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Democratic Wisconsin governor vetoes bill to ban gender-affirming care for kids

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:30 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Wednesday vetoed a bill that sought to outlaw gender-affirming care for minors.The veto was expected from Evers, who has vowed to strike down any proposals from the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature that he deems harmful to LGBTQ+ youth.The bill, which was passed by the Legislature in October, would have banned gender-affirming surgeries, which are rare, as well as all forms of gender-affirming care for minors in Wisconsin, including puberty blockers and hormone treatment using estrogen and testosterone.“This type of legislation, and the rhetoric beget by pursuing it, harms LGBTQ people and kids’ mental health, emboldens anti-LGBTQ hate and violence, and threatens the safety and dignity of LGBTQ Wisconsinites,” Evers wrote in his veto message. “I will veto any bill that makes Wisconsin a less safe, less inclusive, and less welcoming place for LGBTQ people and kids.”Public hearings on the proposal earlier this yea...

The US is poised to require foreign aircraft-repair shops to test workers for drugs and alcohol

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:30 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration proposed Wednesday to require drug and alcohol testing for employees of aircraft-repair shops in other countries.If the FAA proposal becomes final, foreign shops that perform certain safety-related work on planes would have to electronically transmit results of employee tests to the U.S. Department of Transportation.The FAA said its proposal would affect nearly 1,000 repair shops in 65 countries.Unions representing U.S. aircraft mechanics have long pushed for more scrutiny of foreign shops, calling it a safety issue, but the FAA resisted. Drug-testing rules that date to the 1980s do not cover situations in which mandatory testing would violate the laws or policies of another country.On Wednesday, however, the agency said that raising the standards on foreign shops would be an important safety measure because few countries require drug and alcohol testing of aircraft-maintenance workers.The FAA will publish its proposed rule in th...

Ford government’s decision to move science centre to Ontario Place ‘not fully informed’: auditor general

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:30 GMT

The Ford government’s controversial decision to relocate the Ontario Science Centre to Toronto’s waterfront was “not fully informed,” according to the province’s auditor general.In one of several reports on value-for-money audits released Wednesday, acting Auditor General Nick Stavropoulos says the province made the decision to move the attraction without proper input from key stakeholders and incomplete cost information.Questions have surrounded the government’s decision to move the attraction from its current location near Don Mills and Eglinton in North York to Ontario Place. The auditor general’s report also found that a proposal earlier this year to decision makers cited parking needs for the privately owned waterpark and spa that is planned for Ontario Place.The province has not disclosed details of the long-term lease with Therme for the highly criticized planned facility, but the auditor’s report says a “site-wide parking solut...

European Union calls for “the beginning of the end” of fossil fuels at COP28 climate talks

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:30 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — This year’s climate talks should “mark the beginning of the end” of fossil fuels the European Commissioner for Climate Action said on Wednesday as the United Nations summit wrapped up its first week.Wopke Hoekstra told a news conference on the last day of the technical phase of the talks taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates that the bloc is seeking a “higher bar” in negotiations.Scientists, activists and U.N. officials repeatedly detailed how the world needs to phase-out the use of coal, oil and natural gas — which are responsible for most of the planet’s human-caused warming — but any agreement coming out of COP has to be near unanimous.“We have over 190 parties here at COP28 and we need all of these parties, all of these parties to agree to phase-out fossil fuels,” warned Hoekstra.Small island nations and other developing countries have also signaled support for a phase-out of fossil fuels.What to do about slashing fossil fuel ...

‘Blackberry,’ ‘Seven Veils’ among TIFF’s picks for top Canadian films of 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:30 GMT

TORONTO — A chaotic comedy about a generation-defining smartphone and a drama about a tortured opera director are among the Toronto International Film Festival’s picks for best Canadian films of the year.TIFF’s annual Canada’s Top Ten list includes Matt Johnson’s “BlackBerry,” the Toronto director’s rollicking account of the meteoric rise and disastrous demise of the once-ubiquitous gadget. Also making the cut is Toronto auteur Atom Egoyan’s opera drama “Seven Veils,” about a young director who stages a production of “Salome” while confronting her personal demons. Seven films are debut features, including Edmonton-born Cree director Cody Lightning’s mockumentary comedy “Hey, Viktor!” and Nova Scotia-bred Fawzia Mirza’s queer coming-of-age film “The Queen of My Dreams.”Another first-time filmmaker on the list is Quebec’s Ariane Louis-Seize, whose francophone comedy-drama ...

