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Amanda Gorman’s poem for Biden’s inauguration banned by Florida school

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:10 GMT

A poem written for President Joe Biden’s inauguration has been placed on a restricted list at a South Florida elementary school after one parent’s complaint.In a post on social media on Tuesday, poet Amanda Gorman vowed to fight back. Her poem, The Hill We Climb was challenged by the parent of two students at Bob Graham Education Center in Miami Lakes, along with several books.“I’m gutted,” she wrote. “Robbing children of the chance to find their voices in literature is a violation of their right to free thought and free speech.”pic.twitter.com/u5j2TamadM— Amanda Gorman (@TheAmandaGorman) May 23, 2023While book bans are not new, they are happening much more frequently, especially in Florida, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has championed policies that allow the censorship of books some have deemed inappropriate for children in schools, causing national uproar.DeSantis, who is expected to announce his presidential candidacy Wednesday...

Cirque du Soleil and Gamefan to launch Roblox experience as part of next-gen push

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:10 GMT

MONTREAL — Cirque de Soleil Entertainment Group is joining forces with metaverse game developer Gamefam to create an online gaming experience on Roblox.In Cirque du Soleil Tycoon, held on the online game platform, users can build their own Cirque de Soleil universe, the company said Wednesday. “Cirque du Soleil Tycoon will channel the influence of global online platform Roblox for immersive shared experiences and harness Cirque du Soleil’s high-end entertainment expertise, creative DNA, and multi-generational fanbase,” the company’s head of filmed and immersive entertainment, Sébastien Ouimet, in a press release. Users can create their own Cirque du Soleil performance complete with performers and crowds, in an experience inspired by its new touring show, “Echo.” The experience will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at how Cirque du Soleil productions work, the company said. Cirque du Soleil said this launch supports the company’s newly defined mission ...

Shotguns seized by police after tracking down stolen vehicles in Markham

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:10 GMT

Two men are facing a slew of charges after York Regional Police tracked down two stolen vehicles and discovered a pair of loaded shotguns.Officers were called to the Denison Street and Markham Road area just before 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 18, after receiving multiple calls of a vehicle on fire.Investigators located a blue Honda Civic with smoke coming from the engine area, and once the fire was extinguished, officers noticed fake licence plates and determined the car was stolen. A second stolen vehicle was located nearby, police said.When officers searched both cars, they found two loaded shotguns.York police said 37-year-old Daniel Cabarios of Toronto and 41-year-old Glen Young (no fixed address) were taken into custody.Both men face several charges, including two counts of unauthorized possession of a firearm, two counts of careless storage of a firearm and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, among other offences.No injuries were reported.

Yellowstone baby bison put to death after visitor picks it up, leading herd to reject it

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:10 GMT

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) — Yellowstone National Park officials killed a newborn bison because its herd wouldn’t take the animal back after a man picked it up. The calf became separated from its mother when the herd crossed the Lamar River in northeastern Yellowstone on Saturday. The unidentified man pushed the struggling calf up from the river and onto a roadway, park officials said in a statement Tuesday.Park rangers tried repeatedly to reunite the calf with the herd but were unsuccessful. Visitors saw the calf walking up to and following cars and people, creating a hazard, so park staff killed the animal, according to the statement.It’s the latest example of Yellowstone visitors getting in trouble or hurt after approaching bison. Park officials euthanized a newborn bison after a similar incident in 2016, when a Canadian man and his son put the calf in their SUV, thinking they could rescue it.The man pleaded guilty. He was fined $235 and ordered to pay $500 to the...

Cannes: Alicia Vikander on playing Catherine Parr in Henry VIII drama ‘Firebrand’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:10 GMT

CANNES, France (AP) — It’s widely know that Henry VIII, the Tudor king, had a particularly grim batting average when it came to matrimony. His litany of wives, of course, are the subject of the current Broadway show, “Six,” and many other productions. The wives’ succession of fates — two beheadings and three other deaths — has long loomed in the historical imagination. The new film “Firebrand,” which premiered over the weekend at the Cannes Film Festival, takes a different approach to a much-dramatized chapter of 16th century British history. The film, directed by the Brazilian filmmaker Karim Aïnouz, stars Alicia Vikander as Catherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry and the only one to outlive him. “Catherine Parr, out of all of the six wives I probably knew the least of,” Vikander said in an interview on a Cannes hotel terrace. “And it seemed like that was the general feel from everybody that I talked to. The one woman who survived was the least interesting to know...

