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Cuba’s parliament ratifies President Díaz-Canel for new term

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

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba’s National Assembly ratified President Miguel Díaz-Canel on Wednesday for a new five-year term, in a decision to maintain continuity as the island faces a deep economic crisis. More than 400 representatives to the assembly who were ratified by voters in March took office early Wednesday and then convened the chamber to elect the government’s leadership and the president. Díaz-Canel obtained the votes of 459 of the 462 legislators present.In his new term, Díaz-Canel must deal with a severe recession prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, soaring inflation triggered by a series of financial policy decisions and strict sanctions imposed by the U.S. He also must grapple with discontent among many Cubans expressed in part through record rates of emigration to the U.S. and elsewhere. The president himself expressed his strong “personal dissatisfaction” in December that he was not able to improve the economic situation. But he rejected any change to Cuba’s political system. ...

Edmonton zoo employee ‘doing well’ following Burmese python bite

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

EDMONTON — A zoo employee is recovering after she was bitten Tuesday by a Burmese rock python. Debi Winwood, a spokesperson for Edmonton Valley Zoo, said in a statement that the woman received immediate first aid from other employees and emergency services were called. She said the woman was taken to hospital for minor medical treatment and “is doing well.” Alberta Health Services confirmed in a statement that emergency services responded to a snake bite at the zoo around 8:19 a.m. It said a woman in her 30s was taken to the hospital in “stable, non-life-threatening condition.”Winwood said the city is reviewing what happened, including procedures for carrying the snake. She said all emergency protocols were followed. The snake, named Lucy, is about 15 years old, weighs 75 kilograms and is 3.6 metres long. Winwood said Lucy has been at the zoo since December 2016 and “has not previously demonstrated any aggressive behaviour.”She added that all of t...

S&P/TSX composite edges down as energy and base metal sectors move lower

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

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index edged lower on Wednesday, weighed down by losses in the energy and base metal stocks, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.The S&P/TSX composite index was down 3.85 points at 20,680.83.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 79.62 points at 33,897.01. The S&P 500 index was down 0.35 points at 4,154.52, while the Nasdaq composite was up 3.82 points at 12,157.23.The Canadian dollar traded for 74.30 cents US, according to XE.com, compared with 74.70 cents US on Tuesday.The June crude contract was down US$1.66 at US$79.24 per barrel and the May natural gas contract was down 14 cents at US$2.22 per mmBTU.The June gold contract was down US$12.40 at US$2,007.30 an ounce and the May copper contract was down a penny at US$4.08 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X)The Canadian Press

Oilsands wastewater seepage cleanup to be complete by end of May: Imperial

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

CALGARY — Imperial Oil Ltd. said its cleanup efforts following recent high-profile wastewater releases from its Kearl oilsands site will be complete next month.Executives with the Calgary-based company said at an annual investor day event Wednesday that cleanup from February’s wastewater overflow from a containment pond is already complete, and efforts to fully remediate the tailings pond seepage the company discovered last May have advanced significantly.“Throughout the month of May we’ll essentially be complete, is the way we look at that,” said Imperial senior vice-president Simon Younger during a question and answer session with analysts.The update came one day before Imperial executives are set to testify Thursday before a House of Commons committee that is probing why it took nine months for First Nations and governments to find out what was happening with the company’s wastewater spills.On Wednesday, Imperial said it has identified the cause of the February ...

Stock market today: Wall Street is mixed as calm continues

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

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street barely budged again on Wednesday following another set of mixed earnings reports from big U.S. companies.The S&P 500 inched down by 0.35 points, or less than 0.1%, to 4,154.42. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 79.62, or 0.2%, to 33,897.01, and the Nasdaq composite edged up by 3.81 points, or less than 0.1%, to 12,157.23. Tesla weighed heavily on the market after the electric-vehicle company cut prices for its two top-selling models, its fourth price cut in the U.S. this year. That could be a signal Tesla is trying to spur sales amid shifting U.S. tax credits for electric vehicles. Tesla fell 2% before releasing its latest earnings report after trading closed. Netflix slumped 3.2% after reporting weaker revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected, though its profit topped forecasts. Elevance Health dropped 5.3% despite reporting stronger profit and revenue than expected. The health insurer gave a forecast for earnings this year that f...

