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36 days at sea: How these castaways survived hallucinations, thirst and desperation

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:51 GMT

FASS BOYE, Senegal (AP) — A month had passed when the first four men decided to jump.Countless cargo ships had navigated past them, yet no one had come to their rescue. Their fuel was finished. The hunger and thirst were overwhelming. Dozens had already died, including the captain.The voyage from the struggling Senegalese fishing town of Fass Boye to Spain’s Canary Islands, a gateway to the European Union where they hoped to find work, was supposed to take a week. But more than a month later, the wooden boat carrying 101 men and boys was getting blown further and further away from its intended destination.No land was in sight. Yet the four men believed — or hallucinated — that they could swim to shore. To stay on the “cursed” boat, they thought, was a death sentence. They picked up empty water containers and wooden planks — anything to help them float.And then, one by one, they leapt.In the days that followed, dozens more would do the same before disappearing into the ocean. There w...

Tim Hortons celebrates its 60th birthday in 2024. Here’s a timeline of its history

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:51 GMT

TORONTO — Tim Hortons is considered part of the fabric of Canada, but long before the chain became synonymous with the country, it had humble beginnings as a coffee and doughnut shop.As the company turns 60 in 2024, this is a look back at its history.May 17, 1964: The first Tim Hortons location opens in Hamilton, Ont.Feb. 21, 1974: Founder and NHL defenceman Tim Horton dies in a car accident at 44, while travelling back to Buffalo from Toronto after a hockey game between the Sabres and Maple Leafs. Tims franchisee Ron Joyce later becomes sole owner of the chain, when he buys out the stake in the business held by Lori Horton, TimHorton’swife, for $1 million and a Cadillac Eldorado. Lori Horton later lost a court challenge disputing the sale.1976: Tims debuts bite-sized doughnuts it dubs Timbits.March 3, 1983: The first non-smoking Tim Hortons location opens in Hamilton, Ont.1984: Tims enters the U.S. with its first store in Tonawanda, N.Y.1986: The restaurant launches its first...

‘My way of giving back’: Officer on Alberta First Nation force proud of community

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:51 GMT

TSUUT’INA FIRST NATION — Const. Kenny Big Plume knows the snow-covered roads running through the Tsuut’ina reserve like the back of his hand. Big Plume, 33, was raised by his grandparents on the First Nation, which butts up against the southwest edge of Calgary. Six years ago, he became a member of the Tsuut’ina Nation Police Service, one of three First Nation forces in Alberta. “I’m very proud of my culture, of my community,” says Big Plume, as he steers the police SUV along icy roads. After several years of living off-reserve, he moved back to Tsuut’ina and built a home for his wife and children.“This was my way of giving back. This is my way of making an impact, making a difference.”The calls come in slowly on his day shift. He stops to talk to the driver of a car that has slid into the ditch. She has already called for a tow truck.There are scheduled check-ins and some targeted patrols, including around a Costco and the casin...

Full disclosure: companies face emissions reporting mandates even as Canada lags

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:51 GMT

TORONTO — It’s getting harder for companies to hide their dirty secrets.Regulators around the world are increasingly forcing them to disclose their carbon emissions, along with other key climate change considerations such as how much financial risk they face.Momentum is building as the rising dangers from wildfires, droughts and floods become harder to ignore, and as the alphabet soup of disclosure regimes get boiled down to clear international standards on the key questions companies most need to answer. But while both the need and the path forward are getting increasingly clear, experts say Canada is falling behind.At this year’s UN climate conference in Dubai, Mark Carney, the former Bank of Canada governor and a central player in global climate finance, was talking excitedly about the reporting framework established — in record time — by the International Sustainability Standards Board. “Now countries are starting to implement. It’s been endorsed by the securities re...

Tim Hortons to revive beloved dutchie, other favourites to mark 60th anniversary

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:51 GMT

TORONTO — For roughly two decades, Canadians have been telling Tim Hortons something’s missing from the company’s menu: The dutchie. The sweet, square-shaped treat speckled with raisins dates back to the brand’s 1964 inception but was taken off the menu in the early 2000s. It made a short-lived reappearance in 2017 for Canada’s 150th anniversary. Come Jan. 10 though, the dutchie will return — and Tims president Axel Schwan predicts customers will be thrilled the company heard their pleas.“It’s always about listening well,” he said this month, sitting before a plate piled high with dutchies in Tim Hortons’ Toronto test kitchen.“Having two big ears and one mouth is very helpful, I learned from my mom.”The dutchie’s return comes as Tims prepares to sprinkle its menu with a number of new products and old favourites to mark its 60th anniversary on May 17.The milestone year will pay homage to some of the original treats on ...

