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Alaska’s popular Fat Bear Week could be postponed if the government shuts down

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:15:32 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A looming government shutdown threatens to claw its way into a crowd-pleasing Alaska tradition: Fat Bear Week.Alaska’s most-watched popularity contest, Fat Bear Week involves residents picking their favorite fat brown bear who’s been stocking up for winter by noshing on salmon in Katmai National Park & Preserve. Viewers of the bears online vote in tournament-style brackets for those they want to advance to the next round until a champion is crowned in the weeklong contest. More than 1 million votes were cast last year.Problem is, national park employees count and release those votes — and a shutdown won’t allow them to do so because it would trigger a ban on using the park’s official social media accounts for as long as the government is closed.“Should a lapse happen, we will need to postpone Fat Bear Week,” Cynthia Hernandez, a park spokesperson, said in an email to The Associated Press. If Congress does not reach an agreement to...

Libya’s coast guard rams into a dingy with some 50 migrants. Many onboard get thrown into the sea

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:15:32 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — A Libyan coast guard boat rammed into a dingy carrying some 50 migrants just off Libya’s coast on Friday, partially sinking the vessel. Many of those onboard were thrown into the Mediterranean Sea and had to swim to another Libyan ship nearby for safety, a rescue group said.It appeared to be the latest reckless sea interception of migrants by the Libyan coast guard, which is trained and financed by the European Union to stem the influx of migrants to Europe. Libya has in recent years emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants seeking a better life in Europe.The German sea rescue group Sea-Watch released a video appearing to show the Libyan coast guard boat nearing the dinghy, after which most of those on the vessel fall into the water. Sea-Watch said the Libyan coast guard then took the migrants aboard another ship, a coast guard frigate.There were no immediate reports of any fatalities or of anyone missing.Sea-Watch, which carries out rescue operations in...

California’s Newsom in political quandary filling Feinstein seat after pledging to pick Black woman

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:15:32 GMT

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Democrats’ fragile majority in the U.S. Senate puts extra pressure on California Gov. Gavin Newsom to quickly pick a replacement for Sen. Dianne Feinstein following her death, a fraught decision for a two-term governor with national ambitions of his own.The Democratic governor had promised to appoint a Black woman in the months before Feinstein’s death as concerns grew about her declining health. He also has said he would avoid the field of candidates already campaigning for the post, which will be on the ballot next year and includes Rep. Barbara Lee, one of the state’s most prominent Black women currently serving in elected office. In a letter on Friday, the NAACP told Newsom, “Now the time has come for you to keep your promise.”“When you openly promised to appoint an African American woman to Sen. Feinstein’s seat if given the opportunity, the entire African American community in California and around the nation celebrated,” said the l...

Georgia judge declines to freeze law to discipline prosecutors, suggesting she will reject challenge

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:15:32 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — A judge is declining to freeze a new Georgia law creating a commission to discipline and remove state prosecutors, suggesting that she will ultimately rule against a lawsuit attacking the measure.Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker on Friday denied a request for an injunction by four district attorneys who have sued to overturn the commission, arguing that it unconstitutionally infringes on their power.Some Republicans in Georgia want the new commission to discipline or remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis for winning indictments of former President Donald Trump and 18 others. Willis is not one of the plaintiffs in the suit, although she opposed the law.Georgia’s law is one in a series of attempts nationwide by Republicans to impose controls on prosecutors they don’t like. Republicans have inveighed against progressive prosecutors after some have brought fewer drug possession cases and sought shorter prison sentences, arguing Democrat...

Saskatchewan premier defends plan to use notwithstanding clause for pronoun policy

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:15:32 GMT

SASKATOON — Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is defending his decision to recall the legislative assembly early and use the notwithstanding clause to ensure the province’s pronoun policy in schools stays in place.Speaking to reporters in Saskatoon, he said he wants to make it clear the policy will go ahead.“The policy is paused here today,” Moe said Friday. “What we feel is of paramount importance is to provide clarity to parents, to families and ultimately to school divisions and educators that are in our classrooms across the province. This will provide that clarity.“We’ve said for a number of weeks now that there are tools available for the government to ensure this policy is in place moving forward for the next number of months and years.”Moe made the announcement Thursday that he plans to use the notwithstanding clause, shortly after a judge granted an injunction to pause the policy that requires parental consent when children under 16 wa...

