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COVID-19 activity showing early signs that it may be increasing, new PHAC data says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:25 GMT

New datafrom the Public Health Agency of Canada suggests that COVID-19 infections may be slowly starting to rise again in Canada. On its website, the agency says there are signs of continued fluctuations in some COVID-19 activity indicators after a long period of gradual decline.It says this may be an early sign of increases, although the overall COVID-19 activity is still low to moderate across the provinces and territories. McMaster University immunologist Dawn Bowdish says the XBB family, an offshoot of Omicron, is dominant in Canada right now. That family includes the EG.5 subvariant, which she expects will start dominating in the coming weeks. Bowdish says EG.5 appears to be more contagious than past subvariants, but there’s no sign that it causes more serious illness in otherwise healthy people.   She says the COVID-19 vaccines expected this fall are a good match to combat the virus. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2023.Canadian Press healt...

The Taliban believe their rule is open-ended and don’t plan to lift the ban on female education

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:25 GMT

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban view their rule of Afghanistan as open-ended, drawing legitimacy from Islamic law and facing no significant threat, their chief spokesman said in an interview marking the second anniversary of the Taliban takeover of the country. He also suggested a ban on female education will remain in place.Zabihullah Mujahid brushed aside any questions from The Associated Press about restrictions on girls and women, saying he had nothing new to say on the matter while also indicating the status quo will remain. The ban on girls attending school beyond sixth grade was the first of what in the second year of Taliban control became a flurry of restrictions that now keep Afghan girls and women from classrooms, most jobs and much of public life.The Taliban seized power on August 15, 2021, as U.S. and NATO forces withdrew from the country after two decades of war. They marked their second anniversary as rulers of Afghanistan on Tuesday, which was declared a pu...

As a criminal case against a Tesla driver wraps up, legal and ethical questions on Autopilot endure

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:25 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A criminal prosecution against a Tesla driver in Los Angeles County could end next month, the final step of a case believed to be the first time in the U.S. prosecutors brought felony charges against a motorist who was using a partially automated driving system.But any conclusion of driver Kevin Aziz Riad’s case offers little solace to Lorena Ochoa, whose spouse was one of two people killed in the 2019 crash in a Los Angeles suburb. She believes both Tesla and Aziz Riad, who received probation as punishment, should face harsher consequences.A restitution hearing for Aziz Riad scheduled for Tuesday was postponed until Sept. 19. A judge will determine how much money he owes the families of Gilberto Alcazar Lopez and Maria Guadalupe Nieves-Lopez. Aziz Riad was using Autopilot, and the case has raised legal and ethical questions about the technology, particularly as Tesla sales grow and more automakers equip cars with similar systems. The victims’ families...

President Biden travels to battleground Wisconsin to talk about the economy a week before GOP debate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:25 GMT

MILWAUKEE (AP) — In a show of preemptive counter-programming, President Joe Biden on Tuesday traveled to Wisconsin to highlight his economic policies in a state critical to his reelection fortunes, just a week before Republicans descend on Milwaukee for the party’s first presidential debate.His arrival in Milwaukee comes on the eve of the anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, major economic legislation that he signed into law with great ceremony but polls show that most people know little about it or what it does. Wisconsin is among the handful of critical states where Biden needs to persuade voters that his policies are having a positive impact on their lives, and he is expected to visit frequently to make his case.Biden plans to tour Ingeteam, a clean energy manufacturer of onshore wind turbine generators in Milwaukee, to talk up provisions of the law that spends hundreds of millions of dollars to boost domestic manufacturing and clean energy, lower health care costs and cra...

More arrests made in shooting that killed Toronto mother with stray bullet

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:25 GMT

Toronto police have arrested and charged two more people in a daytime shooting that resulted in the death of a woman who was accidentally struck by gunfire in Leslieville.Karolina Huebner-Makurat, a 44-year-old wife and mother of two, was walking in the Queen Street East and Carlaw Avenue area around 12:30 p.m. on July 7 when she was struck by a bullet and killed. She was taken by ambulance to a nearby trauma centre, where she was later pronounced dead.On July 13, police said Damian Hudson, a 32-year-old Toronto resident, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the shooting. Court documents show Hudson previously served 15 months in jail after stabbing someone in the heart, one episode in a lengthy criminal history, and police have said he was out on bail when he was arrested.In an update from investigators on Tuesday, police said 20-year-old Ahmed Mustafa Ibrahim of Toronto was charged with manslaughter, robbery and failure to comply with probation. He was slated for ...

