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Crunch time for EU conservatives’ push to kill nature law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:13 GMT

Europe’s conservatives are at it again. After attempting to kill off a major pillar of the EU’s Green Deal earlier this year, the center-right European People’s Party has come back to the negotiation table and is trying to weaken key targets in ongoing closed-door negotiations, according to the bill’s defenders. That’s leading to frustration across political groups in the European Parliament and in EU countries, as they try to hash out a final deal on the contentious EU proposal to boost nature restoration across the bloc. The third, and likely last, round of talks takes place on Thursday and is expected to last well into the night.The conservative group — which carries significant heft, as it’s the largest in the Parliament — has long fought against the new legislation aimed at restoring the bloc’s degraded land, arguing that it will take agricultural land away from farmers and undermine the bloc’s food security. The opposition is part of a broader cons...

Yeah, we did it: Ukraine admits car-bomb killing of pro-Russia politician

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:13 GMT

Mikhail Filiponenko, a pro-Russian lawmaker and ex-militiaman in occupied eastern Ukraine, walked over to a car outside his house on Wednesday morning … and was promptly blown to smithereens, Russian media reported. Ukraine’s Military Intelligence immediately claimed responsibility for the assassination. “Yeah, it was our operation,” Andriy Cherniak, representative of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Directorate, also known as GUR, told POLITICO in a phone conversation about the car bomb attack.Military intelligence worked together with local Ukrainian partisans to prepare to assassinate Filiponenko, GUR said in a statement.Filiponenko was born in Luhansk and studied in Kyiv. However, in 2014 he joined Russian-backed mercenaries who seized power and helped President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin to establish its rule over the occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine. “He was involved in the organization of torture camps in ...

Lung cancer death rates decreasing but still biggest cancer killer, report says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:13 GMT

A new report says lung cancer death rates in Canada have declined significantly over the past several years.It says deaths from lung cancer have decreased by about four per cent per year since 2015.Canadian Cancer Society epidemiologist Jennifer Gillis says those rates show progress in getting people to stop smoking, as tobacco is a factor in about 70 per cent of lung cancer cases.But Gillis says that another critical intervention is early detection and treatment. Related: Ontario to consider new job-protected leave for workers facing critical illnesses like cancer Wickenheiser raising awareness for lung cancer with new campaign Despite the progress, lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer deaths in Canada.The annual report is issued by the Canadian Cancer Statistics Advisory Committee, along with the Canadian Cancer Society, Statistics Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Royal pomp and ceremony planned for South Korean president’s state visit to the UK

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:13 GMT

LONDON (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will be greeted with royal pomp and ceremony before commemorating the sacrifice of British soldiers during the Korean War when he travels to the U.K. for a state visit later this month.King Charles III and Queen Camilla will formally welcome the president and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, on Nov. 21 during a ceremony at Horse Guards Parade in London, where the South Korean leader will inspect a guard of honor, Buckingham Palace said on Wednesday.The president and first lady will later take part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Korean War Memorial to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the war. They will then visit Westminster Abbey, where the president will lay a wreath at the grave of the Unknown Warrior.The president will address members of both houses of Parliament before attending a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.Yoon will also attend a business forum on Nov. 22, and then hold talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at No. 10 ...

Edmunds: The midsize trucks you need to know about for 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:13 GMT

Midsize trucks are a viable option for truck shoppers looking for something that’s smaller and less expensive than a full-size truck. But a lot is happening right now that potential truck buyers will want to know about. Popular models such as Chevrolet Colorado and Toyota Tacoma are fully redesigned, while others such as the Jeep Gladiator receive significant new features and capabilities. Edmunds experts report on which trucks are the most intriguing for 2024. TOYOTA TACOMA The best-selling Tacoma receives a complete overhaul for the 2024 model year. It flaunts a more muscular design and an improved interior fitted with a big optional center touchscreen. Under the hood is a new turbocharged four-cylinder engine that replaces both the previous Tacoma’s underpowered base engine and its optional V6. The new engine comes in three different power outputs headlined by a new hybrid powertrain called i-Force Max. It produces an impressive 326 horsepower and 465...

