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Why does Sweden allow Quran burnings?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:26:51 GMT

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A recent string of public desecrations of the Quran by a handful of anti-Islam activists in Sweden has sparked an angry reaction in Muslim countries and raised questions – including in Sweden – about why such acts are allowed.In the latest such incident, an Iraqi living in Sweden on Thursday stomped on and kicked Islam’s holy book in a two-man rally outside the Iraqi Embassy in Stockholm. The protest was authorized by Swedish police, who kept a handful of agitated counterdemonstrators at a safe distance.The same Iraqi man burned a Quran outside a Stockholm mosque last month in a similar protest that was approved by police. And at the start of the year, a far-right activist from Denmark carried out a similar stunt outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.Here’s a look at how Swedish authorities have been dealing with these acts.IS DESECRATING THE QURAN ALLOWED IN SWEDEN?There is no law in Sweden specifically prohibiting the burning or desecration of the Quran or othe...

Kansas’ attorney general wants to keep trans people from intervening in his lawsuit over state IDs

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:26:51 GMT

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Republican attorney general in Kansas is working to keep transgender people from intervening in his state-court lawsuit against changing the sex listings on their state driver’s licenses. His efforts already will block further changes until at least November.Attorney General Kris Kobach, his legal team and lawyers for the Kansas Department of Revenue were in court Thursday to set a schedule for the lawsuit. The department’s motor vehicles division issues driver’s licenses and has changed the sex listing for more than 900 people during the past four years.Kobach argues that changing driver’s licenses to reflect transgender people’s gender identities violates a state law rolling back transgender rights that took effect July 1. He sued two top Department of Revenue officials earlier this month after Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly announced that the changes would continue despite the new state law.Five transgender Kansas residents repre...

Canada Child Benefit hailed for reducing poverty, as families get boosted payments

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:26:51 GMT

OTTAWA — The Canada Child Benefit is being hailed for lifting children out of poverty seven years since its introduction, as families get a cost-of-living boost this month. Families eligible for the Canada Child Benefit are getting their July payments Thursday, and they include a hefty cost-of-living adjustment.Most federal benefits and credits increased by 6.3 per cent this month to reflect the pace of inflation in the previous year. That means families can receive an annual total of up to $7,437 per child under the age of six and $6,275 per child ages six through 17.The Liberals are highlighting the Canada Child Benefit to mark its seven-year anniversary after they introduced it in their first budget.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in southeastern Ontario on Thursdayspeaking to families about the impact of the benefit, which he said has reduced poverty across the country.“Seven years ago we brought in the Canada child benefit,” Trudeau told reporters while visiting a...

Trudeau cuts appearance in Belleville, Ont., short as protesters swarm motorcade

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:26:51 GMT

OTTAWA — An event for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was cut short in Belleville, Ont., today after nearly 100 protesters surrounded him and his motorcade. Trudeau was in the city to mark the seventh anniversary of the Liberal government’s Child Care Benefit, to meet with the mayor and to visit a farmers’ market.Protesters showed up at the market outside city hall as Trudeau met with a crowd of community members and took selfies. Trudeau was set to meet with about 10 vendors, but he couldn’t make his way to the other side of the public square after being swarmed by the dozens of protesters.Some of them were holding Trump flags, while others were screaming expletives about the government and the media. At one point, the prime minister’s security detail pushed away two women who approached his motorcade as he stood on an SUV’s side step waving and smiling at the crowd. Reacting to the protesters, one city hall worker said the chaos was a shame. This report...

Video shows Oklahoma judge scrolling social media and texting on cell phone during trial

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:26:51 GMT

CHANDLER, Okla. (AP) — A new judge in Oklahoma is facing scrutiny after courtroom video showed her scrolling through social media and texting throughout a murder trial, a newspaper reports.Security video obtained by The Oklahoman shows Lincoln County District Judge Traci Soderstrom texting or messaging for minutes at a time during jury selection, opening statements and testimony in the trial for a man in the beating death of his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son. At one point, Soderstrom searched for a GIF, an animated image.Soderstrom, 50, can also be seen checking Facebook during the trial, which began last month in Chandler, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) northeast of Oklahoma City, the newspaper reported. Soderstrom was sworn in on Jan. 9 after being elected in November.Soderstrom declined to comment to the newspaper because the verdict could still be appealed, saying judges are prohibited from discussing pending cases. A request for comment from The Associated Press was not imm...

