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First Lady Jill Biden to mark US reentry into UNESCO with flag-raising ceremony in Paris

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:43 GMT

PARIS (AP) — United States First Lady Jill Biden is in Paris on Tuesday to attend a flag-raising ceremony at UNESCO, marking the United States’ official reentry into the United Nations’ educational, scientific and cultural organization after a five-year hiatus.Biden will also make remarks about the importance of American leadership in preserving cultural heritage and empowering education and science across the globe.The U.S. had announced its intention to rejoin UNESCO in June, and the organization’s 193 member states earlier this month voted to approve the U.S. reentry. Tuesday’s ceremony, which will also feature a speech by UNESCO’s Director General Audrey Azoulay, will formally signify the U.S. becoming the 194th member of the body.The U.S. decision to return to the Paris-based UNESCO was based mainly on concerns that China has filled a leadership gap since the U.S. withdrew during the Trump administration.The U.S. exit from UNESCO in 2017 cited an alleged anti-Israel bias within...

UN watchdog says landmines are placed around Ukrainian nuke plant occupied by Russia

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:43 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The U.N. atomic watchdog says its staff at Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant report seeing anti-personnel mines around the site as Kyiv pursues a counteroffensive against the Kremlin’s entrenched forces after 17 months of war.“Having such explosives on the site is inconsistent with the IAEA safety standards and nuclear security guidance and creates additional psychological pressure on plant staff,” International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in a statement late Monday.However, any detonation of the mines, located between the site’s internal and external perimeter barriers, “should not affect the site’s nuclear safety and security systems,” the statement said.The IAEA has repeatedly expressed concern about the facility, which is one of the 10 biggest in the world, amid fears of a potential nuclear catastrophe. The U.N. agency has officials stationed at the plant, which is still run by its Ukrainian staf...

In The News for today: Floods, fires and food Insecurities concerning Canadians

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:43 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…—Correlation between flooding, wildfires in Nova ScotiaThe fingerprints of climate change are all over the supercharged weather witnessed this year in Nova Scotia — and the rest of the country — from raging wildfires to devastating flooding.A series of punishing thunderstorms dumped up to 250 millimetres of rain on Nova Scotia this weekend, killing at least two people and damaging infrastructure across the province. About two months ago, nearly 250 square kilometres of land was scorched by record wildfires. The province is also experiencing summer temperatures that are warmer than usual.There is a correlation between rising temperatures, wildfires and heavier rainfall, said Kent Moore, an atmospheric physics professor at the University of Toronto.Nova Scotia is about two degrees warmer than usual for this time of the year, Moore said.And as No...

B.C. crews hopeful of forecasted heavy rain dampening massive Donnie Creek wildfire

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:43 GMT

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. — Crews fighting British Columbia’s largest ever wildfire are hoping a “heavy, prolonged rain” in the forecast can help them turn the corner on the massive blaze.Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the northeastern corner of the province where the Donnie Creek fire has burned close to 6,000 square kilometres of forest land.The weather statement says a low-pressure system over Alberta will interact with the east Rockies, leading to heavy rain in northeastern B.C., creating accumulation of up to 70 millimetres until Thursday morning.Prince George Fire Centre Information Officer Julia Caranci says the rain in the forecast is “very good news,” but they remain cautious because it may not fall evenly across the large area of the fire.The Donnie Creek fire is the largest blaze on record in the 102-year history of the provincial firefighting effort, and its massive size helped to lift B.C. to a record wildfire seaso...

Blazes burn near Kamloops, Cranbrook, B.C., amid record wildfire season

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:43 GMT

VANCOUVER — Recent heavy rain in parts of British Columbia has done little to quench major wildfires burning near the cities of Kamloops and Cranbrook. The St. Mary’s River fire north of Cranbrook has burned close to 41 square kilometres and forced residents in 51 homes to evacuate, although an evacuation order of 16 homes in the Aq’am First Nation community has been rescinded.The nearby Canadian Rockies International Airport says it’s “business as usual” with flights on time after the same fire threatened the site last week, forcing crews to conduct controlled burns around the airport. Near Kamloops, crews continue to battle the 26-square-kilometre Ross Moore Lake wildfire, which triggered the evacuation of almost 350 properties as strong winds fed its rapid growth over the weekend. Both blazes are among the more than 270 fires in B.C. classified as out of control. There are about 480 active fires across British Columbia and almost 15,000 square kilome...

