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Senators fear delay, prejudice in carveouts to allow Afghan aid, as House passes bill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

OTTAWA — Senators are concerned that a long-delayed Liberal bill aimed at unblocking Canadian aid in Afghanistan will bog down development groups in red tape and block access based on prejudicial bureaucracy. Terrorism laws currently bar Canadian aid workers from paying taxes for any labour or goods in Afghanistan, as doing so could lead to prosecution for supporting the governing Taliban, which Ottawa designates as a terrorist group.Bill C-41 would allow development workers, such as those building schools, to apply for exemptions to do their work, and would enact a blanket exemption for humanitarian workers providing life-saving aid.The bill passed the House this afternoon with support from all parties except the NDP, who say it violates aid workers’ independence if they have to seek government permission to do their work abroad.Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino is testifying at the Senate human-rights committee on the bill, and would not provide a rough timeline on how ...

Stamp honours First Nations leader George Manuel, whose work spanned globe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

VANCOUVER — Canada Post has unveiled a stamp depicting First Nations political leader George Manuel, part of a series of three stamps being released to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day this month.Manuel, who died in 1989, was a champion of Indigenous Peoples in Canada and beyond, known for his work as co-founder of the Center for World Indigenous Studies and founding president of the World Council of Indigenous Peoples.Canada Post says Manuel is being recognized for his efforts to improve the social, economic and political conditions of First Nations people, and contributing to the inclusion of Indigenous and treaty rights in the Constitution.It says Manuel was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.The stamp depicting Manuel, a member of the Shuswap Nation in British Columbia, was unveiled Monday in North Vancouver, at a ceremony attended by his children George Manuel Jr., and Doreen Manuel.A stamp honouring Nellie C...

Clinic, physicians challenge revised North Dakota abortion laws in ongoing lawsuit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A former North Dakota abortion provider challenged one of the nation’s strictest abortion laws Monday, arguing the law “fragrantly violates” a court ruling supporting the right of patients in the state to obtain the procedure to preserve their life or health. The lawsuit initially filed last year by what was the conservative state’s sole abortion provider seeks to block a law recently approved by the Republican-led Legislature and signed by Gov. Doug Burgum. The law outlaws all abortions except in cases where women could face death or a “serious health risk” or pregnancies caused by rape and incest, but only in the first six weeks, when many women often don’t know they are pregnant.It seems unlikely that a patient who is pregnant due to rape or incest could get an abortion “within such a narrow time frame” as six weeks, Center for Reproductive Rights attorney Meetra Mehdizadeh told The Associated Press.Conservative states have been working to restrict abortion ...

FTC sues to block Microsoft’s takeover of video game maker Activision Blizzard

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

The Federal Trade Commission has sued to block Microsoft from completing its deal to buy video game company Activision Blizzard, the latest antitrust challenge to the proposed merger but one that could hasten a conclusion to the drawn-out dispute.The FTC’s Monday filing in a San Francisco federal court seeks a temporary restraining order and injunction to stop Microsoft’s $69 billion purchase of the California company behind hit games such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush.Microsoft, maker of the Xbox game system, has been struggling to win worldwide approval for the deal with just over a month before the deadline to close it, according to the contract it signed with Activision. While a number of countries have approved the acquisition, regulators for two important economies — the U.S. and the United Kingdom — have argued it could suppress competition in the video game market.“We welcome the opportunity to present our case in federal court,” said a...

PacifiCorp could be on the hook for billions after jury verdict in devastating Oregon wildfires

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A jury in Oregon on Monday found the electric utility PacifiCorp responsible for causing devastating fires during Labor Day weekend in 2020, ordering the company to pay tens of millions of dollars to 17 homeowners who sued and finding it liable for broader damages that could push the total award into the billions.The Portland utility is one of several owned by billionaire Warren Buffett’s Omaha, Nebraska-based investment conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway. The property owners, suing on behalf of a class of thousands of others, alleged that PacifiCorp negligently failed to shut off power to its 600,000 customers during a windstorm, despite warnings from then-Gov. Kate Brown’s chief-of-staff and top fire officials, and that its power lines were responsible for multiple blazes. There has been no official cause determined for the Labor Day fires, which killed nine people, burned more than 1,875 square miles (4,856 square kilometers) in Oregon, and destroyed upward of ...

