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In the news today: Pro-Israel rally in Ottawa, Canadian confirmed dead in Lebanon

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:36 GMT

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…Pro-Israel rally planned for Parliament HillProminent Jewish groups are set to host a rally on Parliament Hill this afternoon in solidarity with Israel. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs says the event is meant to be a show of collective strength in the face of what it calls staggering antisemitism. Speakers will include people whose family members were killed by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 and a Canadian woman whose Israeli cousin is among the hostages held in the Gaza Strip. Global Affairs confirms Canadian death in Lebanon, 8th since Israel-Hamas war beganA Canadian citizen has been confirmed dead in Lebanon, the eighth since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.In an update Sunday evening, Global Affairs Canada provided no further details but did confirm that 130 more Canadians left Gaza this weekend after the Rafah border crossing reopened to foreign nat...

Canada’s telecom sector awaiting key regulatory decisions after transformative year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:36 GMT

Canada’s telecom sector faced a significant shakeup in 2023 after Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne handed down a mandate requiring the CRTC to prioritize consumer rights, affordability, competition and universal access.The directive, which rescinded a 2006 policy direction for the agency to rely on market forces when making decisions, has since guided the direction of a number of regulatory proceedings.Headed into 2024, many of those remain ongoing, or have resulted in rulings being contested by parties involved. Here’s where some of those deliberations stand as 2023 winds down.Internet competitionIn a move that quickly drew the ire of Bell Canada, the CRTC announced on Nov. 6 it would require that company, along with Telus Corp., to provide independent competitors with access to their fibre-to-the-home networks in Ontario and Quebec within six months.The move is meant to stimulate competition for internet services in Canada’s two largest provinces, wh...

Trial set to start for Saskatchewan Mountie charged with first-degree murder

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:36 GMT

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. — The first-degree murder trial of a former Mountie is set to begin in Prince Albert, Sask., today. Bernie Herman was charged with first-degree murder in the death of 26-year-old Braden Herman in 2021. The two are not related.Braden Herman’s body was found in an isolated area of Little Red River Park on the outskirts of Prince Albert that May. Bernie Herman, who was a 32-year member of the RCMP, was arrested the same day.Family members say Braden Herman was kind, caring and thoughtful. “He was a very gentle person, a gentle giant,” said his older brother, Brett Herman. “He was a big kid but he would never hurt a fly.” Brett Herman said he’s not sure how his brother and the RCMP officer first met each other. Family have said he and the officer grew up in neighbouring northern Saskatchewan communities — Braden Herman was from Clearwater River Dene Nation and Bernie Herman was from La Loche.At some point, Braden Herman lived with the officer and h...

Large pro-Israel rally planned for Parliament Hill on Monday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:36 GMT

OTTAWA — Prominent Jewish groups are set to host a rally on Parliament Hill this afternoon in solidarity with Israel. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs says the event is meant to be a show of collective strength in the face of what it calls staggering antisemitism. Speakers will include people whose family members were killed by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 and a Canadian woman whose Israeli cousin is among the hostages held in the Gaza Strip. They also include deputy Conservative leader Melissa Lantsman and Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, along with the Israeli ambassador to Canada. Organizers say they want to gather people who believe in Israel’s right to exist and its need to defend itself against terror, and will call on the international community to push for the release of hostages held by Hamas.Israel resumed deadly airstrikes on southern Gaza this weekend after a weeklong truce fell apart on Friday, with both sides blaming the other. The Israeli army said more than...

The North Korean leader calls for women to have more children to halt a fall in the birthrate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:36 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said it is a duty of women to halt a fall in the country’s births in order to strengthen national power, state media said Monday, as his government steps up the call for the people to have more children.While getting a detailed read on North Korea’s population trends is extremely difficult because of the limited statistics it discloses, South Korea’s government assesses that the North’s fertility rate has declined steadily for the past 10 years. That is a concerning development for a country that depends on mobilized labor to help keep its broken, heavily sanctioned economy afloat. Kim’s latest appeal for women to have more children was made Sunday during the country’s National Mothers Meeting, the first of its kind in 11 years. “Stopping the decline in birthrates and providing good child care and education are all our family affairs that we should solve together with our mothers,” Kim said in his opening spee...

