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Iran, Saudi Arabia agree to resume relations after tensions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:41 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran and Saudi Arabia on Friday agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies after years of tensions between the two countries, including a devastating attack on the heart of the kingdom’s oil production attributed to Tehran. The deal, struck in Beijing this week amid its ceremonial National People’s Congress, represents a major diplomatic victory for the Chinese as Gulf states perceive the United States slowly withdrawing from the wider Middle East. It also comes as diplomats have been trying to end a yearslong war in Yemen, a conflict in which both Iran and Saudi Arabia are deeply entrenched. The two countries released a joint communique with China on the deal, which apparently brokered the agreement. Chinese state media did not immediately report on the deal. Iranian state media posted images and video it described as being taken in China with the meeting. It showed Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National...

German police: 6 dead in Jehovah’s Witnesses hall shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:41 GMT

HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — A former member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses shot dead six people at a hall belonging to the congregation in the German city of Hamburg before killing himself after police arrived, authorities said Friday. Police said an unborn baby also died, without clarifying whether the baby’s mother was among the dead. Eight people were wounded, four of them seriously.There was no immediate indication of a possible motive for Thursday night’s attack, which stunned Germany’s second-biggest city, but prosecutors said there was no evidence for a terrorist link. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a former Hamburg mayor, described it as “a brutal act of violence.”Hamburg’s top security official said officers who arrived just minutes after receiving the first emergency call at 9:04 p.m. A special operations unit that was nearby reached the site at 9:09 and was able to separate the gunman from the congregation, Hamburg’s state Interior Minister Andy Grote said.“We can assume that they...

Erdogan sets May 14 election date as he seeks to extend rule

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:41 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is seeking to extend his two decades in power, on Friday formally set the country’s parliamentary and presidential elections for May 14 — a month earlier than scheduled despite last month’s devastating earthquake.The elections could be the country’s most significant vote in decades. It will determine whether the country will take a more democratic path or continue on the increasingly authoritarian course set by the strongman politician.Erdogan has ruled over Turkey since 2003 — first as prime minister and as president since 2014 — but this year’s elections could be his most challenging. The country is struggling with a troubled economy, soaring inflation and the aftermath of the powerful earthquake that killed more than 46,000 people and left hundreds of thousands of people across 11 Turkish provinces sheltering in tents or temporary accommodation.Many have criticized his government’s response to the earthquake and ac...

BMO Financial Group signs deal to acquire Air Miles loyalty rewards program

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:41 GMT

TORONTO — BMO Financial Group has signed a deal to acquire the Air Miles loyalty rewards program from LoyaltyOne Co.Financial terms of the agreement were not immediately available.Air Miles president Shawn Stewart says the deal will have no impact on collectors’ reward miles balances or on their ability to collect and redeem miles. The deal has been proposed as part of LoyaltyOne’s proceeding under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act. The process will include a sale and investment solicitation process to seek any other interest in the Air Miles business and will require court approval.Air Miles has nearly 10 million active collector accounts.This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:BMO)The Canadian Press

Weekend need to know: COVID-19 third anniversary ceremony, March Break; road closures

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:41 GMT

Schools out for a week starting this weekend as elementary and secondary schools are taking their annual March Break from March 13 to 17.Family-friendly events around the city are happening this weekend and some are going throughout the week. Click here for a list of more things to do with family during the break.Toronto also marks the third anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic with a ceremony on Saturday.There’s are no scheduled subway closures this weekend. But some new and ongoing road closures continue in the city.Also, keep in mind that Daylight Saving Time returns this weekend, which means clocks spring forward an hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday.Here’s what’s happening this weekend:Top eventsCOVID-19 third anniversary ceremonyThe City of Toronto is marking the third anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic with a gathering and public art installation.The installation is called The Burn and can be viewed at Nathan Phillips Square from Saturday at sunset to Sunday at suns...

