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Israel, Hamas conflict causes surge of discrimination, B.C. rights commissioner says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:58 GMT

VANCOUVER — British Columbia’s human rights commissioner says the devastating events in and around the Gaza Strip are causing a surge of discrimination and violence targeting Jewish and Muslim people. Kasari Govender says in a statement that she is deeply concerned about the rising number of hate incidents and she’s calling for immediate and sustained action to address and prevent further proliferation. Govender says Vancouver police alone have reported 18 hate incidents aimed at the Jewish community, while the National Council of Canadian Muslims has said the last few weeks have been the worst in decades for Islamophobia reports. She says the latest surge follows a wave of discrimination this fall against trans and gender diverse people, which came after a dramatic rise in hate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Govender says while hate isn’t new, it will rise during times of crisis in society and be amplified by the spread of misinformation if no concerted action is t...

‘Priscilla’ stars Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi on trust, Sofia and souvenirs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:58 GMT

As a child of the South, actor Cailee Spaeny grew up steeped in Graceland mythology, memorabilia and Elvis Presley tunes.Her mother loved Elvis and it wasn’t unusual for a trip to that famous house in Memphis, Tennessee, to count as a family vacation. Priscilla Presley was of course part of that. But Spaeny would find there was much more than she’d ever known when she got the opportunity to play her in Sofia Coppola ’s new film, “Priscilla,” now in theaters nationwide.“I had no idea about her side of the story and what her experience was growing up in Graceland,” Spaeny said in a recent interview.The film is based on Presley’s 1985 memoir “Elvis and Me,” a diary-like account of her years with the King. She recounts meeting him at 14 in Wiesbaden, Germany, and moving to Graceland not too long after, where she finished high school. She talks about her unconventional hours, staying up all night with Elvis and trying to stay awake in school the next day. She details how he dictated her ...

OMERS pension plan acquires five per cent indirect stake in MLSE

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:58 GMT

TORONTO — The OMERS pension plan has acquired a five per cent indirect stake in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment for US$400 million.The investment comes through a 20 per cent direct stake in Kilmer Sports Inc., which is owned by MLSE chairman Larry Tanenbaum.“I’ve always seen myself as a steward of a public trust, working in service to the fans and the public to build Canada’s most iconic sports teams and win championships,” Tanenbaum said Monday in a release. “Now with this investment by OMERS, I’m thrilled to be sharing this public trust with over 600,000 hard-working Ontarians.”Kilmer owns 25 per cent of MLSE, the parent company of the National Hockey League’s Toronto Maple Leafs, National Basketball Association’s Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC of Major League Soccer, the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts and several development teams.Upon closing, Tanenbaum will retain an 80 per cent stake in Kilmer. OMERS will be a financia...

Israelis overwhelmingly are confident in the justice of the Gaza war, even as world sentiment sours

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:58 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — At a time when world sentiment has begun to sour on Israel’s devastating offensive in Gaza, the vast majority of Israelis, across the political spectrum, are convinced of the justice of the war.Still under rocket and missile attacks on several fronts, they have little tolerance for anyone railing against the steep toll the conflict has exacted on the other side. They have rallied to crush Hamas, which breached the country’s borders from the Gaza Strip, killing more than 1,400 people and taking over 240 hostage in an Oct. 7 rampage that triggered the war.Capturing the prevailing sentiment in Israel, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak said other countries would have reacted the same way to such a cross-border attack with mass casualties. “The United States would do whatever it takes,” Barak recently told the magazine Foreign Policy. “They would not ask questions about proportionality or anything else.”Israel has carried out weeks of relentless airstrikes and launc...

Sarah Bernstein on the unexpected success of Giller shortlisted ‘Study for Obedience’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:58 GMT

Sarah Bernstein wanted to take the idea of a “people pleaser” and flip it on its head. The Montreal-born, Scotland-based author set out to craft a character so submissive that the effect would be sinister rather than pleasing.Her efforts, born in part from her complicated relationship with the concept of compliance, resulted in “Study for Obedience,” a short novel published by Knopf Canada that’s landed on the short lists of both the Scotiabank Giller Prize in Canada and the Booker Prize in the United Kingdom. “In my own personality, I’ve always existed at the sort of extreme tension point of those two things — being really conciliatory and absolutely refusing to participate,” she said in a recent video call. “They seem incompatible, or they should be incompatible.” But for Bernstein, they coexisted. Like many women, she said, she grew up feeling societal pressure to be conciliatory. “That’s very difficult to pr...

