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Fierce storm system leaves more than a million without power in Quebec and Ontario

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:52 GMT

A fierce storm system that brought thunder, lightning and freezing rain to parts of Quebec and Ontario has more than a million hydro customers still in the dark.Much of Quebec remains under a freezing rain warning, and Hydro-Quebec said as of 3:45 a.m. EST, power outages affected nearly 1.1 million customers.Montreal authorities reported numerous calls for downed trees, while Transport Quebec said weather conditions forced it to close the Victoria Bridge, which connects Montreal with its southern suburbs.Via Rail issued a travel advisory, saying power outages and track obstructions caused service delays and cancellations in the Montreal-Toronto Corridor.Across the border in Ontario, Hydro One reported nearly 119,000 customers were without power, with winter storm warnings in place for large sections of the province.Hydro Ottawa issued a statement late Wednesday saying crews paused restoration efforts overnight due to poor visibility and falling trees and branches on overhead wires r...

Statistics Canada to release March jobs report this morning

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:52 GMT

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada is set to release March employment data this morning. The labour force survey will provide an update on how the labour market is faring amid high interest rates. After posting strong job gains over the last several months, economists are not expecting a significant change in employment in March.Both TD and CIBC are forecasting the unemployment rate ticked slightly higher to 5.1 per cent, up from five per cent in February.The Canadian economy is expected to slow down significantly this year, but so far, the labour market has shown no signs of weakness.The Bank of Canada, which is preoccupied with getting inflation down, is hoping to see easing in the labour market over the coming months.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 6, 2023.The Canadian Press

Daily horoscope for April 6, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:52 GMT

Moon Alert: Caution! Avoid shopping or major decisions after 8:30 a.m. EDT today (after 5:30 a.m. PDT). The Moon is in Libra.Happy Birthday for Thursday, April 6, 2023:You are charismatic. It’s important to surround yourself with positive-minded people, because you are very loyal to your friends. This is an excellent year. You will get recognized for past efforts. You might get a raise, a promotion, an award — some kind of acknowledgement. Bravo!ARIES(March 21-April 19)★★Do be careful, because this is a loosey-goosey day. The entire day is a Moon Alert, which means it’s a poor time to make important decisions or to shop for anything other than food or gas. Definitely do not commit to anything with a partner or close friend. Just coast. Tonight: Check your finances.TAURUS(April 20-May 20)★★This will be a challenging day at work for you because it is a Moon Alert all day. Expect shortages and a vague sense of confusion. Don’t volunteer for anything. Don’t...

Northern Ireland's 'peace babies' desperate for more progress

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:52 GMT

Bethany Moore (pictured) was six when she began to understand the "complexities" and "nuances" of Northern Ireland.Moore was born in December 1998. She is Northern Ireland's "peace baby", a generation that was born shortly after the Good Friday Agreement was signed. Moore is regarded as the embodiment of hope for the future of the region.Many people didn't know about the three decades long period of violence until they learned about it at school. Although they did not witness the bloodshed that their parents saw every day, there has been slow progress in many areas."I can recall my mummy telling me an anecdotal tale about being in grandma's and grandpa’s house, and they were discussing barricades. I asked my grandmother "granda, what's a barrier?" Moore, a Derry social policy and communications worker, spoke of the barriers that residents built to protect themselves."We are such a resilient group of people because we have to be. Retrospective is a good thing. We must look back at ou...

Miss Manners: The bride punished me because I didn’t grant her request

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:52 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Two dear friends married each other three months ago. I was invited to the wedding and so was my sister, along with our significant others. The wedding location was an hour’s drive away, so it made sense for us to carpool.The outdoor wedding — the ceremony itself, plus a celebration with ample food and beverage — was to start at 5 p.m. and end at 11 p.m. My sister is known for making brief appearances at parties, so the bride requested that my girlfriend and I drive separately. She explained that our attendance to the very end was important on her special day.As the bride knew, my girlfriend had recently had eye surgery, which made social events tiring. Against the bride’s request, we kept our plans to carpool and to leave before 11 p.m. We lasted until just after 9, at which time my girlfriend and my sister were exhausted, and we said farewell to the bride and groom.The bride seemed vexed by our “early” departure and asked me i...

