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Myanmar says official death toll from Cyclone Mocha at least 145, says aid is being provided

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:47:27 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — The official death toll from the powerful cyclone that struck Myanmar has burgeoned to at least 145, including 117 members of the Muslim Rohingya minority, state television reported Friday. It said the figure applied to the western state of Rakhine, where Cyclone Mocha did the most damage, but did not say how many storm-related deaths there have been in other parts of the country.The accounting of casualties from the cyclone has been slow, in part due to communication difficulties in the affected areas and the military government’s tight control over information. The military government has said that unofficial death tolls surpassing 400 are false, but in the absence of independent confirmation, uncertainly remains about the actual extent of casualties and destruction.Mocha made landfall near Sittwe township in Rakhine state on Sunday afternoon with winds of up to 209 kilometers (130 miles) per hour before weakening inland. The cyclone, the nation’s most destructive i...

Rewriting history: A look at some historical sites where plaques may be changed

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:47:27 GMT

Parks Canada is rewriting hundreds of outdated historical plaques that mark some of the country’s most prominent places and events. Here’s a look at 10 sites where texts are being reviewed:1. Batoche National Historic Site in Saskatchewan, for colonial assumptions.2. Arrival of Jacques Cartier in the Gaspe region of Quebec, for colonial assumptions.3. Fort Walsh in Saskatchewan, for colonial assumptions and antiquated terminology.4. Yukon Gold Discovery in Yukon, for colonial assumptions, antiquated terminology and Indigenous erasure.5. Exploration of the Fraser River in British Columbia, for colonial assumptions.6. Halifax Citadel in Nova Scotia, for colonial assumptions.7. York Factory in Manitoba, for colonial assumptions.8. The Battle of Queenston Heights in Ontario, for colonial assumptions.9. Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, for Indigenous erasure.10. Rocky Mountain House in Alberta, for colonial assumptions, antiquated terminology and Indigenous erasure.This report...

Passport redesign just the latest battle in the culture war over Canadian identity

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:47:27 GMT

OTTAWA — The government hit delete on Terry Fox. That’s how Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre put it when he posted a nearly-five minute video on Twitter condemning the Liberal government for its passport redesign, while standing in front of the National War Memorial, another image removed from future Canadian passports. That video, which calls the passport Justin Trudeau’s “colouring book” because it features images of a squirrel eating a nut and a man raking leaves, reached nearly a million people in a week, far exceeding Poilievre’s other recent videos. “This is troll politics,” said Jason Hannon, an associate professor at the University of Winnipeg in the department of rhetoric, writing and communications. “It’s not like Canadian identity has ever hinged on passport design. It’s not like Canadians ever went to bed at night thinking happy thoughts about passports. It’s an utterly fabricated issue.”The Liberals a...

‘Good corporate neighbours’: Locals fear disruptions from giant VW plant in Ontario

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:47:27 GMT

ST. THOMAS, ONTARIO — Jenna Tranter thought she had finally found rural tranquillity a decade ago when she bought a lush 25-acre farm where she could teach horseback riding, removed from the traffic and noise of a major city.  But she recently learned she’d be getting a new neighbour: Volkswagen, Europe’s largest carmaker, has announced plans to build a massive electric-vehicle battery manufacturing plant in St. Thomas, Ont., a block away from her home. The German auto giant’s choice of St. Thomas as the site for its “gigafactory” was widely cheered – including by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford – and is expected to create up to 3,000 direct jobs, as well as up to 30,000 spinoff jobs at companies supplying the plant. But not everyone was thrilled. “It is a very sad situation, and we are very angry and upset,” said Tranter, standing outside her red brick farm house in the municipality of Central Elgin, which border...

Princess Anne to visit Canada’s oldest regiment in New Brunswick this weekend

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:47:27 GMT

FREDERICTON — Princess Louise,the mare that was once the mascot of the 8th Canadian Hussars, never met the calvary regiment’s horse-loving colonel-in-chief. But this weekend the cherished horse will be present in photos and in memories as the colonel-in-chief, Princess Anne, visits to mark the 175th anniversary of the regiment based in southern New Brunswick.Princess Anne, sister to King Charles and a former Olympic equestrian rider, was appointed to her role with the 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise’s) regiment in June 1972, when she was just 21. She has visited the unit several times and maintained a close relationship with it.On this visit she is scheduled to take part in events from Friday through Sunday in Moncton, N.B., and Sussex, N.B., meeting with regiment members past and present and taking in a commemorative concert, a parade and a gala dinner.James Lockyer, the regiment’s honorary colonel, said the unit has a record of service and sacrifice. “Its f...

