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Bahrain government websites briefly inaccessible after purported hack claim over Israel-Hamas war

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:10:31 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The websites of two government ministries in Bahrain briefly became inaccessible Tuesday night after a statement claimed hackers took them down over the island kingdom’s stance on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.A statement posted online by a self-described group calling itself Al-Toufan, or “The Flood” in Arabic, claimed hacking the Foreign Ministry and the Information Affairs Ministry’s websites. Both later became accessible again Tuesday night. The statement said the purported hacks came in retaliation for “the abnormal statements issued” by the island’s Al Khalifa ruling family, without elaborating. Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa opened a summit last week in the kingdom with a call for a swap between Hamas and Israel for the hostages and a halt in the bloodshed.The Bahraini government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. State media in Bahrain did not acknowledge the incident. In February, the...

Ontario Place advocacy group files court injunction to halt re-development plans

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:10:31 GMT

Vocal critics of the planned makeover of Ontario Place gathered at Queen’s Park on Tuesday, with an advocacy group filing a court injunction against the Doug Ford government over the re-development. The organization Ontario Place for All announced that it is taking legal action to stop the proposed developments at Ontario Place, which include a mega spa.The advocacy group filed an application with the divisional court seeking an injunction to block the Ford government from proceeding with the West Island redevelopment plan and requiring a full environmental assessment to be completed before the spa’s development.“Ontario Place for All is committed to using all possible avenues to hold the provincial government accountable for their actions at Ontario Place and ensuring that they follow the proper process, which would involve public consultation on the West Island redevelopment,” said Norm Di Pasquale, Co-Chair of Ontario Place for All. Related: The...

Pakistan court rules the prison trial of former Prime Minister Imran Khan is illegal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:10:31 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani court ruled Tuesday that the ongoing prison trial of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on charges of revealing state secrets is illegal, his lawyer said.The ruling by the Islamabad High Court came on a petition filed by Khan, lawyer Naeem Haider Panjutha said. It was unclear whether the government would appeal. Authorities have insisted Khan was being tried at a prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi because of threats to his life.The court’s decision came about a month after Khan was indicated for allegedly revealing state secrets, a charge that legal experts say carries a possible death sentence. Khan’s close aide, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who was deputy in his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, is a co-defendant in the case. Both menhave denied the charges them during the trial at Adiyala Prison.The case against Khan is related to his speech and waving of a confidential diplomatic letter at a rally after his ouster in a no-confidence vote in parliam...

Poland set to get more than 5 billion euros in EU money after commission approves recovery plan

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:10:31 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — Poland is set to receive more than 5 billion euros ($5.5 billion) in EU funds after the European Commission gave a positive assessment Tuesday of the country’s revised recovery plan that includes green reforms and investments. The 5.1 billion euros pre-financing is part of the bloc’s REPowerEU program aimed at helping the 27 EU nations recover from the energy crisis that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, and reduce their dependance to Russian fossil fuels.The announcement came a month after an election in Poland secured a parliamentary majority to pro-EU parties aligned with Donald Tusk.A former EU Council president, Tusk is expected to become Poland’s next prime minister. He traveled to Brussels last month to meet with top officials and repair Warsaw’s ties with the bloc, aiming to unlock billions of euros in funds that have been frozen due to democratic backsliding under the outgoing nationalist government. The EU previously blocked to €3...

Ontario elementary teachers reach tentative deal with province

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:10:31 GMT

Ontario’s education minister says public elementary teachers in the province have reached a tentative contract deal with the government.“This agreement brings us one step closer to ensuring there will be no province-wide job actions or strikes in all English-language public schools for the next three years,” Stephen Lecce said in a post on X.Members of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) had previously voted 95 per cent in favour of a strike, with union leadership saying it would help to put pressure on the government to reach a deal at the bargaining table.ETFO represents around 80,000 public elementary teachers and occasional teachers and 3,500 early childhood educators and support staff.“After 14 months of central bargaining, we’re pleased to be able to bring forward a tentative agreement to our teacher and occasional teacher members that protects their collective agreement entitlements and also addresses key bar...

