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Zara Canada being investigated by ethics watchdog over alleged links to forced labour

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:15:19 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s corporate ethics czar says it has launched a fact-finding investigation into allegations that Zara Canada Inc. is working with companies that use forced labour in China.The Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise says its investigation into the apparel company stems from allegations made by 28 civil society organizations.The organizations alleged in June that Zara Canada has supply relationships with three Chinese companies identified as using or benefitting from the use of Uyghur forced labour.The ombudsperson says Zara Canada has denied the allegations and said the complaint is inadmissible because the alleged human rights abuses do not arise from its operations. The ombudsperson added Zara Canada declined mediation, saying it does not have a commercial relationship with any factory in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.Zara is the eighth company the ombudsperson has investigated for using Uyghur forced labour in its supply chain. Other companie...

Quebec English universities promise to offer more French if tuition hike is scrapped

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:15:19 GMT

MONTREAL — Quebec’s English-language universities say they will ensure that more out-of-province students graduate with a knowledge of French if the government doesn’t double their tuition.The heads of McGill, Concordia and Bishop’s universities made the proposal to Quebec Premier François Legault and Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry during a meeting in Montreal today.They were convened to the meeting after the government recently announced it would increase tuition for out-of-province students to $17,000 from around $9,000 as a way to protect French.Concordia University president Graham Carr described today’s meeting as “constructive” and said he and his colleagues were told the government would respond soon.In an email to university staff, Concordia University said the plan would include a compulsory French course for out-of-province students, as well as other programs intended to help them integrate into Quebec’s culture and labour ...

Mexico’s Zapatista rebel movement says it is dissolving its ‘autonomous municipalities’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:15:19 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Zapatista indigenous rebel movement in southern Mexico said in a statement posted Monday it is dissolving the “autonomous municipalities” it declared in the years following the group’s 1994 armed uprising.The Zapatistas led a brief rebellion to demand greater Indigenous rights, and since then have remained in their “autonomous” townships in the southern state of Chiapas, refusing government aid programs.In the statement, dated “November” and signed by rebel Subcommander Moises, the group cited waves of gang violence that have hit the area of Chiapas that borders Guatemala, but did not say whether that was a reason for dissolving the townships. The area held by the Zapatistas includes areas near the border. There is also a possibility the changes may be related to the upcoming 2024 presidential election. The movement has run candidates in the past.“In upcoming statements, we will describe the reasons and the processes involved in taking this decision,” th...

Book Review: Tess Gerritsen writes an un-put-downable spin on espionage novels with ‘The Spy Coast’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:15:19 GMT

Maggie Bird just wants to relax into a quiet retirement, raising chickens in the cold little town of Purity, Maine. Even in these remote woods, though, trouble manages to find her. She’ll have to face her past if she has any hope of staying alive.Spy novel meets travelog with a murder mystery in “The Spy Coast,” Book 1 of the new “Martini Club” series. Engrossing from the get-go, Tess Gerritsen’s prose is undeniable — a true professional at sucking you right into the story.When a young spy shows up dead outside Maggie’s home, her friends immediately jump to action, recalling their former lives as CIA operatives. They may be in their 60s now, but these retirees are more than capable, exasperating Officer Jo Thibodeau. While the young police chief’s involvement in the case is an annoying obstacle for Maggie, she can’t help but be beguiled by this woman who reminds her of her former self. Jo’s constant run-ins with the self-named Martini Club promise her character will have a las...

Who was Muhlaysia Booker? Here’s what to know after the man accused of killing her pleaded guilty

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:15:19 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — A man charged in the 2019 fatal shooting of a transgender Dallas woman about a month after she was beaten in a separate attack that was caught on video was sentenced Monday to 48 years in prison.Kendrell Lyles, 37, entered a guilty plea to murder just before jury selection was set to begin in his trial in the death of 22-year-old Muhlaysia Booker.Booker had been shaken but resolute when she spoke at a rally held for her after several men beat her following a minor traffic accident. She told supporters then: “This time, I can stand before you, whereas in other scenarios, we are at a memorial.” The violence that befell Booker in her short life exemplifies threats faced by transgender people, and especially Black transgender women, across the U.S. Booker told police that the people who attacked her after the traffic accident used homophobic slurs. Authorities haven’t publicly revealed a motive for her killing but have said it was unrelated to the earlier assault.Tex...

