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South African authorities say 31 illegal miners killed in explosion in May, only now coming to light

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:42:26 GMT

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — At least 31 people were believed to have died in a gas explosion in a disused mine shaft in South Africa that happened last month but was only now coming to light, authorities said Friday.The suspected illegal miners were believed to have been killed on May 18 and most of their bodies were still underground, South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy said.Authorities were being prevented from sending a search team into the mine to retrieve bodies because there were still dangerously high levels of methane gas in the shaft, the department said in a statement. It said it was considering various options to “speedily deal” with what was “a unique and strange situation.”Illegal prospecting is rife in South Africa’s old gold-mining areas, where miners go into closed and often dangerous mine shafts to dig for deposits.The government department said it had received information that three bodies had been recovered after they were brought to the surfac...

More threats mean more security at Pride. That plays out differently across Canada

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:42:26 GMT

For the first time in its decade-long history, the Pride festival in Timmins, Ont., had to budget for security this year. Previously, there had been no online threats, no reason to believe safety was any issue. But hateful anti-LGBTQ rhetoric has ramped up across the internet, and the northern Ontario city of 40,000 was not spared.  “Typically it’s $17,000 for our entire Pride Week, because we’re small; we’re little,” said Julie Nobert-DeMarchi, who serves as treasurer for Fierté Timmins Pride. “But our security bill was $3,000. That’s far different from what we’re accustomed to.” Pride organizations across the country have been grappling with more threats, while anti-LGBTQ protesters have come out in force to oppose events held by the community year-round, such as child-friendly drag performances. It’s put security top of mind for Pride organizers — in some cases, for the very first time.In Timmins, police were on hand for...

As LBGTQ community girds for battle, advocates say time and the law are on their side

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:42:26 GMT

WASHINGTON — Harleigh Walker is just an ordinary American high school kid, but with one important difference: how she’s spending her summer vacation. The self-described “very happy” straight-A student, debate-team veteran and unabashed Taylor Swift fan enjoys listening to records in her bedroom and going to concerts with friends in her Alabama town of Auburn. Oh, and she loves to travel. Which is good, because she’s fast becoming one of the most prominent and eloquent advocates for transgender rights in the United States. That’s what she was doing again Wednesday, the first day of summer, in front of one of the most powerful Senate committees on Capitol Hill — just one of many U.S. forums where the country’s social divisions are on regular display.“I’m just trying to be in a teenager in America, same as any other teen,” Walker said, her grey plaid pantsuit and poise under pressure making her seem older and wiser than her 16 years...

Charity thanks victims’ families for food, clothing after deadly Manitoba bus crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:42:26 GMT

DAUPHIN, MAN. — The legacies of some of the 16 seniors killed in a bus crash are living on in a western Manitoba community, as their clothing and leftover food are donated to those in need. “It’s a huge benefit from the loss that has happened to the help that it brings other people,” said Wayne Olson, a community minister for the Church of Christ in Dauphin, Man. “That’s a tremendously amazing thing when you think about the big picture of things, how what they have now will help many other people.”A minibus was carrying a group of seniors from Dauphin and the surrounding area to a casino on June 15, when it went into the path of a semi-trailer truck on the Trans-Canada Highway near the town of Carberry, some 190 kilometres to the south.The people on the bus were beloved grandparents, mothers, fathers and siblings, Mounties said at a news conference Thursday. “Hearts are broken, families are grieving, a community is feeling immeasurable loss,” said RCMP Supt. Jeff Asmundson, who is i...

Foreign firefighters fight flames, fatigue and get ‘eaten alive’ by mosquitoes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:42:26 GMT

MONTREAL — Eighteen-year-old Hunter Sousa from Maine celebrated his high school graduation by hopping in a truck and heading to Nova Scotia to fight the biggest forest fire in the province’s history.Sousa works for the Maine forest service as an on-call firefighter, but had never before fought a fire. The call from his superior came on a Thursday. “They said they’d be meeting in Bangor Friday night and I had my graduation Friday night, so I graduated and got my diploma, and headed to Bangor and met with the rest of the crew, and then we headed to Nova Scotia,” he said in a recent interview.Sousa is one of the many foreign firefighters who were pressed into service as Canada battles its worst wildfire season in recent memory. Hailing from 10 different countries on five continents, they’ve been battling flames, fatigue and mosquitoes during stints of 14 consecutive days or more in unfamiliar conditions.In Sousa’s case, his main duty at the Barringto...

