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Canada pledges $71 million in aid for Sudan, South Sudan and Central African Republic

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:24:56 GMT

OTTAWA — International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan is announcing $71 million in humanitarian aid for Sudan and two neighbouring countries that are dealing with a large number of refugees in the wake of a violent crisis.Sajjan says the funds will flow through agencies of the United Nations and the Red Cross as well as non-governmental organizations to provide basic food, water and health services.Nearly $31 million will go toward Sudan, while slightly more will be sent to South Sudan, which seceded from that country in 2011.Canada will also send $10 million to the Central African Republic, as part of funds that will flow to at least 14 groups ranging from the World Food Programme to Doctors Without Borders.Sajjan says the funding is flexibly structured so groups can scale up existing programs to meet huge flows of people fleeing a devastating escalation in violence that started in Sudan on April 15.He is making the announcement alongside his parliamentary secretary Anita Vande...

Report: Racist text helped spur Fox to oust Tucker Carlson

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:24:56 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Text messages that helped lead Fox News to part ways with star host Tucker Carlson included one in which he declared that Trump supporters beating a protester was “not how white men fight,” according to The New York Times.The text was one of a trove of messages from Carlson and other Fox News hosts uncovered in a defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems against the network for airing false allegations that the company’s machines were used to steal the 2020 election from former President Donald Trump.The sides settled just as the trial was getting underway, with Fox agreeing to pay Dominion nearly $800 million.While some of Carlson’s texts have been publicly released, the one quoted by the Times remains redacted by the court, as do numerous other exhibits. Media organizations, including The Associated Press, continue to try to lift the redactions.The Times reports that Carlson sent the text to a producer hours after Trump supporters attacked the...

What do striking Hollywood writers want? A look at demands

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:24:56 GMT

The 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America went on strike Tuesday after negotiations with Hollywood studios that began in March failed to result in an agreement. The guild has billed the issues behind the labor dispute as “an existential crisis.” Writers say they’re facing a host of new issues brought on by streaming and other recent technological shifts in the industry. Here’s a look at the demands behind the first Hollywood strike in 15 years, as the industry braces for a long hiatus: INCREASED PAYThe guild is seeking higher compensation for writers across the board. Though there are more jobs available to WGA members than ever before because of the proliferation of streaming services, pay for most writers is down. Ten years ago, 33% of TV writers were paid the minimum rate. Now, according to the WGA, 49% are. Accounting for inflation, writer pay has declined 14% in the last five years. The median weekly writer-producer pay is down 23% over the last decad...

Knife attack at Berlin school wounds 2 girls; suspect held

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:24:56 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Berlin police say two young children were seriously wounded in a Wednesday knife attack at a school in the south of Germany’s capital.Police said the children were girls, ages 7 and 8. One of them had life-threatening injuries, according to a Berlin police statement. A 39-year-old suspect was detained, police said, adding that the circumstances of the attack were still unclear.The Associated Press

Elon Musk threatens to reassign NPR’s Twitter account

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:24:56 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Elon Musk threatened to reassign NPR’s Twitter account to “another company,” according to the non-profit news organization, in an ongoing spat between Musk and media groups since his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter last year.“So is NPR going to start posting on Twitter again, or should we reassign @NPR to another company?” Musk wrote in one email late Tuesday to NPR reporter Bobby Allyn.NPR stopped tweeting from its main account after Twitter abruptly labeled NPR’s main account as “ state-affiliated media ” last month, a term that’s also been used to identify outlets controlled or heavily influenced by authoritarian governments. Twitter then changed the label to “ government-funded media.”NPR said that both labels were inaccurate and undermined its credibility — noting the nonprofit news company operates independently of the U.S. government. Federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting accounts for less than 1% of NPR’s annual operating budget, t...