Dear Abby: I’m married, but I want my new love to commit to me

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:52 GMT

DEAR ABBY: I am married, but my wife and I are unhappy and have been for years. We grew apart after 17 years.We tried counseling multiple times; it only reinforces the decision to divorce. I have had two affairs. One lasted six months; the other on and off for the past nine months.The latter lady, “Gayle,” and I have an amazing connection in our lifestyles and beliefs. We even have the same birthday. It’s undeniable. We also have chemistry like no other. The problem is, she doesn’t think we will work. More than once, she has broken up with me, and then decided weeks later that she wanted to see me.I have professed my love for her and, while she hasn’t said it back, everything points to it. When we are intimate, she cries and tells me how much I mean to her.Gayle is strong-willed, independent and lives her life on her terms. When she makes a decision, it’s final. But not with me — she keeps coming back.I have written her numerous letters decl...

Diagnostican leucemia a Silvio Berlusconi, según un diario italiano

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:52 GMT

(CNN) — El exprimer ministro italiano Silvio Berlusconi fue diagnosticado con leucemia, según el Corriere della Sera, uno de los periódicos más importantes de Italia.Su portavoz, Paolo Russo, no desmintió las informaciones a preguntas de Barbie Nadeau, de CNN, y dijo que “no está autorizado a dar información sanitaria, pero el Corriere della Sera es el periódico italiano más autorizado”.Un segundo portavoz tampoco desmintió la información cuando Nadeau se puso en contacto con él.Hospitalizan al exprimer ministro italiano Silvio BerlusconiBerlusconi fue hospitalizado este miércoles por problemas respiratorios.El exprimer ministro y líder de Forza Italia, de 86 años, fue hospitalizado una semana antes, el 30 de marzo, para someterse a “controles rutinarios”, según informó su portavoz a CNN. Pero su permanencia en el hospital fue de tan solo un día.En enero de 2021, Berlusconi recibió tratamiento en un hospital de Mónaco por una condición no revelada en aq...

Traffic stopped on southbound I-95 in Prince William Co. after police chase, shooting leaves 1 dead, 1 hospitalized

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:52 GMT

A police vehicle chase ended with fatal gunfire south of Dumfries, Vriginia, and all Interstate 95 southbound lanes are blocked near Exit 148 to Quantico in Prince William County.Virginia state police said a woman died and a man suffered life-threatening injuries after an attempted traffic stop turned into a police involved shooting.More Virginia NewsMore Local NewsState police said in a statement they noticed an SUV traveling with the “wrong license plates displayed on it” in Fairfax County near Exit 167 to Backlick Road. A Virginia state trooper tried to make a traffic stop, which is when the SUV, with a man driving and a woman in the passenger side, sped away southbound.Police said the driver first crashed the SUV near mile marker 152, when it struck a guardrail, though the driver was able to continue on down I-95.Then, close to Exit 148 in Prince William County, the SUV drove off the right side of the road and crashed into the woods. Troopers said in the statement th...

UK MP Scott Benton loses Tory whip after gambling sting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:52 GMT

LONDON — The U.K.’s ruling Conservative Party has suspended the whip from MP Scott Benton, after undercover footage showed him offering to lobby ministers on behalf of gambling investors.As part of an investigation by the Times newspaper, Benton — a backbench MP elected in 2019 — was offered a paid advisory role in a fake company by reporters posing as gambling industry investors. In the secretly-filmed footage, the MP offered to ask questions in parliament, leak a confidential policy document or “call in favors” from parliamentary colleagues on behalf of the gambling industry ‘investors’. He also said he had “easy access” to government ministers if the fake firm needed urgent answers to questions. In a statement, Benton admitted he met with two individuals claiming to represent a “company offering me an expert advisory role.”“After this meeting, I was asked to forward my CV and some other personal details. I did not do so ...

EU institutions snub Twitter’s paid blue-check verification plan 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:52 GMT

Twitter is this month unrolling its new paid-verification plan, but the European Union institutions are staying away from the controversial blue checks.The European Commission and European Parliament are not currently planning to pay Twitter to get their hundreds of official EU accounts — including those of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Parliament President Roberta Metsola — verified under the “Twitter Blue” program, according to the institutions’ press services. Reversing a previous policy that aimed to limit misinformation, Twitter said it will this month remove legacy blue checks that used to certify the authenticity of government officials, journalists and public figures’ accounts unless they pay. Meanwhile, any users could also soon be able to subscribe to get the once-coveted blue tick. Announced in November 2022 after Elon Musk bought the platform, the plan has sparked fears that it could result in a wave of fake accounts and an uptick in fake...