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A wildfire raging for a week in eastern Australia claims a life and razes more than 50 homes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:32:59 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A wildfire is suspected to have killed a man, destroyed more than 50 homes and razed 20,000 hectares (49,000 acres) of farm and scrubland in eastern Australia, authorities said on Tuesday.Firefighters have been battling the blaze that has scorched the Queensland state town of Tara for more than a week.No new property losses were reported on Tuesday as crews sweltered in 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit) weather to reinforce containment lines established on Monday, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Acting Superintendent Cameron Herbert said.“It’s not a fire that you can put out. We can’t actually extinguish it, but we just need to control it,” Herbert told reporters.Firefighting reinforcements from Victoria state and New Zealand were heading to the fire front this week to relieve weary locals.“The fatigue is definitely setting in,” Herbert said.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese flew to Queensland on Tuesday to pledge his support for wildfire vic...

Chinese factory activity contracts in October as pandemic recovery falters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:32:59 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — An official survey of manufacturers shows China’s factory activity contracted in October, suggesting the economy remains on uneven footing. The purchasing managers’ index, or PMI, fell to 49.5 in October on a 100-point scale, down from 50.2 last month, according to the National Bureau of Statistics and the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing. A figure below 50 indicates a contraction in manufacturing activity while a number above 50 reflects an expansion. The non-manufacturing PMI for October fell 1.1 percentage points to 50.6, a sign of slowing activity in China’s service and construction industries. Factory output and supplier delivery times improved while measures of new orders, raw materials and employment contracted.China’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic has faltered after an initial burst of growth earlier in the year faded more quickly than expected.In recent months, the government has raised spending on building ports and other infrastr...

Montenegro gets new government, promises to unblock EU integration as EU Commissioner visits

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:32:59 GMT

PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — Montenegro’s new government was confirmed on Tuesday, with the prime minister promising to unblock the Balkan nation’s stalled European Union integration process as a top EU official was set to hold talks in the small NATO member country.Parliament approved the new Cabinet with 46 votes in favor and 19 against after a session that lasted all night. Montenegro’s assembly has 81 members but not all were present at the vote. The government was formed after months of political bickering that followed an election in June. The centrist Europe Now party of Prime Minister Milojko Spajic won the election, but without enough support to form a government on its own.To form the government, the winning coalition received backing from staunchly anti-Western groups under the condition that one of their leaders, Andrija Mandic, was elected as the speaker of parliament — an influential political position.Spajic said his government will be pro-European d...

In the news today: Israeli ground forces in Gaza as Canada debates humanitarian pause

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:32:59 GMT

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…Palestinian, Israeli advocates in Ottawa reject temporary pauses in Gaza fightA temporary respite from Israel-Hamas hostilities should not be Canada’s focus, Israeli and Palestinian advocates argued separately on Parliament Hill Monday, even as the Canadian government continued to push for “humanitarian pauses.”Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said in a Monday speech to the Economic Club of Canada in Toronto that a humanitarian agreement is urgently needed to help people in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, which is home to more than two million Palestinians.Israel declared war against Hamas after the Oct. 7 attacks, in which more than 1,400 Israelis were killed and 222 taken hostage, according to the Israeli government.Israeli ground forces are currently attacking Hamas militants and infrastructure in northern Gaza as warplanes strike acr...

Officer who interacted with Chris Barber back on stand in organizers trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:32:59 GMT

OTTAWA — The trial of two “Freedom Convoy” organizers is set to resume today with the continued testimony of an officer who served as a liaison between the Ottawa Police Service and demonstrators. Sgt. Jordan Blonde, a police officer who described himself as a “secondary” contact for Barber, will be back on the stand today. On Friday, Blonde described “hostile” scenes leading up to a police operation to forcibly remove demonstrators out of Ottawa’s downtown in the early 2022 protests against COVID-19 public-health measures. Crown prosecutors are expected to continue questioning Blonde today, but defence lawyers say they won’t be able to cross-examine him until the judge makes a ruling on the admissibility of internal police documents that police claim are protected by solicitor-client privilege. Tamara Lich and Chris Barber are facing multiple charges including mischief, counselling others to commit mischief and intimidation. The Crown...

