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Lac-Mégantic mayor, residents fear ‘monster trains’ will bring another rail disaster

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:42:30 GMT

LAC-MÉGANTIC, Que. — Ten years after a runaway train derailed and killed 47 people in Lac-Mégantic, Que., residents are still waiting for a promised railway bypass, and they fear the increasing number of railcars carrying hazardous materials through their town will lead to another disaster.Mayor Julie Morin says the trains transporting such things as propane, diesel and sulphuric acid have got longer, threatening to turn the city’s downtown area once again into a mess of charred ruins and twisted metal.“We see it with our own eyes,” she said about the growing length of the trains travelling through the area, where on July 6, 2013, a train carrying 72 tank cars filled with crude oil derailed and exploded, killing 47 people and destroying entire city blocks.If a derailment occurs, first responders have access through a mobile application to a detailed description of the materials inside the railcars and the associated risks. But Morin says city council wants advance ...

Corrections head questioned how Mendicino was kept in dark over Bernardo transfer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:42:30 GMT

OTTAWA — Days after Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino shared his outrage on social media over the transfer of notorious serial killer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security prison, the head of Canada’s federal prison system asked the department whether the politician had been told of the move.Anne Kelly, the commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada, also reached out to Mendicino directly to let him know that she had seen the tweet in which he voiced his concern over the move and offered to arrange a meeting. The back-and-forth emails between federal officials and Mendicino himself in the days leading up to and after Canadians learned of the transfer were released to The Canadian Press through the Access to Information Act.The public safety minister and his staff have been under heavy scrutiny over the past month as more details have emerged about the timeline of the prison transfer. Questions have also swirled around who knew what when, with the Opposition Conservat...

Daily horoscope for July 4, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:42:30 GMT

Moon Alert: Avoid shopping or important decisions from 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. EDT today (9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. PDT). After that, the Moon moves from Capricorn into Aquarius.Happy Birthday for Tuesday, July 4, 2023:You are passionate about your beliefs and like to work with others toward a common goal. You are dedicated and loyal. This year is the last year of a nine-year cycle, which means it’s time to let go of people, places and things that are holding you back.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★★★Today you will enjoy the company of friends as well as groups, clubs and organizations. Despite the fact that your strong focus is on home and family at the moment, you are nevertheless eager to socialize with others. Tonight: Home.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★★Today you are high-viz, whether you are aware of this or not. In fact, some people might know personal details about your private life. Nevertheless, with lucky Jupiter in your sign now, you have divine protection. Enjoy warm bond...

Ukraine reports Russian attacks in east, progress in south

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:42:30 GMT

Ukrainian forces are resisting a Russian onslaught in eastern areas of the front and face difficulties in the northeast, but are making progress near the shattered city of Bakhmut and in the south, the deputy defence minister said on Sunday (2 July).Russian accounts of the front line said Moscow's forces had repelled Ukrainian attacks near villages ringing Bakhmut and in areas further south, particularly the strategic hilltop town of Vuhlear. They also reported success in containing Ukrainian troops in the northeast.Reuters could not confirm any of the battlefield accounts.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, meanwhile, presented awards to troops in the port of Odesa and vowed: "The enemy will in no way dictate its terms in the Black Sea!"Ukraine's military have been engaged in a counter-offensive to recapture areas of the east and south seized in Russia's 16-month-old invasion. The initial Ukrainian advances have focused on securing clusters of villages in the south.Deputy Ukra...

CEEC participates in Lancang-Mekong energy cooperation under BRI

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:42:30 GMT

Participants of the 2023 Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Media Summit visit China Energy Engineering Corporation on 28 June, 2023. (People’s Daily Online/Li Shiqi)China Energy Engineering Corporation (CEEC), a Chinese multinational corporation providing solutions and services for global energy and power, infrastructure and green low-carbon development, actively participates in high-quality energy development in the Lancang-Mekong countries, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, while deeply cultivating the Southeast Asian market under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), write Cai Hairuo and Li Shiqi People's Daily Online.The five Lancang-Mekong countries are key markets for CEEC’s overseas business. CEEC subsidiaries entered Vietnam and other countries in the 1980s and were among the first Chinese companies to begin operating in the Lancang-Mekong countries. After more than 30 years of development, over 30 subsidiaries have set up branches i...

