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Argentine peso plunges after rightist who admires Trump comes first in primary vote

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:22 GMT

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The Argentine peso plunged Monday after a 52-year—old anti-establishment candidate who admires former President Donald Trump came first in primary elections that will help determine the country’s next president. Javier Milei rocked Argentina’s political establishment Sunday by receiving the biggest share of primary votes for presidential candidates in the October general election to determine who leads a nation battered by economic woes.Milei wants to replace the peso with the dollar, and says that Argentina’s Central Bank should be abolished, and that he thinks that climate change is a lie. He has characterized sex education as a ploy to destroy the family, and has said that he believes that the sale of human organs should be legal. He also has said that it should be easier for Argentines to own handguns.Argentina’s government decided to devalue the local currency by 20% early Monday morning after the surprising showing that turned Argentina int...

Smash hit musical ‘Chicago’ to return to Toronto for holiday run

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:22 GMT

TORONTO — The smash Broadway hit “Chicago” will return to Toronto at the end of the year.Mirvish Productions says the musical will play at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre from Dec. 27 to Jan. 6.The show is touring to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its 1996 Broadway revival, with other stops set for Boston and Denver.This will be the show’s eighth time in Toronto, having made its Canadian premiere in 1977. The show’s revival also stopped in Toronto in 1998 with a 10-week sold-out run, which brought the performance back several times over the following decades.Tickets for the production are on sale Thursday.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2023.The Canadian Press

Quebec government says it is open to studying whether to relaunch nuclear reactor

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:22 GMT

MONTREAL — Quebec Energy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon says he agrees with Hydro-Québec’s decision to study a possible reopening of the province’s only nuclear power plant.Fitzgibbon reacted today to recent news that the power utility is looking into restarting the Gentilly-2 reactor in Bécancour, Que., as a response to growing energy demand.The minister told reporters in Montreal that as Quebec moves away from fossil fuels, all sources of renewable energy should be studied.But he warns that new energy projects should be both acceptable to the public and profitable.The provincial government closed Gentilly-2 in 2012, in part because of the high cost of refurbishing the plant, which opened in 1983.Hydro-Québec’s announcement last week was met with criticism from environmental group Greenpeace Canada and from opposition politicians, who called on the government to launch a national discussion on Quebec’s energy future.This report by The Canadian Press was first pu...

Iowa State’s Isaiah Lee, who is accused of betting against Cyclones in a 2021 game, leaves program

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:22 GMT

AMES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa State defensive lineman accused of wagering on his team’s games, including one where he bet against them Cyclones, has left the program, the school confirmed Monday.Isaiah Lee, who started all 12 games last season, was among the athletes charged last week in connection with the state’s investigation into illegal sports wagering at Iowa State and Iowa.Lee was charged with tampering with records for allegedly disguising his identity to place online sports wagers, according to court documents.Lee is alleged to have made 115 bets for $885 on the FanDuel mobile app. Among them were 12 on Iowa State football games, including one money-line bet against the Cyclones against Texas in 2021. ISU won 30-7, and Lee made one tackle.A total of five Iowa State football starters have been charged in the investigation. Athletes found to have wagered on games in which they played are subject to being permanently banned by the NCAA. The tampering charge is punishab...

Canadian TV series centred on race and identity among projects added to TIFF lineup

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:22 GMT

TORONTO — A documentary series challenging problematic beliefs about Canada’s Black history and another centring the life experience of 11 First Nations in Quebec are among the latest additionsto the Toronto International Film Festival lineup.The projects are among the nine television series screening as part of TIFF’s Primetime program. CBC’s “Black Life: Untold Stories,” directed by Leslie Norville, is a reframing of Black history with Black Lives Matter Canada co-founder Sandy Hudson and former pro hockey player P.K. Subban among those attached as producers.Meanwhile, Abenaki writer and directorKim O’Bomsawin looks to decolonize old ideas with four-part CBC series “Telling Our Story,” with a primarily Indigenous production team.Other announced Canadian series include the Crave comedy “Bria Mack Gets A Life,” about a 25-year-old Black womannavigating a white world, directed by Sasha Leigh Henry.Among the notable international projects is Netflix’s “All the ...

