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Toronto transit riders can now text to report TTC safety concerns

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:28:39 GMT

With Toronto police reducing the number of officers patrolling TTC subway stations, the transportation operator is introducing a new texting service.The TTC announced that customers can now text 647-496-1940 through “SMS text a tip” and choose to use ttc.ca to report safety concerns and submit details and images.“The TTC must be safe for everyone — for all riders and for all employees,” said Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie. “I support the ongoing work by the TTC with their community partners to increase safety on the transit system.”TTC riders can also use the SafeTTC app, free on iOS and Android devices. The app lets users report a problem directly to the TTC’s Transit Control Centre by sending text, photos or videos or calling 911 in an emergency.RELATED: ‘Help is a text away’: GO Train passengers handed flyers to promote transit securityA TTC spokesperson said that in an emergency, riders are encouraged to use the yellow ...

EU urges members to deport more migrants ineligible to stay

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:28:39 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Tuesday urged its member countries to deport more people who enter Europe without authorization and who are not eligible to stay, saying that only around one in five would-be migrants who should be sent home actually is.“Last year, we had a return rate of only 21% of those who are not eligible to stay,” EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson told reporters at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. “When we fail to return people, this hampers our system and erodes trust.”Johansson said that 340,000 decisions were handed down in EU member nations last year to deport people, but that only in 60% of cases did European authorities try to contact the migrants’ home countries to get them accepted back in.“To protect the right to apply for asylum we have to show that we are appropriately dealing with those who do not qualify for international protection,” she said. “We need migration, but it has to be in a legal and orderly way.”The arrival...

Review: Paris Hilton’s path from party girl to style icon

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:28:39 GMT

“Paris: The Memoir” by Paris Hilton (Dey St. Books)Dubbed the “OG Influencer,” club kid-turned-mogul Paris Hilton pioneered becoming “famous for being famous,” in the early 2000s, a playbook since adopted by everyone from the Kardashians to Housewives and countless social media influencers.Hilton became a staple on the New York City club circuit in her teens in the late 1990s, decked out in designer fashion and towering heels, an irresistible magnet for paparazzi.In her 20s, her fame became mainstream with the nearly simultaneous debut of her reality show “The Simple Life,” and the leak of a scandalous sex tape.“I knew I wasn’t trying to build an ordinary career,” Hilton recalls of her early days of being paid to party and attract the paparazzi. “I was building a brand that would eventually turn into multiple income streams … but that sounds way more calculated than it was.”Born into the family dynasty of hotel magnate Conrad Hilton, Hilton spent her childhood in a rarefied world of...

NDP want Liberals to expand GST rebate, fund school lunches in upcoming budget

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:28:39 GMT

OTTAWA — The New Democrats say they are using their agreement with the Liberal government as leverage to push for more ways to save Canadians money in the next federal budget.Party leader Jagmeet Singh said he expects to see money in the budget to expand dental care coverage to teens, seniors and people living with a disability, which was part of the confidence-and-supply agreement with the Liberals.But he also wants to see the government extend the six-month boost to the GST rebate, introduced last fall, which temporarily doubled the amount people received. “That’s something that we’re going to use our power on,” Singh said in an interview with The Canadian Press.“It’s not in our agreement, but the agreement gives us the leverage to push for things like that.”Singh said his budget priority is helping Canadians find ways to save money through rebates or other cost-of-living initiatives. “Federal funding for school lunches is something ...

Saudi Arabia places order for up to 121 planes from Boeing

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:28:39 GMT

Two Saudi Arabian airlines said Tuesday they will order 78 jetliners from Boeing and take options to buy 43 more in a major boost for the American aircraft manufacturer.The order for Boeing 787s will be divided between Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier, Saudia, and a planned new airline called Riyadh Air, which Saudi officials introduced over the weekend.At list prices, the combined deal would be worth about $37 billion if the options are exercised, but airlines routinely get deep discounts. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.Relatively high oil prices have boosted Saudi Arabia’s economy and government, making it easier for the kingdom to close a multi-billion-dollar jet order. The creation of Riyadh Air by the Saudi sovereign-wealth fund and the growth of Saudia are part of a broader Saudi strategy to diversify its oil-based economy. Saudi Arabia hopes to become a global aviation hub and attract 100 million annual visitors by 2030.The kingdom’s neighboring states of Qatar and the...

