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Anger in Sweden as Nobel Prize organizers invite Russia and Belarus to the award ceremonies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:43 GMT

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Several Swedish lawmakers said Friday they will boycott this year’s Nobel Prize ceremonies after the private foundation that administers the prestigious awards changed its policy and invited Russia, Belarus and Iran who had previously been barred from attending.The Nobel Foundation said that invitations for the 2023 events were extended to all countries with diplomatic missions in Sweden and Norway as that “promotes opportunities to convey the important messages of the Nobel Prize to everyone.” It was unclear whether the invitations have already been sent.Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told Swedish news agency TT he would not have allowed Russia to attend if it had been his choice.”To isolate Russia in every possible way — militarily, economically — it is necessary,” he told the TT news agency. Kristersson did not comment on whether he would boycott the event, but others were more forthright.Muharrem Demirok, the leader of the Sweden’s small opposition...

North York gas leak forces evacuations, closes stretch of Yonge Street

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:43 GMT

Toronto police closed a stretch of Yonge Street in both directions between Cummer and Hendon avenues and evacuated a building in the area after a gas leak on Friday morning.Police say the leak happened after an excavator hit a gas gas line. Enbridge is now on scene assessing the situation.It’s not clear when the road will be reopened, but occupants of the evacuated building at 5799 Yonge St. have been cleared to return.No injuries have been reported.GAS LEAK: UPDATEYonge St + Cummer Av– Police @TPS32Div is on scene with @Toronto_Fire– Nearby buildings are being evacuated^lb— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) September 1, 2023

This isn’t what I ordered: Lawsuits accuse Burger King, others of ads that misrepresent their foods

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:43 GMT

Food ads have long made their subjects look bigger, juicier and crispier than they are in real life. But some consumers say those mouthwatering ads can cross the line into deception, and that’s leading to a growing number of lawsuits.Burger King is the latest company in the crosshairs. In August, a federal judge in Florida refused to dismiss a class action lawsuit that claims Burger King’s ads overstate the amount of meat in its Whopper burger and other sandwiches.But Burger King is far from the only one. Perkins Coie, a law firm that tracks class action suits, said 214 were filed against food and beverage companies in 2022 and 101 were filed in the first six months of this year. That’s a huge increase from 2010, when just 45 were filed.Pooja Nair, who represents food and beverage companies as a partner with the Beverly Hills, California-based law firm Ervin Cohen and Jessup, said waves of class action lawsuits started hitting federal courts a few years ago.Some of the first were fa...

A man convicted of murder in Pennsylvania and wanted in Brazil remains at large after prison escape

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:43 GMT

WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — A man recently convicted of murder in Pennsylvania for the fatal stabbing his ex-girlfriend remained at large Friday, a day after he escaped from a county jail.Danelo Cavalcante, 34, is also wanted in his native Brazil in a separate slaying and is considered an extremely dangerous person, Chester County prosecutors say.The search continued Friday, with authorities widening the search area, following up on every lead and doing everything they can to find Cavalcante, said Dana Moore, a spokesperson for the Chester County district attorney’s office.Cavalcante escaped Thursday morning and was seen walking on a road near the prison shortly afterward, authorities said. Authorities did not disclose the circumstances of his escape, but said the matter is the subject of an internal investigation.A jury convicted Cavalcante last month of killing Deborah Brandao, his ex-girlfriend, in front of her children in April 2021. Prosecutors have said that he killed Brand...

It’s joy mixed with sorrow as Ukrainian children go back to school in the midst of war

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:43 GMT

BUCHA, Ukraine (AP) — In a small courtyard at a school in Bucha, scene of some of the worst atrocities committed by Russian soldiers during the war, Ukrainian children gathered Friday to celebrate the first day of the new school year.First graders dressed in Ukrainian embroidered costume shirts known as vyshyvankas, with neat hairstyles and holding bouquets of flowers, line up hesitantly along an improvised stage. Parents, many struggling to contain their emotions, smile and wave from the crowd, constantly taking photos.But the festive ambiance quickly shifts as the Ukrainian national anthem is played, followed by a solemn minute of silence in memory of fallen Ukrainian soldiers. Onstage, the children stand quietly, and in the audience, some parents quietly wipe away tears.“We are not afraid of war or missiles, because we will overcome everything!” a final year student shouts from the stage.This atmosphere of joy mixed with sorrow sets the tone for the start of the new school year i...