Going green: Nel Hydrogen to build in Michigan, work with GM

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:24:56 GMT

The green hydrogen company Nel announced plans Wednesday to build a massive new plant in Michigan as it works with General Motors to drive down the cost of hydrogen.The Norwegian company makes devices that take water and split it into hydrogen and oxygen, known as electrolyzers, as well as fueling stations. CEO Håkon Volldal said the company will make electrolyzers in the Detroit area to supply up to 4 gigawatts’ worth of hydrogen each year, making it among the largest such factories in the world. Nel looked at every state, but picked the longtime home of the American automotive industry for its new “gigafactory” to be near General Motors. Michigan also offered attractive financial incentives, partnerships with universities and training programs, and strong support from the governor’s office, Volldal said. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called the new Nel plant a “phenomenal opportunity.” She said cleaner, alternative sources of energy improve the quality of people’s lives and...

McDonald’s franchises fined for child labor violations

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:24:56 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Two 10-year-olds are among the 300 children who worked at a McDonald’s restaurants with no or little pay, a Labor Department investigation of franchisees in Louisville, Kentucky, found.Agency investigators found more than 300 minors, including the 10-year-olds, were working illegally, the Labor Department said Tuesday. The franchisees were fined $212,000 in total.Louisville’s Bauer Food LLC, which operates 10 McDonald’s locations, employed 24 minors under the age of 16 to work more hours than legally permitted, the agency said. Among those were two 10-year-old children. The agency said the children sometimes worked as late as 2 a.m., but were not paid.“Below the minimum age for employment, they prepared and distributed food orders, cleaned the store, worked at the drive-thru window and operated a register,” the Labor Department said, adding that one child also was allowed to operate a deep fryer, which is prohibited task for workers under 16.Franch...

Floods from heavy rainfall kill at least 129 in Rwanda

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:24:56 GMT

KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — Torrential rains caused flooding in western and northern Rwanda, killing at least 129 people, a public broadcaster said Wednesday.The death toll “continues to rise,” the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency said Wednesday. “This could be the highest disaster-induced death toll to be recorded in the country in the shortest period, according to available records from recent years,” the government-backed New Times newspaper reported. Francois Habitegeko, governor of Rwanda’s Western province, told reporters that a search for more victims was underway following heavy rain Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Strong rainstorms started last week, causing flooding and mudslides that swept away several houses across the country and left some roads inaccessible.The Rwanda Meteorology Agency has warned that more rain is coming. The government has in the past asked residents living in wetlands and other dangerous areas to relocate.The western and northern provinces and Kigali...

Sheriff: Wisconsin man pretended to be in Marines while in prison, takes thousands from girlfriend and her family

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:24:56 GMT

(WFRV) - A 34-year-old man from Wisconsin is facing two felony charges after he allegedly provided false statements about military service and leveraged that to get thousands of dollars.According to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, 34-year-old Jakobie Timblin was arraigned in court in April on two counts regarding his alleged involvement in a stolen military valor case. An investigation revealed that Timblin allegedly started talking with a victim online back in 2015. Jackson Mahomes arrested, charged with sexual battery A year later, the victim was reportedly contacted by someone posing as Timblin's mother, who asked the victim if she would write to him overseas. The reason Timblin was overseas was because he was allegedly serving as a member of the United States Marines. Over the course of the next several years, the victim communicated with Timblin via letters. In 2019 the two met in person for the first time and started dating. Also, in 2019, the victim was reportedly c...

DeSantis trails Trump by 36 points in new poll

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:24:56 GMT

(The Hill) – Former President Trump, who’s running to return to the White House in 2024, now leads Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), a possible contender who hasn’t yet declared a 2024 bid, by 36 points in a new poll of Republican primary voters.A CBS News-YouGov poll, released Monday, found Trump at the head of a hypothetical GOP primary field with 58% of the vote, followed by DeSantis with 22%.  DeSantis-backed board countersues Disney Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) and conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, both of whom have launched official bids for the Republican nomination, earned just 4% and 5%, respectively. Former Vice President Mike Pence, who hasn’t yet said whether he’s running, also earned 5%.DeSantis has polled as a top potential GOP contender and has been stoking speculation about a possible 2024 run, but Trump has pulled well ahead of the Florida governor in recent polling. Among those in the CBS News poll who say they’re voting for the for...