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Germany’s defense minister is the latest foreign official to visit Kyiv and vow more aid for Ukraine

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:44:56 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius made an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Tuesday and vowed to keep supporting Kyiv’s efforts to win its war against Russia.His trip came a day after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin traveled to Ukraine and pledged American support “for the long haul,” including an additional $100 million in weapons from U.S. stockpiles.The visits appeared to be part of an international political effort to keep the war in the public mind as other issues clamor for attention, including the Israel-Hamas conflict.European Council President Charles Michel reportedly was also due in Kyiv on Tuesday, which is the 10th anniversary of what Ukraine calls its Revolution of Dignity. That uprising that brought momentous change for Ukraine, pushing it closer to the West and bringing confrontation with Moscow.Ukraine’s fight to push out the Kremlin’s forces has lasted almost 21 months. A recent Ukrainian counteroffensive apparently has yielded no major...

In the news today: No Canadians cleared to leave Gaza Strip Tuesday

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:44:56 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…No Canadians included on latest list of people cleared to leave GazaNo Canadians are on today’s list of foreign nationals approved to leave the besieged Gaza Strip today and cross into Egypt via the Rafah border crossing.Global Affairs Canada said in its latest update on Monday afternoon that 90 more Canadians, permanent residents and their family members made the trip over the weekend.More than 450 people with ties to Canada have now managed to escape the Palestinian territory where Israel is waging war against Hamas. —Here’s what else we’re watching …October inflation numbers coming todayStatistics Canada is expected to publish its consumer price index for October this morning, ahead of the federal government’s fall economic statement this afternoon.The annual inflation rate was 3.8 per cent in September and economists expe...

Thailand’s Cabinet approves a marriage equality bill to grant same-sex couples equal rights

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:44:56 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s Cabinet on Tuesday approved an amendment to its civil code to allow same-sex marriage, with an expectation for the draft to be submitted to Parliament next month.Karom Polpornklang, a deputy government spokesperson, said the amendment to the Civil and Commercial Code will change the words “men and women” and “husband and wife” to “individuals” and “marriage partners” for same-sex couples to be able to receive the same rights that heterosexual couples receive.He said the law would guarantee the right to form a family in a relationship between same-sex couples, adding that the next step will be an amendment to the pension fund law to recognize same-sex couples as well.Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told reporters that the draft law is expected to be proposed to Parliament on Dec. 12. If it becomes law after Parliament’s approval and King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s endorsement, Thailand will be the third place in Asia, after Taiwan and Nepal, to allow same-sex mar...

Live updates | Hamas officials say hostage agreement could be reached soon

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:44:56 GMT

Senior Hamas officials said Tuesday that an agreement could be reached soon in which the militant group would release hostages and Israel would free Palestinian prisoners.Israel, the United States and Qatar, which mediates with Hamas, have been negotiating for weeks over a hostage release that would be paired with a temporary cease-fire in Gaza and the entry of more humanitarian aid. Similar predictions of a hostage agreement in recent weeks have proven premature.Israel’s army is widening its operations across northern Gaza, where they battled Palestinian militants on Tuesday in the densely populated Jabaliya refugee camp, the territory’s largest.The military said forces are “preparing the battlefield” in the Jabaliya area, just north of Gaza City, and have killed dozens of militants in recent days. Troops discovered three tunnel shafts where fighters were hiding and destroyed rocket launchers, it said. It wasn’t possible to independently confirm details of the fig...

Canadians to get update on federal finances, new housing measures in budget update

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:44:56 GMT

OTTAWA — Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is set to present the traditional fall update on Canada’s finances — a fiscal blueprint that’s expected to include measures aimed at getting more homes built. A senior government official, whom The Canadian Press is not naming because they were not authorized to share details publicly, confirmed Monday that several housing policies would be part of Tuesday’s fiscal update.The federal government is set to announce $15 billion in low-cost loans for builders as well as a $1-billion fund toward affordable housing, information previously reported by CBC News. The loans are projected to fuel the construction of 30,000 new apartments, the official said. The economic statement will also include help for local governments that are cracking down on short-term rentals. The measure, first reported by the Toronto Star, includes funding for enforcement and would prevent owners from claiming expenses-based tax deductions on their rental...