Anuja Varghese wins Governor General’s literary award for fiction

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:13 GMT

TORONTO — Anuja Varghese has won the Governor General’s Literary Award for fiction for her debut short story collection.She took home the $25,000 prize for “Chrysalis,” a collection that blends elements of Hindu folklore with modern diasporic life. The book, published by House of Anansi Press, is also nominated for the Writers’ Trust’s Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers.The Governor General’s Awards, founded in 1936, are among the country’s oldest literary honours. English and French awards are handed out in seven categories with the winners receiving $25,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, which administers the prizes.This year’s non-fiction prize went to Kyo Maclear for “Unearthing: A Story of Tangled Love and Family Secrets,” a memoir published by Knopf Canada about the author’s discovery that the dad who raised her was not her biological father. Hannah Green won the poetry award for her debut collection, ...

Georgia’s state taxes at fuel pumps suspended until Nov. 29, when lawmakers start special session

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:13 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — People in Georgia will keep paying no state taxes on gasoline and diesel, at least until state lawmakers start a special legislative session.Republican Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday extended the fuel tax rollback of 31.2 cents per gallon of gasoline and 35 cents per gallon of diesel until Nov. 29. Georgia’s governor can suspend the collection of taxes during an emergency as long as state lawmakers approve it the next time they meet. That next session had been scheduled for Jan. 8, but will now be Nov. 29. That’s when Kemp called a special session to redraw Georgia’s congressional and state legislative districts after a federal judge ruled some districts illegally diluted voting power of Black people.It’s unclear if Kemp will ask lawmakers to extend the tax break by law during their special session. He could also declare another state of emergency after lawmakers leave and resume waiving taxes until January. Spokesperson Garrison Douglas said he had no...

How LGBTQ+ prospective parents can navigate the adoption process

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:13 GMT

Adoption is one way LGBTQ+ people can fulfill their dreams of becoming a parent. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, same-sex couples were four times more likely than opposite-sex couples to adopt a child in 2019.While LGBTQ+ prospective parents can expect a similar adoption process as opposite-sex couples, there are unique considerations involving whom to work with and how to pay for adoption.Knowing whom to turn to during what can be an emotional and expensive process can help LGBTQ+ adoptive parents along the way.CONSIDER THE TYPE OF ADOPTIONOne of the first decisions all prospective parents must make is what type of adoption works best for their family. Options include adoption through foster care — nearly 400,000 children in the U.S. currently await homes — or through an adoption agency. Another option is an independent adoption, which involves working directly with birth parents.Intercountry adoption, or adopting a child from another country, presents obstacles for prospectiv...

MDA reports $9.3M Q3 profit, revenue up nearly 20% from year ago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:13 GMT

BRAMPTON, Ont. — MDA Ltd. reported net income of $9.3 million in its latest quarter, down from $17.9 million a year earlier, as its revenue rose nearly 20 per cent.The space technology firm says the profit amounted to eight cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, down from 15 cents per diluted share a year earlier.Revenue for the company’s third quarter totalled $204.7 million, up from $172.0 million in the same quarter last year, helped by strength in its satellite systems and robotics and space operations businesses.In its outlook, MDA says it now expects revenue for 2023 to come in between $790 million and $810 million, compared with its earlier guidance for between $785 million and $810 million.It also raised its 2023 guidance for adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization to between $165 million and $170 million, compared with $155 million to $165 million. MDA said it expects its 2023 capital expenditures to range between $200 ...

Wintry weather on the way with parts of GTA under freezing rain warning

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:13 GMT

The GTA could get its first taste of wintry weather this fall with parts of the region expected to see freezing rain during the Wednesday afternoon commute.A freezing rain warning has been issued to areas north and west of the City of Toronto, including Halton Hills, Milton, Newmarket, Uxbridge Georgina, and northern York Region.“Freezing rain is expected to begin this afternoon before slowly changing to rain this evening,” warns Environment Canada. “The most significant freezing rain is expected over areas of higher terrain.”The weather agency says ice accretion of up to two millimetres is possible, warning some roads and walkways may become slippery. Freezing rain warnings are issued when rain is expected in below zero temperatures. Which areas see freezing rain will be dependent on the temperature when the rain starts to fall.Special Wx Statement UPGRADED to Freezing Rain Warning for Newmarket, Georgina, Uxbridge,Halton Hills, Milton. Gets going around 1pm...