Commission sends request for information to Meta under the Digital Services Act

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:36 GMT

The European Commission has formally sent Meta a request for information under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The Commission is requesting Meta to provide additional information on the measures it has taken to comply with its obligations to assess risks and take effective mitigation measures linked to the protection of minors, including regarding the circulation of self-generated child sexual abuse material (SG-CSAM) on Instagram. Information is also requested about Instagram's recommender system and amplification of potentially harmful content.Meta must provide the requested information to the Commission by 22 December 2023. Based on the assessment of the replies, the Commission will assess next steps. This could entail the formal opening of proceedings pursuant to Article 66 of the DSA.Pursuant to Article 74 (2) of the DSA, the Commission can impose fines for incorrect, incomplete, or misleading information in response to a request for information. In case of failure to reply, th...

Miss Manners: I was in tears after this stranger’s comment in the grocery store

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:36 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My family planned a large gathering at my home to take place right after my husband’s funeral.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: Both teens are uncomfortable with the other mom’s comparisons Advice | Miss Manners: I want Florida woman to stop sending these texts Advice | Miss Manners: Our little boy’s striking hair prompts questions we’d rather not answer Advice | Miss Manners: Did they really think it was OK to say this in an obituary? Advice | Miss Manners: I get tactless comments about my literary name The morning of the funeral, I went to pick up a number of food trays at the local grocery store. A woman standing at the counter commented about the big party I must be having and how she wished she could come.I responded that it wasn’t what she thought. I walked away and went to the car to cry.Even if people think their unsolicited comment is well-in...

6 Prince George’s Co. firefighters hospitalized after truck overturns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:36 GMT

Prince George's County Fire Department truck overturned on Monday, Dec. 4, 2023. (Courtesy, PGFD) Prince George's County Fire Department truck overturned on Monday, Dec. 4, 2023. (Courtesy, PGFD) Prince George’s County, Maryland, fire and rescue officials say six first responders have been hospitalized after an incident late Sunday night.The department said firefighters were on the scene of a structure fire near Good Luck Road and Kenilworth Avenue just before 11 p.m. when a “fire apparatus accident” on College Park station fire truck 812 caused the truck to overturn.There were six first responders on board.“All six firefighters onboard were transported to hospitals with minor injuries,R...

U.S. Air Force says divers have found remains and wreckage from an Osprey aircraft that crashed off southwestern Japan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:36 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — U.S. Air Force says divers have found remains and wreckage from an Osprey aircraft that crashed off southwestern Japan.Source

Venezuela aprueba un referéndum simbólico para crear un nuevo estado en el territorio del Esequibo. ¿Qué sigue todo?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:36 GMT

(CNN) — Los venezolanos aprobaron este domingo por un amplio margen la toma de posesión de una región rica en petróleo en la vecina Guyana, la última escalada en una larga disputa territorial entre los dos países, alimentada por el reciente descubrimiento de vastos recursos energéticos en alta mar.La zona en cuestión, la región densamente boscosa de Esequibo, equivale a dos tercios del territorio nacional de Guyana y tiene aproximadamente el tamaño de Florida.El referéndum de este domingo, en gran medida simbólico, preguntaba a los votantes si estaban de acuerdo con crear un estado venezolano en la región del Esequibo, otorgar la ciudadanía venezolana a su población e “incorporar ese estado al mapa del territorio venezolano”.¿Qué es y dónde queda Guayana Esequiba? Lo que debes saber sobre la región rica en petróleo que Venezuela disputa con GuyanaUn barco crea una isla artificial extrayendo arena de alta mar para crear un puerto costero para la producción de petról...