Guyana’s president says it is preparing to defend itself from Venezuela over disputed area

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:30 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali told The Associated Press on Wednesday that his country is taking every necessary step to protect itself from Venezuela, which has ordered its state-owned companies to explore and exploit oil and minerals in Guyana’s vast Essequibo region that it considers its own.When asked if he has requested military assistance, Ali said his government is reaching out to allies and regional partners, some of which Guyana has defense agreements with, to protect the Essequibo region, which makes up two-thirds of the country.“We take this threat very seriously, and we have initiated a number of precautionary measures to ensure the peace and stability of this region,” Ali said in a brief phone interview.He noted that Guyana’s Defense Force also is speaking with counterparts in other countries but didn’t say which ones.“Should Venezuela proceed to act in this reckless and adventurous manner, the region will have to respond,” ...

2 Chicago officers among 3 seriously injured in West Side fire; man's body found

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:30 GMT

CHICAGO — A house fire has left two Chicago police officers and one other person seriously injured on the city's West Side. The body of a man who was unaccounted for in the fire has been located in the fire debris, according to officials.The blaze started around 1:15 a.m. Wednesday on the 1200 block of South Kedvale in North Lawndale. Officials said police were in the area and responded to the scene before the fire department arrived.According to authorities, two responding officers were on the porch of the home when it collapsed. They were transported to an area hospital in serious-but-stable condition.A 75-year-old woman, identified as Dessi Street, was critically injured and transported to Mount Sinai Hospital. The woman's son was unaccounted for, but his remains were located around 10 a.m. Wednesday. The man has been identified as 37-year-old Carl Street.The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

Dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza grow worse as Israel widens its offensive

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:30 GMT

Israel’s widening air and ground offensive in southern Gaza has displaced tens of thousands more Palestinians and worsened the territory's dire humanitarian conditions, with the fighting preventing distribution of food, water and medicine outside a sliver of southern Gaza and new military evacuation orders squeezing people into ever-smaller areas of the south.The United Nations said 1.87 million people — more than 80% of Gaza’s population — have been driven from their homes since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, triggered by the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas assault on southern Israel. The U.N. also says that all telecom services have been shut down due to cuts in the main fiber routes.On Tuesday, Israel's military entered Khan Younis, Gaza's second-largest city, in its pursuit to wipe out the territory's Hamas rulers. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the military must retain open-ended security control over the Gaza Strip long...

Bedbug hoax targeting foreign visitors to Greece, officials say

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:30 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece's health ministry is seeking police help against hoaxers who tried to scare foreign tourists out of some Athens short-term rental apartments by inventing a bedbug crisis.A ministry statement Tuesday said the posters stuck up outside apartment buildings in the city center, festooned with fake ministry and Athens municipality logos, were “absolutely false.”The posters, addressed to “dear visitors” in misspelled English, claimed health authorities had ordered local “private guesthouses” evacuated “to protect the public health of permanent Greek tenants.” Are vacation rentals allowed to have hidden cameras? Citing a nonexistent bedbug infestation, they threatened visitors with a 500-euro fine ($540) for failure to leave their accommodations, and politely wished them a pleasant stay in Greece.A bedbug is displayed at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, March 30, 2011. Greece’s health ministry is seeking police help against hoaxers who tried to scare forei...

Norman Lear, iconic producer of 'All in the Family,' dies at 101

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:30 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Norman Lear, the writer, director and producer who revolutionized prime-time television with such topical hits as "All in the Family" and “Maude” and propelled political and social turmoil into the once-insulated world of sitcoms, has died. He was 101.Lear died Tuesday night in his sleep, surrounded by family at his home in Los Angeles, said Lara Bergthold, a spokesperson for his family.A liberal activist with an eye for mainstream entertainment, Lear fashioned bold and controversial comedies that were embraced by TV sitcom viewers who long had to watch the evening news to find out what was going on in the world. His shows helped define prime-time comedy in the 1970s and after, launched the careers of such young performers as Rob Reiner and Valerie Bertinelli and made Carroll O'Connor, Bea Arthur and Redd Foxx among others into middle-aged superstars.His signature production was “All in the Family,” which was immersed in the headlines of the day, while also drawin...