Microsoft agrees to buy $50m Foxconn parcel in Wisconsin

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

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Microsoft has agreed to buy a $50 million parcel of land in southeastern Wisconsin meant for Foxconn after the world’s largest electronics manufacturer failed to fulfill grandiose promises to build a massive facility that would employ thousands of workers. Microsoft plans to build a $1 billion data center on the 315-acre (127-hectare) parcel in Mount Pleasant, a village of about 27,000 people in Racine County, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Milwaukee. It’s unclear how many people the center might employ. Paul Englis, Microsoft’s director of global community research and engagement, told the Racine County Board of Supervisors on Thursday that such centers typically employ 300 to 400 people.The village already is home to a Foxconn Technology Group manufacturing facility. The Taiwan-based company is best known for making Apple iPhones. The company announced plans in 2017 to build a $10 billion facility in Mount Pleasant that would employ ...

Man in custody after stabbing 18-year-old near Casa Loma: police

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

Toronto police have arrested a man after an 18-year-old was stabbed and injured outside of the downtown core.Officers were called to the St. Clair Avenue West and Tweedsmuir Avenue area near Casa Loma around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday for reports of a person with a knife.Authorities located a victim with stab wounds, and a suspect was arrested in the area.Toronto police confirmed with CityNews that the stabbing occurred outside of a Loblaws at St. Clair Avenue.Officers said an 18-year-old male was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A 32-year-old man was taken into custody.STABBING: UPDATESt Clair Ave W & Tweedsmuir Ave– 18-year-old male was transported to hospital with non-life threatening injury– A 32-year-old man has been arrested– Anyone w/info, contact @TPS13Div 416-808-1300^lb— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) April 19, 2023

Abortion, drug trafficking discussed at Kentucky GOP debate

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

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Republican gubernatorial hopeful Kelly Craft pressed for the death penalty for drug traffickers connected to fatal overdoses in Kentucky, while rival Ryan Quarles defended the state’s abortion ban during a free-wheeling GOP primary debate Wednesday on a popular sports radio program.Craft, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during Donald Trump’s presidency, continued her tough talk on combating illegal drugs flowing into the Bluegrass State, blaming it on the nation’s “wide open” Southern border. Quarles, the state agriculture commissioner, didn’t budge from Kentucky’s current abortion law, which includes prohibiting abortions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest.They joined two other GOP gubernatorial candidates — state Auditor Mike Harmon and Somerset Mayor Alan Keck — for the debate on Kentucky Sports Radio, coming less than a month before the May 16 primary. State Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a leading candi...

5 teens taken to hospital from North Side high school after consuming edibles

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

CHICAGO — Five teens were taken to the hospital from a high school in Uptown Wednesday afternoon after consuming an edible, according to the Chicago Fire Department.Firefighters said one teen girl was taken to the hospital in serious-to-critical condition, while four other teens were taken to the hospital in fair condition after ingesting a type of edible.All five teens were taken to either Lurie Children's Hospital or Weiss Memorial Hospital. Ohio 13-year-old dies after trying TikTok challenge It is unclear where each teen was transported, and what time the incident occurred.No other information is available at this time.

Mayor Lightfoot presides over final scheduled Chicago City Council meeting

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

CHICAGO — Mayor Lori Lightfoot presided over her final scheduled Chicago City Council meeting Wednesday.Along with Lightfoot, several members of city council also attended their last scheduled meeting, with a number of speeches given honoring those who are leaving.This was certainly not how Lightfoot wanted this to go. She did not make it to the run-off after finishing third in the February election.Lightfoot is leaving Brandon Johnson's administration, however, in a better place budget-wise than previous outgoing mayors have done for their predocessors.She reportedly passed along some advice to Johnson's administration — don't screw this up.Lightfoot will likely be remembered for her combative style of politics and guiding the city through COVID-19.Along with Lightfoot, about a dozen city council members entered the chamber for the last time Wednesday as sitting alderpersons, barring of course any emergency meetings. Brandon Johnson makes first trip to state Capitol as Chicago’s...