Mom accused of killing husband, writing book about grief denied bail

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah (KTVX) -- After a four-hour hearing, a Utah judge has denied bail for Kouri Richins, the woman accused of killing her husband and then writing a children's book about grieving. During Monday's hearing, a judge heard from both parties and three witnesses before making a decision to continue holding Richins without bail during her pretrial period. Richins dropped her head and cried as a detective testified about authorities finding her husband dead and “cold to the touch,” and prosecutors argued the evidence against her was strong enough to deny her bail. Original Story: Utah author of book on grieving death charged with murder The detention hearing built off court documents in which prosecutors allege Richins slipped five times the lethal dose of fentanyl into a Moscow mule cocktail she made for her husband, Eric Richins, amid marital disputes and fights over a multimillion-dollar mansion she ultimately purchased as an investment.Prosecutors called multiple wit...

Cause of death for Olympic medal-winning sprinter Tori Bowie revealed: reports

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - Tori Bowie, a U.S. Olympic sprinter, died of complications from childbirth, Florida officials have confirmed.Bowie, who won three medals during the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, died in May. She was 32. Citing a coroner's report, TMZ says the runner was found dead in her Florida home on May 2. Her family had reportedly been concerned after not speaking with Bowie for several days. Bowie's management company and USA Track and Field confirmed her death the next day. According to the autopsy results from the Orange County Medical Examiner's Office, Bowie died of complications from childbirth, USA Today and TMZ report. The Olympian was estimated to be eight months pregnant and had been experiencing labor when she died. Bowie may have suffered respiratory distress or eclampsia, seizures that can occur after a sudden spike in high blood pressure during pregnancy, officials reported wrote. Her death was ruled as natural.The Orange County Medical Examiner's Office didn't immediatel...

Two years since Sixth Street mass shooting: What's happened since?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Monday marks two years since the June 2021 shooting on Sixth Street where one person died and 14 others were injured. Since then, the city launched Safer Sixth Street initiatives to improve safety in the entertainment district. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: One year since 6th Street mass shooting Here's a look at what has happened over the last year in the Sixth Street shooting's aftermath:Court proceedingsPolice arrested shooting suspect De'ondre White, 21, in Killeen June 24, 2021 in connection to the deadly shooting. In August 2021, a grand jury indicted White for one murder charge and 14 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Two teens were previously arrested in connection to the shooting, but their charges were dropped following new witness statements. Police said they believed White was the sole shooter in the mass shooting. White's next court appearance is scheduled for June 20. Jury selection for a trial is scheduled to begin in late August. White is book...

Gov. Abbott signs new law about 'sexually explicit' school books

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas governor signed his name to four bills Monday afternoon that he said fulfilled his promise to empower parents more in their children's education. One of these new laws will require vendors to rate books they sell to school libraries based on their depictions or references to sex, and that could result in the removal of some titles. Gov. Greg Abbott said House Bill 900, which he signed alongside one of the authors, will set new standards for Texas school libraries to keep what he called sexually explicit content off shelves. TxTag, lawmakers resolve some tolling problems. What comes next? "Every minute of time spent on vulgar materials is time away from the task of kids learning what they need to learn to advance in our state and our country," Abbott said. The law broadly defines "sexually explicit" as material that "describes, depicts, or portrays sexual conduct in a way that is patently offensive." Ash Hall, who serves as the policy and advocacy strateg...

Austin Creative Reuse receives $66K to support mobile school supply shops

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Nonprofit Austin Creative Reuse was named a recipient last week of an education grant from Impact Austin, an Austin-based women's collective giving organization that gives back to Central Texas nonprofits. The nearly $66,000 awarded grant will help fund ACR's Materials Mobile. The mobile pop-up initiative will travel to school campuses and allow educators to shop new and gently-used classroom supplies. RELATED: Local non-profit looking for storefront before new school year The mobile project is designed to support teachers and educational staff with access to gently used supplies while also preventing them from ending up in landfills, per a release.Currently, Materials Mobile is expected to visit school campuses in August, prior to the start of the 2023-24 school year.This latest news comes as ACR celebrated its two millionth pound of donated materials collected. The nonprofit has been accepting donations since its first materials collection drive in 2011, per th...