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France’s Macron supports experimenting with uniforms in some schools amid debate over ban on robes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:00 GMT

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron opened the door Monday to experimenting in some public schools with uniforms or a dress code amid debate in France over a ban in classrooms on long robes worn mainly by Muslims. The ban on robes known as abayas for girls and women and khamis for boys and men went into effectn Monday. Macron said he is in favor of “experimenting” with uniforms in order to “inform public debate,” speaking in a live interview on online media HugoDecrypte, broadcasted on Youtube and TikTok. He said another experimental option could be for children to wear similar outfits, such as “a pair of jeans, a T-shirt and a jacket.”“We certainly can have things that are more acceptable to teenagers (than uniforms),” Macron said. “It may seem a little less strict from a disciplinary point of view.”The centrist president’s comments come after some conservative and far-right politicians have voiced support for requiring uniforms in public schools. Macron provi...

Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías arrested near Los Angeles stadium where Messi was playing MLS game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías was arrested near BMO Stadium, where Lionel Messi was playing in a Major League Soccer game with numerous celebrities in attendance.Exposition Park public safety said its officers arrested Urías at about 11 p.m. Sunday inside the park, which is home to the stadium. The department would not immediately disclose what charges Urías was arrested on, but said it would release more details Monday.Urías posted $50,000 bail and was released shortly before 5 a.m. Monday, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department booking records.He is due in court on Sept. 27.The 27-year-old Mexican-born pitcher was arrested in May 2019 for domestic battery. Urías was suspended 20 games by Major League Baseball, but he wasn’t prosecuted by the Los Angeles city attorney on the condition that he complete a 52-week domestic violence counseling program.The Dodgers were traveling Monday to Miami where they open a six-game road trip Tuesday again...

Farms with natural landscape features provide sanctuary for some Costa Rica rainforest birds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:00 GMT

Small farms with natural landscape features such as shade trees, hedgerows and tracts of intact forest provide a refuge for some tropical bird populations, according to an 18-year study in Costa Rica.For almost two decades, ornithologist James Zook has been collecting detailed records on nearly 430 tropical bird species found on small farms, plantations and undisturbed forests in the country.While birds thrive the most in undisturbed rainforests, Zook said some species usually found in forests can establish populations in “diversified farms” that partially mimic a natural forest environment.“How you farm matters,” said Nicholas Hendershot, a Stanford University ecologist and co-author of the study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.“In these diversified farms, you see growth over the long term in bird species with specialized needs,” such as safe and shady nooks to build nests and a variety of food sources, Hendershot said. That trend was...

Biden will nominate longtime aide and current adviser to VP to represent the US at UNESCO

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A longtime aide to President Joe Biden and current top adviser to the vice president is Biden’s choice to represent the United States at the United Nations agency devoted to education, science and culture. The U.S. recently rejoined the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization after a five-year hiatus initiated by Biden’s immediate predecessor in the White House, Donald Trump. The Democratic president’s choice to become the U.S. permanent representative to the Paris-based UNESCO, with the rank of ambassador, is longtime aide Courtney O’Donnell, according to a White House official, who spoke Monday on the condition of anonymity to discuss the nomination before a formal announcement.O’Donnell currently wears two hats: She’s a senior adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris and acting chief of staff for Harris’ husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, and she lends her expertise to a range of national and global iss...

Canadian employers missing the mark with hybrid work policies: experts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:00 GMT

As employers call their workers back to the office, experts are saying companies need to consult their employees meaningfully and collect data before making big decisions about hybrid work policies.Many employers are missing the mark with arbitrary policies and requirements, often to their own detriment, according to Kelowna-based workplace consultant Graham Lowe.“The pandemic essentially transformed work as we know it,” he said. “It showed millions of Canadian workers that they could actually work remotely and that there were a significant range of benefits from doing so.”It wasn’t a universal experience: just over a third of Canadians were working from home in mid-2020, according to Statistics Canada, depending hugely on industry. Many essential workers and low-paid employees continued going to work.Related links:Hybrid work model is here to stay in Canada, research findsZoom, which thrived on the remote work revolution, wants workers back in the offi...

