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Germany offers Israel military help and promises to crack down at home on support for Hamas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:37 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany is offering military help to Israel and promising to crack down on support for the militant Hamas group at home following the group’s attack on Israel. Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday underlined Germany’s historical responsibility for Israel’s security.The Defense Ministry said it agreed to an Israeli request to use up to two of five Heron TP combat drones that are currently leased by the German military and were already in Israel for the training of German servicepeople. And Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in Brussels that Israel has requested ammunition for warships, a request that will now be discussed.Scholz told the German parliament that he has asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to inform Germany of any needs, “for example the treatment of wounded.”“At this moment, there is only one place for Germany — the place at Israel’s side,” he told lawmakers. “Our own history, our responsibility arising from the Holocau...

Hollywood studios break off strike talks with actors, who slam ‘bullying tactics’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:37 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Talks bitterly broke off between Hollywood actors and studios late Wednesday, killing any hopes that the three-month strike by performers would come to an end anytime soon. The studios announced that they had suspended contract negotiations, saying the gap between the two sides was too great to make continuing worth it, despite an offer as good as the one that recently ended the writers strike. The actors union decried their opponents’ “bullying tactics” and said they were wildly mischaracterizing their offers.On Oct. 2, for the first time since the strike began July 14, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists had resumed negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents studios, streaming services and production companies in strike talks. When negotiations resumed with writers last month, their strike ended five days later, but similar progress was not made with the actors union. ...

In the news today: Trudeau in Yellowknife, Canadian citizen killed in Israel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:37 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…Prime Minister Trudeau visits YellowknifePrime Minister Justin Trudeau is continuing his tour of the fire-ravaged Northwest Territories today in Yellowknife.Trudeau is scheduled to make a housing announcement then attend a roundtable discussion with the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce.The capital’s 20,000 residents were forced out of their homes for three weeks in the summer due to an encroaching wildfire.Family mourns death of daughter with deep Ottawa connections killed in IsraelA Canadian citizen has been killed by Hamas militants in Israel according to the head of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa.CEO Andrea Freedman announced that Adi Vital-Kaploun was killed after Hamas militants stormed her kibbutz near the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip.The family said Vital-Kaploun was driven at a young age to be successful, having completed a master’s de...

Greenpeace files securities complaint against Suncor over climate risk disclosures

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:37 GMT

CALGARY — An environmental group has lodged a formal complaint with the Alberta Securities Commission over Suncor Energy Inc.’s climate risk disclosures.Greenpeace Canada says Suncor may have failed to provide full, true and plain disclosure of all material facts in its forward-looking financial statements.Greenpeace senior energy strategist Keith Stewart says the Calgary-based oil giant used to prepare an annual report on climate-related risks, which included the disclosure of business strategy risk and the potential for stranded assets in a low-carbon future.Stewart says Suncor stopped disclosing the expected impacts on the company’s business strategy and profitability in various climate scenarios this year.He says this change in disclosure comes as the company appears to be doubling down on fossil fuels by selling off its renewables assets and purchasing a larger stake in the Fort Hills oilsands mine.Suncor put out a 52-page climate report earlier this year in which it deta...

Ottawa locals to testify about ‘Freedom Convoy’ at organizers’ criminal trial

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:37 GMT

OTTAWA — The court is expected to hear today from Ottawa locals who lived in the midst of the “Freedom Convoy”, as part of the criminal trial of two of the protest’s organizers.Tamara Lich and Chris Barber are on trial for their role in organizing the demonstration against COVID-19 public-health measures, which saw big rigs and crowds take over Ottawa’s downtown early last year.The Crown says it plans to ask the witnesses about the turmoil they observed during the protest, in an effort to tie disruptions to Lich and Barber. Justice Heather Perkins-McVey delivered a ruling Wednesday allowing the Crown to call the witnesses after the defence asked her to block their testimony. The defence argued the testimony of eight civilian witnesses from Ottawa was irrelevant to the charges against Lich and Barber, since both signed admissions that mischief took place during the protest.Perkins-McVey said she will make sure the witnesses stick to the things they observed fi...