Buffalo Wild Wings posts snarky tweet amid lawsuit over boneless wings: ‘It’s true’

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:28:39 GMT

(WGN/NEXSTAR) – Buffalo Wild Wings has nothing but saucy remarks after getting slapped with a class-action lawsuit over its boneless wings.Last week, Chicago man Aimen Halim filed the complaint with the U.S. District Court of Northern Illinois, alleging that Buffalo Wild Wings had been engaging in “false and deceptive marketing and advertising” by calling its boneless wings “wings,” arguing that the dish is not made with de-boned wings, but rather chicken breast meat. You might be eating Buffalo wings wrong, according to an expert A representative for Buffalo Wild Wings had not responded to a request for comment as of Tuesday morning. But on Monday, the team behind the restaurant’s social media accounts appeared to issue a snarky comment on Twitter.“It’s true. Our boneless wings are all white meat chicken,” reads the tweet, which soon turns cheeky. “Our hamburgers contain no ham. Our buffalo wings are 0% buffalo.”The tweet, which has been viewed more than 50,000 times as of Tuesda...

Body not discovered for 23 days in Las Vegas airport's short-term parking

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:28:39 GMT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A woman’s body went undiscovered in a car in short-term parking at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas for nearly a month, in a part of the garage just yards away from passenger pickup.The car sat undisturbed for 23 days. It was not until a parking employee noticed the smell that he called police.“The odor around the vehicle — it's pretty, pretty horrific,” an officer said in body-camera video Nexstar's KLAS obtained documenting the response.The discovery comes on the heels of a report finding thieves have stolen dozens of cars parked at the airport garages over two years. While there are cameras and license plate readers throughout the garages, KLAS found they do not always work or do not capture every vehicle. Dozens of stolen vehicle reports show surveillance and other security measures in place are not catching nor preventing all thefts.“To me, it seems like there's no safety in that garage, at all,” a former airport employee who requested anonymity ...

Purina expands recall for dog food that may cause kidney issues, sickness in pets

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:28:39 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Nestlé Purina PetCare Company has expanded a recall of a prescription dog food that may cause vomiting and kidney dysfunction in dogs. Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EL Elemental (PPVD EL) is a prescription dry dog food that was recalled due to "potentially elevated levels of vitamin D." According to the Food and Drug Administration, a supplier error resulted in potentially elevated levels of the nutrient in two additional product lots. The lots precede the production dates of the lots recalled previously. The original recall was announced on Feb. 8. The FDA says vitamin D is an essential nutrient for dogs, but ingesting elevated levels can lead to health issues depending on the levels and exposure time, including vomiting, appetite loss, increased thirst, increased urination, and excessive drooling to renal (kidney) dysfunction. Pasco County deputies investigating after human bones found in wooded area The FDA reported that the affected dry dog food w...

CDC searching for source of multi-state listeria outbreak

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:28:39 GMT

(WXIN) - Health officials are trying to figure out what is behind a listeria outbreak that left people sick across the country.While a specific food item has not been identified as the source, the CDC is concerned that several recent illnesses have been reported. Here's what we know about the status of the investigation, and what is being done to determine the source.What is listeria?Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can cause the serious infection of listeriosis. It can also cause common food poisoning symptoms.The CDC says around 1,600 people get listeriosis every year, resulting in about 260 deaths. It is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems.What are the symptoms of invasive listeriosis?Invasive listeriosis happens when the bacteria spread beyond the gut to other parts of the body. Symptoms usually start within two weeks after eating food contaminated with listeria.Symptoms in pregnant peopl...

Hundreds dead as Cyclone Freddy wrecks Malawi, Mozambique

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:28:39 GMT

BLANTYRE, Malawi — The devastating Tropical Cyclone Freddy which has ripped through southern Africa in a rare second landfall has killed at least 216 people in Malawi and Mozambique since Saturday night, with the death toll expected to rise.Heavy rains that triggered floods and mudslides have killed 199 people in Malawi, authorities said Tuesday. President Lazarus Chakwera declared a “state of disaster” in the country’s southern region and the now-ravaged commercial capital, Blantyre. Some 19,000 people in the south of the nation have been displaced, according to Malawi’s disaster management directorate.“Power and communications are down in many affected areas, hindering aid operations,” said Stephane Dujarric, the U.N. Secretary General’s spokesperson at a press briefing Tuesday afternoon. The most affected regions remain inaccessible so the full extent of the damage is so far unknown.Reports from Mozambique’s disaster institute on Tuesday confirmed that 17 people have died in the ...