EU will continue to fund the Palestinians as probe shows no money is reaching Hamas

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:10:31 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union will continue to provide substantial amounts of financial aid to the Palestinians after an investigation found that no money has been diverted to the militant group Hamas, the EU’s executive branch said Tuesday.The review of the use of hundreds of millions of euros’ worth of development assistance meant to help the Palestinians fight poverty was announced on Oct. 9, two days after Hamas rampaged into southern Israel.EU nations have long been split in their approach to Israel and the Palestinians but the war in Gaza has entrenched those divisions. Some countries unilaterally suspended aid over the brutal nature of the attack, in which Hamas killed up to 1,200 people in Israel and took around 240 captive.The joint EU funds provided an opportunity for political grandstanding, even though the money was never destined for Hamas, and pressure quickly built for a probe. Hamas was put on the EU’s list of terrorist groups almost two decades ago and fu...

Transgender women have been barred from playing in international women’s cricket

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:10:31 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Transgender women will not be allowed to compete in international women’s cricket, the sport’s governing body said Tuesday.The International Cricket Council said the “new gender eligibility regulation,” which was approved by board members, had been imposed to protect the integrity of women’s cricket and was also made on safety grounds.“Male-to-female participants who have undergone male puberty will not be eligible to compete in the international women’s game,” the ICC said.It added that the regulations would apply “irrespective of any surgical or gender reassignment treatment” players may have undertaken.“The changes to the gender eligibility regulations resulted from an extensive consultation process and are founded in science, aligning with the core principles developed during the review,” ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice said. “Inclusivity is incredibly important to us as a sport, but our priority was to protect...

Home sales slumped to slowest pace in more than 13 years in October as prices, borrowing costs, soar

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:10:31 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes slumped in October to their slowest pace in more than 13 years as surging mortgage rates and rising prices kept many prospective homebuyers on the sidelines.Existing home sales fell 4.1% last month from September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.79 million, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday. That’s weaker than the 3.90 million sales pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet.The last time sales slumped this hard was in August 2010, when the housing market was in recovery from a severe crash.Sales sank 14.6% compared with the same month last year. They have fallen five months in a row, held back by climbing mortgage rates and a thin supply of properties on the market.Despite the decline in sales, home prices keep climbing compared with this time last year. The national median sales price rose 3.4% from October last year to $391,800. “Lack of inventory along with higher mortgage rates (are) r...

UK took action too late against COVID-19 during first wave of pandemic, top medical officer says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:10:31 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s government was too late in taking action against the coronavirus during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020, the U.K.’s chief medical adviser said Tuesday. Responding to questions about the U.K.’s actions in handling the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chris Whitty told a public inquiry he felt he was more wary than others about the negative impacts of “shielding,” or isolation policies, school closures and lockdowns.Whitty said he was concerned in particular about the longer-term impact such policies would have on the poorest people and those living alone, and described the difficulties in balancing the risks of introducing decisive measures “too early” or “too late.”But he rejected suggestions by the inquiry’s lawyer, Huge Keith, that he had warned the government against “overreacting.” Rather, he said he made it clear to policymakers that “without action, very serious things would occur.”“With the benefit of hindsight,...

Do your research for Black Friday, because not every deal is a good one, experts warn

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:10:31 GMT

The barrage of Black Friday advertisements might have many tempted to whip out their wallets, but experts caution against unnecessary discretionary purchases this year amid inflation and the skyrocketing cost of living.But reigning in spending is much easier said than done. Bruce Winder, a retail analyst with over two decades of experience, recommends consumers approach this year’s season of super sales with two strategies in mind: preparation and research.“Most people see Black Friday as the kick off to the holiday spending season, and it’s true that it can be a great way to save money with some of those intense bargains,” he said. “But it’s also important to know that not every deal is a good one.”Many retailers prepare for the sale months in advance by bulking up manufacturing of selected sale items so they can be sold at heavily discounted prices, or marking down excess inventory. However, retailers’ main source of Black Friday revenue rarely comes from their most dramatically d...