MUST-WATCH: The Italian Stallion makes it to the Top 10

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:58 GMT

One of the 20th centuries’ most iconic film stars has made it to the MUST-WATCH Top 10! But will the Italian Stallion box his way to the top spot, or could it go to a biopic about an inspiring athlete? Perhaps the return of a beloved animated superhero show? You’ll have to keep reading to find out!NyadWhere to watch: NetflixFirst up, an inspiring biopic!NYAD. Annette Bening as Diana Nyad in NYAD. Cr.Liz Parkinson/Netflix ©2023Nyad is a new film that’s the first narrative feature by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (the directors behind the documentaries Free Solo and Wild Life). It stars Annette Benning (from American Beauty and Captain Marvel) as real-life professional swimmer Diana Nyad. This film documents her attempt to swim from Havana to the Florida Keys without a shark cage. At the age of 60, her body might not be able to keep up with that rigorous task. But she is committed nonetheless. This film also stars Rhys Ifans (from Enduring Love), Karly Rot...

New York Mets hiring Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza as manager, AP source says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:58 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets are hiring Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza as their manager, according to a person familiar with the decision.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because the move had not been announced.Mendoza spent the past four seasons across town as Aaron Boone’s bench coach with the Yankees. He replaces Buck Showalter, fired by the Mets at the end of last season after holding the job for two years.It’s the first high-profile hire by new Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns, who took over his hometown team early last month.Mendoza, who turns 44 this month, has managed in the Venezuelan Winter League but never above Class A in the minors. He takes over a Mets team that finished fourth in the NL East this season at 75-87, which was 29 games behind first-place Atlanta, despite having the highest payroll in major league history under owner Steve Cohen.Mendoza becomes the fifth Mets manager since Ter...

Wickenheiser raising awareness for lung cancer with new campaign

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:58 GMT

Legendary hockey player and Assistant GM of player development for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser is working to raise awareness for lung cancer in connection with Merck Canada. During Lung Cancer Awareness Month, the “Be the MVP” campaign is encouraging thousands of Canadians to take their own health in their hands. Wickenheiser said she was inspired to take on the cause as she lost her own grandfather to lung cancer. “It hits home for me. Every Canadian knows someone who’s affected by cancer, lung cancer is actually one of the most common cancers in Canada.”She said during her time in medical school, she worked a few rotations with the lung surgery teams. “Just getting a chance to see what a healthy lung looks like, what an unhealthy lung looks like,” said Wickenheiser. “And then as an athlete, knowing how important it is to breathe and have lung capacity, there’s nothing more scary as a patient than to not be ...

Italy grants citizenship to terminally ill British baby after Vatican hospital offers care.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:58 GMT

ROME (AP) — Italy’s government on Monday granted Italian citizenship to an 8-month-old terminally ill British girl after a court in Britain upheld rulings authorizing the withdrawal of life-supporting invasive treatment. Baby Indi Gregory’s situation is the latest in a series of cases in Britain in which doctors and parents have sparred over the treatment of terminally ill children. The child’s family hopes the decision by the Italians will add heft to their fight to allow her to be transferred to Italy. A private online hearing is scheduled for Tuesday in which a British judge is scheduled to consider issues relating to the baby’s care. The judge ruled last week that the baby could not be moved to Italy.The Vatican’s pediatric hospital, Bambino Gesu, in Rome has offered to care for Indi Gregory, and the Italian government said it would pay for any treatment “that is deemed necessary” in Italy. Italy’s Cabinet, citing “preeminent humanitarian values,” briefly met Monday ...

Crown, defence say drunk driver should serve 3 years after killing two UBC students

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:58 GMT

RICHMOND, B.C. — A Crown attorney says a driver who was drunk when he killed two University of British Columbia students should serve three years in jail and be prohibited from driving for five years. A sentencing hearing in provincial court in Richmond, B.C., has heard that Tim Goerner, an international student at the university, drank alcohol at a party the night of Sept. 25, 2021. The court heard Goerner was driving on campus early the next morning between 100 and 120 kilometres an hour in a 40-kilometre speed zone. The two victims, Evan Smith and Emily Selwood, both 18, were on a sidewalk when they were hit from behind by Goerner’s vehicle, which also hit a street lamp and boulder before becoming airborne. Both Smith and Selwood were pronounced dead at the scene, and Goerner pleaded guilty last month to dangerous driving causing death.Goerner, dressed in a grey suit, sat in court with his head down, sobbing as Evan Smith’s mother read the first of numerous victim imp...