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UN food agency: $800m urgently needed for Afghanistan

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:57:35 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The U.N. food agency said Monday it urgently needs $800 million for the next six months to help Afghanistan, which is at the highest risk of famine in a quarter of a century.Aid agencies have been providing food, education and health care support to Afghans in the wake of the Taliban takeover of August 2021 and the economic collapse that followed it. But distribution has been severely impacted by a Taliban edict last December banning women from working at national and international nongovernmental groups. The U.N. was not part of this ban but last week it said the Taliban-led government has stopped Afghan women from working at its agencies in the country. Authorities have yet to comment on the restriction.The World Food Program said women aid workers play a vital role in delivering the agency’s food and nutrition assistance and that it it will make “every possible effort” to keep this going, while also trying to ensure the active involvement of female staff. “...

More than 40% of farm operators to retire by 2033: report

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:57:35 GMT

TORONTO — A new report says more than 40 per cent of farm operators will retire over the next decade, leaving Canada with a shortage.The report from the Royal Bank of Canada, Boston Consulting Group Centre for Canada’s Future and Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph says the country will be short 24,000 general farm, nursery and greenhouse operators.It also estimates that 66 per cent of producers do not have a succession plan in place.To address the shortage and lack of succession plans, the report says Canada will need to accept 30,000 permanent immigrants by 2033 to take over existing farms and greenhouses or establish their own.It also recommends the country build a new pipeline of domestic operators and workers by bolstering agriculture education and increasing spending on automation, which can make existing farms more efficient.The report says the shortage will come at critical moment because Canada’s agricultural sector will need to produce significantly mor...

Big changes, top projects, LaFlamme: What to look for at the Canadian Screen Awards

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:57:35 GMT

TORONTO — The Canadian Screen Awards have been positioned as the country’s most esteemed honour for homegrown film, television and digital media. But while in-person celebrations return this week for the first time in four years, the usual splashy televised marquee gala has been scrapped for a pre-recorded show Sunday on CBC and CBC Gem. Four days of events begin Tuesday in Toronto where awards will be handed out at seven genre-based bashes. That includes the best picture prize on Thursday and best TV drama and best TV comedy on Friday, which in previous years had been reserved for the Sunday telecast.Here’s a look at five things to watch for during Canadian Screen Week.  COMBINED ACTING CATEGORIESThe Screen Awards are going with gender-neutral acting categories this year, with organizers explaining it as a bid to better accommodate gender non-conforming performers, including those who may not identify as male or female. The move eliminates separate prizes for best actor...

Pope renews call to pray for peace celebrating Easter Monday

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:57:35 GMT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis renewed his call to pray for peace on Easter Monday, celebrating the Regina Coeli (Queen of the Heavens) prayer in St. Peter’s Square. At the end of the prayer, the pontiff recalled the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which brought an end to decades of violent conflict between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. In a restatement of his Easter message, he invited people to continue to pray for peace in the world, especially in troubled Ukraine.Pope Francis on Sunday invoked prayers for both the Ukrainian and Russian people and praised nations which welcome refugees. The 86-year-old pontiff, who was hospitalized recently with bronchitis, skipped the traditional Good Friday nighttime procession at the Colosseum because of chilly weather in Rome. During the Regina Coeli, he recalled how the women in the Gospel hurry to share the news of the resurrection and teach the faithful that they encounter Jesus by bearing witness to...

7 electricity pylons collapse onto highway in South Africa

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:57:35 GMT

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — At least seven large electricity pylons collapsed onto a highway near the South African capital of Pretoria, causing a multiple-vehicle crash, city authorities and emergency services said Monday.Two people were “moderately” injured in the car crash, treated at the scene and taken to the hospital, the private Promed paramedic service said.The pylon collapses had caused high-voltage cables to “hang extremely low over the highway,” causing vehicles to swerve to avoid them and resulting in the crash, Promed said.The City of Tshwane, which oversees the Pretoria metropolitan area, said the pylons collapsed Sunday night. The reason for their collapse was unclear but Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink said there is a “very strong possibility that this is because of criminal vandalism.”There had previously been attempts to steal sections of metal from the base of the pylons, Brink said, and the pylons had to be repaired.Many areas in north and east P...

