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Asylum seekers return to a barge off England’s south coast following legionella evacuation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:46 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Asylum seekers started returning Thursday to the barge moored off the south coast of England, more than two months after it had to be evacuated following the discovery of legionella bacteria, which can cause serious illness, in the water supply.As a coach arrived carrying the first group of asylum seekers to return to the Bibby Stockholm, protesters gathered at the gates of Portland Port, which is around 140 miles (225 kilometers) southwest of London, to decry what they view as the “inhumane” conditions aboard.All but 10 of the 39 men evacuated are believed to have returned, though they arrived later than planned after the coach was deliberately blocked by Just Stop Oil protesters, who argue that the climate crisis will inevitably lead to more migration around the world.Critics say the barge, which has a capacity of 504 people, is potentially a fire hazard and treats residents as though they are in prison.“They hate it: they say it feels like a prison, some hate being ...

Republicans warn many Gaza refugees could be headed for the U.S. Here’s why that’s unlikely

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:46 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump and other top Republicans want the U.S. to seal its borders against a potential mass exodus of Palestinians fleeing war in the Gaza Strip, suggesting that a surge of civilian refugees could allow extremists into the country. But such an onslaught is highly unlikely.People fleeing the fighting are largely barred from getting out of Gaza, and U.S. law already gives authorities broad leeway to deny people entry into the country if they present security risks. Cases of extremists crossing into the U.S. illegally are also virtually non-existent. Here’s a closer look at what’s being said and what the realities are.WHO WANTS TO BAN PALESTINIAN REFUGEES FROM THE U.S.?Trump has been the most outspoken on this issue. The former president vowed while campaigning in Iowa this week to bar refugees from Gaza and immediately expand a Muslim travel ban he imposed via executive order during his first administration. Pointing to the Oct. 7 a...

Profits, markups rose as competition weakened over 20 years: Competition Bureau

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:46 GMT

The Competition Bureau says profits and markups have increased over the last two decades as the state of competition in Canada has deteriorated.The bureau published a report today analyzing how competition evolved across industries between 2000 and 2020.It finds that the most concentrated industries got even more concentrated over time, while more industries came to be considered highly concentrated. Large firms are facing fewer challenges from smaller competitors, and fewer new companies are finding a foothold.The bureau also analyzed profits and markups and says both have increased over the last two decades.Commissioner Matthew Boswell says the report highlights the need to modernize Canada’s competition law and for governments to adopt pro-competitive policies.

PC Optimum members now eligible for Apple TV+ subscription rewards

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:46 GMT

Loblaw Companies Ltd. says members of its PC Optimum loyalty program can now redeem their points for monthly subscriptions to the Apple TV+ streaming service and Apple Arcade.PC Optimum members are also eligible for a three-month free trial of Apple TV+, Apple Music, Apple Fitness+, Apple Arcade and Apple News+, which they can access through the rewards program app and online.The company says 10,000 points are redeemable for one month of AppleTV+.Members can unlock one month of Apple Arcade by redeeming 6,500 PC Optimum points.Loblaw senior vice-president of loyalty Ryan Markle says the program’s foray into entertainment builds on its existing rewards in food, clothes, health, beauty and gas.The company says that in 2022, its nearly 16 million PC Optimum members earned more than $1 billion worth of points.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:L)The Canadian Press

Hurricanes are now twice as likely to zip from minor to whopper than decades ago, study says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:46 GMT

With warmer oceans serving as fuel, Atlantic hurricanes are now more than twice as likely as before to rapidly intensify from wimpy minor hurricanes to powerful and catastrophic, a study said Thursday.Last month Hurricane Lee went from barely a hurricane at 80 mph (129 kph) to the most powerful Category 5 hurricane with 155 mph (249 kph) winds in 24 hours. In 2017, before it devastated Puerto Rico, Hurricane Maria went from a Category 1 storm with 90 mph (145 kph) to a top-of-the-chart whopper with 160 mph (257 kph) winds in just 15 hours.The study looked at 830 Atlantic tropical cyclones since 1971. It found that in the last 20 years, 8.1% of the time storms powered from a Category 1 minor storm to a major hurricane in just 24 hours. That happened only 3.2% of the time from 1971 to 1990, according to a study in the journal Scientific Reports. Category 1 hurricanes top out at 95 mph (153 kph) and a hurricane has to have at least 111 mph (178 kph) winds to become major.Those are the ...

