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White House dinner for Australia offers comfort food, instrumental tunes in nod to Israel-Hamas war

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:18:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — With a menu of “comforting” food and instrumental sounds rather than dance party music, the White House set out Wednesday to throw a state dinner that balanced the desire to celebrate ties to a close U.S. ally with an effort to strike a measured tone at a time of mounting death and suffering unfolding in the Middle East.Up to 350 guests had returned RSVPs and claimed seats for the fourth White House state dinner of President Joe Biden’s term, this one honoring Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The B-52s, an American new wave band, had originally been lined up to entertain guests after dinner. But first lady Jill Biden said the White House made “ a few adjustments ” to the entertainment at a time “when so many are facing sorrow and pain.” She made no direct reference to the Israel-Hamas war sparked by the militant group’s surprise Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, or Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine.Guests now will no l...

The World Bank approved a $1B loan to help blackout-hit South Africa’s energy sector

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:18:52 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The World Bank approved a $1 billion loan for South Africa on Wednesday to help it address an energy crisis that has peaked this year with the country’s worst electricity blackouts. The energy problem has forced the country to lean on its highly polluting coal-fired power stations.South Africa has experienced scheduled, rolling blackouts for months because of problems generating enough electricity for its 62 million people. The state-run power utility, Eskom, generates approximately 80% of the country’s electricity through its coal stations, but they have failed to meet demand due to mismanagement, corruption and regular breakdowns.South Africa’s commitment to its climate change targets are in danger of being affected in the short term, with President Cyril Ramaphosa announcing in April that it may delay shutting down some of its coal stations because of the electricity supply problems.“The loan endorses a significant and strategic re...

Scholastic will drop policy that makes it easier for school fairs to exclude diverse books

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:18:52 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Scholastic Inc. will end a widely criticized policy that made it easier for school book fairs not to sell works with racial, disability and LGBTQ+ themes.The children’s publisher angered many authors and educators this fall when it created a separate package of dozens of books, labeled “Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice,” and gave schools the option on whether to include them in fairs. Poet Amanda Gorman, whose “Change Sings” was among the titles in “Share Every Story,” had said in an Instagram video that Scholastic’s decision “felt like a betrayal.”Scholastic had said the policy, which will remain in place for the rest of the year, was a response to the proliferation of restrictions passed by states around the country. The publisher has not settled on a strategy for 2024.“This fall, we made changes in our U.S. elementary school fairs out of concern for our Book Fair hosts. In doing this, we offered a collection of books to supplement the diverse c...

Food insecurity shot up last year with inflation and the end of pandemic-era aid, a new report says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:18:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — An estimated 17 million households reported problems finding enough food in 2022 — a sharp jump from 2021 when boosted government aid helped ease the pandemic-induced economic shutdown. A new Department of Agriculture report, released Wednesday, paints a sobering picture of post-pandemic hardship with “statistically significant” increases in food insecurity across multiple categories. Using a representative survey sample of roughly 32,000 American households the report said 12.8% (17 million households) reported occasional problems affording enough food — up from 10.2% (13.5 million households) in 2021 and 10.5% (13.8 million households) in 2020. This is up from 10.2% (13.5 million households) in 2021 and 10.5% (13.8 million households) in 2020. Analysts and food security professionals point to the dual impact last year of high inflation and the gradual expiration of multiple pandemic-era government assistance measures.“This underscores how the unwinding of the pan...

Palestinian and Jewish families calls on TDSB to address anti-Palestinian racism

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:18:52 GMT

A Palestinian mother whose child is a student with Toronto District School Board (TDSB) claims since the war between Israel and Hamas began, there has been an increase of discrimination, harassment and bullying and Palestinian staff and students are scared to speak up. “Palestinian students are sitting at TDSB desks and grieving the loss of family members. They are trying to learn math while worrying about about loved ones they haven’t heard from in days,” said Nadine Nasir.Nasir is part of a grassroots group of TDSB families that has been pushing the school board to provide better education on the deep-seated history between Israel and Palestine.  She said the school board’s communications to staff, students and parents about the war have failed to acknowledge the loss of life and humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza. “In two separate communications from the Director of Education and the Chair of the TDSD, the TDSB unequivocally and rightfully condemn...