Questions emerge over CTU president's Indiana property tax claim

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:15:19 GMT

CHICAGO — The head of the Chicago Teachers Union has claimed a home in South Bend, Indiana as her primary residence for the past sixteen years, according to documents reviewed by WGN Investigates.Indiana officials tell WGN Investigates they are removing the homestead exemption and may seek back taxes. In 2007, while she was a Chicago Public Schools teacher, Stacy Davis Gates requested a homestead property tax exemption in her hometown of South Bend that continues to this day. MORE FROM WGN INVESTIGATES: Lawsuit seeks to block dispensary from opening in old Rainforest CaféRecords show she checked a box confirming the house was her principal place of residence.  During roughly the same time period she also owned a home in Chicago on which neither she nor her husband sought a homeowner’s exemption.The Illinois Secretary of State’s office says Stacy Davis Gates didn’t seek a driver’s license here until December 2021, as her public profile and union leadership roles increa...

Trump testimony in New York fraud case wraps after chaotic day court: Live updates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:15:19 GMT

Former President Trump clashed frequently with the judge overseeing his New York fraud trial as the former president spent hours on the witness stand in Manhattan on Monday.Trump's highly anticipated testimony grew chaotic, with the judge asking Trump's attorney to take control of his client. The former president also ticked off his political grievances from the witness stand, to which the judge responded that the court hearing was "not a political rally."The trial puts Trump's long storied career as a real estate mogul and business executive in major jeopardy. At stake are Trump's business licenses and the potential for him to lose control of some of his most famed properties. Follow below for live updates from The Hill's Ella Lee in New York.

New warnings about what marijuana means for the heart — and more

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:15:19 GMT

For Monday, Nov. 6, WGN’s Dina Bair has new medical information, including: More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch New warnings about medical marijuanaNew research suggests people who regularly smoke marijuana may be increasing their risk for a heart attack, heart failure, or stroke. That's according to two new non-published studies presented Monday at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Philadelphia. Older adults who don't smoke tobacco but do use marijuana were at higher risk of both heart attack and stroke when hospitalized. In contrast, people who use marijuana daily were 34% more likely to develop heart failure. Youth tobacco rates fall by 1%Tobacco use by juveniles is down, but there are some mixed results. Overall, tobacco use by kids is less, by 1%, since last year, according to the latest National Youth Tobacco survey. But while there's been a 4% drop for high schoolers, middle school student numbers increased by 2%.For the 10th year in a row, e-cigarettes r...

White House balances aid requests with calls for cease-fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:15:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — As the bloody battle between Israel and Hamas nears one month, the Biden Administration is frantically pushing for humanitarian pauses to allow more resources inside the Gaza Strip and to prevent a broader war.Following a diplomatic tour across the Middle East, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. is urging Israeli forces to proceed with caution as they use ground forces to surround Gaza."I think we made some good progress in recent days," Blinken said. "We've engaged the Israelis on steps they can take to minimize civilian casualties."Right now, Israeli forces are urging remaining civilians to evacuate.The Hamaz-run health ministry says more than 10,000 Palestinians have already been killed since the war began.On Monday, the State Department said it's pushing for humanitarian pauses to allow more aid inside of Gaza. So far, just 476 trucks have been allowed in from Egypt."This continues to be a dire humanitarian situation," Vedant Patel, State Depa...

'Doc' Antle from 'Tiger King' pleads guilty to wildlife trafficking, money laundering charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:15:19 GMT

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WBTW) – Myrtle Beach Safari owner Bhagavan “Doc” Antle pleaded guilty Monday morning to federal conspiracy and money laundering charges, according to the U.S. Justice Department.Antle, 63, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and conspiracy to launder money, the DOJ said in a news release. The Lacey Act prohibits trafficking of illegally taken wildlife, fish or plants, including animals protected under the Endangered Species Act. Timeline of 'Doc' Antle case Antle, the former 'Tiger King' star, faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and three years of supervised release for each count. South Carolina U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Dawson III accepted Antle’s guilty plea and will sentence him after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.It's not the first conviction for Antle. In June, he was found guilty in Virginia of two felony counts of wildlife trafficking and two...