Live Q&A with WGN meteorologist as rain, potential severe storms move into Chicago

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:22 GMT

CHICAGO — It's raining across the Chicago area now with a risk of severe weather through the evening. Join WGN meteorologist Alyssa Donovan and WGN News Now host Chip Brewster for a weather-centric, interactive livestream.The livestream is scheduled to begin shortly after 1 p.m. within this storyCheck out the WGN Weather app or our wgntv.com Weather Center for the latest on the forecast and longer-range outlook.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog Have a question or comment? Submit it using this form and we'll try to answer it during the livestream.Submit a form.

Woman says she broke her ankle when she slipped on a piece of prosciutto; now she's suing

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:22 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — A woman who fractured her left ankle during a trip with her husband to the Italian food emporium Eataly in Boston last year is blaming her injury on a piece of ham.Alice Cohen was heading to an area where food samples are distributed to customers on Oct. 7 when she slipped on a piece of prosciutto and fell, according to a lawsuit filed Friday in Suffolk Superior Court in Boston.“Alice Cohen sustained bodily injuries, a loss of enjoyment of life, pain and suffering, and incurred necessary medical expenses for medical care and attention,” the lawsuit says.Her medical expenses, including a hospital visit and physical therapy, have resulted in more than $7,500 in bills, according to court papers. GOP sees turnout disaster without Trump Cohen and her husband Ronald, of Gilford, New Hampshire, are seeking a jury trial and at least $50,000 in damages.The lawsuit claims Eataly was negligent for not properly cleaning the floor. The lawsuit also claims loss of consortium.The r...

What stood out from the Bears' 2023 preseason opener

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:22 GMT

CHICAGO — On a warm and sunny afternoon at Soldier Field, fans got the chance to catch their first glimpse of the 2023 Chicago Bears.In many ways, it was only a quick look, since the starters that will likely face the Packers on September 10 for the regular season opener had only a few moments to take the field in the preseason opener against the Titans. Like every year, it's important to guard against overreaction, since so much will change over the coming weeks with the team. But there are a few things that stood out about the first 60 minutes of football this season. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)All for the "YAC"One of a few categories that the Bears finished last in the NFL in 2023 was yards after catch (or YAC), where they had an NFL-low 1,147.In two drives, the Bears showed their intent to change that on Saturday in just their first two drives. On the first drive, quarterback Justin Fields threw a screen to DJ Moore, who then proceeded to run through the Tennessee defen...

MedWatch Daily Digest: Pot smoke not safer than tobacco, doctors say — and more

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:22 GMT

For Monday, Aug. 14, WGN’s Dina Bair has new medical information, including: More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch New Covid vaccines are expected to roll out late next month, aimed at subvariants of the omicron form, which has been dominant since last year. More than 240 million Americans have gotten at least one Covid-19 shot. Last year, demand fell to about 50 million doses. But health experts hope people start viewing the dosage as an annual prevention, like a flu shot, which is tweaked to match the variant expected to circulate in the fall.Hospitalizations have ticked up from low levels in June as the Eris variant of omicron spreads. Antibiotics could help prevent STIsDoctors are prescribing an antibiotic to prevent certain sexually transmitted infections in gay, bisexual and transgender women. Doxycycline is already used to treat chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis after the person becomes infected. Recent research suggests that one 200-milligram dose can be effective in preventi...

Austin ISD says state funding won't cover half of costs for an officer on every campus

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin Independent School District officials project they will need more than 100 officers to comply with a new law requiring an armed officer or employee on every campus.Superintendent Matias Segura said on Monday the plan would cost approximately $9 million.The bill would only provide an estimated $2.5 million to the district from the state, according to AISD officials. Austin ISD discusses plans to add more officers “$40,000 for one of our largest schools, which wouldn’t even cover the cost of the salary much less all the other pieces,” said Trustee David Kaufmann during a board meeting on August 10. “This is an unfunded mandate.”Austin ISD initially said in July the district posted jobs for up to 70 more officers. AISD Police Chief Wayne Sneed said Monday the number of officers balloons to 109 when you consider supervisors and support staff for the added officers. “Post COVID it’s been challenging. We are not the only police department struggling to find p...