Air Canada says rules were followed in alleged Islamophobic incident involving U.K. MP

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:18:52 GMT

Air Canada says its staff followed procedure when it delayed a British MP for extra questions in what has been described as an Islamophobic incident during a recent diplomatic trip to Canada.Mohammad Yasin was pulled aside for questioning at London’s Heathrow Airport while other lawmakers he was travelling with were allowed through, and was stopped again at airports in Montreal and Toronto.Yasin’s fellow Labour MP Clive Betts rose in the British House this week to say that Yasin was stopped “because his name was Mohammad” and that the incident was “racist and Islamophobic” in nature.The airline says an authorized government agency prompted the additional screening procedures before Yasin’s flight.Air Canada says it has apologized for the discomfort the screening caused Yasin.Betts told the British House that Yasin was questioned about where he was born and whether he was carrying a knife.

Music Review: The Mountain Goats go big on ‘Jenny from Thebes,’ a sequel to an old favorite

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:18:52 GMT

On “Jenny from Thebes,” The Mountain Goats offer a sequel to one of their most beloved albums, 2002’s “All Hail West Texas.” This one has a lot more bells and whistles.The first album was an intimate, sparse affair with leader John Darnielle doing everything himself: singing, playing acoustic guitar and keyboard, recording it all on a Panasonic RX-FT500 boombox. This time around, he brought in Grammy-winning producer/engineer Trina Shoemaker and a full band: Darnielle, Peter Hughes, Matt Douglas and Jon Wurster. As a result, “Jenny from Thebes” is louder and more energetic than the solitary first record. “Jenny from Thebes” sends the Goats into some new genre territory, with new wave, folk rock, and pure pop woven throughout. There’s the addition of horns and piano. Bully leader Alicia Bognanno brings her lush guitar sounds while Kathy Valentine of The Go-Go’s does backing vocals.This collection wouldn’t be out of place on Broadway, shaped by a myriad of infl...

Tennessee attorney general sues federal government over abortion rule blocking funding

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:18:52 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s top legal chief says the federal government is wrongly withholding millions of dollars in family planning funds after the state refused to comply with federal rules requiring clinics to provide abortion referrals due to its current ban on the procedure. Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Knoxville earlier this week seeking to overturn the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services decision.“We are suing to stop the federal government from playing politics with the health of Tennessee women,” Skrmetti said in a statement. “Our lawsuit is necessary to ensure that Tennessee can continue its 50-year track record of successfully providing these public health services to its neediest populations.” An HHS spokesperson did not immediately return an emailed request for comment. Earlier this year, Tennessee was disqualified from receiving millions of federal dollars offered through a family planning progra...

Canada needs to move faster than the rest of the world on renewable energy: Wilkinson

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:18:52 GMT

Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says Canada needs to “get with the program” and move faster to become a renewable energy powerhouse, as a new international energy outlook forecasts demand for all fossil fuels will peak in seven years.The International Energy Agency annual outlook published Tuesday says that even if no new climate-related policies are implemented, the ones that exist are still enough to bring demand for oil, gas and coal to a peak by 2030.It says that renewables will account for nearly half the world’s electricity supply by that year, and solar power alone will account for more energy than is currently produced by the entire U.S. electricity system.Wilkinson says China has been strategically investing in renewable technologies for years and is now the world’s largest supplier of clean technology, electric vehicles and critical minerals. He says Canada needs to “double down on investing” in the economy of the future.He says ...

North Dakota special session resolves budget mess in three days

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:18:52 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota’s Republican-controlled Legislature adjourned Wednesday after rewriting a major budget bill that was voided by the state Supreme Court, resolving a mess that had threatened to stymie government operations.The Legislature completed its special session in three days, less than a month after the surprising ruling that rejected the law as unconstitutional for violating a single subject requirement.Additionally, the Senate rejected an unrelated, expanded income tax cut pressed by Republican Gov. Doug Burgum, who was off his presidential campaign trail during the special session. Burgum called the situation a “missed opportunity” for more tax relief amid recent years’ inflation.Lawmakers drank coffee, munched brownies and mingled in the Senate chamber while waiting for final votes, with wintry weather bearing down on the state. They quickly left the state Capitol after adjourning around noon.Fourteen bills were passed to reconstruct the voide...