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Families of imprisoned Tunisian dissidents head to the International Criminal Court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:29 GMT

Family members of jailed lawyers and politicians in Tunisia want the International Criminal Court to investigate claims of political persecution and human rights violations as an increasing number of President Kais Saied’s opponents are arrested and several in prison stage hunger strikes.Yusra Ghannouchi, the daughter of jailed opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi, plans to join other jailed dissidents’ sons and daughters in The Hague on Thursday to announce plans to pursue action at the court.Members of the same group made a similar case to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights earlier this year. In a news release on Monday, they noted the increasing number of judges, politicians, journalists and prominent opposition voices being arrested and alleged a campaign of persecution against Black migrants throughout Tunisia.“There has been a major increase in repression and mass human rights violations by Tunisian authorities at the behest of President Kais Saied,” the...

Blue Jays must confront wider issues after sweep by Twins

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:29 GMT

There were more than enough questions about why process didn’t deliver results for the Toronto Blue Jays in this maddening season before John Schneider walked out to the mound in the fourth inning to pull a dealing Jose Berrios and replace him with Yusei Kikuchi.Regardless of the decision’s outcome, good or bad — and it was the latter, of course, providing the defining moment Wednesday in a season-ending 2-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins — everything that went into the decision ties into the wider issues this team must confront.None of this happens if an offence that was supposed to be a strength and wasn’t, capitalizes on the early opportunities it managed against an uneven Sonny Gray. Absent a lead the Blue Jays — and the use of the collective as opposed to Schneider here is intentional because this is an organizational decision, not solely a managerial one — took to managing as if they had to win 1-0. Under those circumstances, you can certainly argue that Berrios, whom lefties slu...

Fears about Amazon and Microsoft cloud computing dominance trigger UK probe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:29 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Concerns from regulators about the dominance of Amazon and Microsoft in Britain’s cloud computing market have triggered a investigation into the competitiveness of the key industry.The U.K. communications regulator Ofcom said Thursday that its yearlong study of the cloud communications services market found features that could limit competition. British businesses face barriers when they try to switch or use multiple cloud suppliers, it said. Cloud computing uses data centers around the world to store photos and emails or run software. It has become a vital service for many businesses, which turn to cloud providers to avoid the cost of buying expensive equipment and real estate to run their own data centers.Ofcom asked the U.K. antitrust watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority, to take a closer look at the 7.5 billion-pound ($9 billion) cloud market. The watchdog said it was opening an in-depth investigation that’s expected to wrap up by April 2025. “Some...

New wildfire on Spain’s Tenerife island forces 3,000 evacuations. Area suffered major summer fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:29 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Soldiers and firefighters were battling to control a new wildfire on Spain’s Tenerife island that has forced some 3,000 people to leave their homes for safety, the Canary Islands government said Thursday.The blaze, which started Wednesday, is centered on the towns of Santa Úrsula and La Orotava in the mountainous northeast of the island, away from the main tourist areas in Tenerife’s southwest.The same area suffered one of the island’s worst wildfires in decades in August when 14,000 hectares (35,000 acres) of pine forest and scrubland were burnt and some 12,000 residents evacuated over several weeks. Although that wildfire was brought under control it was never fully extinguished. Small fires have continued to break out periodically in the same area due to winds and high temperatures. Some 120 agents including soldiers and firefighters were taking part in the operation to put out the fire, the Canary Islands government said. So far, an area of just 30 hect...

Russia launches more drone attacks as Ukrainian President Zelenskyy travels to a European forum

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:29 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia targeted Ukraine with drones in another massive attack early Thursday as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Spain to rally support from Western allies at a summit of some 50 European leaders.Ukraine’s air force said that the country’s air defenses intercepted 24 out of 29 Iranian-made drones that Russia launched at the southern Odesa, Mykolaiv and Kirovohrad regions.Andriy Raykovych, the head of the Kirovohrad regional administration, said that an infrastructure facility in the region was struck and emergency services were deployed to put out a fire. He said there were no casualties.The attack came as Zelenskyy arrived in Granada in southern Spain to attend a summit of the European Political Community, which was formed in the wake of Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.“The key for us, especially before winter, is to strengthen air defense, and there is already a basis for new agreements with partners,” he said in a statement pos...

