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Sikh independence vote takes place in B.C. amid Canada-India tensions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:25 GMT

SURREY, B.C. — Thousands of Sikh voters are expected to turn out today in the Metro Vancouver municipality of Surrey, to vote in an unofficial referendum at the centre of Canada’s ongoing tensions with India.Organizers say the referendum on Khalistan — an independent state in India proposed by some Sikhs — is taking place at the same Surrey gurdwara where activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in June.Today’s vote is the second round of the referendum in British Columbia, after organizers said the first ballot on Sept. 10 was so popular that voting couldn’t be completed in one day.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in the House of Commons on Sept. 18 that there were “credible allegations” potentially linking India’s government to Nijjar’s killing.Ballot spokesman Gurpatwant Singh Pannun says Trudeau’s statement has created more open conversations around India and its handling of the Khalistani independence movement, while allowing...

Quebec government to present contract offer to unions on cusp of strike Sunday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:25 GMT

MONTREAL — The Quebec government is expected to present a contract offer today to public sector unions who are on the cusp of a strike.Several union federations, representing around 430,000 workers, have said they’re planning their first strike day for Nov. 6, while 80,000 members of a nurses union plan to strike Nov. 8 and 9. The negotiations have lasted for months, with the unions presenting their demands last fall and initial government offers coming last December. Quebec is offering workers a nine per cent salary increase over five years, with an additional lump sum of $1,000 the first year. A group of unions that include many of the affected workers are looking for a three-year contract with raises equivalent to the increase in the consumer price index plus two per cent the first year, with further increases in the second and third years.  The union group is scheduled to react to the new government offer later this morning.This report by The Canadian Press was first publi...

Explosive device blows up at convention center in south India killing at least one and wounding 36

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:25 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — An explosive device blew up at a convention center in southern India killing at least one person and wounding 36 others Sunday, authorities said.Hundreds of Jehovah’s Witness faithful were gathered for a prayer session at the Zamra International Convention Center in the town of Kalamassery in Kerala state when the explosion took place. The state’s top police officer, Sheik Darvesh Saheb, said an initial investigation has revealed an improvised explosive device was used. The wounded, many of them with burn injuries, were transported to hospital for treatment, he said.Videos filmed right after the blast and shared online showed fire inside the convention center and rescuers helping people evacuate the building. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters police were investigating the “unfortunate incident.”Police and medical personnel were put on high alert state-wide.Jehovah’s Witnesses identify as Christians but are guided by distinctive beliefs and practi...

Live updates | Israel intensifies strikes on Gaza including underground targets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:25 GMT

The Israeli military intensified airstrikes in Gaza including near its largest hospital while thousands of people desperate for food and basic items broke into aid warehouses in the besieged enclave. Internet and phone connectivity were restored for many people on Sunday after Israeli strikes had knocked out most communications in the territory late Friday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday called the 3-week-old Israel-Hamas war a fight for Israel’s existence and said “‘Never again’ is now.” He announced a “second stage” in the war and said Israel is determined to bring back 229 hostages taken by Hamas during its bloody Oct. 7 rampage. The Palestinian death toll passed 7,700, most of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza. In the occupied West Bank, more than 110 Palestinians have been killed in violence and Israeli raids.More than 1,400 people were slain in Israel during a surprise incursion by Hamas militants, including at least 3...

Daily horoscope for October 29, 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:25 GMT

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Taurus.Happy Birthday for Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023:You are innovative, energetic and bursting with new ideas. You are also private, even secretive. You often make sudden changes. This year is the beginning of a new cycle, which is why it’s important to stay light on your feet and be courageous. Be open to new directions.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★Guard your money and possessions today, because anything might happen. You might find money; you might lose money. Likewise, protect your belongings against theft, loss or damage. Avoid arguments, especially because someone else wants to call the shots. Patience! Tonight: Protect your assets. This Week: Intense, passionate romantic!TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★★Because you feel restless today, you might suddenly take a new direction or decide to do something different, which is hard for others to cope with. Lift your head out of your sandbox and...

