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Weekend need-to-know: Celebrate holiday cheer just before Christmas

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:59 GMT

There will be lots of events to celebrate the holidays this weekend ahead of Christmas Day on Monday, including festivals, performances and lots of last-minute chances to talk to Santa before his big night.There are no TTC or GO Train closures over the weekend, and if you want full details of what’s open and closed over the holidays, click here.Here are some of the top events.Christmas at the CastleCelebrate Christmas at Casa Loma with Christmas at the Castle with a wide range of activities and “thrilling performances.” There will be holiday magic throughout the castle with decorations, including a 40-foot-tall tree in the Great Hall and eight other trees decorated by talented Canadian designers.Kids will also have the chance to visit the centre and participate in festive arts and crafts. It’s happening on Dec. 24 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.Tickets are available on their website and children three and under are free.Distillery District Winter VillageWhile the Di...

Energy Fuels starts uranium production at three mines, shares rise

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:59 GMT

TORONTO — Shares of Energy Fuels Inc. were up after the company said it has started production at three of its uranium mines in the United States and was preparing to start production at two more.The mining company says it made the move in response to strong uranium market conditions, with spot prices at a 16-year high.Once production is fully ramped up at the three mines in Arizona and Utah by mid- to late-2024, the company says it expects to be producing uranium at a run-rate of 1.1 million to 1.4 million pounds per year.The company is also preparing two mines in Colorado and Wyoming to start uranium production within one year.Once in production, the company says they would increase its uranium production to over two million pounds per year starting in 2025, if market conditions continue as expected.Energy Fuels shares were up 62 cents at $9.92 in late-morning trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 21, 2023.Companies in thi...

Apple loses latest bid to thwart patent dispute threatening to stop U.S. sales of two watch models

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:59 GMT

CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — Apple has been rebuffed in its latest attempt to untangle a patent dispute that is pushing the company into suspending sales of two popular Apple Watch models as the holiday shopping season wraps up.The International Trade Commission rejected Apple’s bid to get around a late October order revolving around the technology used in the Blood Oxygen measurement feature on the Series 9 and Ultra 2 versions of its internet-connected watch.The dispute stems from a patent infringement claim filed in 2021 by medical technology company Masimo, culminating in a U.S. ban on Apple using the technology that makes the Blood Oxygen feature work on those two watches The decision issued Wednesday means Apple will follow through on its plan to stop selling two watch models in the U.S. to comply with the ITC ruling unless the Biden administration overturns it by Christmas. Online sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 are scheduled to stop at 3 p.m. EST Thursday and...

A wildcat strike shuts down English Channel rail services, causing misery for Christmas travelers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:59 GMT

PARIS (AP) — The train company Eurostar canceled all services to and from London starting at noon Thursday and “until further notice” due to a wildcat strike by staff at Eurotunnel, which links Britain and the European continent. The unannounced strike triggered by what Eurotunnel staff said was an insufficient bonus caused outrage and disarray in train stations as travelers on both sides of the English Channel tried to join families and friends for the Christmas holidays. French Transport Minister Clement Beaune called the stoppage “unacceptable.”“A solution must be found immediately,” he said on X, formerly Twitter. “We are closely monitoring the situation as it evolves and, our teams are currently working to minimize the impact on our customers,” a brief statement from Eurostar said. “Customers affected will receive direct communication about their journey and can exchange their tickets free of charge or claim a refund.” Eurostar and Eurotunnel are two separate companies.Un...

High school student revived with defibrillator after collapsing at New York basketball game

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:59 GMT

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — A western New York high school student was revived with an on-site defibrillator that’s required under state law after collapsing during a junior varsity basketball game Wednesday, authorities said.Police in Rochester credited quick access to an automated external defibrillator with saving the 15-year-old boy’s life.The Monroe High School student collapsed from apparent cardiac arrest about 5:30 p.m. as Monroe played the School of the Arts at the John James Audubon School No. 33, authorities said. A school safety officer and athletic trainer used the defibrillator before emergency medical crews arrived and the boy regained consciousness before being taken to a hospital, where he is in stable condition and improving, school officials said.Officials canceled the rest of the game, as well as the varsity game that was to follow.The boy’s name has not been released.State lawmakers and then-Gov. George Pataki approved a law in 2002 that required al...

