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Quebec orders more evacuations as dozens of wildfires in Canada remain out of control

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:56 GMT

MONTREAL (AP) — Northern Quebec’s largest town was being evacuated on Tuesday as firefighters worked to beat back threats from out-of-control blazes in remote communities in the northern and northwestern parts of the province.According to the province’s forest fire prevention agency, more than 150 forest fires were burning in the province on Tuesday, including more than 110 deemed out of control. The intense Canadian wildfires are blanketing the northeastern U.S. and parts of Eastern Canada in a haze, turning the air acrid, the sky yellowish gray and prompting warnings for vulnerable populations to stay inside.The effects of hundreds of wildfires burning in Quebec could be felt as far away as New York City and New England, blotting out skylines and irritating throats.Late Tuesday, authorities issued an evacuation order for Chibougamau, Quebec, a town of about 7,500 in the remote region of the province. Authorities said the evacuation was underway and promised more details Wednesday....

Construction job fair hosted for Opa-locka residents

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:56 GMT

Opa-locka residents will have the exclusive opportunity to explore various construction job opportunities at a job fair taking place on Wednesday. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Sherbondy Village Community Center located at 215 Perviz Ave. Sponsored by Link Logistics and the City of Opa-locka, the job fair aims to connect residents with employment prospects from seven renowned construction-focused companies.The participating companies include Rycon Construction, Inc., Bryant Electric, Air Tech, Wiginton Fire Protection, Downrite Engineering, JB Garage Doors, Road Runner, LR Elite Services, and Diamante Construction. With a diverse range of positions available, job seekers can explore opportunities in project management, estimation, project engineering, apprenticeships, liner technology, paint shop technology, carpentry, framing, drywall installation and finishing, administrative assistance, general labor, and more.Opa-locka Mayor John H. Taylor Jr. expressed hi...

How long you breastfeed may impact your child’s test scores later, study shows

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:56 GMT

(CNN) — Whether children were breastfed as infants and for how long may have an impact on their test scores when they are adolescents, according to new research.The report, published Monday in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, followed about 5,000 British children from their infancy in the early 2000s to their last year of high school, according to lead study author Dr. Reneé Pereyra-Elías, a doctoral student and researcher in the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford.The children were divided into groups based on how long they were breastfed: not at all, a few months, or for a year or more, according to the study. Researchers then compared the children’s results in the UK’s General Certificate of Secondary Education testing in their final years of secondary school.What the study team found was that there was a modest improvement in test scores associated with being breastfed longer, Pereyra-Elías said.Compared with those who never had bre...

Pope Francis to undergo intestinal surgery under general anesthesia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:56 GMT

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis is going to the hospital for abdominal surgery Wednesday to treat an intestinal blockage, two years after he had 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his colon removed because of an inflammation and narrowing of the large intestine.The Vatican said Francis, 86, would be put under general anesthesia for the procedure Wednesday afternoon and would be hospitalized at Rome’s Gemelli hospital for several days.The pope was undergoing what the Vatican said was a “laparotomy and abdominal wall plastic surgery with prosthesis” to treat a “recurrent, painful and worsening” constriction of the intestine.A laparotomy is open abdominal surgery. It can help a surgeon both diagnose and treat issues. The statement said Francis was suffering from a blocked laparocele, which is a hernia that formed over a previous scar.“The stay at the health facility will last several days to allow for the normal post-operative course and full functional recovery,” the statement said.In...

UK unveils plan to strip Chinese cameras from government buildings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:56 GMT

LONDON — British government departments will have to remove all surveillance equipment made by Chinese companies under a plan unveiled under pressure from hawkish Conservative backbenchers.Ministers offered significant concessions to Tory rebels in the new procurement bill — which will set rules for companies competing for government contracts — over the use of security cameras made in China.The climbdown comes after a series of meetings between ministers and rebel leaders Iain Duncan Smith and Alicia Kearns, who had both put forward amendments aiming to toughen up the bill’s language.Under the new proposals, the Cabinet Office will create a National Security Procurement Unit and publish a timeline for the removal of cameras produced by companies subject to China’s National Security Law — which critics say allows Chinese authorities to demand to see material — from “sensitive central government sites.”Cabinet Office Minister Jeremy Quin said the measures would “protect o...

