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Volkswagen-commissioned audit finds no signs of forced labor at plant in China’s Xinjiang region

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — An audit commissioned by Volkswagen has found no indication of forced labor at its plant in China’s Xinjiang region, where Western governments have accused the Chinese government of human rights violations against the Uyghur ethnic minority.The German automaker has come under fire for operating in Xinjiang, a remote western region that borders Central Asia. The U.S. government has blocked imports from Xinjiang unless it can be proven that the products were not made with forced labor.The auditor, Loening — Human Rights and Responsible Business, conducted 40 interviews and was able to inspect the factory freely, said Markus Loening, a former German human rights commissioner who founded the consultancy.“We could not find any indications or evidence of forced labor among the employees,” he said in remarks provided by Volkswagen from a media briefing in Germany on Tuesday.China launched a harsh crackdown in Xinjiang around 2017 in response to a series of bombings, kn...

Iran arrests a popular singer after he was handed over by police in Turkey

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian authorities have arrested a popular singer who had criticized the government after he was handed over by police in Turkey, the official IRNA news agency reported Wednesday. Amirhossein Maghsoudloo, better known as Tataloo, has been critical of Iran’s leaders since he had moved to Turkey. It wasn’t clear why he was arrested by Turkish police on Monday, but IRNA reported he was facing complaints for allegedly inviting underage people to his home in Istanbul. IRNA said Turkish police handed over him to Iranian authorities in the northwestern province of West Azerbaijan. Iran’s hard-liners regularly criticize artists and celebrities and authorities have summoned many of them in recent months on various charges, including violations of chastity. Tataloo has never been allowed to hold a concert in Iran but was a popular underground singer with many young fans. During a 2017 presidential campaign, he met with the current presiden...

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to defend his record in high-stakes grilling at COVID inquiry

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who led Britain through the coronavirus pandemic before being ousted by scandal, is set to defend his record on Wednesday at a public inquiry into the country’s handling of COVID-19.Johnson will be grilled under oath by lawyers for the judge-led inquiry about his initial reluctance to impose a national lockdown in early 2020 and other fateful decisions.Johnson arrived at the inquiry venue at daybreak, several hours before he was due to take the stand, avoiding a protest by relatives of COVID-19 victims.Among those wanting answers from the inquiry are families of some of the more than 200,000 people in the U.K. who died after contracting the virus. A group gathered outside the office building where the inquiry was set, some holding pictures of their loved ones. A banner declared: “Let the bodies pile high” — a statement attributed to Johnson by an aide. Another sign said: “Johnson partied while people died.” Johnson was pushed out of...

Europe was set to lead the world on AI regulation. But can leaders reach a deal?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The generative AI boom has sent governments worldwide scrambling to regulate the emerging technology, but it also has raised the risk of upending a European Union push to approve the world’s first comprehensive artificial intelligence rules.The 27-nation bloc’s Artificial Intelligence Act has been hailed as a pioneering rulebook. But with time running out, it’s uncertain if the EU’s three branches of government can thrash out a deal Wednesday in what officials hope is a final round of talks.Europe’s yearslong efforts to draw up AI guardrails have been bogged down by the recent emergence of generative AI systems like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which have dazzled the world with their ability to produce human-like work but raised fears about the risks they pose. Those concerns have driven the U.S., U.K., China and global coalitions like the Group of 7 major democracies into the race to regulate the rapidly developing technology, though they’re still catchin...

In the news today: Canadians to Ottawa: spend on health care, housing and AFN votes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…Ottawa should spend on health care, housingA majority of Canadians think the federal government should spend more on health care, a housing strategy and initiatives to ease inflation and cost-of-living issues, a new poll suggests — but they also want it to freeze or reduce other spending. Nearly three-quarters of respondents to the new Leger poll, or 71 per cent, said the federal government should spend more on health care and health transfers to the provinces.When it comes to a housing strategy and initiatives to tackle inflation and cost-of-living issues, 66 per cent said they were in favour of increasing government spending, and only six per cent said it should decrease.However, most respondents wanted the government to reduce or maintain other spending, including on national defence, services to Indigenous communities and international aid.Pass gun bill, fa...