Thanksgiving Monday: What’s open and closed in Toronto

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:29 GMT

Another long weekend is upon us, and for those heading out on Thanksgiving Monday, keep in mind that while some businesses are open on the holiday, others are either closed or operating on reduced hours.Below is a list of what’s open and closed on Monday.AttractionsArt Gallery of Ontario: 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.Aga Khan Museum: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Canada’s Wonderland: ClosedCasa Loma: Open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.CN Tower: Open 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.Hockey Hall of Fame: Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Ontario Science Centre: Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Ripley’s Aquarium: Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.Royal Ontario Museum: Open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.Toronto Zoo: Open 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.Beer/LCBOAll Beer Store and LCBO locations will be closed.Grocery/pharmacyMost grocery stores will be closed but select locations (listed below) will be open.Loblaws (60 Carlton St.) – open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.Metro (444 Yonge St.) – 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.Pusateri’s (1539 Avenue Rd.) – 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.Pusateri&#...

Bangladesh’s anti-graft watchdog quizzes Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus in embezzlement case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:29 GMT

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh’s official anti-graft watchdog Anti-corruption Commission on Thursday questioned Muhammad Yunus, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, involving charges of money laundering and fund embezzlement. Yunus pioneered the use of microcredit to help impoverished people in Bangladesh—a model replicated in many other countries across the world. His legal troubles have drawn international attention, with many observers considering that they are politically motivated.He emerged from Thursday’s questioning session in the commission’s headquarters in the nation’s capital, Dhaka, saying that he was not afraid and he did not commit any crimes. Yunus’ lawyer, Abdullah Al Mamun, said the charges against his client were “false and baseless.”The commission summoned Yunus, chairman of Grameen Telecom, over $2.28 million from the company’s Workers Profit Participation Fund. A dozen other colleagues of Yunus face similar charges in the case.Grameen Telec...

2 Palestinian militants killed in gunfight with Israeli troops in West Bank raid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:29 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Two Palestinian militants were killed by Israeli gunfire during an army raid in the West Bank on Thursday, the Palestinian health ministry said.They were the latest deaths in a monthslong surge of violence in the occupied territory.The Israeli military said its troops carried out a raid in the Tulkarem refugee camp in the early morning hours. It said that soldiers came under fire and that troops shot Palestinian gunmen. Five border police officers were wounded in the clashes, it said. The Hamas militant group that rules the Gaza Strip later claimed the two men as its members.The incident was the latest in a spiral of violence that has gripped the occupied territory for more than 18 months.The Israeli military has mounted near-nightly raids into Palestinian towns, often prompting deadly clashes with residents. Militancy has surged among young Palestinians who have lost hope in their leadership and in the prospect of a political resolution to the conflict.Nearly 200 P...

Rising long-term interest rates are posing the latest threat to a US economic ‘soft landing’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:29 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Surging interest rates are intensifying the challenges for the U.S. economy and threatening to derail the Federal Reserve’s drive to tame inflation without causing a deep recession. Since mid-summer, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note, a benchmark for many loans, has steadily climbed, causing a spillover rise in other borrowing costs. The costs of mortgages, auto loans and credit card debt have all risen in response. The collective impact of higher rates across the economy could also weaken the government’s own finances. The jump in longer-term rates coincides with other threats, from higher gas prices and this week’s resumption of student loan payments to autoworkers’ ongoing strike and the risk of a government shutdown next month, all of which could leave consumers with less money to spend to power the economy.The strike by the United Auto Workers, now in its third week with no resolution in sight, could reduce vehicle sales in coming months. And ...

Auto worker strike highlights disparities between temporary and permanent employees

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:29 GMT

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — When Rhonda Naus got a job inspecting Jeep Wranglers fresh off the assembly line, her paycheck added up to roughly half of what her co-workers were making. But with that came an expectation that her temporary status eventually would become permanent with a big jump in wages. Six years later, she’s still doing the same work as her colleagues at Stellantis and still making a lot less. “I knew I had to start at the bottom. I didn’t think I’d be at the bottom forever,” said Naus, who’s among thousands of striking United Auto Workers nationwide pushing for pay and benefit increases along with an end to multiple tiers of wages for workers across the companies. From office workers to delivery drivers, companies have become increasingly reliant on temporary workers. Automakers have used the lower-paid workers for years to fill in for absent and vacationing full-time employees and to staff up when production increases. Tiers for the Detroit automakers we...