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Michael Urie keeps the laughter going as he stars in a revival of Broadway ‘Spamalot’

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:31 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Urie has a very hard job this winter: Not cracking up when he’s not supposed to on Broadway.The former “Ugly Betty” and current “Shrinking” star is in a revival of the madcap medieval musical “Spamalot” and that means regular silliness from his co-stars.“At some point, somebody will do something totally stupid and we’ll all crack up laughing,” he said. “I have to bite the inside of my cheek or turn upstage or just really think about my intention.” You can sympathize with Urie since “Spamalot” is built on shenanigans that includes a group of knights fond of shrubbery, a singing and dancing plague victim, flatulent Frenchmen and killer rabbits.“The wordplay is so clever and then you’ll get a fart joke or then a rabbit will bite someone’s head off,” said Urie. “I don’t know any other material that is highbrow and lowbrow at the same time or within seconds of each other, but they seem to pull it off.”He’s joined by a cast that includes theater stars C...

S&P/TSX composite down in late-morning trading, oil drops below US$70 a barrel

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:31 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index was down in late-morning trading as losses in the energy sector helped offset strength in the base metal, telecommunication and utility stocks   as the price of oil fell below US$70 a barrel.The S&P/TSX composite index was down 8.57 points at 20,367.36.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 3.08 points at 36,127.64. The S&P 500 index was down 3.05 points at 4,564.13, while the Nasdaq composite was down 13.93 points at 14,215.99.The Canadian dollar traded for 73.65 cents US compared with 73.64 cents US on Tuesday.The January crude oil contract was down US$2.59 at US$69.73 per barrel and the January natural gas contract was down nine cents at US$2.62 per mmBTU.The February gold contract was up US$12.00 at US$2,048.30 an ounce and the March copper contract was down less than a penny at US$3.78 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD) The Ca...

Bills GM says edge rusher Von Miller to practice and play while facing domestic violence charge

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:31 GMT

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Though disappointed in the allegations of domestic violence made against Von Miller, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane stressed on Wednesday that he wants the legal process to play out and not rush to making any judgements.Otherwise, Beane said, Miller will participate in practice and is expected to play on Sunday when the Bills (6-6) travel to play the Kansas City Chiefs (8-4). Beane spoke for the team as the Bills returned from their bye week off, and a week after Miller turned himself in to police in a Dallas suburb after being charged in a warrant with domestic violence against the mother of his children, who is pregnant.Miller faces a charge of third-degree felony assault of a pregnant woman, which is punishable by 2 to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He is free after posting a $5,000 bond.“No one wants their name associated with any accusation like that, so that’s a natural disappointment. I’m sure he’s disappointed,” Beane said. “But...

US expects to announce new weapons aid for Ukraine as Congress is stalled on more funding

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:31 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is expected to announce a $175 million package of military aid to Ukraine on Wednesday, including guided missiles for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), anti-armor systems and high-speed anti-radiation missiles, according to U.S. officials.The latest aid comes as Congress remains stalled on legislation that would provide new funding for Ukraine as it battles to push back Russian forces, as well as money for Israel’s war with Hamas and other security needs. The Biden administration has said funding to aid Ukraine is running out, and the Pentagon packages of weapons and other equipment for the war have become much smaller in recent months.The White House is seeking nearly $106 billion, but the bill has gotten bogged down in negotiations over border security and because of increasing reluctance from Republican lawmakers to approve significant spending on the Ukraine war. GOP lawmakers are insisting on policy changes to halt the flow of...

Republican prosecutor will appeal judge’s ruling invalidating Wisconsin’s 174-year-old abortion ban

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:31 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Republican prosecutor said Tuesday that he plans to appeal a court ruling that Wisconsin law permits consensual medical abortions, the first step toward a potential showdown in the state Supreme Court over abortion rights.Sheboygan County District Attorney Joel Urmanski issued a statement through his attorneys saying that he disagrees with Dane County Circuit Judge Diane Schlipper’s July finding and state law clearly bans abortions, including consensual medical abortions.The case appears destined to end up at the state Supreme Court. Liberal justices currently hold a 4-3 majority on the court, making it unlikely that conservatives would prevail at that level. Urmanski could string out the process beyond the 2025 spring elections, however, in the hopes that liberal Justice Ann Walsh Bradley loses re-election and conservatives regain control of the court.In question is an 1849 Wisconsin law that conservatives have interpreted as banning abortion. The U.S. ...