Blinken on Canada-India rift: ‘Those responsible must be held accountable’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:15:32 GMT

WASHINGTON — America’s top diplomat is again urging India and Canada to work together on bringing Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killers to justice — and hopefully forestall a deepening of a serious geopolitical rift between two important allies. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he delivered that message Thursday during his meeting in Washington, D.C., with Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s external affairs minister. Relations between Canada and India have plumbed new depths since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cited “credible allegations” of links between the Indian government and the shooting death of Nijjar, a prominent Sikh separatist and Canadian citizen. “We’re very concerned about the allegations that have been raised by Canada, by Prime Minister Trudeau,” Blinken told a news conference Friday. “Those responsible need to be held accountable, and we hope that our friends in both Canada and India will work together to resol...

Biden backs new offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Scaled-back plan disappoints all sides

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:15:32 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s administration on Friday proposed up to three oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico, but none in Alaska, as it tries to navigate between energy companies seeking greater oil and gas production and environmental activists who want Biden to shut down new offshore drilling in the fight against climate change.The five-year plan includes proposed sales in the Gulf of Mexico — the nation’s primary offshore source of oil and gas — in 2025, 2027 and 2029. The three lease sales are the minimum number the Democratic administration could legally offer if it wants to continue expanding offshore wind development. Under the terms of a 2022 climate law, the government must offer at least 60 million acres of offshore oil and gas leases in any one-year period before it can offer offshore wind leases.The provision tying offshore wind to oil and gas production was added by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a top recipient of oil and gas...

Defence Department to cut $1B from budget as government tightens spending

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:15:32 GMT

OTTAWA — The country’s top soldier and outside experts say that cutting almost $1 billion from the Department of National Defence budget will affect the Armed Forces’ capabilities.The chief of the defence staff, Gen. Wayne Eyre, confirmed the figure to MPs on the House national defence committee Thursday. Eyre says there is no way to trim that amount without having an effect on the Canadian Armed Forces. The federal government announced plans to find more than $15 billion in savings in its spring budget by cutting contracting services by 15 per cent and departmental spending by three per cent.  Anita Anand became president of the Treasury Board over the summer and told her colleagues they need to make those cuts by October. David Perry, president of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, says cuts to military contracts will affect things like equipment maintenance and engineering, and reduce the Armed Forces’ readiness.This report by The Canadian Press was first pu...

Stella’s Place providing vital mental health supports at new Alexandra Park location

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:15:32 GMT

Stella’s Place has been working to provide mental health supports to youth and young adults for the last decade in Toronto and since moving to Wolseley Street in March, the organization has made a big impact on the community.The new space is modern and open, designed mostly by its visitors, according to Executive Director Nzinga Walker.“They’ve really helped us to create a space where they felt this is going to respond to their needs and make them feel very comfortable and at home in this space,” said Walker.The space is twice as big as the former office which has allowed them to expand their services beyond counselling.“At Alexandra Park, we have different partnerships with various agencies … we do have our programming, like [the] social anxiety program,” explained Walker. “We also have a peer support program. We try to have our fitness program also for young adults. And we have a number of different services where people can just come and ...

Luke Getsy believes Bears offense 'in process of building something special' despite bad start

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:15:32 GMT

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Of all the members of the Bears who have been taking some heavy criticism in the midst of a bad start, no one is doing so as much as the team's offensive coordinator.But despite a rough three games, Luke Getsy is far from losing faith in his unit or his quarterback Justin Fields, which he made clear on Thursday. "We're in the process of building something special," said Getsy when asked how he's prevented frustration during a difficult start. "It's Week 3 going to Week 4 and we're going to find a way to attack Denver in a completely different way than we did Kansas City. That's the week-to-week challenge that you have."There's different schemes, there's different mentalities of coordinators that you're playing against. Like Coach Flus (Matt Eberflus) kinda always says, you get 24 hours to enjoy or be sad about whatever the heck happened, and you move on, that's part of our business."It's a 17-week process, not a three-week process."That's been harder for some on ...