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Muslim-majority nations express outrage and plan street protests over Quran desecration in Sweden

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:53 GMT

BAGHDAD (AP) — Muslim-majority nations expressed outrage Friday at the desecration of a copy of the Quran in Sweden. Some prepared for street demonstrations following midday prayers to show their anger. In Iran, Iraq and Lebanon, protesters planned demonstrations after Swedish police permitted a protest Thursday in which an Iraqi Christian living in Stockholm kicked and stood on a Quran, Islam’s holy book, outside of the Iraqi Embassy. Hours before that, demonstrators in Baghdad broke into the Swedish Embassy and lit a fire to show their anger at his threats to burn the book.Iraqi Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani has ordered the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador from Iraq and the withdrawal of the Iraqi charge d’affaires from Sweden. But that may not be enough to calm those angered, and another protest in Baghdad is planned for Friday afternoon.In neighboring Iran, demonstrators also planned to take to the streets. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has written a ...

European official: EU likely to keep missile sanctions on Iran

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:53 GMT

A European official on Tuesday said he expected no difficulty persuading EU nations to maintain ballistic missile sanctions on Iran that are due to expire in October.The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said he sees a window of opportunity by the end of 2023 to try to negotiate a de-escalatory nuclear deal with Iran."We may have a small window of opportunity to try to resume discussions with them on (a) return to the JCPOA or at least to an agreement of de-escalation … before the end of the year," the official told reporters in Washington.The JCPOA, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, is a defunct 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and major powers under which Tehran agreed to restrain its nuclear program in return for relief from U.S., EU and U.N. sanctions.In June, sources told Reuters that European diplomats had informed Iran they planned to retain EU ballistic missile sanctions set to expire in October under the nuclear deal, a step they said could provoke...

Navigating the Film Industry with an Entrepreneurial  Spirit: The Journey of James Roberts

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:53 GMT

In the realm of cinema, serendipity often brings forth hidden gems, and James Roberts is a quintessential diamond in the rough. A modern-day entrepreneur with a penchant for storytelling, Roberts is the epitome of a reinvented spirit. This former corporate lawyer hung up his suit and tie to document projects across the globe, creating heartwarming tales on film.Imagine this: A young, ambitious Roberts is knee-deep in legal jargon and paperwork. A seemingly innocuous conversation with a fellow lawyer leads to an epiphany. Roberts suddenly realizes that his insatiable wanderlust and innate creativity have been gathering dust. So, what does he do? He dives headfirst into the fascinating world of films and documentaries. Just like that, the shackles of corporate drudgery are shattered!Roberts’ work is focused on fame, wealth, and contemporary culture. Through his lens, we have the privilege of witnessing the enchanting tapestry of human existence. One such fascinating weave is his...

Russia batters Ukraine’s grain infrastructure for 4th night

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:53 GMT

KYIV — Russia unleashed a barrage of Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea at the Odesa region for the fourth night in a row, targeting port and grain infrastructure, after Moscow withdrew from a U.N.-brokered deal that allowed Ukraine to continue exporting food to the world.“Two rockets hit the granaries of one of the agricultural enterprises in Odesa,” Oleg Kiper, head of the Odesa regional military administration, said in a statement Friday morning. “While rescuers were struggling to extinguish the fire, another missile hit the same enterprise, damaging agricultural and rescue equipment.” Two employees were injured in the strikes, he added, and 100 tons of peas and 20 tons of barley were destroyed.Over a million tons of grain are in storage awaiting transport to Africa and Asia at Ukrainian ports, which Russia has targeted nightly since pulling out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative on July 18, leading to concerns about global food prices, particularly in foo...

‘Lioness’ on the loose? More experts sought in second-day search for elusive animal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:53 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Authorities hoped Friday to have an expert on animal tracks join the hunt for an elusive and potentially dangerous animal — suspected to be a lioness — spotted on the edge of Berlin as the search stretched into a second day.Police used helicopters, drones and infrared cameras to search for the animal, with a vet and hunters also part of the effort. They were first alerted to the animal in Kleinmachnow, just outside Berlin’s city limits, around midnight on Wednesday when people reported what appeared to be a big cat chasing a wild boar.The informants also provided a video. Based on that and a subsequent sighting of their own, the police concluded that the animal was apparently a lioness. But it proved elusive in the flat, wooded area on the boundary between Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg.Kleinmachnow Mayor Michael Grubert told local public broadcaster rbb late Thursday that authorities would try to comb the forest with “professional animal track s...

