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Halifax security forum to include former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:58 GMT

HALIFAX — Leaders from democratic nations, including a former Israeli prime minister, are gathering Friday in Halifax for a three-day conference on global security.This year, the annual Halifax International Security Forum is focused on the Ukraine war, but the fighting between Israel and Hamas will likely come up when former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak participates in a discussion on Saturday with a PBS correspondent.As the delegates gather, bloody street battles continue to rage in the Gaza Strip, and Global Affairs estimates about 386 people with connections to Canada are still attempting to flee the Palestinian territory.Hamas militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, killing an estimated 1,200 people and taking 240 others back into Gaza as hostages. Israel has retaliated with airstrikes and a ground offensive that the Hamas-run health authority says has resulted in more than 11,000 casualties.International pressure is increasing on Israel for a ceasefire, but Barak has sai...

While the suits are no longer super, swimming attire still has a big impact at the pool

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:58 GMT

Fifteen years ago, Michael Phelps won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics wearing a high-tech swimsuit with a catchy name, the Speedo LZR Racer.The super suit era lasted just one more year, thwarted by a ludicrous assault on the record books. But it still matters what a swimmer is wearing.“It makes a huge difference,” said Abbey Weitzeil, a four-time Olympic medalist who is sponsored by Speedo. “Especially for the females. We have more coverage than the males. We want to take advantage of that.”With the Paris Olympics about eight months away, Speedo released its newest suits this week with updated versions of the Fastskin LZR Intent and LZR Valor. These sort of announcements no longer carry the fanfare that accompanied Phelps’ unveiling of the LZR Racer ahead of Beijing or the rubberized suits that dominated the 2009 world championships.But after 43 world records were set in Rome, the international governing body finally took some common-sense steps to eliminate...

Cold weather and rain is on the horizon after an unusually warm stretch in Toronto, GTA

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:58 GMT

Here’s to hoping you were able to enjoy the recent stretch of sweater weather felt throughout Toronto and much of southern Ontario this week, as that will be coming to an end for now.Sunshine and warmer temperatures will suddenly conclude, with 5 to 10 mm of rain on the way for Toronto and the GTA to end the week. While daytime temperatures should reach 13 C tomorrow, a drop of a few degrees will come on Saturday, with a forecasted high of 6 C that will feel more like 4 C.It will be even cooler on Sunday, with a daytime high of 6 C but feeling closer to 2 C. The start of next week could see a brisk day back to work and school, as Arctic air will lead to a forecasted high of 3 C, though it will feel like 1 C. Thankfully, after the wet weather on Friday, the next 72 hours will be mostly sunny.One more mild day with sunshine. Cool down begins tomorrow with periods of rain. Clear out again for the weekend but Highs near seasonal at 6 or7°C. How mild will it be today? Tune in h...

Ghana reparations summit calls for global fund to compensate Africans for slave trade

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:58 GMT

ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — Delegates at a reparations summit in Ghana agreed Thursday to establish a Global Reparation Fund to push for overdue compensation for millions of Africans enslaved centuries ago during the transatlantic slave trade.The Accra Reparation Conference adds to the growing demands for reparations after about 12 million Africans were forcefully taken by European nations from the 16th to the 19th century and enslaved on plantations that built wealth at the price of misery.Centuries after the end of the slave trade, people of African descent around the world continue “to be victims of systemic racial discrimination and racialized attacks,” concluded a recent report by a special U.N. forum which supported reparations as “a cornerstone of justice in the 21st century.”“It is time for Africa — whose sons and daughters had their freedoms controlled and sold into slavery — to also receive reparations,” said Ghana’s President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo at the conference, attended by se...

MLB cancels 2025 Paris games after failing to find promoter, AP sources say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:58 GMT

Major League Baseball has canceled plans to play regular-season games in Paris in 2025 after failing to find a promoter, two people familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Thursday.The people spoke on condition of anonymity following an owners’ meeting because the decision was not announced publicly.MLB and the players’ association agreed to the Paris games in their March 2022 labor deal and incorporated them as an attachment to the collective bargaining agreement. The people familiar with the decision said it became apparent in recent months that no progress was being made to make the games work financially.MLB played in London for the first time in 2019 when the New York Yankees swept two games from the Boston Red Sox at West Ham’s Olympic Stadium. A planned two-game series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs in 2020 was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the Cardinals and Cubs split a two-game series this past June. Th...

