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Fire at Austrian hospital kills 3 patients, cigarette suspected as cause

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:31:43 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Three patients died in a fire that broke out overnight at a hospital in a town just outside Vienna, Austrian authorities said Tuesday. Police said they suspect a cigarette set off the blaze.The fire broke out in a fourth-floor room at the hospital in Moedling, and rescuers were unable to save three men who were in that room, Matthias Hofer, a spokesman for Lower Austria province’s health agency, told the Austria Press Agency. A woman was slightly injured.Authorities were alerted shortly before 1 a.m. to the fire, which filled the internal medicine ward with smoke. Around 90 patients were evacuated, with some being moved to other parts of the hospital and others transferred to a clinic in nearby Baden.The fire was extinguished by 3 a.m.Evidence points to a cigarette having been the cause, police spokesman Stefan Loidl told APA later Tuesday. Investigators believe that the fire started in the bed of a 75-year-old man who was a heavy smoker. The room’s window ...

Video, tips sought in probe of shooting outside suburban Philadelphia stadium that wounded 8

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:31:43 GMT

Authorities are asking the public to share any footage or information as they investigate a shooting that left eight teenagers wounded at a weekend gathering outside a stadium near Philadelphia.Police in the suburb of Chester said the gunfire erupted shortly before 11:30 p.m. Sunday in a parking lot outside Subaru Park, the sports venue beside the Delaware River where the Philadelphia Union play. In a statement, police appealed to businesses and residents to check their cameras for any footage that may assist the investigation. Authorities did not immediately say whether they had any suspects in connection with the shooting or were close to making any arrests. Six people between the ages of 17 and 18 were shot, authorities said. The Delaware County city’s police commissioner, Steven Gretsky, told reporters on Monday that all had been released from the hospital except for a 17-year-old boy, who remained in critical condition Tuesday. District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said Tuesday t...

Dearth of skilled workers, funding dents tech adoption by manufacturers: Survey

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:31:43 GMT

MONTREAL — A shortage of skilled workers and funding is hurting manufacturers’ ability to take up new technology, according to a new survey.In a poll by the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, 40 per cent of respondents have yet to start or are just beginning a digital transformation.One third of those surveyed pointed to a dearth of skilled workers as a key hurdle to adopting fresh tech.Dennis Darby, who heads the trade organization, says small businesses need help through tax credits that lower investment risks and offset the cost of employee training.“We need more targeted government support for these companies to help accelerate technology adoption in our manufacturing sector or risk our economic competitiveness and standard of living,” Darby said in a release.The industry group is calling for a 10 per cent federal investment tax credit matched by all provinces — it’s already available in Atlantic Canada and the Gaspé Peninsula — as well as more vocational training...

Cyclist critically injured after being struck by vehicle in Toronto’s east end

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:31:43 GMT

A cyclist has been rushed to hospital after he was struck by a vehicle in the city’s east end.Toronto police were called to the area of Finch Avenue East and Pharmacy Avenue just after 2 p.m. on Tuesday.Police say the man’s injuries are life-threatening.The driver remained at the scene.

Minnesota governor signs bill to legalize marijuana, effective this summer

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:31:43 GMT

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (AP) — Surrounded by dozens of cheering people in green clothes, Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed a bill Tuesday to legalize recreational marijuana for people over the age of 21, making Minnesota the 23rd state to legalize the substance for adults.“This has been a long journey with a lot of folks involved,” Walz said.Among them was one of the first governors in the U.S. to openly support marijuana legalization.“For me personally, it’s very wonderful to see a dream of yours over 20 years ago finally happen today, and I’m still alive to see it,” said Jesse Ventura, Minnesota’s governor from 1999-2003.Under the new law, cannabis will be legal by Aug. 1 to possess, use and grow marijuana at home. Possession of cannabis flower will be limited to 2 pounds (0.9 kilos) at home and 2 ounces (56 grams) in public. Other possession caps include 800 milligrams of THC in gummies and other edibles and 8 grams of cannabis concentrate.Retail sales at dispensaries w...

