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Members of global chemical weapons watchdog vote to keep Syria from getting poison gas materials

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:28:20 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The annual meeting of member states of the global chemical weapons watchdog on Thursday called on countries to prevent the sale or transfer to Syria of raw materials and equipment that could be used to create poison gas and nerve agents.The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said in a statement that its annual conference “decided that the continued possession and use of chemical weapons” by Syria, and its failure to give the organization an accurate inventory of its stocks and to “destroy undeclared chemical weapons and production facilities,” have harmed the international Chemical Weapons Convention.The decision was backed by 69 nations, while 10 voted against it and 45 nations abstained.It calls on member states to take measures to “prevent the direct or indirect transfer to Syria of certain chemical precursors, dual-use chemical manufacturing facilities and equipment and related technology.”Syria joined the OPCW in 2013 to ward off ...

Weekend need-to-know: more Santa Claus parades and a DJ Skate Party

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:28:20 GMT

Santa Claus is making his rounds this weekend as the parades continue to spread Christmas cheer, and it’s the last chance to pick up a unique gift for friends and family.If you are heading to the Raptors or Leafs games, keep in mind, there is a TTC closure as well as adjustments to the Lakeshore West GO line.Santa Clause ParadesThe Santa Claus parades continue this weekend as Jolly Ole St. Nick makes his way to Etobicoke this weekend. The parade kicks off at 10 a.m. and runs along Lakeshore Boulevard West between Dwight Street and Thirtieth Street on Saturday, and will end near Thirtieth Street at approximately 12 p.m. (Road closures below)Then, Santa Claus will head on over to Mississauga on Sunday for the parade featuring over 15 custom-designed floats and 1,500 participants. The parade starts at 12 p.m. and will head from Dunwin Drive and Glen Erin Drive on to Motorway Blvd and before a final turn on northbound Woodchester Drive.DJ Skate Party at Nathan Phillips S...

Alvin Ailey troupe – and a soulful Cynthia Erivo – join to celebrate dance legend Judith Jamison

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:28:20 GMT

Judith Jamison looked out onto the glittering crowd at New York City Center and marveled: “The man thought of this 65 years ago, and here we are!”Jamison, 80, was speaking of Alvin Ailey, the pioneering choreographer who 65 years ago founded Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. It began with a small gig at the 92nd St Y in Manhattan, a pickup group he’d gathered of fellow Broadway dancers.The company became one of the most visible and successful troupes in the world, thanks in no small part to Jamison, who as a dancer became its most visible face, and later took the reins from Ailey himself as artistic director, serving for more than two decades.The company celebrated its 65th birthday on Wednesday night and launched its post-pandemic return to a full five-week season with an exclamation mark, in the form of Cynthia Erivo. The singer-actor lent her vocal expertise — both searing and soulful — to a special dance tribute to Jamison.But the moment was significant, also, for who was not ...

Inspector general launches probe examining decision to relocate FBI headquarters to Maryland

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:28:20 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal watchdog will investigate how the Biden administration chose a site for a new FBI headquarters following a contentious competition marked by allegations of conflict of interest. The Inspector General for the General Services Administration is probing the decision to locate the facility in Greenbelt, Maryland, over a site in Virginia., according to a letter released Thursday by Virginia lawmakers. The new building would replace the FBI’s crumbling headquarters in nearby Washington, D.C. Virginia’s senators and representatives said in a joint statement that there was evidence the process was influenced by political considerations and called on the GSA to pause anything related to the relocation until the review is complete. The news comes after FBI Director Christopher Wray told staff in an internal message earlier this month that he was concerned about a “potential conflict of interest” in a senior executive choosing a site owned by a previous ...

Protesters shove their way into congress of Mexican border state of Nuevo Leon, toss smoke bomb

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:28:20 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The legislature of Mexico’s northern border state of Nuevo Leon said Thursday protesters broke through doors, took over the floor of the state congress and launched a smoke bomb.The chaotic scene took place late Wednesday after the state legislature named an interim governor to take the place of Gov. Samuel García, who took a leave of absence to pursue a run for the presidency in Mexico’s June 2 elections.García wanted someone from his Citizen’s Movement party to replace him, but the legislature named someone else to serve for the six-month leave, and the protesters were angry about that.Shouting “Sell outs! Sell Outs!” dozens of protesters broke open a door and flooded the floor of the legislature, after which thick smoke soon filled the chamber.“Members of the public who were unhappy with the process carried out during the session broke into the floor to try to prevent it from being carried out,” the state congress said in a statement. “They attacked secur...