Parks Canada plans major rewrite of more than 200 historic site plaques

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:47:27 GMT

EDMONTON — They’re affixed to old buildings where someone important used to live. Or they’re mounted on a rock overlooking somewhere where something once happened. Cast in bronze or lettered on a sign, they’re sometimes the only history lesson many of us ever get. And now Parks Canada wants hundreds of them changed. “The way that many of the national historic designations are framed and positioned does not do justice to the breadth of impacts that they had on Canadian society,” said Pat Kell, the agency’s director of heritage. Parks is in the middle of a three-year program to re-examine and rewrite the plaques that the Historic Sites and Monuments Board use to point out places deemed important to understanding Canada’s past. Sites slated for rewrite include fur trade forts such as Fort Langley in British Columbia and Manitoba’s York Factory. Others relate to the War of 1812, like Queenston Heights in Ontario. Some involve historic figu...

Gas prices could rise for long weekend and into summer amid fires, economic worries

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:47:27 GMT

TORONTO — Experts say shifting factors including wildfires in Alberta, a slowing economy and potential pressures on supply will all have an effect on gas prices as the long weekend heralds the start of the summer. “This weekend is the kickoff for summer driving season in Canada,” said Colin Cieszynski, chief market strategist at SIA Wealth Management.This period is usually characterized by higher demand for gas as people go on more road trips and take their motorcycles and sports carts out of hibernation, he said. “It’s not unusual to see gas prices go up and down around weekends, and especially long weekends.”However, the price of crude has been drifting for a while, said Cieszynski, with concerns over demand while the economy muddles along in the face of higher interest rates.“It boils down to a question of supply and demand,” said Roger McKnight, chief petroleum analyst at En-Pro International.“It’s also a question of inflation and recession and how that&#...

Daily horoscope for May 19, 2023

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:47:27 GMT

Moon Alert: Avoid shopping or important decisions from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT today (10:30 a.m. to 12 noon PDT). After that, the Moon moves from Taurus into Gemini.Happy Birthday for Friday, May 19, 2023:You like to improve things and help others because you care about the world you live in. You take a rational, practical approach to life. You have strong opinions and will defend them. What you achieve this year will be the result of hard work. Simplicity will be the key.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★This lovely New Moon day brings you a chance to ponder your values. (Something we often never think about.) What are the values that guide your life? This is one of the best days of the year for you to get a clearer picture of this. Tonight: Speak up.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★★Today the only New Moon in your sign all year is taking place, which gives you the perfect opportunity to take a realistic look in the mirror and see the image you create on your world. What can you do to improve ...

Five Germans handed jail sentence for Green Vault jewel heist

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:47:27 GMT

A German court sentenced on Tuesday (16 May) five men to many years in prison for their role in a jewel heist that took place in Dresden in 2019. The museum houses one of Europe’s largest art collections.The stolen pieces from the Gruenes Gewoelbe museum (Green Vault), in Dresden, contained over 4,300 diamonds worth an estimated €113 million.The police have said that most of the stolen jewels were recovered.Six German men in their 20s were charged with serious arson and aggravated gang robbery.Five family members received sentences ranging from four years, four months to six years, two months.The men were said to have sawn a part of the window grating and then reattached it in order to enter the building as fast as possible.Augustus the Strong (Elector of Saxony, later King of Poland) commissioned more and more beautiful jewellery in the 18th Century as part of his rivalry against France's Louis XIV.They were taken as war booty to the Soviet Union by the Soviets. In 1958, they were ...

Miss Manners: I tried to fix the shoddy bouquet and ended up embarrassing my friend. Was I in the wrong?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:47:27 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I enjoy sending festive flower arrangements to friends. In one such case, my friend sent a text to thank me and provided a photo of what was delivered.She was pleased with it, but I was not. The flowers she received were vaguely similar to what I had ordered and paid for, but definitely lacking in both quality and quantity.I contacted the merchant and they handled it well, promptly sending her a new arrangement (and she was allowed to keep the first one, as well). I explained the situation to her in advance and she sent me another photo of the second delivery. It was lovely.However, my friend said I should not have made a fuss. She was happy with the first arrangement and felt awkward accepting the second, as I was the party who had complained, not her.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: I want to talk about my problems, not listen to theirs Advice | Miss Manners: What’s a polite way to make sure I get the painting when she dies...