Quebec strikes: Parents scramble as schools shut until Thursday; health care also hit

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:44:56 GMT

MONTREAL — Morgan Gregory, a self-employed single mother of two from Montreal’s South Shore, says she spent the weekend preparing meals and doing laundry to clear her schedule for her daughters, who will be home from school for most of the week.Gregory is among thousands of Quebec parents forced to make alternative plans for themselves and their children, as a provincewide public sector strike will keep schools closed between Tuesday and Thursday — and possibly for longer in some parts of the province.And it’s not just teachers who are on strike this week. Stalled contract negotiations with public sector unions have led hundreds of thousands of workers — including nurses and other health-care staff such as orderlies and technicians — to hold overlapping strikes, affecting most health facilities.Gregory said she’ll work in the early morning and at night, and use some of the tutoring tips she picked up during the COVID-19 pandemic.“And I’m going to help o...

Statistics Canada to publish latest reading on inflation today

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:44:56 GMT

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada is expected to release its latest reading on inflation today.The agency is expected to publish its consumer price index for October this morning, ahead of the federal government’s fall economic statement this afternoon.The annual inflation rate was 3.8 per cent in September and economists expect the new report to show inflation cooled in October as gasoline prices fell and the rise in food prices slowed.An overall decline in inflation would be welcome news for the Bank of Canada as it looks for evidence of a sustained slowdown in consumer price growth.The central bank opted to hold its key interest rate steady at five per cent at its last rate decision, but has said it is prepared to raise rates again if needed to bring inflation under control.The Bank of Canada’s next interest rate decision is set for Dec. 6.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2023.The Canadian Press

No Canadians included on latest list of people cleared to leave Gaza Strip via Egypt

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:44:56 GMT

No Canadians are on today’s list of foreign nationals approved to leave the besieged Gaza Strip and cross into Egypt via the Rafah border crossing.Global Affairs Canada said in its latest update on Monday afternoon that 90 Canadians, permanent residents and their family members made the trip over the weekend.More than 450 people with ties to Canada have now managed to escape the Palestinian territory, where Israel is waging war against Hamas. The war began Oct. 7 with attacks on Israel, in which Hamas militants killed an estimated 1,200 people in Israel and took roughly 240 people hostage.Israel declared war, cut off key supplies to the controlled Gaza Strip and began a military campaign against Hamas, which Canada and other western allies have long deemed a terrorist group. Health officials in Gaza say more than 12,700 people in the territory have been killed, and another 2,700 people have been reported missing. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2...

U.S. study finds Canadian mining toxin in American waters; treatment ‘a small dent’

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:44:56 GMT

A new American study has confirmed southeastern British Columbia coal mines are contaminating waters shared by Canada and the U.S., adding the miner’s attempts to remove selenium from wastewater aren’t making much difference to the amount flowing south.“It’s making a small dent,” said Meryl Storb of the United States Geological Survey, lead author of the newly published study. “However, the water treatment is much less successful at reducing the total annual mass moving downstream.”Selenium, an element found in coal deposits that is toxic to fish, has been a long-running source of conflict between B.C., Canada and the U.S. government. The contaminant is flowing from steelmaking coal mines in B.C.’s Elk Valley, where mining has gone on for decades. Storb said her teams examined selenium levels in the Kootenay River, which flows through similar geography but no coal mines. Levels in the Kootenay are a tenth of those in the Elk River, in ...

Fire burns West Campus condo; 2 displaced

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:44:56 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin Fire crews said fire damaged a condo in West Campus Monday night. Two people were displaced but no one was hurt in the fire, according to AFD.The fire was first reported at 2529 Rio Grande just after 10:15 p.m. According to Google, that location is the Orange Tree Condos. AFD reported the fire out at 11:30 p.m. AFD: Crews battling fire in west Austin neighborhood AFD said crews kept the fire to a unit on the third floor as well as the attic of the 17-unit building. According to AFD, several other units suffered smoke and fire control damage. The fire department said the cause was "accidental/electrical" and was blamed on charging a battery powered light. University of Texas Police said the building was evacuated for a time but people living there were allowed back in.