Conservative critic draws criticism after she asks heritage minister to speak English

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:28:20 GMT

OTTAWA — A Conservative critic is drawing criticism after she asked federal Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge to answer a question in English during a parliamentary committee meeting.Heritage critic Rachael Thomas said today that while Canada is a bilingual country and St-Onge could respond in either official language, she would prefer the minister answered her in English.Thomas complained the minister was answering questions from fellow Liberals in English but responded to her questions only in French. She was quickly cut off by other members of the committee calling for a point of order — when members believe the rules or procedures of the House of Commons have been broken.Martin Champoux, the Bloc Québécois heritage critic, described Thomas’s attitude as insulting to Quebecers, adding that the committee’s interpretation service works well.Liberal MP Michael Coteau said Thomas’s comments were unacceptable and go against everything Canada was built on.This report ...

Alternative healer faces manslaughter charge over woman’s death at a UK slapping therapy workshop

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:28:20 GMT

LONDON (AP) — An alternative healer who advocates a technique known as “slapping therapy” was charged Thursday over the death of a woman at one of his workshops in England seven years ago.Hongchi Xiao was charged with manslaughter by gross negligence in the October 2016 death of Danielle Carr-Gomm, Wiltshire Police said.British police first sought to arrest Xiao in 2019. He was detained after being extradited from Australia.Xiao promotes paida lajin therapy, in which patients are slapped or slap themselves repeatedly, ostensibly to release toxins from the body. Patients often end up with bruises or bleeding. The technique has its roots in Chinese medicine, but critics say it has no scientific basis.Xiao, who is originally from China and runs the California-based Pailala Institute, has led paida lajin workshops around the world.Carr-Gomm, 71, died at Cleeve House country hotel in western England while attending a workshop run by Xiao. Carr-Gomm’s son Matthew said after her death that...

MLB and Sirius XM extended broadcast agreement through 2028 season

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:28:20 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball and Sirius XM extended their broadcast agreement by five years through the 2028 season.The deal announced Thursday continues a relationship that started in 2005.Sirius carries broadcasts of all regular season and postseason games and produces the MLB Network Radio channel, which airs 24 hours daily.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlbThe Associated Press

A Dutch court orders Greenpeace activists to leave deep-sea mining ship in the South Pacific

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:28:20 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Dutch court ruled Thursday that Greenpeace protesters staging a sit-in must leave a deep-sea mining exploration ship in the Pacific Ocean between Mexico and Hawaii but that they can continue to demonstrate around the vessel.Canada-based The Metals Company, whose subsidiary Nauru Ocean Resources Inc. runs the ship, Coco, accused the protesters of endangering the crew and breaking international law.The case was heard in Amsterdam, where the Greenpeace protest ship Arctic Sunrise, which is involved in the protest, is registered.Greenpeace began the protest a week ago by paddling kayaks beneath the Coco for up to 10 hours at a time to prevent it deploying equipment in the water. Two activists also boarded the ship and pledged to stay camped on the main crane used to deploy and retrieve equipment from the water until The Metals Company agrees to leave.The protest comes as international demand for critical minerals found on the seafloor grows, but an increa...

The average long-term US mortgage rate falls to 7.22%, sliding to lowest level since late September

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:28:20 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate fell for the fifth week in a row, more good news for prospective homebuyers grappling with an increasingly unaffordable housing market.The latest decline brought the average rate on a 30-year mortgage down to 7.22% from 7.29% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.49%.The average rate on a 30-year mortgage is now at the lowest level it’s been in 10 weeks, when it was 7.19%.“Market sentiment has significantly shifted over the last month, leading to a continued decline in mortgage rates,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “The current trajectory of rates is an encouraging development for potential homebuyers, with purchase application activity recently rising to the same level as mid-September when rates were similar to today’s levels.”While the recent string of rate declines are welcome news for would-be homebuyers, the average rate on a 30-year home loan remains sh...