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Biden admin asks for 1,500 troops at US-Mexico border

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:58 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has requested 1,500 troops for the U.S.-Mexico border amid an expected migrant surge following the end of pandemic-era restrictions, according to three administration officials.The troops would be sent down to focus on administrative tasks so that U.S. Customs and Border Protection can work in the field, two of the officials said. They would not do law enforcement work. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly about the request because it had not yet been approved and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.The COVID-19 restrictions allowed U.S. officials to turn away tens of thousands of migrants crossing the southern border. Those restrictions will lift May 11. The Biden administration has already made major changes to tighten the border ahead of time.

MBTA determines what caused equipment to fall at Harvard station, striking nearby woman

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:58 GMT

Officials at the MBTA say it was the corrosion of support straps that likely caused a piece of equipment to fall at Harvard station Monday night, striking and injuring a woman on the platform.The woman injured suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Cambridge Fire Department, which was called to the incident around 4:30 p.m. after a 200-pound piece of electrical equipment fell at the station’s Red Line inbound platform.A spokesperson for the MBTA said at the time that a utility box that was attached to a column “slid to [the] bottom of the column,” with a supporting brace making contact with the woman, who was nearby.In an update on Tuesday morning, the T said the utility box had been safely removed and that officials determined the cause of the incident was “corrosion on the support straps that secured the box to the column.”“General Manager Phil Eng personally visited the site and directed that every station be immediately inspected ...

Hollywood writers begin strike, late-night shows to go dark

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:58 GMT

By JAKE COYLE (AP Film Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — Television and movie writers soured by Hollywood’s low pay in the streaming era went on strike for the first time in 15 years on Tuesday, meaning late-night and variety shows would be the first programs to go dark. The labor dispute could have a cascading effect on TV and film productions depending on how long the strike lasts, and it comes as streaming services are under growing pressure from Wall Street to show profits. The Writers Guild of America’s 11,500 unionized screenwriters prepared to picket after negotiations with studios, which began in March, failed by Monday’s deadline to yield a new contract. All script writing is to immediately cease, the guild informed its members.The guild is seeking higher minimum pay, less thinly staffed writing rooms, shorter exclusive contracts and a reworking of residual pay — all conditions the WGA says have been diminished in the content boom driven by streaming....

Yankees activate Harrison Bader off injured list, demote Franchy Cordero

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:58 GMT

After two straight crippling losses, the Yankees began Tuesday with some positive news.The team has activated center fielder Harrison Bader, who has yet to play in the majors this season due to a left oblique strain suffered early in spring training. Aaron Boone said Monday that such a decision could happen Tuesday.The Yanks demoted Franchy Cordero in a corresponding move.Bader appeared in seven minor league rehab games, during which he slashed .120/.185/.160 with three hits, one double and one RBI over 27 plate appearances. While the Bronxville native’s rehab numbers are nothing to get excited about, Boone said the 28-year-old has hit the ball hard and felt good following his injury.The expectation is for Bader, a defensive wiz, to stabilize the middle of the Yankees’ outfield while adding some speed and a roughly league-average bat to a lineup that’s been much worse. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Aaron Hicks and Aaron Judge, who went on the 10-day injured list Monday with ...

Corroded utility box falls, strikes woman at MBTA Red Line station

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:58 GMT

The support straps on a utility box that fell from a column and struck a woman at a Red Line station Monday were corroded, an MBTA spokesperson said.This safety failure prompted an immediate investigation of all MBTA stations, where inspectors looked into the condition of similar equipment, spokesman Joe Pesaturo said.“Immediately following last night’s incident, the area surrounding the box was cordoned off and an inspection was performed,” Pesaturo said in a Tuesday email. “Subsequently the utility box was safely removed.“It was determined that the cause of the incident was due to corrosion on the support straps that secured the box to the column.”This incident, which sent a woman to the hospital with minor injuries, occurred just two months after a 25-pound water-logged ceiling tile fell at the same station, Harvard in Cambridge, nearly striking a rider walking through the area.MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng visited Harvard station on Monday evening, and “directed that every st...

