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A Palestinian baby girl, born 17 days ago during Gaza war, is killed with brother in Israeli strike

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:58:08 GMT

RAFAH, Gaza (AP) — She was born amid war, in a hospital with no electricity in a southern Gaza city that has been bombarded daily. Her family named her al-Amira Aisha — “Princess Aisha.” She didn’t complete her third week before she died, killed in an Israeli airstrike that crushed her family home Tuesday. Her extended family was asleep when the strike leveled their apartment building in Rafah before dawn, said Suzan Zoarab, the infant’s grandmother and survivor of the blast. Hospital officials said 27 people were killed, among them Amira and her 2-year old brother, Ahmed.“Just 2 weeks old. Her name hadn’t even been registered,” Suzan said, her voice quivering as she spoke from the side of her son’s hospital bed, who was also injured in the blast.The family tragedy comes as the Palestinian death toll in Gaza nears 20,000, according to the Health Ministry. The vast majority have been killed in Israeli airstrikes which have relentlessly pounded the besieged Gaza encl...

Gildan shareholder Jarislowsky Fraser Ltd. renews call for CEO’s reinstatement

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:58:08 GMT

MONTREAL — Gildan Activewear Inc.’s largest shareholder is renewing its recent call to reinstate the company’s former chief executive.Jarislowsky Fraser Ltd.’s head of research and Canadian equities portfolio manager says the shareholder stands “firmly” against the recent decision by Gildan’s board to terminate Glenn Chamandy.Charles Nadim says his firm believes Chamandy remains best positioned to lead the Montreal apparel company into a major expansion while mentoring internal candidates as part of a thorough succession plan.Nadim is asking Gildan’s board to acknowledge the recent opposition to Chamandy being removed from his CEO post and replaced by outsider Vince Tyra.Shareholders Browning West LP and Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. have made similar requests of Gildan since Chamandy revealed earlier this month that he had been terminated without cause.Gildan did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An autoreply from Chama...

Detroit officer accused of punching 71-year-old man is charged with manslaughter following his death

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:58:08 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit police officer has been charged with manslaughter in the death of a 71-year-old man who fell to the ground after he was punched in the face, authorities said Tuesday.Daryl Vance of Detroit died in September after three weeks in a hospital.Vance was punched during a “verbal confrontation” with a 29-year-old officer outside a bowling alley on Sept. 1, the prosecutor’s office said. He fell to the ground and hit his head. The on-duty officer was responding to a call that Vance was being disorderly.“Police officers frequently deal with citizens who are disorderly and verbally unpleasant. But the evidence in this case shows that the officer allegedly was the aggressor, and his actions went criminally beyond what was necessary in this situation,” prosecutor Kym Worthy said.The officer is scheduled to make his first court appearance Wednesday.The Associated Press

Athabasca Oil, Cenovus to create joint venture in Kaybob Duvernay

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:58:08 GMT

CALGARY — Athabasca Oil Corp. and Cenovus Energy Inc. say they will create a new joint venture stand-alone company called Duvernay Energy Corp.The two companies say Athabasca will own a 70 per cent equity interest in Duvernay Energy with Cenovus owning the remaining 30 per cent. The companies will jointly fund the creation of Duvernay, with Athabasca contributing $22 million in seed capital and Cenovus contributing $18 million.The creation of the joint venture will consolidate the two companies’ assets in the prolific Kaybob Duvernay resource play in northwest Alberta.The companies say current production from the Duvernay Energy assets is 2,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, and they plan to grow that to 25,000 boe/d by the end of the decade.Athabasca will manage Duvernay Energy through a management and operating services agreement. Duvernay’s board of directors will include three members nominated by Athabasca and one member nominated by Cenovus.This report by The C...

B.C. secures largest civil forfeiture of its kind at $10 million

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:58:08 GMT

VICTORIA — The British Columbia government says its civil forfeiture office has secured $10 million from a company that provided payment processing services for people found guilty or who are alleged to have been running scams against vulnerable seniors. Solicitor General Mike Farnworth says the settlement agreement with PacNet Services Ltd. is the largest forfeiture in the history of the program that started in 2006. Under the settlement deal, there is “no admission or finding of unlawful activity on the part of PacNet” or its principals, while the company agrees to forfeit $10 million.Farnworth says in a statement that the forfeiture is “a clear message” that the province will “continue to take decisive action against suspected proceeds of unlawful activity.”The government statement says PacNet was a money-service business that was headquartered in B.C. but processed payments for clients around the world, including individuals who allegedly oper...

