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Canadian Afghan advisers take government to court over alleged discrimination

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:53 GMT

OTTAWA — Two Canadians who served the military in Afghanistan are suing the federal government over alleged discrimination for failing to rescue their family members from the Taliban. The federal government recently created a program to ensure the families of Canadians who served as language and cultural advisers in Afghanistan are brought to safety.But the criteria is so restrictive it doesn’t apply to some family members who were threatened because of their connection to Canada’s military efforts before the Taliban takeover in August 2021. In their lawsuit, the advisers compare the plight of their family members to that of Ukrainians, who were offered an unlimited number of temporary visas to flee the Russian invasion and work or study in Canada.Lawyer Nicholas Pope says Ukrainians have been offered better immigration benefits, even though the Afghans he represents are facing just as much danger. The federal government hasn’t yet responded to the court filing, bu...

Artificial intelligence raises risk of extinction, experts say in new warning

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:53 GMT

LONDON — Scientists and tech industry leaders, including high-level executives at Microsoft and Google, issued a new warning Tuesday about the perils that artificial intelligence poses to humankind. “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war,” the statement said. Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGPT maker OpenAI, and Geoffrey Hinton, a computer scientist known as the godfather of artificial intelligence, were among the hundreds of leading figures who signed the statement, which was posted on the Center for AI Safety’s website.Worries about artificial intelligence systems outsmarting humans and running wild have intensified with the rise of a new generation of highly capable AI chatbots such as ChatGPT. It has sent countries around the world scrambling to come up with regulations for the developing technology, with the European Union blazing the trail with its AI Act expected to be approved...

AUDIO QUIZ: Try to spell the words from the Scripps National Spelling Bee finals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:53 GMT

OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — The middle school-age spellers who make it to the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee spend years studying roots and language patterns and poring over the dictionary in order to give themselves a chance to be crowned bee champion. They use those skills to decipher what letters could possibly make the sounds in words that everyday English speakers never hear, much less use in conversation. Here are 10 words taken from a round in the 2022 finals, along with their definitions. Listen carefully: Can you spell any of them correctly?ANSWERS1. dasypodid2. martinete3. phenocoll4. tyrolienne5. opisometer 6. ditalini7. coracidium8. charadriiform9. ajivika10. PachytylusBen Nuckols, The Associated Press

Malta says it didn’t find migrant boat in distress alerted by NGOs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:53 GMT

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Authorities on the European island nation of Malta have contested accusations made by a group of nongovernmental organizations a day earlier regarding a migrant boat in distress.“Following multiple verifications of reported position through multiple searches, no boat was sighted in the reported position,” the Armed Forces of Malta said in an email to The Associated Press on Tuesday.On Monday, four rescue groups operating in the central Mediterranean accused Maltese authorities of coordinating the return of around 500 people to eastern Libya where they were subsequently imprisoned, in violation of international maritime law.The group of migrants, including 55 children and pregnant women, had been trying to reach Europe on May 23 aboard a rusty iron fishing vessel when they reported to Alarm Phone — a hotline for migrants in distress — that they were adrift and taking in water, according to the NGO.Communicating by satellite phone, the migrants shared their GPS...

Minnesota governor readies to sign bill legalizing recreational cannabis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:53 GMT

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (AP) — Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz is scheduled to sign a bill Tuesday that legalizes recreational marijuana for people over the age of 21, making Minnesota the 23rd state to legalize the substance for adults.Former Gov. Jesse Ventura, who supported legalization when he served from 1999-2003, is expected to attend the signing ceremony. Walz said in November that Ventura would be invited because Ventura was one of the first governors in the country to support legalization.Under the new measure, it would become legal by Aug. 1 to possess, use and grow marijuana at home. Possession of cannabis flower would be limited to 2 pounds (0.9 kilos) at home and 2 ounces (56 grams) in public. Stricter caps would be placed on cannabis products with concentrated THC. Retail sales at dispensaries would probably be at least a year away. Once licensed, stores would charge sales tax plus a 10% cannabis tax.Minnesotans who have been convicted of misdemeanor or petty misdemean...