‘Pushed down our throats’: Letters detail school pronoun concerns in Saskatchewan

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:51 GMT

REGINA — The Saskatchewan government received 18 official complaints in the summer before it implemented a rule preventing most children from changing their names or pronouns at school without parental consent. The emails, recently obtained by The Canadian Press through an access-to-information request, were received in June and July and offer a first look into what may have influenced the government when it changed pronoun and sexual education rules in August. The rules require students under 16 who want to change their names or pronouns to have permission from their parents. Third-party organizations are also banned from presenting sexual education, and parents can pull their children from such courses.In the letters to the government, the complainants ask Saskatchewan to do something about pronouns, sexual education and Pride activities in schools.Most urge the province to follow the New Brunswick government, which required parental consent over pronoun or name changes before Sas...

US defense secretary arrives in Israel and is expected to press for a more targeted approach in Gaza

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:51 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was expected to press Israel to wind down major combat operations in Gaza on a visit Monday, in the latest test of whether the U.S. can leverage its unwavering support for the offensive to blunt its devastating impact on Palestinian civilians.France, the U.K. and Germany — some of Israel’s closest allies — joined global calls for a cease-fire over the weekend, and Israeli protesters have demanded the government relaunch talks with Hamas on releasing more hostages after three were mistakenly killed by Israeli troops while waving a white flag.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will keep fighting until it removes Hamas from power, crushes its still-formidable military capabilities and returns the dozens of hostages still held by the group after its Oct. 7 attack, which ignited the war.The U.S. has vetoed calls for a cease-fire at the U.N. and rushed munitions to its close ally while pressing it to...

Miss Manners: Snow shoveling has created an awkward situation with my neighbors

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:51 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband and I live in the Northeast, where snowstorms are commonplace. Both of us are fortunate to have jobs that generally close in bad weather, so we have time to clear snow at our leisure.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: Our houseguests canceled abruptly and implied we were running a frat party Advice | Miss Manners: If you’re the best man at this wedding, brace for embarrassment Advice | Miss Manners: I’m irritated by drivers who leave their car at the pump Advice | Miss Manners: I’m offended that they think my husband knows best Advice | Miss Manners: Do they think that as doctors they have some special aura? A friend of ours has grandparents who live in our neighborhood. They are relatively recent immigrants from a warm climate, and we have taken to shoveling their driveway and walkways whenever the weather warrants it.This friend’s whole family h...

Europe’s top soccer teams await draw for Champions League’s round of 16

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:51 GMT

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — Europe’s top teams are waiting to discover who they will be playing in the round of 16 of the Champions League.The draw takes place from 1100 GMT at UEFA headquarters on Monday and it includes eight former champions who have combined to win 33 of the 67 titles since the European Cup started in 1955.Among them is defending champion Manchester City, who was a group winner along with Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona.They’ll be facing the following teams who were second in their groups: Copenhagen, PSV Eindhoven, Napoli, Inter Milan, Lazio, Paris Saint-Germain, Leipzig and Porto.In the last 16, teams cannot play an opponent from their own country or a team they already faced in the group stage. There’s no country protection after that.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerSource

Impulsado por la lluvia, este transportador de semillas podría ayudar a reforestar las zonas más remotas

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:53:51 GMT

(CNN) –Los bosques del mundo están amenazados. Además de la tala para obtener madera y la tala para dar paso a la agricultura, el aumento de las temperaturas globales está causando incendios forestales más intensos . Este año será el más caluroso registrado y ha sido el peor récord en términos de incendios en bosques boreales en todo el mundo.La reforestación es esencial en la lucha contra el cambio climático y para proteger la biodiversidad, pero plantar árboles jóvenes a mano puede ser lento y requerir mucha mano de obra.En los últimos años, se comenzaron a utilizar drones para arrojar semillas en tierras deforestadas por incendios forestales; una empresa llamada Mast Reforestation, anteriormente DroneSeed, aplicó este método en el oeste de los Estados Unidos y más allá, y en todo el mundo. Wildlife Fund utilizó drones especializados para restaurar matorrales rurales en Australia. Pero para que vuelva a crecer, las semillas caídas tienen que llegar al suelo y germinar, y eso...