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Quebec wildfires: Montreal fireworks festival cancels event over air quality concerns

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:19 GMT

Montreal amusement park La Ronde has cancelled the first night of an international fireworks festival because of concerns over air quality stemming from forest fires in northern Quebec.La Ronde owner Six Flags Entertainment Corporation says it cancelled tonight’s show based on a recommendation from public health officials.The company says the date cannot be rescheduled but it hopes the next show, presented by Ukraine on July 6, will be able to proceed as planned. Environment Canada has issued a smog warning for the Montreal and Laval areas due to fine particulate matter from forest fires burning across northern Quebec.The department says the smog will continue for several days but conditions will be less severe than Sunday’s smog event.There are currently 108 fires burning in Quebec despite recent rain that has reduced the intensity of several of the blazes.This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 29, 2023.The Canadian Press

Hiroshima peace park, Pearl Harbor memorial park forge sister park deal to promote peace

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:19 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Hiroshima and Pearl Harbor, two symbols of World War II animosity between Japan and the United States, are now promoting peace and friendship through a sister park arrangement.U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel and Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui signed a sister park agreement on Thursday for Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park and the Pearl Harbor National Memorial of Hawaii.“Nobody can go to Pearl Harbor, and nobody can go to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial and enter the front door, walk out the exit door and be the same person,” Emanuel said at the signing ceremony at the American Embassy in Tokyo. “I think the hope here is that we inspire people from all over the United States and all over Japan to visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial and to visit Pearl Harbor so they can learn the spirit of reconciliation,” Emanuel said.Under the sister park arrangement, the two parks will promote exchanges and share experiences in restoring historic structures and landscapes, the use of virtu...

Connecticut lawmaker is attacked after attending Muslim prayer service

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:19 GMT

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut state lawmaker was attacked as she left a Muslim prayer service, and a fellow worshiper chased and held the man until police arrived, authorities said.Rep. Mayram Khan was with her sister and her children Wednesday morning outside the XL Center, an arena in downtown Hartford, where they had attended the service, along with about 4,000 other people, marking Eid al-Adha, the end of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage by Muslims to Mecca.The man made obscene remarks, grabbed Khan, hit her and threw her to the ground, said Farhan Memon, the chair of the Connecticut chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. She suffered minor cuts and bruises. Andrey Desmond, 30, of New Britain, was detained by another worshiper until police came. He was charged with assault, unlawful restraint, breach of peace and interfering with police. It isn’t yet clear whether he knew Khan was a legislator. Police said more charges could be filed.Desmond was being ...

Movie Review: A sea monster is celebrated in ‘Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:19 GMT

We landlubbers have gotten it all wrong: Kraken aren’t terrible monsters from the sea who destroy our sailing ships and munch on our sailors. They’re kind and helpful. It’s the mermaids who are the real demons.That’s the upside-down premise to DreamWorks Animation’s sweet “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken,” a tale of generational sisterhood with the message to not hide your difference. (Oh, and slaughtering mermaids is perfectly OK.) The movie centers on Ruby Gillman, a young kraken hiding in plain sight in the human town of Oceanside. She’s blue, likes math, has a retainer and four long fingers that look like hot dogs. But she and her family have been passing. If anyone asks questions, they say they’re Canadian and that seems to work. “Let’s all have a very human day,” is their morning mantra.But 15-year-old Ruby (voiced with real tenderness by Lana Condor) is on a collision course with her mom (Toni Collette) when the subject of prom is ...

After last weekend’s abortive rebellion in Russia, the fate of some top generals is unknown

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:19 GMT

Russia’s president has succeeded in exiling Wagner mercenary head Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a brief mutiny last week, but the fate of several top generals is still unclear.There were unconfirmed reports that one of them with ties to Prigozhin has been arrested and another was mysteriously absent from several events attended by President Vladimir Putin and embattled Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.The opaque world of the Kremlin’s politics has led to intense speculation that some top military officers may have colluded with Prigozhin and may now face punishment for the mutiny that briefly sent a virtually unchallenged march toward Moscow that Putin has labeled treason and a “stab in the back.”The speculation focused on Gen. Sergei Surovikin, who has longtime links to Prigozhin and hasn’t been seen since the start of the rebellion when he posted a video urging an end to it.A Russian military blogger, the Moscow Times and the Financial Times reported that Surovikin, who is also the com...