Shawn Levy on adapting celebrated novel ‘All the Light We Cannot See’ for the screen

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:32:59 GMT

TORONTO — Adapting a beloved, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel into a Netflix series sounds like a daunting task, but Canadian director-producer Shawn Levy says bringing “All the Light We Cannot See” to the screen didn’t feel that way for a simple reason — he is a “rabid fan” of the book.“All along, I’ve approached this material with reverence. Not so much reverence that I’m unwilling to change things to make it breathe in this new format on screen,” he said in a September interview after two episodes of the limited series premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.Anthony Doerr’s novel — set during the Second World War — tells the parallel stories of blind French girl Marie-Laure, who joins the resistance to Nazi occupation, and radio tech-savvy German teenager Werner, recruited by the Nazis to track down illegal broadcasts. The book has been a hit with readers and critics since it was first published in 2014, selling more than 15 million copies worldwide an...

StatCan to release gross domestic product figure for August, estimate for Q3 today

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:32:59 GMT

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada is set to release its August gross domestic product report this morning. The federal agency’s release will include a preliminary estimate for economic growth in September as well as the third quarter. RBC says it expects the economy shrank in the third quarter, which would mark a second consecutive quarterly contraction.Higher interest rates are weighing on economic growth as people and businesses pull back on spending.The Bank of Canada’s most recent projections suggest the economy will remain weak for the rest of the year and into 2024. The central bank is hoping this weakness will translate into lower inflation as price growth remains above its two per cent target. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2023.The Canadian Press

WHO to allocate $1.8 million for Kazakhstan’s health care

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:32:59 GMT

The World Health Organization (WHO) will allocate $1.8 million for Kazakhstan’s healthcare development, as per a two-year cooperation agreement signed between the Kazakh Health Ministry and the WHO European Office at the 73rd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe on Oct. 25 in Astana. According to Kazakh Health Minister Azhar Giniyat, the funds will be directed to provide expert, methodological and technical support to enhance the capacity of medical professionals, protect the health of mothers, newborns, children, and adolescents, combat cancer and non-communicable diseases, HIV, AIDS, and tuberculosis. The funding will also be used to train medical personnel and conduct public information campaigns, among other healthcare areas. Giniyat noted the importance of the recent Global Conference on Primary Health Care, which raised the need for increased investments in expanding essential primary healthcare services to ensure equitable access to medical care for citizens. WHO ...

Harriette Cole: All the doors were locked, but there she was in my kitchen

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:32:59 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I’ve been married for three years to a wonderful person I adore. However, we’ve been having a recurring issue that’s causing tension in our relationship. It’s my in-laws.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: I’m jealous of my friend’s magic pixie dust Advice | Harriette Cole: Is he just using this as an excuse not to marry me? Advice | Harriette Cole: How can I change my dad’s mind about San Francisco? Advice | Harriette Cole: My co-worker’s habit annoys everyone, including our clients Advice | Harriette Cole: Should I tell this man why I won’t get serious about him? They are nice people, but they often overstep boundaries and make me feel uncomfortable.Last week, my mother-in-law walked into our house. I was taken aback because all the doors were locked; however, there she was in our kitchen with some cookies she had baked. I appre...

Miss Manners: You better believe the guests notice when the bride has a different meal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:32:59 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I work in the wedding industry, and I have been rather flummoxed by a recent trend: It seems to have become the fashion for the bride and groom to order themselves a special meal, of a higher caliber and price point than what their guests are having.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: I used to be flattered by this response. Not anymore. Advice | Miss Manners: Our argument about her restaurant behavior ended our friendship Advice | Miss Manners: It’s absurd that I’m the go-between because my kids’ friends don’t have phones Advice | Miss Manners: I don’t find it adorable what she has trained her dog to do Advice | Miss Manners: We’re afraid they’ll try to raid the house after the funeral An example might be that all of the guests have a choice of roast chicken or a pork chop, but the groom has ordered himself a 20-ounce porterhouse.I realize ...