Desjardins to cut close to 400 jobs amid economic uncertainty

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:46 GMT

MONTREAL — Desjardins Group says it is cutting close to 400 jobs as it responds to economic uncertainty. The financial services co-operative says heightened volatility, inflation and the potential for an economic slowdown have added pressure to the need for prudent management. Spokesman Jean-Benoît Turcotti says in a statement that Desjardins is also still working to recoup the benefits of its “massive investments” in recent years, particularly in technology, and so it needs to step up the pace on these efforts.The layoffs at Desjardins, amounting to about 0.6 per cent of its workforce, come a day after Scotiabank said it would cut about three per cent of its global workforce, which works out to about 2,700 staff.The bank said the cuts are the result of digitization and automation, as well as its streamlining efforts and shifting consumer preferences.Other banks have also been trimming staff in recent months after a major hiring push during the pandemic. This report by T...

Earthquake country residents set to ‘drop, cover and hold on’ in annual ShakeOut quake drill

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:46 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — People will duck under desks and tables in California and around the world on Thursday for an annual drill practicing ways to stay safe during earthquakes.Up and down the West Coast, the ShakeOut drill was scheduled to begin at 10:19 a.m. PDT with a cellphone-rattling test alert from the region’s ShakeAlert earthquake warning system. For many it would be the second alert of the day, following an errant predawn message that hit some phones with a voice message announcing the test. The U.S. Geological Survey said it was likely due to a mix-up in time zones set in the test alert system.The real thing happened a day earlier, however, when a magnitude 4.2 quake struck southwest of California’s capital in the agricultural Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta region.The tremor triggered a warning from the ShakeAlert system, which detects the start of a quake and sends warnings to areas expected to experience shaking. The quake proved to be weaker than th...

Jordan moves to back McHenry as temporary Speaker: Live coverage

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:46 GMT

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is marching ahead with his Speakership bid even as his Republican detractors signal the opposition is likely to grow.The Ohio Republican failed to win the gavel on the second ballot Wednesday, losing even more Republicans than on the first ballot Tuesday. He could try again as soon as noon Thursday.At the same time, chatter is heating up even more about the possibility of expanding the powers of Speaker Pro Tem Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.).Follow along with live updates below.

Americans urged to leave Lebanon 'as soon as possible'

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:46 GMT

(The Hill) - The State Department on Thursday urged Americans to make plans to leave Lebanon “as soon as possible,” elevating an earlier security warning that advised Americans not to travel to the country. “The U.S. Embassy is closely monitoring the security situation in Lebanon,” the Thursday advisory read. “The Department of State urges U.S. citizens in Lebanon to make plans to depart as soon as possible while commercial options are still available.” “We recommend that U.S. citizens who choose not to depart prepare contingency plans for emergency situations,” the advisory added.The warning comes as demonstrations and violent confrontations have erupted in Lebanon amid the war between Hamas and Israel. Fighting has also broken out along the border between Lebanon and Israel, where Israeli forces and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah have clashed for years.On Tuesday, the State Department warned Americans not to travel to Lebanon, citing “the unpredictable security...

Pfizer plans to more than double price of COVID medication Paxlovid

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:46 GMT

(The Hill) -- Pfizer will be selling its COVID-19 antiviral treatment at more than twice the price at which it was sold to the federal government as it transitions towards the commercial market.Since Paxlovid was first made available at the end of 2021, the federal government has subsidized the cost. Pfizer sold the treatment to the government at a discounted rate of $530, and, when a move to commercialization was announced, an increase in price was expected.The company confirmed Thursday that the list price for a five-day course of Paxlovid will be $1,390. A similar move was seen when COVID-19 vaccine became commercialized. The federal government paid $19.50 per dose of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, and the commercial list price was six times that at $120."Pricing for PAXLOVID is based on the value it provides to patients, providers, and health care systems due to its important role in helping reduce COVID-19-related hospitalizations and deaths," Pfizer said in a statement."The lis...