Pope Francis taken to hospital for surgery

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:56 GMT

Pope Francis has been taken to a hospital in Rome for intestinal surgery, the Vatican said in a statement Wednesday — the latest in a series of recent health issues for the 86-year-old pontiff.Francis “will be placed under general anaesthesia” for a “laparotomy and abdominal wall plastic surgery with prosthesis,” which will take place this afternoon to treat an intestinal blockage, the Vatican’s press service said. He will remain hospitalized for “several days” for post-operative care.This is the latest in a series of health issues for Francis, who was elected as the head of the Catholic Church in 2013, following Benedict XVI’s resignation from the role.Francis underwent major intestinal surgery in July 2021, in which the left part of his bowel was removed. In March, he spent several days in the hospital, where he was treated for bronchitis.

Police ID woman found dead on side of NH highway, announce arrest

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:56 GMT

Authorities have identified the 27-year-old New Hampshire woman who was found dead in the breakdown lane of I-89 and announced an arrest in connection with her death. Following an investigation that included distributing photos of her tattoo, New Hampshire state troopers identified the woman as Gina C. Maiorano, of Henniker, according to state police. Thomas Shane Hanley, 30, also of Henniker, is now facing charges of conduct after an accident (felony), breach of bail, and stalking in connection with her death, police announced Wednesday morning. Troopers responding to a report of a body in the breakdown lane found Maiorano around 12:13 a.m. Monday.New Hampshire Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jennie V. Duval determined the cause of Maiorano’s death was blunt impact head injuries, and the manner of death is inconclusive, pending investigation.No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Safety or nickel? Versatile Ravens defender Kyle Hamilton isn’t ready to pin himself to one spot.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:56 GMT

Kyle Hamilton had to adapt to an unexpected role to get the most out of his rookie season with the Ravens. He learned enough from the experience that he’s not going to pin himself down, not on June 6, anyway.The 2022 first-round draft pick knows fans are eager to hear where he will play in his second NFL campaign: At safety, where he was rated the runaway top prospect in his class? Or at nickel back, where he became one of the team’s most important defenders down the stretch of last season?“I don’t know,” he said Tuesday when asked if this is the year he becomes a full-time starting safety. “I think as of right now, I feel like I can do a multitude of things, and I feel like no one’s really trying to pin me at one place at this point.”But does he feel more at ease in one spot over the other?“I wouldn’t say there’s one where I’m specifically most comfortable,” he said. “It’s different. At nickel...

CityNews 680 celebrates 30 years of all-news radio

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:56 GMT

“Toronto’s number one for breaking news, traffic and weather, this is CityNews 680 Everywhere … here’s what’s making news right now.”That’s what you hear today at the top of the hour when you tune in to CityNews 680 on the AM dial. The station signs off with “CityNews 680 is CFTR AM Toronto.”Over the past three decades, the radio station, formerly 680 News, has been known for its three main pillars: breaking news, traffic, and weather. In fact, it has traffic and weather reports every 10 minutes on the ones.It all started on June 7, 1993, when CFTR turned into an all-news radio station from an all-hits station. Eight million time checks and 1.5 million traffic reports later and the station is celebrating its 30th anniversary.The history of the radio station, which is now owned by Rogers Communications Inc. under the subsidiary Rogers Sports and Media, dates back to 1962. It started using the call letters CHFI, simulcasting the mu...

Floodwaters engulf more areas of southern Ukraine after dam breach as hundreds evacuated

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:56 GMT

KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) — Floodwaters from a collapsed dam kept rising in southern Ukraine on Wednesday, forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes in a major emergency operation that brought a dramatic new dimension to the war with Russia, now in its 16th month.Amid the disaster response, artillery shelling rang out as people scrambled to get out of the danger zone, climbing onto military trucks or rafts.A day after the dam’s collapse, it remained unclear what caused it. Ukraine accused Russia of blowing up the dam wall, while Russia blamed Ukrainian shelling for the breach. Some experts said the collapse may have been an accident caused by wartime damage and neglect, although others said this was unlikely and argued that Russia might have had tactical military reasons to destroy the dam.The flood’s force was expected to slacken as the day wore on, officials said Wednesday, but water levels were expected to rise by another meter (about 3 feet) over the following 20 hours an...