Missouri Supreme Court orders the GOP attorney general to stand down in fight over abortion costs

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:26:51 GMT

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Republican attorney general to stand down and allow an initiative petition to legalize abortion in the state to move forward. Supreme Court judges unanimously affirmed a lower court’s decision that Attorney General Andrew Bailey must approve the cost estimate provided by the auditor, despite Bailey’s insistence that the cost to taxpayers of restoring abortion rights could be as much as a million times higher than what the auditor found. Because Bailey refused to approve Republican Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick’s cost estimate, the secretary of state has not been able to give the amendment his stamp of approval that is needed for supporters to begin gathering voter signatures to put it on the ballot in 2024. In Thursday’s Supreme Court order, judges found that Bailey’s stonewalling meant plaintiff Anna Fitz-James, who was represented by the ACLU of Missouri, lost out on nearly 100 days s...

The sea otter harassing surfers off the California coast eludes capture as her fan club grows

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:26:51 GMT

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) — A sea otter launched into the national spotlight after images of her aggressively wresting surfboards away from surfers off the coast of Santa Cruz, California circulated on social media is building a fan club as she continues to evade capture.A team of wildlife experts with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the nearby Monterey Bay Aquarium have been trying to capture the 5-year-old animal, known as otter 841, since last week because they say she poses a public safety risk.They say they want to examine her and relocate her at a zoo or aquarium —as yet to no avail.She now has a growing fan club, with people showing up every day to get a glimpse of her spending time sunbathing on the rocky shore, diving in the water and chomping down on crabs. Jessica Fujii, Sea Otter Program Manager at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, said the team has faced some challenges in its pursuit, including bad weather.“The main issue is more just her ability to evade. Be...

Bipartisan trio of senators propose federal oversight of NIL compensation, athlete health care

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:26:51 GMT

A bipartisan group of senators announced Thursday they are working on a college sports bill that would create national regulations for name, image and likeness compensation for players, establish an entity to oversee enforcement of those rules and fund long-term health care for athletes.“Our goal is to stabilize college athletics and make sure that our athletes are fairly treated,” said Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) during a conference call with reporters.Moran and Democrats Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) and Cory Booker (N.J.) are proposing the College Athletes Protection & Compensation Act. It is only a discussion draft at this point, far from even being formally introduced, but notable in that both Democrats and Republicans are involved in trying to address issues that have disrupted college sports and the role of the NCAA.Booker called it a significant step.“Our goal has been a product that could get 60 votes in the United States Senate. And we believe we are close to reaching that goal,...

Man sought for photographing young children in Etobicoke

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:26:51 GMT

Toronto police are searching for a man that was spotted taking photos of young children in Etobicoke.Police were called to the Royal York Road and Evans Avenue area around 2:30 p.m. on July 11 for reports of a suspicious incident.It’s alleged that a suspicious man was observed taking photos of young children with his cell phone. Police said a concerned citizen approached the man and made him delete the photos.The man then fled the area on foot.Toronto police did not release any other details. There is no description of the wanted man.

Exclusion of race in federal climate justice screening tool could worsen disparities, analysis says

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:26:51 GMT

A screening tool the federal government is using to decide which neighborhoods have a disproportionate amount of pollution and risk of damage from climate change could worsen air pollution exposure disparities along racial lines, according to a new analysis. Researchers from several universities around the United States who modeled the potential effects of the use of the tool in guiding federal investment told The Associated Press it’s because race was excluded as a part of the equation that decides which communities are the most in need.The analysis they did, which was published in Science on Thursday, brings important context to a debate between the federal government and the environmental and climate justice community over how to improve decades-old environmental and climate disparities.Marshall and other researchers used the tool to model three 20-year scenarios: one where no action is taken to reduce emissions, one where emissions are aggressively reduced and one where emission...