Security increased for Wimbledon after series of protests at sports events in Britain

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:19 GMT

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — The All England Club has increased its security plans for Wimbledon in coordination with London police and other agencies ahead of the beginning of play next week, in part as a result of protests at other major sports venues in Britain this year.On Wednesday in London, environmental activists ran onto the field and briefly disrupted play about five minutes after the start of the second Ashes cricket test between England and Australia. Players from both teams intervened when the protesters attempted to spread orange powder on the field.“Based on what has happened at other sporting events, and on the advice from our key partners, we have reviewed our security plans, which have now been uplifted for The Championships accordingly,” All England Club operations director Michelle Dite said Thursday.“We have plans in place to mitigate the risks working in partnership with specialist agencies and the Metropolitan Police and should an incident occur the appropriate s...

Israel’s President Herzog will address Congress to commemorate the 75th anniversary of its statehood

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Israeli President Isaac Herzog will address a joint meeting of Congress on July 19 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Israel’s statehood and to reaffirm his nation’s special relationship with the United States, congressional leaders announced on Thursday.“The world is better off when America and Israel work together,” said the announcement from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. “Eleven minutes after declaring independence in 1948, the United States was the first to recognize the state of Israel, and today, we continue to strengthen the unbreakable bond between our two democracies.” McCarthy addressed Israel’s parliament in May. It was the first time in 25 years, a sitting speaker of the House had addressed Israel’s Knesset, and it came in a period of fraught relations between Israel’s government and President Joe Biden.McCarthy noted that the only other president of Israel to address a joint meeting of Congress was Herzog̵...

Belarus leader welcomes Wagner forces but others in the country see them as a threat

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:19 GMT

As life in Russia returned to normal after an armed rebellion by a mercenary group, tensions were rising in and around its neighbor Belarus, where the exiled leader of the force and some of its fighters were settling in.Moving to Belarus was part of the deal the Kremlin struck with Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner private military company, to end last weekend’s rebellion that rattled Russia’s leadership.Prigozhin and his fighters escaped prosecution and were offered refuge in Belarus by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who said his country could use their experience and expertise.That doesn’t sit well with the Belarusian opposition and guerrilla activists, who called Wagner fighters “a threat to the Belarusian people and (the country’s) independence,” and promised action.“We’re categorically against stationing Russian mercenaries in Belarus and are preparing a ‘warm’ welcome to Wagnerites in Belarus,” said Aliaksandr Azarau, leader of the BYPOL guerrill...

IMF says that without reforms, Lebanon faces ballooning inflation and public debt

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:19 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Without reforms, Lebanon will continue to see triple-digit inflation, and public debt in the small, crisis-ridden country could reach nearly 550% of GDP by 2027, the International Monetary Fund warned in a report Thursday.The report came as a follow-up to a nine-day visit by IMF officials in March. Progress toward finalizing a sorely needed IMF bailout package for the struggling country has largely stalled. Since reaching a preliminary agreement with the IMF more than a year ago, Lebanese officials have made limited progress on reforms required to clinch the deal. They include restructuring the country’s debts and its ailing banking system, revamping its barely functioning public electricity system and improving governance.Since the country fell into an economic crisis in 2019, the country’s “GDP has declined by about 40 percent, the (currency) has lost 98 percent of its value, inflation is at triple-digits, and the central bank has lost two thirds of its (foreign curr...

Air quality improves slightly, alert remains for Thursday

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:19 GMT

The Air Quality Index for Chicago continues to be in the unhealthy range.Thursday began with a reading of 192. That reading is very modestly lower than Wednesday evening, but still not good. An Air Quality Alert has been extended for the entire Chicago area through midnight. People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens should avoid strenuous outdoor activities, keep outdoor activities short. Others should choose less strenuous activities limit active time outdoors.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog Smoke is lingering. Visibilities at 8 a.m. were at 2.5 miles at O'Hare and just 2 miles at Midway.