Gas prices continue to climb with big jump coming at midnight

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:10 GMT

GTA drivers will want to make sure they fill up the tank before waking up on Thursday to the highest gas price in weeks.The price at the pumps is expected to jump five cents at midnight to $1.639/litre at most stations. The highest price in the region since mid-April and one cent off the highest price in 2023.Gas prices have gone up ten cents in the past seven days, including a four cent jump last week on the Friday heading into the Victoria Day long weekend.Experts have said shifting factors including wildfires in Alberta, a slowing economy and potential pressures on supply will all have an effect on gas prices as we head into summer.Demand for all types of gas is up — especially for jet fuel, indicating lots of interest in travelling outside the country, said Roger McKnight, Senior Petroleum Analyst at EnPro International. He says that means prices will likely be higher for the next couple of months, perhaps cresting US$80.This week’s rising price is a spillover of slumping ...

US announces $524M for Horn of Africa drought, climate crisis while Germany, UK also make pledges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:10 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States announced at a U.N. conference on Wednesday nearly $524 million in additional humanitarian aid for the Horn of Africa that aims to put a spotlight on the extreme effects of climate change and the worst drought in the region in 40 years — and the need for more than $5 billion.Near the start of the conference, Germany announced a pledge of 210 million euros ($226 million) and the United Kingdom pledged $119 million for Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya.The U.N. has appealed for $7 billion and has received just $1.6 billion — far from enough to help the 43.3 million people in need of assistance in the three Horn of Africa countries or even just the 21 million among them who don’t have access to enough food.U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told would-be donors at the conference to make an immediate and major injection of funding to prevent the crisis caused by drought, mass displacement after years of conflict and skyrocketing food prices “...

Ukraine foreign minister urges African nations to ditch neutrality in Russia war

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:10 GMT

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is urging African countries to abandon their stances of neutrality towards his country’s war with Russia.Many African countries have refused to take sides in the European conflict, with several abstaining from votes at the United Nations General Assembly condemning Russia’s invasion. Ethiopia is one of them. Speaking in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, on Wednesday, Kuleba said Ukraine was “very upset that some African countries chose to abstain” and called them to lend Ukraine diplomatic support “in the face of Russian aggression.”“Neutrality is not the answer,” he told reporters. “By being neutral towards Russian aggression against Ukraine, you project neutrality to the violations of borders and mass crimes that may occur very close to you.”Russia has built a substantial presence in several parts of Africa, where Russian private military contractor Wagner is active, and recently held joint military drills wit...

BMO and Scotiabank report slowing growth, credit provisions put pressure on earnings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:10 GMT

TORONTO — A combination of pressures including slowing economic growth and rising costs weighed on Canadian banks as they began to report second quarter results Wednesday. Both BMO Financial Group and Bank of Nova Scotia reported higher expenses, more money set aside for bad loans, and thinner margins on interest that led both to earn less than they did a year ago and fall short of analysts’ expectations. BMO chief executive Darryl White characterized it as a “shifting environment” that is putting pressure on revenue growth.“The impact of persistent inflation, rising rates, a slowing global economy and an increasing deposit competition on the industry has accelerated. We’re not immune to these market forces,” he said on an analyst call. His comments came as the bank reported a profit of $1.06 billion, down 78 per cent from a profit of $4.76 billion a year ago, due in part to adjustments related to its deal to buy Bank of the West. Revenue for the ...

Czech government approves $2.7-billion plan to acquire 246 armoured vehicles from Sweden

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:10 GMT

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech government approved a Defense Ministry plan on Wednesday to acquire 246 CV90 armoured combat vehicles as part of a massive modernisation of the military amid the Russian war against Ukraine.Defense Minister Jana Cernochova said the deal to get the infantry fighting vehicles made by Sweden’s BAE Systems Hägglunds AB is worth 59.7 billion Czech crowns ($2.7 billion).The ministry signed the deal with the Swedish side on Wednesday. Cernochova said the first CV90s should be delivered in 2026 and all of them by 2030.In a statement, Sweden’s Defense Minister Pål Jonson said he was ”convinced that combat vehicle 90 is the right choice for the Czech Republic.”According to the website of BAE Systems Hägglunds, there are currently 15 variants of the CV90 in service in seven countries: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands.Czech authorities also announced they would negotiate with the German government over a possible deal...