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Abraham Verghese says ‘The Covenant of Water’ dips into his family’s past

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:34 GMT

When asked to describe the south Indian state of Kerala, the word that springs to mind for Dr. Abraham Verghese is this: “Water – 44 rivers, countless streams and lagoons and hundreds of miles of waterways.” More than a decade after the publication of his previous novel, “Cutting for Stone,” these waterways are where Dr. Verghese, author and professor of medicine at Stanford University, has set his latest book “The Covenant of Water,” out May 2 from Grove Atlantic.Water is the “defining element” of Kerala, Dr. Verghese says, which is why the central tragedy of “Covenant” is one of a family cursed by inexplicable drownings. The novel begins with the arranged marriage of the family’s matriarch, known as “Big Ammachy,” or “Big Mother,” who discovers something is very wrong with the family she’s just joined: They’ve been fighting a war with the waters of their homeland for generations.Related: Sign up for our free newsletter about books, authors, reading and moreGeography is intentional...

Westbound I-8 lanes reopen in El Cajon after multi-vehicle collision

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:34 GMT

EL CAJON, Calif. — All lanes of westbound Interstate 8 in El Cajon have reopened Thursday following a multi-vehicle collision that prompted a several hour closure, Caltrans said.The crash happened around 10:20 a.m. on westbound I-8 near East Main Street, according to the California Highway Patrol's Traffic Incident Information Page.A Sig Alert was issued around 10:40 a.m., prompting all westbound lanes to close.Around 1:20 p.m., Caltrans announced that all lanes had reopened. Rules of the Road: Are tinted windows legal in California? All vehicles are being detoured to the East Main Street off-ramp, Caltrans said.The circumstances that led to the collision were not immediately available and it is not yet known if there were any reported injuries related to the crash.SkyFOX footage captured of the crash showed one vehicle overturned in the middle of the traffic lanes.You can monitor the latest traffic conditions with the FOX 5 Traffic Map.Officials have not announced how long the fr...

Hot spell hikes risks of flooding, avalanches and fire across British Columbia

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:34 GMT

VANCOUVER — As British Columbia heads into one of its first warm spells of the year, forecasters are warning the heat could raise avalanche and flood risks, while the danger of wildfires has already nudged up to a “moderate” rating in some parts of the province.The River Forecast Centre website says temperatures are expected to be at least 10 degrees above normal for many areas of B.C. through the weekend before cooler weather and rain arrive next week.The centre says mid-elevation snowpacks could begin rapid melting, issuing high streamflow advisories for areas north of Prince George, across the Cariboo, parts of the Shuswap and south through the Okanagan to the U.S. border.Avalanche Canada predicts the sudden warming could also create dangerous conditions across every mountain range in Western Canada and it says the hazard will increase daily, raising the possibility of very large, deep avalanches. Advisories urge those in the backcountry to use extreme caution on moun...

S&P/TSX composite rises more than 150 points, U.S. markets post strong gains

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:34 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index rose more than 150 points with broad-based gains led by financials, health care and metals, while U.S. markets posted strong gains as tech stocks continued to impress during earnings season. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 155.92 points at 20,522.64.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 524.29 points at 33,826.16. The S&P 500 index was up 79.36 points at 4,135.35,while the Nasdaq composite was up 287.89 points at 12,142.24.The Canadian dollar traded for 73.46 cents UScompared with 73.39 cents US on Wednesday.The June crude contract was up 46 cents at US$74.76 per barrel and the June natural gas contract was up five cents at US$2.36 per mmBTU.The June gold contract was up US$3.00 at US$1,999.00 an ounce and the July copper contract was up two cents at US$3.88 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X)The Canadian Press

Glencore willing to take Teck Resources bid directly to shareholders

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:34 GMT

Swiss commodities giant Glencore said it is willing to present its takeover offer directly to shareholders of Teck Resources Ltd. if the company’s board does not come to the negotiating table regarding its unsolicited proposal.Meanwhile, Canada’s official opposition party waded into the fray by formally calling for the federal government to block any attempt by Glencore to acquire the Vancouver-based Teck, which is Canada’s largest diversified mining company.“We believe that with engagement, we could further improve our proposal’s structure, terms and value, which would be in the best interests of all Teck shareholders,” Glencore said in a statement Thursday, its first public comments since Teck cancelled a key shareholder vote Wednesday on a plan to split its business — a plan that Glencore had opposed.Teck called off the vote when it became apparent it did not have the required two-thirds majority approval from shareholders for the proposal, which wou...