Military members can now take sexual misconduct complaints to human rights commission

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:25 GMT

OTTAWA — Members of the military now have the option to bypass the Canadian Armed Forces grievance process and taking complaints of sexual misconduct, harassment or discrimination to a third party. The military announced today that the independent Canadian Human Rights Commission will hear new and existing complaints. Former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour recommended the change in her May 2022 report on sexual misconduct and toxic culture in the Armed Forces. Defence Minister Bill Blair says the government will also stop filing objections to human-rights complaints on the basis that there is another process underway. Before the changes were made, military members had to exhaust internal grievance processes before asking for an independent review of their case. The commission says in a statement that it supports all the recommendations from Arbour’s report.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2023.The Canadian Press

Federal Liberals have gone more than six months without appointing ethics watchdog

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:25 GMT

OTTAWA — It’s now been more than six months since Canada has had a federal ethics watchdog. Mario Dion retired in February after serving as the last permanent ethics and conflict-of-interest commissioner. A longtime staffer in that office, Martine Richard, took on an interim role in April — but she resigned within weeks amid controversy around the fact she is the sister-in-law of Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc.Investigations that would normally be conducted by a commissioner are on pause until a permanent replacement is found.Dion says the vacancy also means people can go unpunished — and violations can go unnoticed — until a new person is appointed.Dion, who is helping with the hiring process, says it’s not surprising that a candidate hasn’t been chosen yet because the field is narrow and few people would qualify for the job. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2023. The Canadian Press

Mayor Johnson on firing Dr. Arwady: 'Can't always go by the things that you hear'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:25 GMT

CHICAGO — During a Monday press conference at City Hall, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson quoted a slain rapper while addressing his decision to fire Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady.Johnson was asked if the decision stemmed from disputes between Arwady and the Chicago Teachers Union, as both parties had previously clashed over school reopenings during the pandemic.   PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Mayor Johnson fires Dr. Allison Arwady as Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner"Transition is difficult for everyone," Johnson said. "But as has already been articulated, I don't know how many times you're allowed to quote Tupac (Shakur) in a press conference, but 'You can't always go by the things that you hear.' Right? 'Real eyes...realize...real lies.' That's also Tupac Shakur."Mayor Johnson’s office confirmed the termination of Dr. Arwady to WGN-TV on Friday. Arwady served as the city's health commissioner since January 2020.Amid Johnson's campaign for m...

Chicago publicist named in indictment against former President Trump

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:25 GMT

CHICAGO — For a fourth time, a prosecutor has issued an indictment against former President Donald Trump.According to Fani Willis, the District Attorney of Fulton County, Georgia, Trump, and 18 allies "knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy" to reverse the 2020 election totals in favor of Trump. Trump, 18 allies indicted in Georgia over 2020 election meddling The charges were released late Monday night and named Trevian Kutti, a Chicagoan who’s been connected to Kanye West. Kutti is a publicist who is one of 19 people named in the 98-page indictment against the former president. Kutti was recently featured on WGN Morning News over the weekend where she spoke about an event happening in Chicago, but it is her alleged actions from back in 2021 that have pushed her into international headlines. Will Donald Trump show up at next week’s presidential debate? The Fulton County District Attorney alleges that Kutti is connected to an incident where two poll workers were targete...

Christkindlmarket sets schedule for 3 Chicagoland locations for 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:25 GMT

CHICAGO — Fans of a market that's around during the holiday season now know when it's going to start and finish in 2023. Christkindlmarket, which has three locations in the Chicagoland area, has set the schedule for those locations for the upcoming year. The German-style outdoor market has been a popular stop during the holiday and it will return again in 2023. The location at Daley Plaza at 50 W. Washington Street in Downtown Chicago will open on November 17 and run through December 24. It will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.On Thanksgiving (November 23) and Christmas Eve (December 24), it will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dean’s Reviews: ‘MJ The Musical’ Also on November 17, the Wrigleyville Christkindlmarket will open at Gallagher Way next to Wrigley Field, 3635. N. Clark Street, and will be open through New Year's Eve. This will be part of the "Winterland" celebration that's held inside and outside of the bal...