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Anthony Fauci will testify before Congress on COVID origins and the US pandemic response

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:03 GMT

By FARNOUSH AMIRI (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Anthony Fauci, former chief White House medical adviser, is expected to testify before Congress early next year as part of Republicans’ yearslong investigation into the origins of COVID-19 and the U.S. response to the disease.Fauci, who served as the nation’s top infectious disease expert before retiring last year, will sit for transcribed interviews in early January and a public hearing at a later date. It will be his first appearance before the Republican-controlled House.The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic first requested a sit-down with Fauci in February, but an agreement over the timing and details of the interviews was just reached with Fauci’s attorneys earlier this month, according to a letter sent Thursday from the committee.“It is time for Dr. Fauci to confront the facts and address the numerous controversies that have arisen during and after the pandemic,” Rep. Brad Wenstrup, the GOP chairman of the com...

Greek author Vassilis Vassilikos, whose political novel inspired award-winning film ‘Z,’ dies at 89

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:03 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek novelist Vassilis Vassilikos, whose political book “Z” inspired the Academy Award-winning film of the same name, died Thursday in Athens at age 89.The best-known among the scores of books he wrote, “Z” was based on the murder of a left-leaning Greek member of Parliament by right-wingers in 1963. Published in 1966, it was translated into several languages but was banned in Greece by the right-wing dictatorship that ruled from 1967-74. It quickly became a symbol of resistance to the regime.The 1969 movie by Greek director Costa-Gavras won the Academy Award for best foreign language film.Vassilikos was born Nov. 18, 1934 in the northern town of Kavala, and studied law, as well as television directing. He was exiled by the military regime in 1967, and lived in Italy and France. From July 2019 to May 2023 he served as a member of Greece’s Parliament with the left-wing Syriza party.Culture Minister Lina Mendoni praised Vassilikos’ narrative skills a...

Eglinton Crosstown opening date won’t be released until 3 months before: Metrolinx CEO

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:03 GMT

As the Eglinton Crosstown LRT project gets set to enter its 13th year of construction, the head of Metrolinx says people won’t know when it will open until three months before the public can start riding the line.During a Metrolinx board meeting Thursday morning, Phil Verster and Metrolinx staff commented on the opening date during a brief update about the ongoing project.“We are not there yet. We are making sure everything was built right and operates correctly and safely, and our contractor CTS is finding issues that must be fixed before we can open Eglinton Crosstown for safe and reliable passenger services,” Verster told board members.He went on to tout “close collaboration” with Crosslinx Transit Solutions (CTS), the private-sector consortium charged with building the 19-kilometre, 25-station light rail transit line, and the Toronto Transit Commission, which will be operating the line when it opens.“We all have a sense of urgency and commitme...

S&P/TSX composite edges higher in late-morning trading, U.S. stock markets mixed

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:03 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index edged higher in late-morning trading as strength in the telecommunications and financial sectors was offset by weakness in technology stocks, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.  The S&P/TSX composite index was up 9.52 points at 20,125.72.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 315.80 points at 35,746.22. The S&P 500 index was down 4.22 points at 4,546.36, while the Nasdaq composite was down 86.20 points at 14,172.29.The Canadian dollar traded for 73.72 cents US compared with 73.58 cents US on Wednesday.The January crude oil contract was down 90 cents at US$76.96 per barrel and the January natural gas contract was down a penny at US$2.79 per mmBTU.The February gold contract was down US$9.50 at US$2,057.60 an ounce and the March copper contract was up two cents at US$3.85 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 30, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD) The Canadian Press

A house explodes and bursts into flames in Minnesota, killing at least 1 person, fire chief says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:03 GMT

An explosion and subsequent fire leveled a home in a St. Paul, Minnesota, suburb early Thursday, killing at least one person, a fire official said.The explosion happened just after 6:15 a.m. in South St. Paul, said South Metro Fire Department Chief Mark Juelfs. Firefighters arrived within minutes and quickly extinguished the flames, Juelfs said. An initial search of the demolished home turned up one person dead inside the garage. Authorities haven’t yet identified the person and don’t yet know if there were other people in the house, Juelfs said. “We can’t confirm whether there are additional victims until we sort through a lot of the debris,” he said.Fire officials are working with local police and public works officials to determine the cause of the blast, Juelfs said. South St. Paul is a city of about 21,000 about 8 miles (13kilometers) south of St. Paul.Margery A. Beck, The Associated Press