Pope says he’s ‘much better’ after a bout of bronchitis but still gets tired if he speaks too much

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis said Wednesday he was feeling “much better” after a two-week bout of bronchitis but again asked an aide to read his remarks.Francis, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, told his weekly general audience that he still gets tired if he speaks too much.Francis, who turns 87 on Dec. 17, came down with the flu on Nov. 25 and was forced to cancel a planned trip to Dubai to participate in the U.N. climate conference. He later revealed he had been diagnosed with an acute case of infectious bronchitis that made breathing difficult. It was the second time this year he has had a serious case of bronchitis; in spring he was hospitalized for three days to receive intravenous antibiotics.Francis walked onto the stage of the Vatican audience hall with his cane Wednesday and smiled broadly at the cheering crowd. He appeared in good spirits and received several prelates who came to speak to him individually at the end of the audience.Explaining why he would ask h...

Pass federal gun bill without delay, father of Ontario shooting victim urges senators

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

MONTREAL — The father of a woman who was fatally shot in October by her former partner is urging senators to pass a federal gun-control bill without delay.In a letter sent this week to members of the upper chamber, Brian Sweeney says the legislation contains crucial measures that would improve the way police deal with domestic violence cases involving firearms.“Implementing these measures is urgent,” Sweeney says in the letter, made available to The Canadian Press. “The bill is the result of years of advocacy from victims and women’s groups, and women have died while the bill has been debated.”Sweeney’s daughter Angie was shot when her former partner Bobbie Hallaert broke into her home in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., two months ago. Hallaert proceeded to a second home and killed three of his own children and injured another woman, who survived. The gunman then took his own life.“Angie’s death, like that of all victims, leaves behind a trail...

Workers raise the bar: 2023 was a year of wage gains marked by high-profile strikes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

A month after 3,700 grocery store workers walked off their jobs at Toronto-area Metro stores earlier this year, they returned to work under a new contract that Unifor called “historic.” Long days of picketing, including demonstrations at warehouses that halted deliveries to Metro stores across the province, led to a deal giving all workers an immediate raise of $1.50 an hour. By January, full-time and senior part-time workers will get another 50 cents, essentially bringing back the pandemic-era “hero pay” that ended in 2020. A tight labour market and breakneck inflation have empowered many workers to make new inroads.July’s Metro walkout, the B.C. port work stoppage in July and the Public Service Alliance of Canada strike this spring help paint a picture of a workforce fighting hard to catch up to the cost of living. “When you look at the wage data, union members are faring much better this year than they have in any year in the past decade. And that is a result of...

Bank of Canada to announce interest rate decision today, expected to hold at 5%

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

OTTAWA — The Bank of Canada is set to announce its interest rate decision this morning as forecasters widely expect the central bank to continue holding its key rate steady.The Bank of Canada opted to maintain its key interest rate at five per cent at its last two announcements as the economy shows clearer signs of a slowdown.Last week’s GDP report showed the economy shrank in the third quarter, while the country’s unemployment rate ticked up once again in November. Inflation in Canada has also slowed considerably, with the annual rate coming in at 3.1 per cent in October.As the economy softens and inflation comes down, economists will be watching for any signs from the central bank on when to expect future interest rate cuts. So far, the central bank has dismissed any talk of rate cuts and instead maintained it’s prepared to raise rates again if needed.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2023. The Canadian Press<!– Photo: 2023120...

StatCan: Eight million people, 27 per cent of Canadians, have at least one disability

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

The number of Canadians with at least one disability has doubled in ten years, a reality that should push governments to help reduce barriers to accessibility, says the head of a human rights organization.Statistics Canada data shows that 27 per cent of people 15 and older — about eight million Canadians — reported having at least one disability in 2022, about twice the percentage of people who reported a disability 10 years ago.Collected every five years, the StatCan numbers are important because they influence government policy at the federal, provincial and local levels, Heather Walkus, national chair of the Council for Canadians with Disabilities, said in a recent interview.“At least eight million Canadians have a disability and we are still excluded, not able to join in with families and be part of the Canadian experience because of environment, because of attitudes, and because of the way the system is set up to ensure there’s no success or little success,” Walkus said.O...