Expect long passport lineups this week, post-strike immigration backlog: ministers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:58 GMT

OTTAWA — A federal minister is advising Canadians to expect long lines at passport offices this week as the public service resumes work following a 12-day strike. Families minister Karina Gould says the job action did not create a significant backlog, as the federal government received only about 20 per cent of the typical volume of passport applications during the strike.Gould says a higher volume of applications is expected this week as a result, but is reassuring Canadians that those with urgent travel will be prioritized.Meanwhile, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser says about 100,000 decisions regarding immigration files were not processed during the strike. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has been catching up in recent months from significant backlogs created in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fraser said the recent strike means it will take longer to get back to pre-pandemic service standards, but he expects the department to have an easier time getting through ...

Driver, 27, charged after flipping vehicle in dangerous Hwy. 407 crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:58 GMT

A 27-year-old has been charged with careless driving after a single-vehicle crash on a GTA highway.The crash occurred in the eastbound Highway 407 lanes near the Highway 403 interchange in Milton.Ontario Provincial Police say a car struck the end treatment of a guardrail where the highway lanes split. Photos from the scene show a smashed up Volkswagen sedan flipped on its side and a badly damaged guardrail.The 27-year-old driver suffered minor injuries and has been charged with careless driving.OPP say the guardrail repairs will likely take several hours.Collision: #Hwy407/403. 27-year-old driver with minor injures after crashing into the end treatment (crash cushion) #Hwy407OPP investigating, driver charged with careless driving. Repairs will take several hours. pic.twitter.com/qVz3shieqR— OPP Highway Safety Division (@OPP_HSD) May 2, 2023

S&P/TSX composite down more than 300 points, U.S. markets also lower

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:58 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index plunged more than 300 points in a broad-based decline led by the energy and base metal stocks, while U.S. stock markets also fell in late-morning trading.The S&P/TSX composite index was down 308.09 points at 20,307.01.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 578.08 points at 33,473.62. The S&P 500 index was down 73.52 points at 4,094.35, while the Nasdaq composite was down 183.17 points at 12,029.43.The Canadian dollar traded for 73.39 cents US compared with 73.82 cents US on Monday.The June crude contract was down US$3.43 at US$72.23 per barrel and the June natural gas contract was down 10 cents at US$2.22 per mmBTU.The June gold contract was up US$26.20 at US$2,018.40 an ounce and the July copper contract was down seven cents at US$3.86 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 2, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X)The Canadian Press

Vast majority of Canadians think news organizations should have clear policy on AI technology: poll

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:58 GMT

With the rise in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, a new survey found the vast majority of Canadians, 92 per cent, believe that news organizations should have a clear and transparent policy on how they use AI to produce news and information.The new poll from Maru Public Opinion also found that 85 per cent are concerned the use of AI in journalism will produce or spread misinformation and another 86 per cent could bring the potential for inaccuracy.Another significant number, 85 per cent, believe that a Canadian governing body should have strict oversight of journalism AI practices/ethics that would also dole out fines/professional penalties for breaches.Just over half of those polled said they were concerned that the use of AI to produce news for mainstream and digital media.It also found the youngest Canadians, 24 per cent of those who are aged 18-34 and 29 per cent of the Gen Z population, are the most excited about the prospects of AI journalism compared to thei...

Vancouver’s April home sales down 16.5% from a year ago: board

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:35:58 GMT

VANCOUVER — The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says April home sales slid 16.5 per cent from a year ago as new listings remained below historical norms.The B.C. board says sales for the month totalled 2,741, almost 16 per cent below the 10-year seasonal average.The composite benchmark price for all residential properties in Metro Vancouver hit $1,170,700 last month, down 7.4 per cent from a year ago but up 2.4 per cent from March.There were 4,307 new listings last month, a 29.7 per cent decrease, when compared with the prior April and a 22 per cent drop from the 10-year seasonal average of 5,525.The board saw the numbers as a sign that home sales are staging a comeback and headed toward levels seen last spring before eight consecutive interest rate hikes were carried out.The rate hikes eroded buying power and sent buyers to the sidelines, but the board believes a shift is underway.“The fact we are seeing prices rising and sales rebounding this spring tells us homebuyer...