Miss Manners: I just learned this rule about the anthem. Have I been wrong for 40 years?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:42:30 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Since I was a little girl, I have dutifully removed my cap during the national anthem at a ballgame.Now, someone tells me that women are never supposed to remove their hats during the song. Have I been doing it wrong the last 40 years?Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: My husband bristles when my eyes stray to what he’s reading Advice | Miss Manners: I was dinged on my job review, and I think it was for my bathroom bluntness Advice | Miss Manners: I want to ditch a wedding planner who is proposing horrifying activities Advice | Miss Manners: I thought it was inappropriate for her to skip the funeral and show up for the food Advice | Miss Manners: I told the subway rider he was rude, and he got huffy GENTLE READER: Forty years ago, you might have been. No, make that 60 years ago, when anyone other than Miss Manners and horse racing fans might have worn the type of hat to which...

What’s legal and what isn’t: Your guide to shooting off personal fireworks in the DC area this Fourth of July

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:42:30 GMT

Officials across the D.C. region said the best way to avoid fiery entanglements and stay safe this Independence Day is to leave setting off fireworks to the experts. It’s safer and won’t break the bank, either.But — if you plan on setting off your own show this Fourth of July, it’s important to know what’s allowed by the law and what isn’t so that your bank account (or parts of your body) don’t blow up.Maryland:Only sparklers and certain novelty items are allowed in Maryland. All other fireworks are illegal. If you’re in Prince George’s or Montgomery County, though, fireworks of any kind are prohibited.Virginia:As the Fourth of July approaches, everyone should be aware of the importance of fireworks safety. Fireworks are often used to celebrate special events and holidays like July Fourth. Thankfully, Virginia has published a list of all the known fireworks permitted by the state.As a general overview, sparklers, novelty items, torches...

El helicóptero Ingenuity se comunicó con la Tierra tras 63 días de silencio

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:42:30 GMT

(CNN) — Después de 63 días de silencio, el helicóptero Mars Ingenuity está hablando de nuevo.El pequeño helicóptero surcó los cielos marcianos el 26 de abril para su vuelo número 52, pero perdió contacto con los controladores de la misión antes de aterrizar, creando un apagón de comunicaciones de un mes de duración.Pero Ingenuity volvió a llamar a casa el 28 de junio, disipando cualquier preocupación potencial sobre la seguridad y el paradero de la primera aeronave en otro planeta. Sin embargo, sigue siendo mucho tiempo para que los humanos aquí en la Tierra confirmen que Ingenuity aterrizó a salvo.El helicóptero Ingenuity de la NASA completó 50 vuelos en Marte: conoce sus grandes logrosEl vuelo tenía la intención de reposicionar el helicóptero y capturar imágenes de la superficie marciana.El equipo de la misión anticipó que podría ocurrir un corte de comunicación.Esta imagen en color mejorada de Ingenuity fue tomada por Perseverance el 16 de abril. Crédito: NASA/JPL-Caltech/A...

Stock market today: Global stocks higher after Wall St hits 15-month high ahead of holiday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:42:30 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets were mostly higher Tuesday after Australia’s central bank kept its key lending rate unchanged and Wall Street hit a 15-month high.London, Shanghai, Paris and Hong Kong advanced. Tokyo declined. Oil prices rose after Saudi Arabia and Russia said they are extending cuts to the amount of oil they pump to try to prop up prices..Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index rose 0.1% on Monday ahead an update on U.S. employment, a factor watched by the Federal Reserve in deciding on possible additional interest rate hikes.In early trading, the FTSE 100 in London gained less than 0.1% to 7,530.05. The CAC 40 in Paris rose 0.1% to 7,935.38 and the DAX in Frankfurt added 0.1% to 16,098.39.U.S. markets were closed Tuesday for the Independence Day holiday.In Asia, the Shanghai Composite Index gained less than 0.1% to 3,245.34 while the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo lost 1% to 33,422.52. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong advanced 0.4% to 19,393.33.Sydney’s S&am...

Suspects accused of ‘set up’ in Prince George’s Co. hotel held without bond for double homicide

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:42:30 GMT

A man and woman facing murder charges stemming from a double homicide last week at a hotel in Prince George’s County, Maryland, were both ordered held without bond on Monday afternoon.Prosecutors said that last Wednesday, three men used a key card left by the woman who paid for the room to storm a Super 8 hotel room located on Allentown Road near Joint Base Andrews armed with guns and wearing masks.The key card had been left behind a tire of a Porsche parked in the parking lot. Only two of the men that stormed the room got out alive, with the third, 26-year-old Karon Moore, found shot to death inside the motel room. The apparent target, 23-year-old Xavier Matthews, was also shot and died within an hour of the shooting.Hours later, court documents outlined that 24-year-old Keymonte Day of Northwest D.C. went to police and admitted she had coordinated the whole plot with the other suspects. She identified 22-year-old Christopher Jenkins of Capitol Heights as someone who had rece...