Sellers asking up to $10K for ticket to tonight’s Leafs game

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:34 GMT

The last time the Toronto Maple Leafs won a playoff series (2004), YouTube didn’t even exist yet. That puts in perspective just how long fans have suffered and how badly they’re yearning to witness the team exorcise its post-season demons.They’ll get that chance to erase all those years of heartache on home ice, but if you want to see it in person, you’ll have to be willing to erase some considerable heft from your bank account.The hottest ticket in town is commanding some huge prices online.On ticket exchange and resale site, StubHub, prices for tonight’s game start at nearly $700 and peak at over $10,000.The site confirms recent ticket sales for $1,822 (CAD) for a seat in Section 114, Row 6 and $1,458 for a spot in Section 107, row 15.What’s the view look like for the $10,476?Photo courtesy: StubHub screengrab.Of course, a win is never guaranteed against the always-formidable Tampa Bay Lightning, but Maple Leafs’ legend Wendel Clark offere...

Environmentalists denounce Nevada U.S. senator’s mining bill

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:34 GMT

RENO, Nev. (AP) — The Nevada Democrat who’s the heir apparent to the late Sen. Harry Reid’s role as chief defender of the mining industry across the West is for the first time feeling the wrath of environmentalists, who otherwise consider her an ally.National environmental groups, Native American tribes and progressive activists in Nevada are vigorously protesting a pro-mining bill Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto introduced this week.The Mining Regulatory Clarity Act effectively would insulate mining companies from a U.S. appeals court ruling that blocked a copper mine in Arizona. The court decision was a significant victory for environmentalists that poses perhaps the first real threat in nearly a century to corporate mineral rights protected under a Civil War-era mining law.“Sen. Cortez Masto has become a mining industry puppet and is throwing communities, tribes and wildlife under the bus,” said Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director of the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversi...

Police release details on Canada stabbings that left 11 dead

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:34 GMT

MELFORT, Saskatchewan (AP) — Police in Canada released details Thursday about a stabbing rampage that left 11 people dead and 17 injured last year, but said they may never know why the assailant went on the killing spree.Myles Sanderson, the 32-year-old accused in the attacks, died in police custody a few days later.Supt. Joshua Graham, the officer in charge of major crimes, said Myles Sanderson and his brother Damien Sanderson went to the James Smith Cree Nation to deal drugs on Sept. 1.Throughout their time in the community, they attacked some residents and stole a vehicle. The day before the massacre, Damien Sanderson told people at a nearby bar they had a “mission to do” and that “people would hear all about it in the next few hours.”Damien Sanderson, however, was one of the first people killed the morning of the rampage.Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, commanding officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP, said since both Myles and Damian Sanderson are dead “some of the pieces of...

White woman whose claim caused Emmett Till murder has died

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:34 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The white woman who accused Black teenager Emmett Till of whistling at her — causing his 1955 lynching in Mississippi, which galvanized a generation of activists to rise up in the Civil Rights Movement — has died at 88.Carolyn Bryant Donham died in hospice care Tuesday night in Westlake, Louisiana, according to a death report filed Thursday in the Calcasieu Parish Coroner’s Office.Her death marks the last chance for anyone to be held accountable for a kidnapping and brutal murder that shocked the world.Till’s mother, Mamie Till Mobley, insisted on an open-casket funeral in their hometown of Chicago so the world could see her 14-year-old son’s mutilated body, which was pulled from a river in Mississippi. Jet magazine published photos.In August 1955, Till had traveled from Chicago to visit relatives in Mississippi. Donham — then 21 and named Carolyn Bryant — accused him of making improper advances on her at a grocery store where she was working in the...

Amazon stocks surge after Q1 revenue, profit wins

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:34 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon on Thursday reported a continuing slowdown in its cloud computing unit AWS but stronger than expected revenue and profits for the first quarter sent its stocks higher in after-hours trading. The Seattle-based company said it pulled in $127.4 billion in revenue for the January-March quarter, a 9% growth compared to the $116.4 billion it reported during the same period last year. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had expected $124.6 billion. Profits came out to $3.2 billion, or 31 cents per share, higher than the $2.24 billion industry analysts had expected. It’s also a strong improvement from the same period last year, when the e-commerce giant reported its first quarterly loss in years mainly driven by a loss in value of its investment in the electric vehicle company Rivian Automotive. Amazon’s stock rose 9% in after-hours trading.The report on Thursday rounds out a busy earnings week for major tech companies. On Wednesday, Facebook parent Meta beat pro...