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Ontario to consult on banning NDAs in cases of workplace harassment, misconduct

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:30 GMT

Ontario is considering banning the use of non-disclosure agreements in cases of workplace sexual harassment, misconduct or violence.Labour Minister David Piccini is set to announce consultations on the issue today, as he discusses his ministry’s next piece of legislation.Piccini says that non-disclosure agreements should never be used to silence victims or to sidestep accountability.Ontario has previously banned the use of NDAs in sexual misconduct cases among post-secondary employees who are looking for work at a different institution.Members of the Canadian Bar Association voted in favour of discouraging the use of non-disclosure agreements in cases of abuse and harassment.The government says seven in 10 workers have reported experiencing a form of harassment or violence in their workplace, with the rates even higher for women and gender-diverse people.“We want to hear from Ontarians and (our) consultations will work with the legal community, survivors, employers to id...

Man in Hamburg airport hostage drama used a rental car and had no weapons permit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:30 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A man who drove onto the tarmac at Hamburg Airport with his 4-year-old daughter, starting an 18-hour standoff with police that ended with his arrest, was using a rental car and lacked a weapons permit, authorities said Monday.Operations at the airport returned to normal on Monday after the lengthy closure caused by the hostage situation, and the airport operator signaled that it would strengthen security.The 35-year-old Turkish citizen broke through an airport gate on Saturday evening, fired into the air and threw two incendiary devices out of the car, according to witnesses, before parking the vehicle under a plane just outside a terminal building. He had reportedly taken his daughter from her mother in Stade, some 52 kilometers (32 miles) from Hamburg, in an ongoing custody battle, and was already under investigation for allegedly kidnapping his daughter and taking her to Turkey without authorization last year.Stade police spokesperson Rainer Bohmbach said that the v...

Ethiopia says disputed western Tigray will be settled in a referendum and displaced people returned

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:30 GMT

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopia’s federal government says the future of contested land in its northern Tigray region will be settled by a referendum, and hundreds of thousands of forcibly displaced people will be returned. Monday’s announcement came one year after a cease-fire ended a devastating civil war there.The disputed status of western Tigray, a patch of fertile land bordering Sudan, was a key flashpoint in the two-year conflict between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF, and the federal government.Western Tigray belongs to Tigray under Ethiopia’s constitution. But it was occupied by forces from neighboring Amhara province, which claims the area as its own. Hundreds of thousands of Tigrayans were forcibly expelled, prompting accusations of ethnic cleansing.In a statement to mark the anniversary of the cease-fire, the government said the displaced people would be returned and the federal military would assume responsibility for local security.A referendu...

This holiday season, the mean ol’ Grinch gets a comedy podcast series hosted by James Austin Johnson

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:30 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — What would the mean ol’ Grinch be doing in 2023? Would that Christmas sad sack be hosting a cooking show on TikTok? Writing long essays for Substack? No, you know what he’d be doing — a podcast.“The Grinch Holiday Talk Show” arrives this holiday season with James Austin Johnson of “Saturday Night Live” fame voicing the Grinch and a new celebrity guest on every episode.“This is a celebration of great Christmas mischief,” says Johnson during a recent break from taping the show in Brooklyn. “I think he is a curmudgeon and he’s grumpy and he just needs a nap and a bottle.”The 30-minute podcasts — a production of Dr. Seuss Enterprises and Wondery — hopes to be something that both adults and children can enjoy, like during that 30-minute commute to skating lessons or while baking a pie.“Hopefully kids hear stuff that’s funny to them. Hopefully the parents hear stuff that’s funny to them and everybody’s having a good time listening to it together,” says Johnson.Guests...

Double shooting in Toronto’s east end leaves two males with serious injuries

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:30 GMT

An overnight double shooting in Toronto’s east end has sent two men to hospital with serious injuries.Police say the shooting happened outside near Danforth and Greenwood avenues around 12:15 a.m. Monday.Two male victims made their own way to hospital before emergency crews arrived at the scene. Both victims have serious but non-life threatening injuries.No suspect information has been made available.The investigation is ongoing.