A police SUV slammed into a bar in St. Louis. Police response drawing scrutiny

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:59 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis police are pledging a thorough investigation after a police SUV slammed into a bar. But supporters of the bar question why one of the owners was arrested in the aftermath of the accident, while the officers in the SUV were not tested for intoxication.No one was hurt early Monday when the police car struck the front of Bar:PM in south St. Louis but the front window was smashed. Video footage released Wednesday by Javad Khazaeli, the attorney for the bar owners, showed what he said was the same police SUV running a red light seconds before the crash. Another video showed the SUV suddenly veer into the building.A message left Thursday with police was not immediately returned.Chad Morris, who owns the bar with his husband, was arrested and charged with assault and resisting arrest for allegedly striking an officer after the crash, then trying to run away. He was released from jail Tuesday. Supporters packed the bar that night.Police Lt. Col. Renee Kriesmann sa...

Taliban official says Afghan girls of all ages permitted to study in religious schools

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:59 GMT

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan girls of all ages are permitted to study in religious schools, which are traditionally boys-only, a Taliban official said Thursday. A day earlier, U.N. special envoy Roza Otunbayeva told the Security Council and reporters that the United Nations was receiving “more and more anecdotal evidence” that girls could study at the Islamic schools known as madrassas.But Otunbayeva said it wasn’t clear what constituted a madrassa, if there was a standardized curriculum that allowed modern education subjects, and how many girls were able to study in the schools.The Taliban have been globally condemned for banning girls and women from education beyond sixth grade, including university. Madrassas are one of the few options for girls after sixth grade to receive any kind of education.Mansor Ahmad, a spokesman at the Education Ministry in the Afghan capital Kabul, said in messages to The Associated Press that there are no age restrictions for girls at government-co...

Measures for Canadians with families trapped in Gaza to be announced today

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:59 GMT

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government will announce new measures today to bring family members of Canadians trapped in the besieged Gaza Strip to safety.Gaza became a battlefield after Hamas launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 Israeli civilians and military members.The retaliatory siege, bombardments and ground attacks have left 19,600 civilians and combatants in Gaza dead.Canadians with extended family members in the war zone, including parents, grandchildren and siblings, have been pleading with the government to help their loved ones.When asked why it has taken the government so long to offer protection to Canadians’ extended families, Trudeau called the situation “extremely difficult.”He says Canada has worked hard to get more than 600 Canadians, permanent residents, and their spouses and children out of Gaza, but there is much more to do.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 21, 2023.Laura Osman, The ...

SUV crashes into townhomes in Niles; 2 taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:59 GMT

NILES, Ill. — A Mercedes SUV driven by a 74-year-old female struck the garage of a townhome and crashed into another townhome Thursday morning in Niles, Ill., according to the Niles Police Department.Police say the driver and a 62-year-old female inside the townhome that was crashed into were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. An 18-year-old male also in the townhome at the time of the incident declined medical treatment.At 7:50 a.m. Thursday, NPD officers responded to a report of a vehicle versus building crash in the 8900 block of W. Heathwood Circle. According to police, the preliminary investigation revealed that a 2011 Mercedes GLK350 driven by a 74-year-old female was attempting to back out of a parking space in the residential complex when it struck the garage of a townhome. The vehicle then accelerated rapidly through a yard and struck a separate townhome, ending up with most of the vehicle inside the residence.The Niles Community Development Departmen...

First 'seniors only' DMV opens in Calumet Park to help older residents avoid long lines

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:59 GMT

CALUMET PARK, Ill. -- The first 'seniors only' DMV opened for the far south side and southern suburbs in Calumet Park Thursday.The goal is to help seniors avoid long lines to get driver's licenses, IDs, car registration stickers and other DMV services. Chicago Park District offering free access to fitness centers for 12 days This is the fourth 'Seniors Only' faculty opened by the Secretary of State Alex Giannoulias where older residents can get services on a walk-in ais without an appointment.State officials will officially open the walk-in facility at the Calumet Township Senir Citizen Center in the 1200 block of South Ashland Avenue at 1 p.m.