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Carols, poems and partisan cheer in the House of Commons as Christmas approaches

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:52 GMT

OTTAWA — “Merry Christmas, everybody! Merry Christmas. Are we still allowed to say Merry Christmas in Justin Trudeau’s Canada?”That’s how Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre greeted his caucus, and the group of reporters and cameras he invited to join them, at a meeting on Dec. 6. But Poilievre needn’t have feared. “Merry Christmas” was said in the House of Commons many times, many ways (52 times, to be precise) as MPs from all political stripes got into the spirit of the season.Over the last several weeks, self-styled political poets poked partisan fun in the House of Commons with their riffs on the classic 1823 poem “The Night Before Christmas.”Conservative MP Garnett Genuis took aim at federal carbon pricing: “‘Twas the night before Christmas when the members across / Doubled down on their plan to keep raising costs / They set out to do it by taxing the carbon / On the hard-working people who do all the farming.&#...

‘Water apocalypse’ demands return to nature for flood, drought resilience: experts

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:52 GMT

Norm Allard knows he may never see the full impacts of his efforts to restore wetlands and floodplains in southeastern British Columbia, but he takes a”generational view”of the work that exemplifies a key part of climate resiliency.“We’re not doing this just for ourselves in our lifetime. It’s a longer view of looking forward,” said Allard, the community planner for Yaqan Nukiy, or the Lower Kootenay Band, nestled between the Goat and Kootenay rivers near Creston, B.C.“It may be our grandkids that benefit from it,”he said of the restoration of nearly 520 hectares of wetlands that was disconnected from the surrounding river system in the 1960s by a series of ditches, dikes, pumps and drains.There are early signs of success.Allard said much of that infrastructure has been removed since the project began in 2017, reopening natural connections between the wetland and nearby rivers.Today, areas that had been drying up by early August are &#...

Guilbeault to outline plan today to phase in electric-vehicle sales mandate

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:52 GMT

OTTAWA — Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault will outline today the details of his plan to eventually phase out the sale of gas-powered vehicles in Canada.The electric-vehicle sales mandate regulations will be published later this week.They will set a course to require auto manufacturers to ensure at least one-fifth of the vehicles they offer for sale in 2026 are fully electric or plug-in hybrids.That will increase to three-fifths by 2030 and then by 2035, all of the vehicles offered for sale in Canada will need to be zero-emission vehicles.In the first three months of this year, about one in 10 of new vehicles registered were electric. Automakers that come up short for their sales requirements will be able to cover the difference by buying credits from others who exceed their targets or by investing in charging stations.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2023.The Canadian Press

Statistics Canada to release November inflation figures today

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:52 GMT

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada is set to release its November consumer price index report this morning.Economists at both TD and RBC are expecting Canada’s inflation rate fell back to the one to three per cent target range. RBC says it expects Canada’s inflation rate eased to 2.9 per cent last month as gasoline prices fell and the pace of growth in food prices slowed.The inflation rate was 3.1 per cent in October.The Bank of Canada has been encouraged by the recent slowdown in inflation and the economy overall, opting to hold its key interest rate steady at five per cent over the last few months. Forecasters expect the central bank’s next move will be to cut interest rates once it feels more confident that inflation is heading back to two per cent.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2023.The Canadian Press

Stock market today: World shares are mostly higher as Bank of Japan keeps its lax policy intact

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:52 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — World shares were mostly higher on Tuesday after a seven-week winning streak on Wall Street cooled. Germany’s DAX gained 0.4% to 16,710.29 and in London, the FTSE 100 was up 0.3% at 7,634.05. In Paris, the CAC 40 slipped 2 points to 7,567.01. The futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow industrials both gained less than 0.1%. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index gained 1.4% to 33,219.39 after the Bank of Japan kept its ultra-lax monetary policy unchanged, as expected. The dollar rose against the yen, climbing to 144.59 yen from 142.79.The S&P/ASX 200 in Sydney added 0.8% to 7,489.10, while South Korea’s Kospi edged 0.1% higher to 2,568.55. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index declined 1% to 16,469.32 and the Shanghai Composite index gained less than 0.1% to 2,932.39.Bangkok’s SET edged 0.1% higher, while Taiwan’s Taiex fell 0.4%. On Monday, the S&P 500 rose 0.5% and the Nasdaq composite picked up 0.6%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished es...

