker has long been a burly hard-hatted man. As recently as 2019 in Canada, federal government statistics showed just 14 per cent of this country’s mining sector workforce...

Bangladesh’s top court upholds decision barring largest Islamist party from elections

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:27 GMT

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh’s highest court on Sunday dismissed an appeal by the country’s largest Islamist party seeking to overturn a 2013 ruling that barred it from participating in elections for violating the constitutional provision of secularismBangladesh is set to hold its next national elections on Jan. 7. A five-member bench of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan handed out the ruling. Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s main lawyer did not appear before the court due to “personal problems” and his petition, filed previously, seeking to postpone the hearing for six weeks was also rejected.The High Court’s decision 10 years ago canceled the party’s registration with the Election Commission, thus stopping it from participating in elections or using party symbols. But it did not ban it from political particpation. The ruling, at the time, came amid calls to ban the party for opposing the country’s 1971 independe...

16-year-old boy fatally shot during altercation in Austin home: CPD

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:27 GMT

CHICAGO -- A 16-year-old boy is dead after he was shot by a known man inside an Austin home Saturday night, police said. According to police, the teen was in a physical altercation inside the home in the 100 block of North Parkside Avenue around 8:34 p.m. with a known 33-year-old man who then fired shots. 4 Edgewater businesses targeted in smash & grab The boy sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and was pronounced dead on the scene.A witness told police that the man fled the residence with a handgun. There is currently no one in custody and police are investigating the incident.

3 people, including police officer, injured after car crash on South Side

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:27 GMT

CHICAGO -- Three people including a Chicago officer are injured after a crash in the Back of the Yards neighborhood overnight, police said. According to Chicago police, the incident occurred near the corner of 47th Street and Damen Avenue around 3:30 a.m. An off-duty officer was driving when another car entered on-coming traffic and crashed into the police car. Chicago man accused of promoting prostitution arrested after allegedly failing to appear for court date The officer was transported to the hospital with a broken hip.The 33-year-old woman driving the other vehicle was transported to Stroger Hospital with a broken wrist. A 12-year-old boy who was a passenger in her vehicle was also transported to the hospital for observation. The woman was later taken into custody. Charges are pending and police are investigating the incident.

A little rain today and Monday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:27 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Low rain chances continue for our area today through tomorrow. The 20% chance of rain today, overnight and Monday will yield totals up to no more than .01" to .10".Looking at a few showers Monday before a cold front arrives NWS Austin to start issuing ‘Ice Storm Warnings’ Temperatures this afternoon will warm to the upper 60s to low 70s with a south wind 10 to 15 mph. A drier and warmer southwest to west wind Monday will send many highs to the upper 70s to lower/middle 80s.Today's normal high is 70°The next cold front arrives during the day Monday delivering a strong northwest to north wind. Most highs Tuesday and Wednesday will peak only in the upper 50s to low 60s. Northwest to north winds Monday night and Tuesday are expected with gusts as high as 25 to 30+ mph.Thanksgiving Day will start with the coldest morning of the week as most lows fall to the middle to upper 30s. There may well be a freeze in some of the Hill Country. Most highs under the mostly sunny sk...

How does Texas' Thanksgiving food compare to other parts of the US?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:27 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and millions of Texans will gather with family, friends and loved ones next Thursday to break bread and celebrate the blessings in their lives. But how does that dinner table spread compare to other parts of the country?While turkey is the centerpiece to many Americans' Thanksgiving meal, fried or smoked turkey are particularly popular in the Lone Star State, as documented by media platform Wide Open Country. Honey baked ham is also a common alternative for those who aren't much of a turkey eater.There are also Mexican dishes that have become cornerstones of the Texas Thanksgiving celebration, such as tamales or charro beans. Casseroles like sweet potato or green bean varieties are also particularly prevalent in Texas cooking, and pair well with biscuits and cornbread dressing.But no meal is complete without dessert, and pecan pie is a Texas staple that tends to make its way onto the menu alongside pumpkin and apple pies. Swee...

Letters: Summit’s an ‘avenue.’ A spur might make a better ‘trail’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:27 GMT

Want a trail? Grab the spurI read that the Met Council has agreed that Summit Avenue is considered to be consistent with its policies as a regional trail system. What? A trail? I don’t know about you, but my interpretation of a trail is an unpaved path winding through the woods, with a compass or GPS device in hand.Last time I looked, Summit Avenue is an avenue, and my interpretation of an avenue is a road cleared and paved for motorized travel.If the Met Council wants to get in some good work, how about settle the purchase of the railway leaving the old Ford plant, now the site of the Highland Bridge project?The railway is owned by the Canadian Pacific railway and they have not surrendered their hold on the spur. Long abandoned and a bit long in the weeds, it looks like a dandy spot to run a bikeway for the two-wheelers. The Met Council must abandon setting their sights on the Summit and spur on the sale of the spur.Mark Kirchner, St. Paul Our discipline problemWe have a disci...