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Commission reveals next (shaky) step in Green Deal plan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:44 GMT

The European Commission came out on Wednesday with a package of legislative proposals around food waste, biodiversity and the circular economy. Green groups gave it a “C+” for effort.A revamp of EU waste rules sets binding food waste targets on member countries and would force textile producers to pay for their waste. The Commission’s proposed soil monitoring law would give soil a legal status similar to that of air and water, and aims to ensure that EU soils are healthy by 2050. The green regulatory bonanza also includes controversial rules on genetically-engineered plants and an overhaul of requirements for the sale and marketing of seeds and other plant propagating material.But some environmental and industry groups say the proposals miss the mark. The new waste rules’ narrow scope has been a disappointment to green campaigners — as has the soil health revamp and the revision of seed marketing rules.In an interview, Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius conc...

Bulgarian defense minister regrets Zelenskyy visit leak

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:44 GMT

Bulgaria’s Defense Minister Todor Tagarev said he “regrets” that information leaked about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Sofia on Thursday.The visit was initially kept secret for security reasons, but diplomatic sources leaked the plans Tuesday to Bulgarian outlet 24chasa.bg.Tagarev confirmed Zelenskyy’s visit to Bulgaria on TV1 on Tuesday and apologized for the advance revelations. “For such a visit there have been preparations for some time, it is not public. I am sorry that information was leaked in the public domain,” he said. Bulgaria’s new prime minister, Nikolai Denkov, is ardently pro-Ukraine, but its president, Rumen Radev, is equivocal on Bulgaria’s position in NATO and hostile to arming Kyiv. As head of state, Zelenskyy would likely be expected to meet Radev on such a visit. Sofia’s government has recently announced a new package of military assistance for Ukraine.“We will have security when ...

Overuse of marijuana linked to surgery complications and death, study says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:44 GMT

(CNN) — Clinical overuse of marijuana is linked to a variety of complications after major elective surgery, including blood clots, stroke, breathing difficulties, kidney issues and even death, a new study found.“Our findings complement previous studies that have identified significant associations between cannabis use disorders and perioperative complications,” the study’s authors wrote in the report. The research team is from the department of anesthesiology, critical care and pain medicine at McGovern Medical School, part of the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.Why would this be? Smoking marijuana impacts blood flow in the brain and body, decreases respiration and body temperature, contributes to airway blockages, raises blood pressure, increases heart rate, impacts heart rhythm, and more — all of which can make recovery from surgery more difficult, according to a November 2019 review of literature. Use of marij...

10 people were shot – 3 fatally – at a Fourth of July block party in Shreveport, Louisiana

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:44 GMT

(CNN) — A Fourth of July block party ended in carnage after a mass shooting left three people dead and seven others wounded, officials in Shreveport, Louisiana, said.Of the surviving gunshot victims, one person is in critical condition and six others suffered non-life-threatening wounds, Shreveport police spokesperson Sgt. Angie Willhite said.The three slain victims have not been publicly identified by police. No suspects have been arrested, Shreveport District A Councilwoman Tabatha Taylor said Wednesday morning.The gunfire erupted late Tuesday night at a Fourth of July block party – a “family and community event” that has taken place for more than a decade without any previous violence,It was difficult for first responders to get to the victims due to the amount of vehicles at the scene, police told CNN affiliate KSLA.“Getting here and getting EMS here was a difficult thing. A lot of us had to park our cars and take off running because there were so many cars on the side...

Mass shootings claim lives at gatherings over the July Fourth holiday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:44 GMT

SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — Mass shootings broke out at festivals, block parties and other gatherings in a handful of cities this week as the U.S. celebrated the Fourth of July.Gun violence that flared in Washington, D.C, Louisiana, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Texas and Florida left more than a dozen dead and almost 60 wounded — including children as young as 2 years old. In Shreveport, Louisiana, at least three people were killed and 10 others wounded late Tuesday night, Shreveport police Sgt. Angie Willhite said. One of the injured was in critical condition Wednesday but the others were expected to survive, she said.No arrests have been made.“We are struggling with getting information from those who were present. We’re not getting a lot of cooperation,” Willhite said.Another body was found in the area Wednesday morning, police Chief Wayne Smith said at a news conference. “Chances are likely that it is a result of what occurred here last night,” Smith said.Nine people outside enjoying the ...