West Indian American Day Parade steps off with steel bands, colorful costumes, stilt walkers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The annual West Indian American Day Parade stepped off in New York City on Monday with brightly colored costumes, steel bands, flag waving and street dancing.The Brooklyn parade is the culmination of carnival week and one of the world’s largest celebrations of Caribbean culture. The parade routinely attracts more than 1 million people for what has become one the city’s most spirited annual events.A separate street party known as J’Ouvert, commemorating freedom from slavery, began in the early morning hours. The main parade started later in the morning and featured steel drum players, stilt walkers and dancers wearing flamboyant costumes. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams were among the elected officials who either showed up for the parade or marched in it.Hundreds of thousands of Caribbean immigrants and their descendants have settled in Brooklyn and have helped turn the Labor Day celebration into a must-see event.The parade returned last year aft...

Can pets be banned on a rental lease in Ontario?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:00 GMT

Ontario’s Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) covers various rights and responsibilities for both landlords and tenants, with detailed sets of rules about a number of everyday issues that may come up for both parties when renting.Some questions that come up often revolve around the legality of banning pets, who is responsible for lawn maintenance and snow removal and whether tenants can paint their rental home.Is a “no pets” clause allowed on a rental lease?The short answer is no, a “no pets” clause on an Ontario lease is void and cannot be enforced.“A landlord cannot ban pets in the lease — under section 14 of the Residential Tenancies Act, that is not a provision that can be included in a lease,” explains Ademofe Oye-Adeniran, a lawyer with the Canadian Center for Housing Rights.She says that it is possible that a landlord may choose not to rent to a prospective tenant who has pets and there are no official rules against that.However onc...

Man attempts to lure kids into car in Bridgeport

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Police are looking for information after a man attempted to lure three kids into his car in Bridgeport. Chicago police say it happened just after 8 a.m. on Sunday in the 3100 block of South Halsted Street.  Woman beaten during Harwood Heights carjacking dies According to officers, three kids were playing on the sidewalk in the area when a man, who was sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle, approached the children and asked if he could use their cellphone. Police say while he was talking to the kids, he attempted to lure them inside of his car. Police say a witness then stepped in and the vehicle drove away. The man, who police believe to be between 20 and 30 years of age had a ponytail hairstyle, was shirtless and had multiple tattoos on both of his arms.  Child, teen among those wounded in weekend shootings Officers say the man was sitting in the passenger seat of a car that was being driven by a woman who is believed to be between 40 and 50 years of age. Th...

Shaquille O'Neal surprises woman with new phone at Louisiana Best Buy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:00 GMT

LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — It's not every day you get to see NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal at your local Best Buy, let alone have him buy you a $1,200 phone. Kquoella Lewis says she walked into a Best Buy in Lafayette, Louisiana, to get an iPad — then she noticed a tall someone walking next to her: Shaquille O'Neal.(KLFY)O'Neal was inquiring about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip phone, and Lewis expressed her thoughts in getting one. O'Neal told the store employee, "Get two: one for me and one for her."Lewis said the other phone wasn't even for him. O'Neal is reportedly an iPhone man.

RECALL: 245K+ pounds of Banquet meals may contain plastic bits

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:50:00 GMT

(WDTN/NEXSTAR) — If you have any Banquet frozen meals in your freezer, you may want to keep reading. Conagra Brands is recalling 245,366 pounds of Banquet chicken strip items (Courtesy of USDA)Conagra Brands is recalling around 245,366 pounds of frozen Banquet chicken strip entrée products. The food could potentially be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically plastic pieces, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.Affected products were produced on June 20, and July 11 and 17, 2023. Ohio’s ‘offensive’ national forest name may change The affected products are: 8.9 ounce cartons with one entrée of Banquet Chicken Strips MealBest if used by dates are DEC 11 2024, JAN 01 2025 or JAN 07 2025 Lot numbers (printed on sides of carton) include 5009317120, 5009319220 or 5009319820If you see the establish number of "EST. P-9" on the side of the carton, the product is included in the recall.The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service says it was notified after a custome...