Royal LePage downgrades Q4 housing price forecast; expecting seven per cent increase

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:37 GMT

Real estate firm Royal LePage is forecasting the aggregate price of a home in Canada will increase seven per cent in the final quarter of 2023 compared with the same period last year, downgrading its previous outlook of 8.5 per cent.The decrease reflects a sluggish third quarter in which the national aggregate home price rose 3.6 per cent year over year to $802,900, but fell 0.8 per cent on a quarterly basis.More than half of the 63 regional markets analyzed by the company for its latest house price survey posted a quarter-over-quarter price decline in the third quarter as sales activity softened.“While many Canadians have adjusted to the increased cost of borrowing, elevated interest rates continue to impact activity in markets across the country,” stated the report, released Thursday.Aggregate home prices in the Toronto and Vancouver regions fell 2.8 per cent and 1.8 per cent, respectively, compared with the previous quarter, while the Greater Montreal Area posted a 0....

Trudeau visits Yellowknife during tour of wildfire areas in Northwest Territories

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:37 GMT

YELLOWKNIFE — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is continuing his tour of the fire-ravaged Northwest Territories today in Yellowknife.Trudeau is scheduled to make a housing announcement then attend a roundtable discussion with the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce.The capital’s 20,000 residents were forced out of their homes for three weeks in the summer due to an encroaching wildfire.Flames didn’t enter the city but destroyed most buildings and homes in Enterprise, a hamlet of 100 people near Hay River.Trudeau toured that area Wednesday, walking among burned-out homes and vehicles as he spoke with officials.The territory saw nearly 70 per cent of its population displaced by wildfires and a record amount of land burned during the fire season.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 12, 2023.The Canadian Press

Daily horoscope for October 12, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:37 GMT

Moon Alert: Avoid shopping or making important decisions from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. EDT today (1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. PDT). After that, the Moon moves from Virgo into Libra.Happy Birthday for Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023:You have strong opinions and often are the center of attention because you’re energetic and larger than life. You’re skillful at helping others. This is a slower paced year. It’s time to rejuvenate your energies and your own life. Focus on business and personal relationships, and concentrate on your personal needs.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★Timing is everything, and today is an excellent time to wrap up business at work or with any task that has your attention. Not only will you see ways to improve your work, you can also see how to improve your health today. Perhaps you’ll see how to improve your closest relationships as well. Tonight: Cooperate.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★★This is a strong day for creative, artistic people, as well as those involved ...

EU had 5.24 million school teachers in 2021

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:37 GMT

In 2021, 5.24 million teachers were employed in primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education in the EU (ISCED levels 1-3). To celebrate World Teachers’ Day, we are highlighting the most recent data on teachers.As in previous years, women continued to make up the majority of the teaching workforce, accounting for 73% (3.8 million) of teachers employed in primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education in 2021, while men accounted for 27% (1.43 million).Source dataset: educ_uoe_perp01In terms of age, in 2021, only 8% (393 428 teachers) of the total teaching workforce were younger than 30 years old in these three education levels in the EU. In contrast, 2.1 million teachers were 50 or older, accounting for 39% of teachers at these levels.Almost half of the male teachers over 50 taught in upper secondary educationIn primary and secondary education (ISCED levels 1-3), nearly half (46%) of the male teachers over 50 were teaching in upper secondary education, while 38% wer...

Miss Manners: What should I do when my co-workers glare at me?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:46:37 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I work for a municipality, and while I am fairly new to my specific job, I am not new to municipal government. However, this is a very small city and the work environment is close quarters.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: What’s a polite way of saying ‘you weren’t our first pick’? Advice | Miss Manners: A virtual stranger hijacked our lunch date. What could we have done? Advice | Miss Manners: I wasn’t going to let a runty lobster ruin my carefully planned dinner Advice | Miss Manners: What could I have said to this blithe line-jumper? Advice | Miss Manners: My wife insists this is a rule about children’s birthday parties Whether because of the city’s size or just the mentality of the people employed here, it is not a very progressive workplace. A lot of the people I work with use derogatory and inappropriate language, speak ill of the pu...