Robinson runs for 2 TDs, Cordeiro passes for 2 more as San Jose State beats Hawaii 35-0

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:25 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — Kairee Robinson ran 17 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns, Quali Conley added 73 yards rushing, including a 5-yard touchdown, and San Jose State beat Hawaii 35-0 Saturday night. San Jose State (4-5, 3-2 Mountain West Conference) held an opponent scoreless for the first time in more than a decade, dating to a 24-0 win over Sacramento State on Aug. 29, 2013. Chevan Cordeiro — who played at Honolulu’s Saint Louis High School and then Hawaii, where he was a captain, before transferring to San Jose State prior to last season — completed 16 of 26 passes for 251 yards for the Spartans and threw two touchdown passes to Nick Nash, who finished with six receptions for 86 yards. Brayden Schager was 17-of-29 passing for 132 yards with an interception for Hawaii (2-7, 0-4). San Jose State finished with 468 total yards and limited the Rainbow Warriors to 210. ___Get alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll throughout the season. Sign up here ___AP college football: https://ap...

Massachusetts tax competitiveness drops to fifth worst in the country, report finds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:25 GMT

The business tax climate in Massachusetts has declined significantly over the past year, with the Commonwealth dropping to the fifth worst state in the country for competitiveness, according to a new report from a national tax watchdog.Massachusetts had the steepest fall from last year in the nation, dropping 12 spots to 46th for overall taxation in the 2023 State Business Tax Climate Index, a ranking published by the Tax Foundation that compares state tax systems.“That means we are overtaxing our employers and our residents, both,” said Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts. “To be in the bottom five states, it’s not a good sign to either our tax-paying families or to employers, current or prospective. We’ve got to work on this.”A driver behind the nosedive in tax competitiveness, the Tax Foundation found, is the state’s new Fair Share Amendment – or Millionaire’s Tax – which taxes incomes over $1 million an extra 4%.“While the $1 million threshold at w...

Jewish groups urge Boston-area universities to investigate Students for Justice in Palestine chapters for applauding Hamas after terrorist attacks in Israel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:25 GMT

Jewish groups are calling on universities and colleges to take a close look at Students for Justice in Palestine campus chapters after SJP student groups applauded Hamas following the terrorist organization’s deadly attacks in Israel.Tufts SJP was one of the student chapters that posted in support of the terrorists, who killed Israelis and took hostages earlier this month.After many SJP student groups did the same in backing Hamas, the Anti-Defamation League and the Brandeis Center recently wrote a letter to the presidents of nearly 200 colleges and universities. The Jewish groups are urging the colleges and universities to investigate the activities of their SJP chapters — including for possibly violating the ban against materially supporting a foreign terrorist organization.The Boston-area colleges and universities that received the letter include: Tufts University, Harvard University, MIT, Boston University, Boston College, Northeastern University and UMass Boston....

Harvard creates task force to support ‘doxxed’ students who signed anti-Israel letter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:25 GMT

A task force at Harvard is providing resources to students who feel uncomfortable after they signed a scathing letter that blamed Israel for the Hamas terrorist attacks earlier this month.The task force is supporting students who have experienced “doxxing, harassment, and online security issues” following the widespread backlash they’ve encountered after signing the letter, according to campus newspaper, The Harvard Crimson.A student reporter accessed an email that Dean of Students Thomas Dunne sent Tuesday to “doxxed students,” outlining the purpose of the task force and how it will be in operation until at least Nov. 3.“We are truly grateful for all the tremendous work that students have put forth in supporting each other through this most difficult time,” Dunne wrote, “and we appreciate the collaborative spirit in which students, faculty, and staff have come together to repel this repugnant assault on our community.”The task force will serve as a single point of contact and commu...

Red Sox Mailbag: After chaotic search, do Sox regret moving on from Chaim Bloom?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:25 GMT

The Red Sox have a new chief baseball officer, and once the World Series wraps up Craig Breslow will have a chance to hit the ground running. Now with the offseason set to officially kick off within the next week or so, it’s as good a time as any to empty the mailbag and answer your questions.Today we cover the chaotic head of baseball operations search that led to Breslow’s hiring, Boston’s top offseason priorities, potential trade targets and more.Would the Red Sox have just stuck with Chaim Bloom if they knew in advance that they’d have such a hard time interviewing top, experienced candidates? — Adam V.My intuition is no, but on some level Red Sox ownership must realize now how badly they’ve damaged their own standing within the wider baseball landscape.Once upon a time being the Red Sox’ head baseball executive would have been considered a top three job in the sport, one anybody would leap at the opportunity to have. Red Sox ownership clearly felt ...