Kimberly Palmer: 5 strategies for navigating today’s digital tipping culture

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:30 GMT

The nearly universal experience of finding yourself face-to-face with a checkout counter screen asking you to select an amount to tip for service can prompt a cascade of awkward questions: How much should you tip on a $5 coffee if anything? How can you decide before the cup has even been poured? Is it rude to select “no tip,” then slink away with your drink?The answers to those questions vary depending on whom you ask, but tipping experts agree on one thing: We get prompted to tip much more frequently these days, largely because of the explosion of cashless payment methods with automated tipping options. Another thing they agree on: You don’t always have to say “yes.”“During the pandemic and post-pandemic, we’ve seen a dramatic shift in the way tips are given. Suddenly, you see tablets where you are prompted to give specific tip amounts at points of purchase where never before would anyone have dreamed of giving a tip,” says Thomas Farley, also known as “Mister Manners,” a New York-...

11-year-old girl shot while inside home on South Side

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:30 GMT

CHICAGO — A young girl is in critical condition after she was shot while inside her home on the city’s South Side, police say.According to Chicago police, the 11-year-old girl suffered a gunshot wound to her head after someone fired shots into her home from outside.Police say the shooting happened just before 4 p.m. Sunday in the 2000 block of West 68th Place in Englewood. 16-year-old boy, 2 others injured after shooting in Gage Park The victim was taken to St. Bernard Hospital and then transferred to Comer Children's Hospital for surgery.Currently, it is unclear what led to the shooting, but police say two people have been taken in for questioning and a firearm was recovered at the scene.  Authorities held a press conference on Sunday evening offering updates on the shooting. The full press conference can be viewed in the video player above. Area One Detectives are now investigating.Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call CPD A...

Israeli troops surround Gaza City. Communications being restored to territory

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:30 GMT

Israeli troops divided the northern and southern parts of Gaza, as communications across the besieged territory were temporarily cut Monday for a third time since the war started. The troops are expected to enter Gaza City on Monday or Tuesday, Israeli media reported.The developments came after Israeli airstrikes hit two refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday, killing scores of people, health officials said. Israel has so far rejected U.S. suggestions that it take a humanitarian pause from its relentless bombardment of Gaza and the rising civilian deaths. The Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war surpassed 9,700, including more than 4,000 children and minors, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza. In the occupied West Bank, more than 140 Palestinians have been killed in violence and Israeli raids.More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, most of them in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that started the fighting, and 242 hostages were taken from Israe...

Monday Forecast: Temps near 70 with breezy conditions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:30 GMT

CHICAGO — Temperatures near 70 degrees with breezy and cloudy conditions. Decreasing clouds with a 20 percent chance of scattered showers. Winds: WSW 15-20 G35. High: 68. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storms here Partly cloudy tonight. Winds: NNW 5-15. Low: 47.Tuesday Forecast: Mostly cloudy Tuesday. Winds: ENE 5-10. High: 54.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Austin working with Florence, Italy to promote partnership

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:39:30 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Florence, Italy is over 5,600 miles away from Austin. Yet, the two cities share more in common than one would think.This fall, Austin and Florence entered into a “historic agreement” to facilitate educational, cultural and business collaborations. Austin enters ‘historic’ agreement with Florence, Italy Cristiano Maggipinto is a diplomatic adviser to the mayor of Florence."There were so many similarities and complementary aspects between our two cities that they were natural candidates to cooperate,” he said.The City of Austin’s Economic Development Department announced the signing of this Protocol of Cooperation Agreement in September."What we have in tech, Florence has in fashion,” Austin Economic Development Department director Sylnovia Holt-Rabb said. “So, we saw the connection and exchange of ideas."Florence is famous for fashion, being the home to several luxury brands such as Gucci, Ferragamo, Pucci and Cavalli."We have a Fashion Incubator that we're in partn...