Former Myanmar colonel who once served as information minister gets 10-year prison term for sedition

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:03 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — A former high-profile Myanmar army officer who had served as information minister and presidential spokesperson in a previous military-backed government has been convicted of sedition and incitement, a legal official said Thursday. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.Ye Htut, a 64-year old retired lieutenant colonel, is the latest in a series of people arrested and jailed for writing Facebook posts that allegedly spreading false or inflammatory news. Once infrequently prosecuted, there has been a deluge of such legal actions since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.He was arrested in late October after a military officer from the Yangon Regional Military Command reportedly filed a change against him, around the time when some senior military officers were purged on other charges, including corruption. He was convicted on Wednesday, according to the official familiar with the legal proceedings who insisted on anony...

Ontario to strengthen bail system, make it easier for victims of crime to sue offenders for emotional distress

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:03 GMT

The Ford government will table new justice legislation Thursday which will make it easier for more victims of crime to sue an offender for emotional distress, protect children and youth from cannabis, enhance community safety and make court and government operations more efficient.Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey says the proposed legislation would make it easier for victims of crimes to sue their offenders for emotional distress and related bodily harm, including terrorism, motor vehicle theft, human trafficking-related offences, and hate-related crimes targeting places of worship.He says it would do this by not forcing victims of crime to prove their distress in the civil court system.The new omnibus bill, Enhancing Access to Justice Act, 2023, will also further strengthen the province’s bail system to ensure that high-risk and repeat offenders comply with their bail conditions. Related: Ontario police groups, legal advocates call for different approaches to p...

CP NewsAlert: Moe says Saskatchewan to stop collecting carbon levy for electric heat

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:03 GMT

REGINA — Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says the province is to stop collecting the carbon levy on electric heat starting Jan. 1. He says many people in northern Saskatchewan use electricity to heat their homes, and that they should be exempt from paying the price. The premier says the province is to examine who uses electricity to heat their homes, and then will figure out how to take the carbon price off their bills. In late October, Moe announced the province won’t remit the carbon charge on natural gas after Ottawa exempted home heating oil. Moe says the federal government’s exemption is unfair, as it mainly helps those in Atlantic Canada. The province has introduced legislation to shield executives at SaskEnergy, its natural gas utility, from being fined or facing jail time should the company not remit the charge.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 30, 2023.The Canadian Press

Extreme weather, guilt tipping and, yes, Barbie: We’re over you, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:03 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — All things Barbie, going pantless, humungo Stanley Cup bottles and pressure tipping. There’s plenty from 2023 to leave behind come the new year.Extreme weather hit historic heights. Fakeness took a huge turn with the rise of AI. The rudeness epidemic continued with the help of FaceTime. Here’s a less than all-inclusive list of what we’re over as we look ahead to 2024:BARBIE, TAKE A HIKEBarbiecore, aka all things hot pink and playful and hyper-feminine, has been around since the dawn of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. Pierpaolo Piccioli at Valentino added some high-fashion oomph in 2022 with a buzzy Barbie pink collection. And there’s Nicki Minaj, of course, and her army of fans dubbed the Barbz.Then along came Barbenheimer and bam! July 2023 was nuts with the conflation of the films “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.” They shared an opening weekend. Big Barbie (and “Oppenheimer”) money was made. It was fun. We needed that feel-good frenzy. Now, pleas...

Coup leader Guy Philippe repatriated to Haiti as many question his next role in country in upheaval

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:03 GMT

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Notorious coup leader Guy Philippe returned to Haiti on Thursday after the U.S. government repatriated him, sparking concerns that his presence could unleash further upheaval in a country already reeling from gang violence and political instability.It wasn’t clear what role, if any, Philippe expected to play upon his return to Haiti, which is under siege by gangs that grew extremely powerful in the political vacuum created by the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.“One would have to wait and see what his return means, if anything at all,” Alex Dupuy, a Haiti-born sociologist and former professor at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, said in an interview. “He’s not going to be necessarily the principal actor in the drama that’s going on in Haiti and the awful political situation.”Philippe’s attorney, Jean Joseph Louicher, confirmed to The Associated Press that Philippe arrived in the capital of Port-au-Prince on Thursday...