Trump attorney gives up his law license as states weigh disciplining him for false election claims

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:44 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Attorney Lin Wood, who filed legal challenges seeking to overturn Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss, is relinquishing his law license, electing to retire from practicing rather than face possible disbarment. Multiple states have weighed disciplining him for pushing Trump’s false claims that he defeated Democrat Joe Biden.On Tuesday, Wood asked officials in his home state of Georgia to “retire” his law license in light of “disciplinary proceedings pending against me.” In the request, made in a letter and posted on his Telegram account, Wood acknowledges that he is “prohibited from practicing law in this State and in any other state or jurisdiction and that I may not reapply for admission.”Wood, a licensed attorney in Georgia since 1977, did not immediately respond to an email Wednesday seeking comment on the letter. A listing on the website for the State Bar of Georgia accessed on Wednesday showed him as retired and with no disciplinary infractions o...

S&P/TSX composite down nearly 100 points as tech stocks fall, U.S. stocks also lower

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:44 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index was down nearly 100 points, as losses in the technology sector helped lead the way lower, while U.S. stock markets fall fell in late-morning trading.The S&P/TSX composite index was down 90.58 points at 20,114.29.In New York, where stock markets were closed on Tuesday, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 49.39 points at 34,369.08. The S&P 500 index was down 4.67 points at 4,450.92, while the Nasdaq composite was down 15.66 points at 13,801.11.The Canadian dollar traded for 75.40 cents US compared with 75.65 cents US on Tuesday.The August crude contract was up US$1.61 from Monday at US$71.40 per barrel and the August natural gas contract was down three cents from Monday at US$2.69 per mmBTU.The August gold contract was up 70 cents from Monday at US$1,930.20 an ounce and the September copper contract was down two cents from Monday at US$3.77 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 5, 2023.Companies in th...

Hong Kong-born singer Coco Lee dies by suicide at age 48, her siblings say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:44 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Coco Lee, a Hong Kong-born singer and songwriter who had a highly successful career in Asia, has died by suicide, her siblings said Wednesday. She was 48. The star had been suffering from depression for several years, Lee’s elder sisters Carol and Nancy Lee said in a statement posted on Facebook and Instagram, with her condition deteriorating drastically over the last few months.“Although, CoCo sought professional help and did her best to fight depression, sadly that demon inside of her took the better of her,” the statement read.Lee attempted suicide at home over the weekend and she was rushed to a hospital, her sister said. They said that she was in a coma and died on Wednesday.Lee, who was born in Hong Kong but later moved to the U.S. where she attended middle and high school, had a highly successful career in Asia as a pop singer in the 1990s and 2000s, where she was known for her powerful voice and live performances.Lee, who was initially a Mandopop singer, bra...

‘It’s a danger zone’: Cyclists and drivers sound alarm over overhaul on major downtown Toronto street

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:44 GMT

Adelaide Street West from Bathurst to Parliament streets is going through a number of changes. The street has been ripped up, streetcar tracks replaced, and cycle tracks are being moved from one side of the street to the other. However, many people who use this thoroughfare say the changeover is wreaking havoc and putting lives in danger.“Not just confusing, dangerous,” cyclist Brandin O’Connor wrote on Twitter, posting photos of injuries he received and blames them on the construction in this area. He joins a chorus of other people speaking out about the project.Will Adelaide St W ever be safe @Toronto311? Track moved to north side to accommodate cars always parking in old south lane (see my last Tweet). Not just confusing, dangerous. Midome Construction @LtdMidome left pylon ring debris in new bike lane causing crash @TO_Transport ????1/3 pic.twitter.com/rd8unmdEAF— Brandin O'Connor (@BrandinOConnor) July 4, 2023“As it stands now, there are currently no useable bike lane...

Canada follows peers, blasts Hong Kong bounties that include Edmonton-born activist

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:31:44 GMT

Ottawa is condemning Hong Kong officials for issuing bounties for the arrest of eight activists living abroad, days after Canada’s peers slammed the move.Hong Kong’s national-security law restricts civil liberties in the territory, which is a special administrative region within China but was guaranteed certain democratic freedoms when Britain handed over the former colony in 1997.Officials announced on Monday that eight pro-democracy activists who are charged under the law are the subject of bounties, with authorities offering the equivalent of roughly $170,000 for information leading to an arrest.Edmonton-born Dennis Kwok, who renounced his Canadian citizenship when he became a Hong Kong legislator in 2012, is on that list.Global Affairs Canada says in a tweet that it is “gravely concerned” by Hong Kong officials seeking to apply the law outside the territory, saying it undermines democratic rights and freedoms.Today’s statement comes after the U.S., ...