ACLU of Montana challenges law defining the word ‘sex’ in state code as only male or female

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:58:08 GMT

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The ACLU of Montana has filed a lawsuit challenging a law that defines the word “sex” throughout state code as either male or female, based on a person’s biology at birth. The plaintiffs argue the law denies legal recognition and protections to people who are gender non-conforming. The plaintiffs — a transgender man, a two spirit Native American, a nonbinary person, an intersex individual and a nurse practitioner — also moved for a summary judgement in Monday’s filing in state court in Missoula, asking for the law to be declared unconstitutional.Republican lawmakers who supported the bill “seem to think they can simply legislate away the diversity of Montana’s residents,” Akilah Deernose, the executive director of the ACLU of Montana, said in a statement. The sponsor of the legislation said it was needed to clarify from a legal standpoint that the words “sex” and “gender” aren’t interchangeable. That was in response to a ruling by a state...

Advocates urge Toronto to adjust criteria to open up warming centres

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:58:08 GMT

Advocates for those unhoused in Toronto are concerned after warming centres remained closed on Monday night as the temperature threshold of -5 C, despite the wind chill being below that.The current strategy, implemented on Nov. 15, is when temperatures reach -5 C, the city’s 170 spaces will be activated in four warming centres. The wind chill is not a factor which can lead to confusion.Diane Chan McNally, with the All Saints Community Centre, said the problem is the decision is made too early, and the city is not flexible.“When the city triggers the opening, they look at what the weather is going to be like at 7 a.m. in the morning. And then make a decision there. There’s no flexibility during the rest of the day or with changing weather conditions like we saw last night,” said McNally. She added that there is a real worry that people can be left stranded.“We know that people are going to be stranded outdoors in weather where they absolutely can die. Or...

Judge weighs whether to block removal of Confederate memorial at Arlington Cemetery

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:58:08 GMT

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A federal judge expressed strong misgivings Tuesday about extending a restraining order that is blocking Arlington National Cemetery from removing a century-old memorial there to Confederate soldiers.At a hearing in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, U.S. District Judge Rossie Alston said he issued the temporary injunction Monday after receiving an urgent phone call from the memorial’s supporters saying that gravesites adjacent to the memorial were being desecrated and disturbed as contractors began work to remove the memorial. He said he toured the site before Tuesday’s hearing and saw the site being treated respectfully. “I saw no desecration of any graves,” Alston said. “The grass wasn’t even disturbed.”While Alston gave strong indications he would lift the injunction, which expires Wednesday, he did not rule at the end of Tuesday’s hearing but said he would issue a written ruling as soon as he could. Cemetery officials have said...

Car crashes into building, catches fire in Northbrook

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:58:08 GMT

NORTHBROOK, Ill. — A driver was hospitalized after a fiery crash in Northbrook on Tuesday afternoon.According to authorities, the vehicle veered off the Edens Expressway, traveled down a ditch and crashed into a building in the 800 block of Skokie Boulevard.Authorities say after the vehicle crashed into the building, which houses "Lewis Floor & Home," it burst into flames. Woman found dead after apartment fire in Waukegan Fire crews were called to the scene and were able to extinguish the blaze, and officials say the driver was taken to a Highland Park hospital for treatment.Authorities have not identified the driver or offered details on the extent of their injuries.Currently, it is unclear what led up to the crash and officials say the building was not badly damaged in the fire.

Texas Poison Center Network reports 500% increase in calls related to 'weight loss drugs,' like Ozempic

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:58:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — As some drugs containing semaglutide that can lead to weight loss — such as Ozempic and Wegovy — have increased in popularity, so have the number of calls to U.S. and Texas poison control centers. The Federal Drug Administration has approved three products that contain semaglutide. Among other things, these products are prescribed to lower blood sugar levels in patients with Type 2 Diabetes and help people with obesity remove excess weight, the FDA said.While both Ozempic and Wegovy contain semaglutide, the FDA has only approved Wegovy to help people ages 12 and over lose weight.“Since 2019, Texas poison centers have seen about a 500% increase in calls related to weight loss drugs like semaglutide,” said Lizbeth Petty, the public health education manager at the North Texas Poison Center.Up until Dec. 13, the Texas Poison Center Network had received 490 reports related to semaglutide thus far in 2023, compared to only 86 calls in 2019, Petty said. “In terms ...