Daily horoscope for December 19, 2023

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:52 GMT

Moon Alert: Avoid shopping or important decisions from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. EST today (1 p.m. to 3 p.m. PST). After that, the Moon moves from Pisces into Aries.Happy Birthday for Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023:You are energetic, daring and courageous. You are highly individualistic, and seldom hesitant to express your feelings. This is a slower paced year and a time to rejuvenate your energy. Concentrate on your needs, especially the relationships that will bring you happiness. (People who have your back.)ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★This is a bit of a dreamy day. You might be lost in your own daydreams and fantasies, which is why you need to pay attention. (Check the Moon Alert.) After the Moon Alert is over and the Moon is in your sign, you’ll be on track and in charge. Tonight: You win!TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★★You might feel tenderhearted and sympathetic to a friend today. Or perhaps you want to help a charitable group. Kindness is the most important thing. Nevertheless, before you s...

Volcano erupts in southwestern Iceland, spewing magma in spectacular show of Earth’s power

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:52 GMT

By MARCO Di MARCO and DAVID KEYTON (Associated Press)GRINDAVIK, Iceland (AP) — A volcano has erupted in southwestern Iceland, sending a flash of light into the evening sky and spewing semi-molten rock into the air in a spectacular show of Earth’s power in the land known for fire and ice. The eruption Monday night appears to have occurred about 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) from the town of Grindavik, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. The town near Iceland’s main airport was evacuated in November after strong seismic activity damaged homes and raised fears of an imminent eruption.Iceland, which sits above a volcanic hotspot in the North Atlantic, averages an eruption every four to five years. The most disruptive in recent times was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which spewed huge clouds of ash into the atmosphere and led to widespread airspace closures over Europe.But the eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) sout...

Commission welcomes political agreement on new rules on substances of human origin

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:52 GMT

The Commission welcomes the political agreement reached on 14 December between the European Parliament and the Council to further increase the safety and quality of substances of human origin (SoHO). As proposed by the Commission in July 2022 and as part of the actions to build a strong European Health Union, the new rules will ensure that citizens are better protected when donating or receiving substances such as blood, tissues, cells, breast milk or microbiota.The new rules include a range of measures that fill regulatory gaps, in order to support the functioning of this essential healthcare sector. In addition, they aim at facilitating the cross-border circulation of SoHO and promote greater cooperation between national public health authorities. Furthermore, the Regulation now tackles concerns regarding sufficiency of supply, highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic.The European Parliament and the Council will now have to formally adopt the new Regulation, which will start to apply ...

Harriette Cole: I don’t want to offend my friend but I can’t stay in this house

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:52 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I’ve received an invitation to stay at a friend’s house over the holidays, but I feel uncomfortable about the living conditions.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: An audience makes my roommate more irritating Advice | Harriette Cole: He’s finally single, but his ex brainwashed him. How can I get through? Advice | Harriette Cole: How do I tell this nice girl I sent the text by mistake? Advice | Harriette Cole: How far should I go with my Christmas to remember? Advice | Harriette Cole: He hasn’t told his therapist about this big problem Their place tends to be messy, and I’m unsure how to handle this situation without offending them.I value our friendship, but I’m hesitant about staying in an environment that makes me uneasy.How can I navigate this situation tactfully while expressing my concerns?— UninhabitableDEAR UNINHABITABLE: “No...

Miss Manners: People are noticing my watch and it’s making me uncomfortable

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:52 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am not knowledgeable about watches. I found the watch I often wear by searching online for a self-winding watch and finding one that was in my budget and looked nice.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: Snow shoveling has created an awkward situation with my neighbors Advice | Miss Manners: Our houseguests canceled abruptly and implied we were running a frat party Advice | Miss Manners: If you’re the best man at this wedding, brace for embarrassment Advice | Miss Manners: I’m irritated by drivers who leave their car at the pump Advice | Miss Manners: I’m offended that they think my husband knows best What I didn’t realize at the time was that it was a knockoff of a popular luxury design.In the past, when somebody would compliment me on my watch, I would explain that it wasn’t what they thought it was. But I recently changed jobs and am seeing many more...