Five things to know about Canada’s new wage-fixing and no-poaching prohibitions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:42:26 GMT

TORONTO — New rules prohibiting wage-fixing and no-poaching agreements kick in Friday in an effort to crack down on companies undermining competition at employees’ expense.Here is what employers and employees need to know about the new rules:What is the new law?As of June 23, it is a criminal offence for two or more employers to form deals that fix, maintain, decrease or control wages. The same goes for agreements that prevent companies from hiring or soliciting each other’s employees.It comes after the federal government made amendments to the Competition Act’s conspiracy provision in June 2022 as part of its Budget Implementation Act.“Like price-fixing agreements between competitors, wage-fixing and no-poaching agreements undermine competition,” states the Competition Bureau, which is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the Competition Act.“Maintaining and encouraging competition among employers results in higher wages and sala...

Marking Battle of Okinawa anniversary, governor of southern Japanese islands urges diplomacy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:42:26 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — The governor of Japan’s southern prefecture of Okinawa marked the 78th anniversary of one of World War II’s bloodiest battles Friday by calling for more diplomatic efforts toward peace, saying a military building on the islands has residents fearing becoming embroiled in regional tensions.The Battle of Okinawa killed about 200,000 people, nearly half of them Okinawan residents. Japan’s wartime military, in an attempt to delay a U.S. landing on the main islands, essentially sacrificed the local population. Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki, in his peace declaration, said Okinawans suffered “unimaginable damage” and mark the anniversary by reminding themselves of the absurdity and cruelty of the war as well as lessons learned from survivors.“We resent all forms of war and renew our determination never to turn Okinawa into a battlefield,” he said. But now, Japan’s new security and defense strategies that highlight a defense buildup on Okinawa are “triggering fear...

Daily horoscope for June 23, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:42:26 GMT

Moon Alert: After 6:45 a.m. EDT today (3:45 a.m. PDT), there are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions. The Moon is in Virgo.Happy Birthday for Friday, June 23, 2023:You have a lively, energetic style. You like people and are genuinely interested in them. You want to make the world a better place. This is the final year of a nine-year cycle, which means it is time to let go of anyone and anything that has been holding you back.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★Today you will have to put your own emotional considerations second to those of someone else. No biggie. You can do this. You will derive satisfaction and a sense of personal reward by helping others or performing a service for someone. Tonight: Join forces.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★★It will be hard to hide your feelings today, especially if you’re in love. This is because you feel the need to be yourself and feel what you really are. You also might feel protective and nurturing to others, especially children. To...

Body of pregnant woman found on migrant dinghy en route to Canary Islands

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:42:26 GMT

A pregnant woman died trying to reach Spain's Canary Islands, the country's coastguard said on Tuesday (20 June), after her body was found on a dinghy carrying around 50 migrants near the Atlantic coast of Lanzarote.A fishing boat had spotted the migrants near Lanzarote's Los Cocoteros beach, the coastguard added.The woman's body was found in a boat with 42 men, seven women and three children on board, who received red blankets and medical attention after disembarking from a rescue vessel.Regional TV footage showed emergency services carrying the body of the pregnant woman on a stretcher at the port.Enrique Espinosa, manager of the Lanzarote security and emergencies consortium, told local TV the migrants were lucky the fishing boat found them because they were adrift."There might be more alerts (of arrivals)," he added, as good weather usually increases the number of migrants trying to reach Europe.On Monday (19 June), another trawler spotted a migrant boat near Mogan, in Gran Canar...

Harriette Cole: She drinks to have fun, and then the rest of us can’t

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:42:26 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a friend who did not start drinking until recently. She has no idea what her limits are and often exceeds them, leaving me and my other friends to take care of her at the end of the night.I try to suggest to her to slow down or stop drinking at a certain point, but she gets defensive with me and says that she just wants to have fun like everybody else. The issue is that when she gets too drunk, none of us have fun because we are worried about her, and she doesn’t realize that.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: How do I tell her there’s no way she could wear those clothes? Advice | Harriette Cole: My boyfriend and I fought about his plan to taunt my ex Advice | Harriette Cole: He refused to pull over, and her new car got damaged Advice | Harriette Cole: My former teacher tells stories about me that aren’t true Advice | Harriette Cole: I’m afraid my son made ...