Police identify Hamilton couple fatally shot by landlord

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:31:43 GMT

Hamilton Police identified the young couple fatally shot by their landlord in a dispute over the weekend.Investigators were called to the apartment building in Stoney Creek around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 27, and found two deceased victims. A 27-year-old female and a 28-year-old male were both tenants at the residence.Sgt. Steve Bereziuk described the couple as “truly innocent victims.” The 57-year-old suspect is a landlord who lived in a unit above the tenants.In a news release, Hamilton Police confirmed the landlord was killed in an exchange of gunfire with an officer after barricading himself inside the unit.The suspect’s identity has not been revealed.With the family’s permission, police identified the couple as 27-year-old Carissa MacDonald of Stoney Creek, formally of Huntsville, Ont., and 28-year-old Aaron Stone of Hamilton.A police spokesperson said the families of both victims are requesting privacy at this time. Investigators have interviewed seve...

Ex-Trump White House official Peter Navarro to go on trial in September in Jan. 6 contempt case

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:31:43 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Trump White House official Peter Navarro will stand trial in September on contempt of Congress charges filed after he refused to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta set a Sept. 5 trial date during a court appearance on Tuesday in Washington.Navarro was charged last year with one contempt count for failing to appear for a deposition before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack and a second charge for failing to produce documents the committee requested. He has pleaded not guilty. His attorneys declined to comment after Tuesday’s hearing.A former economics professor, Navarro served as a White House staffer under former President Donald Trump and later promoted his baseless claims of mass voter fraud. Navarro has argued that Trump invoked executive privilege, barring him from cooperating with the committee.Navarro was the second Trump aide to face criminal ch...

Moscow drone attack exposes Russia’s vulnerabilities, fuels criticism of military

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:31:43 GMT

A drone attack that targeted Moscow on Tuesday exposed glaring breaches in its air defenses and underlined the capital’s vulnerability as more Russian soil comes under fire amid expectations of a Ukrainian counteroffensive.The attack, which lightly damaged three apartment buildings, angered Russia’s hawks, who scathingly criticized President Vladimir Putin and the military brass for failing to protect the heart of Kremlin power more than 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the front line.Five of the eight drones that took part in the raid were shot down, the Defense Ministry said, while three others were jammed and forced to veer off course. Some Russian media and bloggers alleged a larger number of drones were involved, but those claims couldn’t be verified.The attack followed a May 3 drone strike on the Kremlin that lightly damaged the roof of the palace that includes one of Putin’s official residences. Other drones have crashed near Moscow in what Russian authoritie...

Government amending Atlantic Accords to include offshore wind energy, spur production

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:31:43 GMT

OTTAWA — Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says new legislation will let Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador tap into the potential of offshore wind power development.He introduced changes to laws implementing the Atlantic Accords today that would expand the mandates of each province’s offshore petroleum boards to include renewable energy. The proposed amendments would enable the development of offshore wind farms by allowing for government regulation.Wilkinson says the worldwide market is forecast to attract a trillion dollars of investment by 2040.The federal government signed a deal with Germany last summer to create a clean energy corridor, aiming to send hydrogen to Europe beginning in 2025.Renewable sources of electricity, such as wind, are needed to produce green hydrogen.This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2023.The Canadian Press

US says ‘the time is now’ for Sweden to join NATO and for Turkey to get new F-16s

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:31:43 GMT

OSLO, Norway (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday the “time is now” for Turkey to drop its objections to Sweden joining NATO but said the Biden administration also believed that Turkey should be provided with upgraded F-16 fighters “as soon as possible.”Blinken maintained that the administration had not linked the two issues but acknowledged that some U.S. lawmakers had. President Joe Biden implicitly linked the two issues in a phone call to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday.“I spoke to Erdogan and he still wants to work on something on the F-16s. I told him we wanted a deal with Sweden. So let’s get that done,” Biden said.Still, Blinken insisted the two issues were distinct. However, he stressed that the completion of both would dramatically strengthen European security.“Both of these are vital, in our judgement, to European security,” Blinken told reporters at a joint news conference in the northern Swedish city of Lulea with Sweden’s Pri...