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Thai women activists end hunger strike, vow to keep up fight

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:20 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Two Thai women activists gave up their hunger strike of more than seven weeks, announcing Saturday they have decided it is better to live so they can continue their unfinished fight for political and judicial reforms.Tantawan “Tawan” Tuatulanon, 21, and Orawan “Bam” Phuphong, 23, had been on hunger strike since Jan. 18, much of that time refusing water as well. Refusing all liquids in addition to food can cause permanent injury and even death if carried on for an extended period, and doctors several times had announced they were seriously at risk.“Tawan and Bam would like to announce to the public that they have ended their hunger strike and will accept treatment to use their lives in continuing their fight as there has been no response from the court,” said a statement released on their behalf on social media.It said the two are now in a hospital under close medical supervision because of concern for damage the hunger strike might have caused to their kidneys a...

Bomb kills 1, wounds 8 at press award event in Afghanistan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:20 GMT

JALALABAD, Afghanistan (AP) — A bomb exploded Saturday during an award ceremony for journalists in Afghanistan’s Mazar-e- Sharif city, killing at least one person and wounding eight, including children, officials said.The blast happened at the Tabian Farhang center in Mazar-e Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, as journalists gathered for the award event at 11 a.m., said Mohammad Asif Waziri, the local police spokesman. Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Nafi Takor said later that five journalists and three children were wounded. The blast killed a security guard, he said. It came two days after a bomb in Mazar-e-Sharif killed the provincial governor, Daud Muzmal, and two others. Four were wounded.Among the journalists wounded was Najeeb Faryad, a reporter for Ariana News television station, who said he felt like something hit him in the back, followed by a deafening sound before he fell to the ground. Hujatullah Mujadidi, who heads the Association of Free Journalists of Afghanist...

TV hit ‘The Last of Us’ expected to bring more filming opportunities to Alberta

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:20 GMT

EDMONTON — The HBO TV series “The Last of Us” has not only made many Albertans proud to recognize their province on screen, but the wildly popular post-apocalyptic show is also expected to bring in more filming opportunities. Alberta is no stranger to the film industry, with movies “The Revenant,” “Interstellar” and “Brokeback Mountain” also shot in the province.With “The Last of Us” achieving paramount success, Travel Alberta says it’s anticipating more filmmakers will want to use the province’s diverse landscape for shooting.Vice-president of Travel Alberta Tannis Gaffney says it’s also hoping for an increase in tourism.“We’re optimistic for a busy summer season in Alberta and we’re hoping this is going to add more interest and more destination awareness,” said Gaffney. “Not necessarily just for Canadians, but we’re hoping that this really reaches the American audience...

Oscars race: Clock ticks for film buffs to binge on nominees

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:20 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A film buff from Oklahoma City, Elyssa Mann has scant time to waste, needing to cross just four more movies off her Oscars binge list before Sunday’s Academy Awards broadcast: Two animated films, one for cinematography and another for costume design.In the San Francisco Bay Area, Steve Tornello has just one left — the latest “Avatar” — before he can fairly judge all 10 of the Best Picture nominees.In the perfect multiverse, time would bend to allow time-strained movie buffs to watch anything anywhere, all at once. But in the real world, not the googly eyed one, time keeps ticking and that makes things difficult for diehard film fans hoping to fill every bracket in their personal Oscars scoresheets.“I have four Oscars movies left in my quest to watch all the ones nominated for picture/acting/craft etc,” Mann wrote in a tweet, “and this somehow feels insurmountable.”As it is, Sunday morning’s time change (don’t forget to spring forward) wi...

UK protest backs health staff as doctors prepare to strike

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:20 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Thousands of protesters marched through London to the British prime minister’s residence on Saturday to support health care workers who have held a series of strikes over pay and conditions in the state-funded National Health Service.Almost 40,000 junior doctors, who form the backbone of hospital care, are due to walk out across England for three days starting Monday. NHS England said the doctors’ strike would be even more disruptive than recent walkouts by nurses and ambulance staff.The NHS said it would “prioritize resources to protect emergency and critical care, maternity care and where possible prioritize patients who have waited the longest for elective care and cancer surgery,” but thousands of appointments and procedures will be canceled during the 72-hour strike.A wave of strikes has disrupted Britons’ lives for months, as workers demand pay raises to keep pace with double-digit inflation. As well as health care workers, teachers, train drivers, airport baggag...