Cargo ship breaks down in Egypt’s Suez Canal and crashes into a bridge. Traffic is not disrupted

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:31 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — A cargo ship broke down in Egypt’s Suez Canal on Wednesday and crashed into a bridge over the crucial waterway, authorities said, adding that the incident did not disrupt traffic through the canal. Adm. Ossama Rabei, head of the Suez Canal Authority, said the Singapore-flagged One Orpheus went off course after its rudder broke down before ploughing into the Mansi Bridge, near the port city of Ismailia. The extent of the damage to both the ship and the bridge is unclear.The incident happened in a newly expanded section of the waterway, where there are two separate shipping lanes, Rabei said in a statement issued by the authority.He said four tugboats have been dispatched to move the cargo ship, which was traveling north through the canal, on its way from Singapore to the Netherlands. Following the incident, all ships started using the second, original shipping lane.The incident was the latest of several such accidents in the crucial waterway. A number of ships have...

Democratic Wisconsin governor vetoes bill to ban gender-affirming care for kids

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:31 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Wednesday vetoed a bill that sought to outlaw gender-affirming care for minors.The veto was expected from Evers, who has vowed to strike down any proposals from the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature that he deems harmful to LGBTQ+ youth.The bill, which was passed by the Legislature in October, would have banned gender-affirming surgeries, which are rare, as well as all forms of gender-affirming care for minors in Wisconsin, including puberty blockers and hormone treatment using estrogen and testosterone.“This type of legislation, and the rhetoric beget by pursuing it, harms LGBTQ people and kids’ mental health, emboldens anti-LGBTQ hate and violence, and threatens the safety and dignity of LGBTQ Wisconsinites,” Evers wrote in his veto message. “I will veto any bill that makes Wisconsin a less safe, less inclusive, and less welcoming place for LGBTQ people and kids.”Public hearings on the proposal earlier this yea...

The US is poised to require foreign aircraft-repair shops to test workers for drugs and alcohol

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:31 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration proposed Wednesday to require drug and alcohol testing for employees of aircraft-repair shops in other countries.If the FAA proposal becomes final, foreign shops that perform certain safety-related work on planes would have to electronically transmit results of employee tests to the U.S. Department of Transportation.The FAA said its proposal would affect nearly 1,000 repair shops in 65 countries.Unions representing U.S. aircraft mechanics have long pushed for more scrutiny of foreign shops, calling it a safety issue, but the FAA resisted. Drug-testing rules that date to the 1980s do not cover situations in which mandatory testing would violate the laws or policies of another country.On Wednesday, however, the agency said that raising the standards on foreign shops would be an important safety measure because few countries require drug and alcohol testing of aircraft-maintenance workers.The FAA will publish its proposed rule in th...

Ford government’s decision to move science centre to Ontario Place ‘not fully informed’: auditor general

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:31 GMT

The Ford government’s controversial decision to relocate the Ontario Science Centre to Toronto’s waterfront was “not fully informed,” according to the province’s auditor general.In one of several reports on value-for-money audits released Wednesday, acting Auditor General Nick Stavropoulos says the province made the decision to move the attraction without proper input from key stakeholders and incomplete cost information.Questions have surrounded the government’s decision to move the attraction from its current location near Don Mills and Eglinton in North York to Ontario Place. The auditor general’s report also found that a proposal earlier this year to decision makers cited parking needs for the privately owned waterpark and spa that is planned for Ontario Place.The province has not disclosed details of the long-term lease with Therme for the highly criticized planned facility, but the auditor’s report says a “site-wide parking solut...

European Union calls for “the beginning of the end” of fossil fuels at COP28 climate talks

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:31 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — This year’s climate talks should “mark the beginning of the end” of fossil fuels the European Commissioner for Climate Action said on Wednesday as the United Nations summit wrapped up its first week.Wopke Hoekstra told a news conference on the last day of the technical phase of the talks taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates that the bloc is seeking a “higher bar” in negotiations.Scientists, activists and U.N. officials repeatedly detailed how the world needs to phase-out the use of coal, oil and natural gas — which are responsible for most of the planet’s human-caused warming — but any agreement coming out of COP has to be near unanimous.“We have over 190 parties here at COP28 and we need all of these parties, all of these parties to agree to phase-out fossil fuels,” warned Hoekstra.Small island nations and other developing countries have also signaled support for a phase-out of fossil fuels.What to do about slashing fossil fuel ...