Authorities release bodycam video showing the fatal police shooting of Black woman Ta’Kiya Young

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:43 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio authorities on Friday released bodycam video showing the f atal police shooting of Ta’Kiya Young, a young pregnant Black woman.Young’s family has seen the video, the family’s lawyer said Friday. The footage shows Young slowly accelerating toward the officer in her path as he yells for her to stop before firing the single bullet that ended her life. Young, a 21-year-old from Columbus, was pronounced dead shortly after the Aug. 24 shooting outside a grocery store in the suburb of Blendon Township. Her unborn daughter did not survive.The footage, which comes more than a week after her death, showed one officer at the driver’s side window, repeatedly demanding that Young “get out of the car.” Sean Walton, an attorney for the Young family, told The Associated Press on Thursday that the family grew frustrated with delays in the police department timeline of releasing body camera footage publicly.He said the community will be outraged. “She was an una...

PWHL names six general managers as teams begin roster construction

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:43 GMT

The new Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) announced on Friday the six general managers for its inaugural season.Gina Kingsbury (Toronto), Daniele Sauvageau (Montreal), Michael Hirshfeld (Ottawa), Natalie Darwitz (Minnesota), Danielle Marmer (Boston) and Pascal Daoust (New York).“Securing highly qualified general managers was a priority to help build strong foundations in each of our original six PWHL markets and delivering professional standards for all players,” Jayna Hefford, PWHL senior vice president of hockey operations, said in a statement. “The search process identified a lot of impressive candidates from which we’ve assembled an exceptional group with collective experience across the highest levels of the game, both on and off the ice.”We are proud to announce the six inaugural General Managers of the PWHL!Learn more about our GMshttps://t.co/6qhYZM7WqH pic.twitter.com/JoqYnfqYDY— PWHL (@thepwhlofficial) September 1, 2023Kingsbury was promoted to vice-president of ho...

Syrian insurgents kill at least 9 soldiers in attack in the country’s northwest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:43 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Al-Qaida-linked militants attacked an army position in northwest Syria on Friday, killing at least nine government soldiers and wounding others, opposition activists said. There was no immediate word from the government.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said nine soldiers died as well as one of the attackers, who belong to the al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, the strongest insurgent group in northwest Syria. It said 12 soldiers and one HTS member were wounded in the attack.Taher al-Omar, an opposition activist who closely follows HTS, said the attack in the northwestern province of Latakia killed 18 soldiers and several others.The attack came less than a week after insurgents in northwest Syria attacked an army position, killing and wounding more than 30 troops.In another part of north Syria, Turkey-backed opposition gunmen briefly captured the village of Mahsanli, which is controlled by Kurdish fighters. The...

Man arrested after two violent robbery attempts at jewellery stores in North York

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:43 GMT

A Toronto man is facing several charges after he allegedly attempted to rob two jewellery stores in North York while brandishing weapons.Police say they responded to a robbery call at a business in the area of Wilson Avenue and Dufferin Street on Aug. 21.It’s alleged a suspect disguised as a construction worker with a toolbox entered the store and pretended he was there to do work.The suspect grabbed an employee and tried to bind their hands with zip-ties before pulling out a hammer and smashing glass display cases and removing jewellery. Police allege the suspect then pulled out a knife and started threatening the store employees.After a struggle, the suspect dropped his toolbox, backpack and knife before fleeing the store without any stolen items.Toronto police responded to a second incident on Thursday at a jewellery store in a mall near Yonge Street and Empress Avenue.It’s alleged the suspect went to the store for a scheduled meeting to buy an expensive watch. While ...

Shooting of a brown bear leaves 2 cubs motherless and sparks outrage in Italy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:43 GMT

ROME (AP) — The slaying of an endangered brown bear near an Italian national park left her two young cubs motherless and sparked outrage in Italy on Friday.Italy’s environment minister and animal rights advocates voiced anger and dismay over the killing of the bear in the mountainous Abruzzo region. Local residents, including families with small children, had often stopped to watch the bear and her cubs during the animal family’s frequent evening excursions through streets near the park.The National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise described the slain animal, nicknamed Amarena — or Black Cherry in Italian — as one of its most prolific brown bears. Residents coined the name because cherries and black cherries were among the bear’s favorite foods, the Corriere della Sera newspaper said.The man who shot the bear with a rifle Thursday night in the town of San Benedetto dei Marsi told police the animal was on his property and he felt in danger, the Italian news agency ...