Doctors express ‘cautious optimism’ on Berlusconi’s health

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:57:35 GMT

ROME (AP) — The condition of former Italian premier Silvio Berlucsconi, hospitalized in intensive care for a lung infection, is progressively improving, allowing for “cautious optimism,” his doctors said Monday.Berlusconi, 86, was taken Wednesday to the intensive care unit at Milan’s San Raffaele hospital. Doctors revealed that the media tycoon and three-time premier has had a chronic form of leukemia for some time.Monday’s new health bulletin, signed by Berlusconi’s doctors Alberto Zangrillo and Fabio Ciceri, said they observed a “progressive and constant improvement” in his condition.They added that antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory treatments are “producing the expected results, allowing us to express a cautious optimism.”Over the past few days, Berlusconi has been constantly visited by relatives and friends, who expressed optimism over his recovery.Berlusconi has a history of heart problems, and in 2020 he was hospitalized with COVID-19 and pneumonia.The Associated Press

Teck Resources doubles down on plan to split company after Glencore offer

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:57:35 GMT

VANCOUVER — Teck Resources Ltd. is doubling down on its plan to split the company, a week after Swiss mining giant Glencore made an unsolicited bid for the Vancouver miner.In an investor presentation issued today, Teck says its separation will give shareholders more choice and ways to maximize value because they will hold shares in both Teck Metals and Elk Valley Resources.The company says its plan provides a responsible exit from steelmaking coal at fair value.It adds that Teck’s current plan has no competition or regulatory hurdles to overcome.Glencore’s offer of 7.78 of its shares for each Teck Class B subordinate voting share amounts to a 20 per cent premium on the date its offer was made.Teck’s board of directors unanimously rejected the offer because it would expose shareholders to copper and thermal coal and oil trading, and said the pitch did not present a “coherent plan” for its proposed coal company. This report by The Canadian Press was first...

'Multiple casualties' after shooting in downtown Louisville

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:57:35 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Police are reporting “multiple casualties” as they respond to a shooting in a bank building in downtown Louisville.The Louisville Metro Police Department said Monday on Twitter there was an ongoing situation and asked people to avoid the area. "There are multiple casualties," police said in the tweet. Police described it as an “active aggressor.”Witnesses who left the building told WHAS-TV they heard gunfire inside the building.Numerous police vehicles were seen on television footage. WHAS reporters said they saw people being taken from the scene in ambulances.In a tweet, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he was heading to the scene.“Please pray for all of the families impacted and for the city of Louisville,” Beshear said.The FBI said its agents were also responding to the shooting.

'Like a bomb going off': Explosion at Kansas home caught on camera

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:57:35 GMT

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) -- One person died after a house exploded in Wichita, Kansas, on Sunday. The explosion sent flaming debris flying into neighbors' yards. Sedgwick County dispatchers said calls reporting an explosion came in around 5:30 p.m. Once fire crews arrived at the home, they started trying to put out the flames. Fireworks started to go off as firefighters fought the initial blaze, said Wichita Fire Department Battalion Chief Jose Ocadiz.Neighbor Craig Hubbard described hearing a series of explosions. He caught one of the blasts on video. "I just heard a huge explosion, like a bomb going off, and it rattled like the windows," he said. "The third explosion happened as I was standing there, and debris landed everywhere." Hubbard said pieces of debris that looked like roof shingles landed in nearby yards, catching some of the grass on fire. Video Hubbard took shows him stomping out the flames. Zach Sherman, who also lives in the neighborhood, sa...

'Justice delayed': Hays County has backlog of 5,000+ unfiled criminal cases

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:57:35 GMT

HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Newly elected Hays County District Attorney Kelly Higgins said they are dealing with a backlog of more than 5,000 unfiled criminal cases. He said some of those cases date back to the second half of 2021."From, you know, murderers, to smoking a joint, right, I mean, the whole range," Higgins said. How did we get here?Higgins said the cases were so backed up because of the office's intake process from previous administrations. "There's either a warrant or a field arrest without a warrant made, and then a police officer will write a report about that and forward that report to our office. And that's our first look at any case," he said. Higgins said intake coordinators will then look at the case, create a file and start filling it with information a lawyer might want to determine what to do with that case. However, he said they were spending too much time processing information in a way that was "duplicative, redundant and unhelpful." RELATED COVERAGE: 83...