Pembina Pipeline partnering with Marubeni Corp. on ammonia export project

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:53 GMT

CALGARY — Pembina Pipeline Corp. says it has reached an agreement with Japanese conglomerate Marubeni Corp. to create an ammonia supply chain for exports to Asian markets.Calgary-based Pembina Pipeline says the project includes joint development of low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia production facilities near Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.The company says the project will make use of existing infrastructure and regional natural gas supplies to produce the hydrogen, along with the ammonia which is used as a hydrogen carrier.The project is expected to have a design capacity of up to 185 kilotonnes per year of hydrogen production, which would be converted into about a million tonnes a year of ammonia that would be carried to the west coast via rail. Pembina Pipeline says it plans to use carbon capture and storage to capture a “significant” amount of the carbon emissions. The company says the project would potentially serve as an anchor to develop a wider low-carbon complex that it c...

Suburban driving instructor allegedly sexually abused student

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:53 GMT

ST. CHARLES, Ill. — A driving teacher is facing 13 counts of sex abuse after allegedly abusing one of his students in 2021.Paul Bocska, 56, of St. Charles, was taken into custody last week. He's facing eight counts of criminal sexual assault and five counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.Prosecutors allege Boscka had sexual contact with one of his students, who was a minor, at Drive Now Driving School, located in the 100 block of North Second Street. Suburban man accused of DUI after passenger dies in crash His bond was set at $50,000. Boscka posted $5,000 and he was released.Anyone with information should call police at 630-377-4435.

Blackhawks' anthem singer keeps his Memorial Day weekend tradition going

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:53 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS — One of the biggest moments at one of the world's biggest sports events once again featured someone who is well-known among Chicago sports fans. In fact, the Blackhawks' national anthem singer is making it a tradition of his own. For the 7th consecutive year, @NHLBlackhawks @Anthem_Singer Jim Cornelison performs “Back Home Again in Indiana” at the #Indy500 at @IMS just ahead of the command to start the engines..@WGNNews pic.twitter.com/xYXIS8fKhj— Larry Hawley (@HawleySports) May 28, 2023As part of the pre-race festivities for the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500, Jim Cornelison sang "Back Home Again in Indiana" on Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.The song is traditionally performed just ahead of the command for the 33 drivers in the race to start their engines. This marks the seventh-straight year that Cornelison, who is the main performer of "The Star Spangled Banner" ahead of Blackhawks games at the United Center, has performed the song. He first...

Chick-fil-A DEI hire sparks calls for boycott

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:53 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — Chick-fil-A's newest big hire — a vice president of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) — has some conservative groups calling for a boycott. The fast food giant has been a favorite among many over the years, due in large part to its religious roots and sporadic financial support of anti-LGBTQ organizations, but the hire of Erick McReynolds, VP, DEI, has some claiming the company has "gone woke."Loosely defined, DEI is a variable set of principles that organizations and companies are increasingly incorporating in their work environments. As explained by job resource outlet Indeed, DEI "is often used to describe the programs and initiatives a company has in place to improve those areas." DEI actions can include actions like hiring more diverse employees, making pay more equal, and including training for non-minority employees on how to support their minority colleagues, for instance. The principles have been criticized by many conservatives in recent years. Hungove...

These states have had the most drownings in recent years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:53 GMT

(The Hill) -- Following the Memorial Day holiday, more Americans will soon be confronting a years-long summertime problem: fewer lifeguards on duty, particularly raising significant safety issues.A shortage in lifeguards has been ongoing since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, with a third of the more than 300,000 public U.S. pools being affected, according to the American Lifeguard Association. Bernard Fisher, the director of health and safety for the group, told Axios that the pandemic “wiped the slate of certified lifeguards completely clean.” Lifeguards need to be recertified every two years, which also could be contributing to the shortage.  9 injured in Memorial Day shooting at Florida beach The shortages might cause thousands of pools to be closed or operate on reduced hours throughout the summer. Adam Katchmarchi, the executive director of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, said that drownings had been dropping since 2020, but they starte...