Thursday, February 19

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These Noise-Canceling JBL Headphones Are Nearly Half Off Right Now
Life Style

These Noise-Canceling JBL Headphones Are Nearly Half Off Right Now

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you missed out on all the best headphone deals during Black Friday, there are still some bargains to be found, including on these JBL Tune 770NC wireless headphones, currently $80 from Amazon, 47% off the usual $150 price tag. They’re a solid choice for anyone seeking over-ear headphones with decent noise cancellation and that signature JBL sound.  According PCMag's review, these headphones offer a “sculpted sound signature with palpable bass,” which you can tweak using the adjustable in-app EQ. Long battery life is a major perk: They should last up to 70 hours with ANC off, letting you go at least a week of heavy use between char...
4 countries pull out of Eurovision Song Contest over Israel’s participation – National
Entertainment, Movies

4 countries pull out of Eurovision Song Contest over Israel’s participation – National

Public broadcasters from at least four countries — including Spain and the Netherlands — on Thursday pulled out of next year’s Eurovision Song Contest after organizers decided to allow Israel to compete. The developments expose how political discord has taken center stage over a usually joyful celebration of harmony through music. The pullouts, which were joined by Ireland and Slovenia, came after a general assembly of the European Broadcasting Union — a group of public broadcasters from 56 countries that runs the event — met to discuss concerns about Israel’s participation, which some countries oppose over its conduct of the Israel-Hamas conflict.Earlier, EBU members voted to adopt tougher voting rules in response to allegations that Israel manipulated the vote in favor of their contestan...
Twinkle Khanna reacts to her `raat gayi baat gayi` statement on infidelity
Entertainment, Movies

Twinkle Khanna reacts to her `raat gayi baat gayi` statement on infidelity

Bollywood actor Kajol and author Twinkle Khanna`s views on "Two Much" Kajol and Twinkle became embroiled in a scandal. Twinkle`s comment on infidelity, in which she suggested one may disregard physical cheating by saying `raat gayi baat gayi`, sparked outrage. Twinkle has now clarified her opinion in an interview with The Times of India, noting that she said it in a lighthearted tone. Twinkle Khanna makes a clarification Speaking about the uproar surrounding her `raat gayi baat gayi` statement, Twinkle responded to charges that she was making "light of infidelity" by saying, "It was part of a light-hearted game." It was not intended as a serious argument." She stated, "If there had been a meaningful argument, I would have said that we need to analyse where monogamy as a construct... Whe...
Judge rules proposed Alberta separation referendum would be unconstitutional
Politics

Judge rules proposed Alberta separation referendum would be unconstitutional

A judge from the Alberta Court of Kings Bench has issued a surprise ruling on the proposal for a referendum on Alberta independence. In a written judgement issued Friday, Justice Colin C.J. Feasby said the referendum proposal violates the Canadian constitution.Feasby’s ruling also included some harsh words for the UCP government that tabled legislation on Thursday, attempting to prevent the court from ruling on the constitutionality of the proposed referendum question. 1:52 Alberta bill aims to clear further obstacles to citizen-driven referendum questions Justice Minister Mickey Amery’s bill would allow such petition drives to go ahead regard...
IIT Bombay study shows how TB bacteria shield themselves from antibiotics
Health

IIT Bombay study shows how TB bacteria shield themselves from antibiotics

The bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which causes the world’s most infectious disease Tuberculosis (TB), can survive antibiotic treatment and live longer by changing their outer fat coating, according to a new study led by researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay on Wednesday.  Even with effective antibiotics and widespread vaccination campaigns, TB continues to take lives. Globally, 10.7 million people developed TB and 1.23 million died from the disease in 2024, while India carries one of the highest burdens -- over 2.71 million cases in 2024. In the study, published in the Chemical Science journal, the researchers showed that the key to the bacteria`s drug tolerance lies in their membranes -- complex barriers made mostly of fats, or lipids that protect the ...
U.S. national security strategy warns of ‘civilizational erasure’ in Europe – National
Politics

U.S. national security strategy warns of ‘civilizational erasure’ in Europe – National

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has set forth a new national security strategy that paints European allies as weak and aims to reassert America’s dominance in the Western Hemisphere. The document released Friday by the White House is sure to roil long-standing U.S. allies in Europe for its scathing critiques of their migration and free speech policies, suggesting they face the “prospect of civilizational erasure” and raising doubts about their long-term reliability as American partners.At the same time the administration is sharply critical of its democratic allies in Europe and carrying out a pressure campaign of boat strikes in South America, it chides past U.S. efforts to shape or criticize Middle Eastern nations and seeks to discourage attempts for changes in those countri...
Meta Is Not Scraping Your DMs to Train Its AI
Life Style

Meta Is Not Scraping Your DMs to Train Its AI

I've been seeing a number of videos on my feeds circulating a serious, but perhaps not unbelievable, claim: The idea is, come Dec. 16, 2025, Meta will update its privacy policy to give itself permission to scrape direct messages from users on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, all in the name of training its generative AI models. While Meta is no bastion of user privacy by any stretch of the imagination, this particular claim is, fortunately, not true. You shouldn't expect the company to necessarily respect your data, but you also don't need to worry that future iterations of Meta AI will be generating text based on your Instagram DMs.If you've seen these claims on your feeds, too, you know they're often quite stark and hyperbolic. Snopes highlights one such viral Instagram post that reads...
Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney says politician recall legislation being misused
Politics

Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney says politician recall legislation being misused

The architect of Alberta’s politician recall legislation says it was never meant to be used as a political weapon, but as an “ultimate tool of accountability” if a politician engages in illegal or unethical behaviour. Jason Kenney gave the remarks in an interview Thursday as the party he helped create – the United Conservatives – has 14 of its caucus members facing recall petitions from angry citizens using the legislation he crafted when he was Alberta’s first UCP premier.“My government purposely set very high thresholds,” Kenney said. “Frankly, we replicated the thresholds developed in British Columbia in 1991 under an NDP government to ensure there’s a really broad public demand for a byelection.“We have it as an ultimate tool of accountability if a politician does something absolutely ...
Carney heads to Washington to meet Trump, Sheinbaum at FIFA draw – National
Politics

Carney heads to Washington to meet Trump, Sheinbaum at FIFA draw – National

Prime Minister Mark Carney, U.S. President Donald Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum are meeting for the first time after nearly a year of uncertainty over the future of free trade on the continent and it comes ahead of the mandatory review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) in 2026. Carney is landing in Washington, D.C., Friday morning to participate in the FIFA Men’s World Cup draw ceremony, which will be hosted jointly by the three nations. 0:52 Mexico, Canada coordinate as Trump warns of new USMCA tariffs The noon ceremony determines matchups between the 48 countries participating in next year’s World Cup, with 104 matc...
Industry experts question Saab’s pitch to bring 10,000 jobs to Canada – National
Politics

Industry experts question Saab’s pitch to bring 10,000 jobs to Canada – National

Critics are questioning the solidity of Saab’s pitch to deliver 10,000 jobs in Canada if it decides to set up shop here to assemble Gripen fighter jets. The Swedish company has said little about how it came to that number, making it hard to evaluate the offer.Saab spokesperson Jenny Gerdes said the estimate reflects the “scale of work” the company anticipates bringing to the country, “should the Gripen be selected.”N“The figure is based on projected global demand for Gripen and the corresponding production, sustainment and R&D activities Canada would undertake,” Gerdes said in an email.“The details of the industrial program and the associated modelling are part of ongoing discussions with the government of Canada, so we’re not in a position to share specific breakdowns,” she added. “Ho...