Climate change: Correlation between wildfires, flooding in Nova Scotia

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:43 GMT

FREDERICTON — The fingerprints of climate change are all over the supercharged weather witnessed this year in Nova Scotia — and the rest of the country — from raging wildfires to devastating flooding.A series of punishing thunderstorms dumped up to 250 millimetres of rain on Nova Scotia this weekend, killing at least two people and damaging infrastructure across the province. About two months ago, nearly 250 square kilometres of land was scorched by record wildfires. The province is also experiencing summer temperatures that are warmer than usual.There is a correlation between rising temperatures, wildfires and heavier rainfall, said Kent Moore, an atmospheric physics professor at the University of Toronto.Rising temperatures lead to drier conditions, increasing the risk of wildfires, he said, but the warmer weather also augments the atmosphere’s ability to hold moisture, leading to heavier downpours that can cause flooding.Four people, including two children, were...

Flight delays at Canadian airlines far outstrip peers in U.S., despite improvements

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:43 GMT

MONTREAL — Figures from an aviation data firm show Canada’s two biggest airlines see a far higher proportion of their flights delayed compared with many of their peers abroad.Statistics from Cirium reveal that about 50 per cent Air Canada’s flights were on time in the final two weeks of June and the first two weeks of July overall.Meanwhile about 36 per cent of WestJet’s flights touched down within the 15 minute window of their scheduled arrival that is considered on time. The numbers compare with on-time percentages ranging between the high 60s and low 80s for the five biggest airlines in the United States.The figures also show that between 93 per cent and 98 per cent of the two Canadian carriers’ planes hit the gate less than two hours late, indicating that Air Canada and WestJet have a better record than in the travel chaos of last summer.John Gradek, a lecturer at McGill University’s aviation management program, says airlines are running their planes too ...

B.C. port workers will get eyes on contract offer from maritime employers

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:43 GMT

VANCOUVER — Thousands of workers at British Columbia’s ports will take off the day shift today to learn the details of an agreement struck between their union and employers. The BC Maritime Employers Association says the offer being presented is the same one leaders of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union had previously rejected, which briefly sent workers back to the picket line last week. A 13-day strike that started on Canada Day stopped billions of dollars’ worth of goods from moving in and out of some of the country’s busiest ports. Strike action was suspended when the contract was reached with the help of a mediator, but was then reinstated when the union leadership turned down the plan. A labour board ruled the second strike action by the port workers was illegal, prompting the union to issue 72-hour strike notice, which it then reversed hours later. Union members are now expected to vote on the offer later this week, but there’s no word yet...

Daily horoscope for July 25, 2023

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:43 GMT

Moon Alert: Avoid shopping or making important decisions from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT today (8 a.m. to 11 a.m. PDT). After that, the Moon moves from Libra into Scorpio.Happy Birthday for Tuesday, July 25, 2023:You are idealistic and have a keen sense of purpose. You have strong personal integrity, and you expect the same of others. This is the perfect year to have fun, socialize and let your hair down! Nurture the happiness and beauty that you have within yourself. Old friends might reappear.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★Grab every opportunity to play and be creative today. Enjoy sports events and fun activities with kids. However, avoid intense disputes with partners and close friends this morning. Let sleeping dogs lie. Later in the day, you’ll see practical solutions with the help of someone. Tonight: Solutions.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★Family discussions are important, including home repairs. Be patient with co-workers and issues related to a pet this morning. (Don’t get ...

Spectre of far-right hangs over close-run polls

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:43 GMT

Spain headed to the polls on Sunday (23 July) in a potentially close-run general election marked by ideological differences, the spectre of the far-right and irritation at being forced to vote during the summer holidays.Voting opened at 9 am (0700 GMT) and closed at 8pm (1800 GMT), when exit polls were released. The final result is expected to be decided by fewer than a million votes and less than 10 seats in the 350-seat parliament, experts say.Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the election early after the left took a drubbing in local elections in May, but many are furious at being called out to vote at the height of the sweltering summer.Spain's postal service on Friday (21 July) reported postal votes had already surpassed a record 2.4 million, as many people choose to cast their ballot from the beach or mountains, rather than their hotter home towns.Opinion polls show the election, which many candidates have painted as a ballot on the future of Spain, will likely pro...