Chilly Saturday ahead of St. Patty's parade in Chicago, snow ahead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:20 GMT

Saturday's forecast is looking cloudy and chilly with winds up to 10-15 mph. The high is near 40 but a bit cooler by the lake ahead of the St. Patrick's Day parade. Developing snow is expected Saturday night with a low of 32. Sunday: Steady snow tapers into snow showers. Chance of PM rain/snow showers. SSW 5-10 mph. High: 37 Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Extended outlook calls for a return to chillier weather for the work week. Mostly cloudy on Monday with a high of 34 is about ten degrees below normal. The chill in the mid 30s continues on Tuesday with a bit more sunshine. Mostly sunny on Wednesday and highs getting back towards the normal of mid 40s. Thursday looks like the mildest day of the week with highs near 50 and a chance of rain. St. Patrick's Day next Friday looks like a rain/snow mix is possible and high in the lower 40s. Full forecast details at the WGN Weather Center

Taco Bell removing longtime item from menu, testing new 'Crispanada' in select market

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:20 GMT

(KTLA) – Taco Bell fans will soon be saying goodbye to an item that debuted nearly a decade ago.The fast-food chain announced Thursday that the Quesarito will be removed from menus nationwide on April 19. Fans still have over a month to order the Quesarito online or on the Taco Bell app before its departure.The fast-food chain announced Thursday that the Quesarito will be removed from menus nationwide on April 19. (Taco Bell) The Quesarito, a burrito wrapped into a quesadilla, debuted in 2014 and was a success among customers, The Takeout reported.In a press release shared with Nexstar, Taco Bell did not disclose why its Quesarito — described as a "cheesy delight" — was being removed from the menu, nor whether it may return at a later date. Taco Bell’s first restaurants only offered 5 items While Taco Bell might be saying goodbye to the Quesarito, the restaurants are welcoming back to other items that were previously on the menu: the Bacon Club Chalupa and the Double Steak Grilled...

Why do the Oscars still separate acting categories by 'actor' and 'actress'?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:20 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – The Grammys stopped doing it in 2012. The MTV Video Music Awards followed four years later. And, as of 2023, the Independent Spirit Awards wasn’t doing it either.So why do the Oscars still separate honorees into gender-specific categories?The nominees for the 95th Academy Awards were announced in late January, and among this year’s contenders were 20 actors who earned nods for performances in some of 2022’s best films. But just as it was at the very first Oscars ceremony in 1929, these actors are only vying against other performers of the same gender: specifically, in the Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress categories.It's not just the Oscars, either. The Golden Globes, the Emmys and the SAG Awards still separate the year’s best “actors” and “actresses” (or in the case of the SAG Awards, “male actors” and “female actors”) into their own groups. Academy Awards: Why the Oscar statuette is only worth $1 Their decision to maintain ge...

Permanent daylight saving time? Where efforts to 'lock the clocks' stand

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:20 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – The start of daylight saving time is upon us again, meaning almost all Americans – Hawaii and parts of Arizona don't observe DST – are setting their clocks ahead one hour. Some, however, are calling for the bi-annual changing of the clocks to come to an end.But could we really "lock the clocks" soon?Lawmakers - both at the state and federal levels - are hoping that's the case. What is Congress doing about daylight saving time?Earlier this month, Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced the Sunshine Protection Act of 2023, which would make daylight saving time permanent. So far, the bill has received bipartisan support in the Senate and has been referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.If passed, the March 12 changing of the clocks would be the final such event - we wouldn't "fall back" in November. Have a tax filing extension this year? Why you shouldn’t use it, expert says A similar bill introduced by Rubio last year passed with una...

Hugo man identified as victim in shooting outside Cub Foods in Fridley

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:20 GMT

The man fatally shot Thursday morning outside a Cub Foods in Fridley has been identified by the Hennepin County medical examiner.Devon Michael Adams, 27, of Hugo, was found shot in the chest in the store’s parking lot at Interstate 694 and University Avenue shortly after 11 a.m. The Anoka County sheriff’s office said bystanders, law enforcement and paramedics provided first aid before Adams was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.The sheriff’s office, medical examiner’s office and the Fridley Police Department are investigating the shooting.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | 2 fatally shot in Andover home, but Anoka County sheriff says there’s no public threat Crime & Public Safety | Renowned Minnesota runner Garry Bjorklund convicted in Eden Prairie DWI crash Crime & Public Safety | ‘In the Dark’ true-crime podcast finds new home with Conde Nast, The New Yorker...