Thousands march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to protest Israeli government’s judicial overhaul plan

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:53 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Thousands of Israelis joined a march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Friday in the latest protest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vow to push through a controversial overhaul of the judiciary system. Hundreds of protesters became thousands as Israelis joined the 70-kilometer (roughly 45-mile) march throughout the day in a demonstration against one of Israel’s most far-right governments in history.The demonstrators planned to camp overnight at Shoresh, about 18 kilometers (11 miles) from Jerusalem, before making their way to Israel’s parliament on Saturday, the Jewish holy day of Shabbat.The march comes a day after Netanyahu vowed to press ahead with the plan, defying demonstrators, growing defections by military reservists and appeals from U.S. President Joe Biden to put the plan on hold.Ronen Rosenblatt, 58, a high-tech worker who’d joined the march following months of frustration with Netanyahu’s government, described the event as jovi...

In the news today: Women’s World Cup, new BC port strike deal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:53 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…Canada gets 0-0 draw with Nigeria in Women’s World Cup openerCanada was left looking for positives Friday in the wake of a scoreless draw with Nigeria in its opening match at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.Coach Bev Priestman and her players found some. But it had a feel of trying to make lemonade out of lemons, especially given captain Christine Sinclair’s saved penalty in the 50th minute.The seventh-ranked Canadians outshot No. 40 Nigeria 15-10 (3-1 in shots on target) and dominated possession in the early going, creating chances that they could not convert.Possible deal in ongoing port labour disputeAnother deal has been struck between the two factions operating on B.C. ports.A statement on the website of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada Local 502 says that a tentative agreement has been reached with the B-C Maritime Emplo...

Wildfire smoke highlights need for better ventilation in public spaces, experts say

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:53 GMT

Wildfire smoke hanging over communities across Canada in recent months has highlighted the need for better ventilation in buildings used by the public, experts say, urging the establishment of strong indoor air quality standards. Health concerns over smoke from forest fires were pushed to the forefront this week after a nine-year-old boy in British Columbia died from asthma exacerbated by wildfire smoke.Experts say current air quality recommendations for public spaces are not sufficient to prevent small particulate matter, including pollutants in smoke, from circulating indoors.  As wildfires are expected to grow in the coming years – estimates have said they will increase 25 per cent by 2030 – thinking about how to make indoor air safer to breathe is paramount, experts say.“Particulate matter, fine particles in the air – smoke being one of them – is by far the most harmful pollutant and what causes the most damage to public health,” said Joey Fox, an HVAC engineer and c...

Five years on, Danforth shooting vivid for those affected, gun control key issue

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:53 GMT

TORONTO — The passage of time can feel disjointed for Ali Demircan. It may have been five years since a gunman went on a shooting rampage through Toronto’s Greektown, but the horror of what Demircan saw after being grazed by a bullet that night still hits hard.“The images are still fresh and, time to time when I close my eyes, what I see is just carnage,” he says. “I don’t feel like it’s going to go away one day. I don’t believe that I’m going to forget this.” Demircan coped with the trauma of what happened during the Danforth Avenue shooting, in part, by getting involved in the advocacy community formed in the aftermath of the violence. Being part of a movement pushing for gun control has helped to heal, he says. “When you share your experiences, it’s relieving,” he says. Demircan was with a group of friends at a parkette along Danforth Avenue on the night of July 22, 2018 when a man drew a semi-automatic handg...

Hydroponic greenhouses becoming more popular in the North, but have limitations

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:53 GMT

INUVIK, N.W.T. — Greenhouses are becoming more popular in northern communities as a way to supplement available groceries and improve food security . Some involve hydroponics, a higher-tech way of growing that doesn’t use soil. For example, the Inuvik Community Greenhouse has a hydroponic trailer parked out front, holding around 2,000 spaces for leafy greens and herbs grown year-round. Co-ordinator Adi Scott said the produce supports the greenhouse’s weekly veggie box program with additional goods going to the food bank.About a two-hour Canadian North flight away from the Inuvik greenhouse, just behind the Yellowknife Co-op, greens and herbs are being grown in a converted sea can. The hydroponic greenhouse, which opened in February 2019, is fully automated, producing between 200 and 300 packages a week. “The flavour degrades so quickly in perishable foods like leafy greens that having something that is available for sale within hours of being harvested is a totally different product...