Travellers warned to plan ahead when going away for March Break

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:41 GMT

March Break travellers are warned to use caution and plan ahead when travelling out of Toronto, and are urged give themselves plenty of extra time if they are catching a flight on Friday at Toronto Pearson Airport.As many as 250,000 passengers are expected to travel through Pearson this weekend, a 30 per cent increase from the same time last year.Passengers are asked to check in ahead of time, have valid government travel documents and give at least three hours to get through security lines.Toronto is also expected to see another round of snow hit the city, that will have an impact on flights including delays and cancellations.4 to 8 cm of snow is expected to hit the ground by the time the system passes, with snow expected to start falling around noon and will taper off by late evening.Pearson cancelled almost 40 per cent of all flights – departing and arriving – after the storm on Mar. 3, and delays and other operational changes are made as required due to the weather.The airport a...

In the EU’s inflation crisis, the humble egg takes the cake

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:41 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The humble egg has become a star performer for all the wrong reasons as inflation has hit households across the European Union extremely hard over the year. The EU’s statistical agency Eurostat announced Friday that the average price of an egg — that important staple for poor families and gourmet cooks alike — had risen by 30% over the year to January 2023, becoming a symbol of how the cost of living has hit everyone in the 27-nation bloc.Even if the latest inflation figures show that annual inflation in the 20-nation eurozone has started to decline to 8.5% in February, the sector of food, alcohol and tobacco continued to rise and stood at 15%. And then, eggs outperform just about all. Two years ago, egg inflation still stood at a lean 1%, rising to 7% the year after before reaching 30% in February. Egg prices were whipped up the most in the Czech Republic, rising 85% over the year, followed closely by two other central European nations — Hungary (80%) and Slov...

Editorial Roundup: New England

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:41 GMT

Hearst Connecticut Media. March 8, 2023. Editorial: 2 sides of CT’s criminal identity. Murder in the suburbs and illegal guns in cities.Nothing about updating laws involving guns — both illegal and legal — is ever simple.The very act of urban mayors in Connecticut working together to get illegal guns off their streets feels like progress. The mayors are focusing on disarming repeat offenders they believe are responsible for most of the state’s gun violence. Resistance is always expected when it comes to changing gun laws. In this case, the loudest blowback came from a fellow Democrat, state Sen. Gary Winfield, during a 12-hour hearing Monday.The approach taken by the mayors of Bridgeport, New Haven, Hartford and Waterbury seems practical. Far too often, those repeat offenders are committing crimes with guns while out on probation or bail. The mayors’ objective is to increase the penalties in such circumstances.Winfield essentially told the mayors to take a reality check about their ...

Kishida makes 1st pitch in Japan game with South Korea

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:41 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida threw out the first pitch for Friday’s World Baseball Classic game between Japan and South Korea, bouncing a ball that was scooped up by Japan manager Hideki Kuriyama, his designated catcher.Kishida had the credentials to make a better pitch. He was a high school baseball player and is still a big fan of his hometown professional baseball team, the Hiroshima Carp.Kishida wore No. 101 because he oversees the 101st Japanese government cabinet in modern history.His appearance was highly symbolic, signaling the improving relations between the two countries who have often been at odds related to Japan’s 1910-1945 colonial rule in Korea.Kishida has invited South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to visit Japan next week for what could be the start of some “shuttle diplomacy.”Kishida and Yoon will meet for a summit on strengthening ties, both governments said Thursday.On Monday, South Korea announced it would raise local funds to ...

Pie in the Sky: Juvenile bald eagle snatches pizza slice in Connecticut

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:41 GMT

WETHERSFIELD, Conn. (WTNH) – Connecticut is known for great pizza, and it looks like the word has spread to the skies.Nature Photographer Doug Gemmell captured the moment a juvenile bald eagle swooped down and snatched a pepperoni pizza slice at Wethersfield Cove this week.Check out the pictures in the gallery below!Credit: Doug Gemmell Nature PhotographyCredit: Doug Gemmell Nature PhotographyCredit: Doug Gemmell Nature PhotographyCredit: Doug Gemmell Nature PhotographyIt's a good thing New York City's famous pizza rat lives underground, otherwise, he might end up as part of a meal for this eagle. The city's lollipop racoon isn't as lucky and may need to watch the skies.According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, bald eagles eat small animals such as waterfowl, turtles, rabbits and snakes, but their staple food is fish -- which is why they typically live near rivers, lakes and marshes.