Steve Aoki builds a universe on ‘HiROQUEST 2: Double Helix.’ He also plans to go to the moon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:58 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — For the EDM DJ Steve Aoki, the next frontier is the final one. Last year, it was announced he was on the manifest for the dearMoon Project, the first planned civilian mission to the moon. A trip to outer space makes a lot of sense for the forward-thinking creator, who’s releasing “HiROQUEST 2: Double Helix” on Friday.The first installment of the conceptual series, 2022’s pop-punk-infused “HiROQUEST: Genesis,” introduced the protagonist Hiro, tasked with collecting magical rings to save the world. On “HiROQUEST 2: Double Helix,” his story continues, and a new antagonist is introduced. The project has a collectible card component, and Aoki is writing a graphic novel — slated for release early next year — to tie the albums’ narratives together.Beyond the lore, of course, are the songs. Sonically, “HiROQUEST 2: Double Helix” is a detour from the first release. “I’m inspired by the world around me, and the world around me has changed quite a lot. ‘HiROQUEST...

Stakes rise ahead of 2024 election in Michigan as House Democrat announces retirement

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:58 GMT

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s six-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee announced Thursday he will not seek reelection, opening another competitive Congressional seat in the battleground state.Kildee, who currently sits on the House Ways and Means committee, has represented the Flint area in Congress since 2013. He succeeded his uncle, Dale Kildee, who had served in Congress for 36 years. Earlier this year, the 65-year-old Kildee was diagnosed with a curable form of cancer that he has since had removed. He said the scare made him reassess his “future and path.”“After spending time with my wife, children and grandchildren and contemplating our future, the time has come for me to step back from public office,” Kildee said in a statement Thursday. The announcement forces Democrats to defend yet another open seat next year as they attempt to retake the U.S. House, where Republicans currently hold a five-seat majority. U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin announced in February she would not ...

Matson’s journey as UNC’s 23-year-old field hockey coach reaches the brink of another NCAA title

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:58 GMT

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Erin Matson crouched near midfield, intently watching North Carolina’s field hockey players run drills creating a hive of activity near the goal.A year ago at this time, Matson was among that on-ball chaos, the decorated star of a team nearing another national championship. Now she’s a first-time head coach, a 23-year-old taking over for the winningest coach in the sport’s history and leading players who were previously teammates.Pressure? Yep. And she’s good with all of it.“I live by the quote: pressure is a privilege,” Matson said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I think the ability to be in a situation like this, I’m grateful for that, and I appreciate that.”Matson’s remarkable playing career has already made her a sizable name in field hockey. She’s a three-time national player of the year. A four-time national champion, three in unbeaten seasons. The career scoring leader in Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA Tournament history. And a U...

Wisconsin’s annual gun deer season set to open this weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:58 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s annual nine-day gun deer-hunting season starts this weekend to a mixed outlook.The season kicks off at sunrise on Saturday and closes on the evening of Sunday, Nov. 26. Hunters killed 203,295 deer during the 2022 season, up 14% from 2021. The higher kill numbers came despite fewer hunters in the woods; license sales were down 1.6% last year. Officials with the state Department of Natural Resources say the outlook for this year’s harvest is mixed. The gun season opens on the earliest possible day this year, putting it closer to breeding season, when deer will be on the move and increase hunters’ chances. But last winter was tough in northern Wisconsin, which could translate to fewer deer in that part of the state. And a lack of snow won’t help hunters. Snow helps hunters track and spot deer.The Associated Press

Armed man allegedly entered East Chicago PD detention garage for 'more bullets.' Gets arrested instead

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:58 GMT

EAST CHICAGO, Ind. — A 41-year-old man faces multiple weapons charges after allegedly entering an East Chicago Police Department detention garage armed with a firearm, police said Wednesday.According to police, around 5:45 a.m. on Nov. 15, two East Chicago police officers preparing for their morning shift observed a male, later identified as Marc L. King, walk into the restricted area with a semi-automatic firearm in his right hand.SEE ALSO: Des Plaines man accused of shooting pregnant wife, killing unborn childBoth officers drew their weapons and ordered King to drop his firearm.King complied and officers placed him under arrest.When asked why he disregarded the posted "No Trespassing" signs prior to walking the detention garage with a handgun, he allegedly told police, "I need more bullets."The subject was identified as 41-year-old Marc L. King of East Chicago. (Photo: East Chicago PD)The subject was identified as 41-year-old Marc L. King of East Chicago. (Photo: East Chicago PD...