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Israel, Palestinians meet in Egypt to ease tensions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:02 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Israeli and Palestinian officials were meeting Sunday in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh in a bid to ease tensions between the sides and rein in a spiral of violence ahead of a sensitive holiday period beginning this week.The meeting was the second attempt by the sides, shepherded by regional allies Egypt and Jordan as well as the U.S., to end a year-long spasm of violence that has seen more than 200 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire and more than 40 Israelis or foreigners killed in Palestinian attacks. Whatever progress emerged out of the previous meeting in Jordan late last month, which ended with pledges to de-escalate tensions, was quickly derailed when a new burst of violence erupted on the same day. A Palestinian gunman shot and killed two Israelis in the occupied West Bank and Jewish settlers in response rampaged in a Palestinian town, destroying property and leading to the death of one Palestinian.Bloodshed has surged since the last meeting, making...

Russian President Putin visits occupied city of Mariupol

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:02 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited the occupied port city of Mariupol, Russian state news agencies reported on Sunday morning, in his first trip to the Ukrainian territory that Moscow illegally annexed in September. Mariupol became a worldwide symbol of defiance after outgunned and outmanned Ukrainian forces held out in a steel mill there for nearly three months before Moscow finally took control of it in May.Earlier, on Saturday, Putin traveled to Crimea, a short distance southwest of Mariupol, to mark the ninth anniversary of the Black Sea peninsula’s annexation from Ukraine.The visits came days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader accusing him of war crimes.Putin arrived in Mariupol by helicopter and then drove himself around the city’s “memorial sites,” concert hall and coastline, the Russian reports said, without specifying exactly when the visit took place. They said Putin also met with local resi...

Actor Simu Liu flirts with possible album after singing again at Juno Awards

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:02 GMT

EDMONTON — Actor Simu Liu has a song in his heart and a debut album on his mind.After breaking into renditions of Avril Lavigne and Nickelback hits as host of the Juno Awards, the “Kim’s Convenience” star says he hopes to release some of his own tunes in the future.Liu says he struck a deal with Los Angeles-based record label 88rising, which specializes in the careers of Asian American artists. He explained on the Junos red carpet in Edmonton that it has led to “collaborating on some music we’re really excited to share.”Liu, who grew up in Mississauga, Ont., says that could mean his own album “might happen sooner rather than later.”The 33-year-old isn’t entirely new to working with 88Rising, as the label collaborated with him on the track “Hot Soup” for the 2021 soundtrack of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”Before he was a professional actor, Liu flirted with boy-band stardom when he joined the short...

How did these companies survive the pitfalls of the pandemic pivot?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:02 GMT

Nick Ngo still vividly remembers the spring of 2020, and the sudden wave of new shops making the same acrylic barriers as his business. “During that time, companies would pop up. I remember (it was) anybody with a saw who was able to cut it,” said Ngo, project manager at Sixstream Signs Ltd. in Surrey, B.C. “I don’t necessarily agree with it, but that was what they were doing.”What Ngo saw was part of a larger trend, a cascade of companies suddenly jumping into the COVID-19 economy, switching production from other fields into making everything from protective barriers and hand sanitizers to cleaning wipes and personal protective equipment. Fast-forward three years, and many companies that emerged to manufacture and procure PPE in the early days of the pandemic have gone bust. But others like Sixstream that had pre-existing product lines before pivoting to pandemic-related products related to social distancing and hygiene have since managed to switch bac...

North Korea launches missile into sea amid US-S Korea drills

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:02 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile toward the sea on Sunday, its neighbors said, ramping up testing activities in response to ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal.The North’s continuation of missile tests showed its determination not to back down despite the U.S.-South Korea exercises, which are the biggest of their kind in years. But many experts say the tests are also part of North Korea's bigger objective to expand its weapons arsenal, win global recognition as a nuclear state and get international sanctions lifted.The missile launched from the North’s northwestern Tongchangri area flew across the country before it landed in the waters off its east coast, according to South Korean and Japanese assessments. They said the missile traveled a distance of about 800 kilometers (500 miles), a range that suggests the weapon could target South Korea.The chief nuclear envoys from South Korea, Japan and ...

Daily horoscope for March 19, 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:02 GMT

Moon Alert: Avoid shopping or major decisions from 6 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. EDT today (3 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. PDT). After that, the Moon moves from Aquarius into Pisces.Happy Birthday for Sunday, March 19, 2023:You are active and imaginative. You work tirelessly for what you want. You also have strong views and tend to stick to them. This is a quieter, slower paced year for you. Focus on relationships, on your needs and what brings you happiness.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★You’ll be chatty in the next two weeks. The pace of your days will probably accelerate as well. You will be on the go with errands, short trips, plus learning and studying. Tonight: Solitude. This Week: It’s a high-energy week with good fortune!TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★★This is a lovely day to get the advice of someone older. They might be a mentor figure or an older friend. Whatever they say can help you rethink future goals. Tonight: Helpful conversation. This Week: It’s a mellow week. Shop for ward...

Dear Abby: Florida depresses me, but my husband has no sympathy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:02 GMT

DEAR ABBY: I lived in New York all my life. I moved to Florida a year ago because of my health and to be near my daughter and granddaughters.I have been depressed ever since I got here. I miss New York and my best friend very much. I can’t sleep. I sit and cry and I have no motivation to do anything.My daughter has been great to me, but when I try to talk to my husband about how I feel, he doesn’t care. He yells and walks away.I’m so confused. I feel I can’t move on. Can you give me any advice?DISPLACED IN THE SOUTHDEAR DISPLACED: Your reason for moving to Florida was a rational one. However, feelings are not always rational. Your move has placed you in a situation where the surroundings are unfamiliar and your support system (your best friend) is no longer there for you.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: I’m disgusted by my co-worker’s noises Advice | Dear Abby: She upset her grandmother with this out-of-line fashion c...

In Zimbabwe’s rainy season, women forage for wild mushrooms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:02 GMT

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe’s rainy season brings a bonanza of wild mushrooms, which many rural families feast upon and sell to boost their incomes.But the bounty also comes with danger as each year there are reports of people dying after eating poisonous fungi. Discerning between safe and toxic mushrooms has evolved into an inter-generational transfer of indigenous knowledge from mothers to daughters. Rich in protein, antioxidants and fiber, wild mushrooms are a revered delicacy and income earner in Zimbabwe, where food and formal jobs are scarce for many.Beauty Waisoni, 46, who lives on the outskirts of the capital, Harare, typically wakes up at dawn, packs plastic buckets, a basket, plates and a knife before trekking to a forest 15 kilometers (9 miles) away.Her 13-year-old daughter Beverly is in tow, as an apprentice. In the forest, the two join other pickers, mainly women working side by side with their children, combing through the morning dew for shoot-ups under tre...

State news: Kuwait court annuls 2022 parliamentary election

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:02 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Kuwaiti court on Sunday annulled the results of a parliamentary election held last year, saying it would reinstate the previous slate of lawmakers elected in 2020. The decision by Kuwait’s Constitutional Court, reported by the state-run KUNA news agency, threw more chaos into the politics of this small, oil-rich nation on the Persian Gulf.In its decision, the court cited “discrepancies” in the decree dissolving the 2020 parliament for its ruling. Authorities did not immediately explain what this meant for Kuwait’s parliament. Kuwait has the freest and most active assembly among the Gulf Arab states, but political power is still largely concentrated in the hands of the ruling Al Sabah family, which appoints the prime minister and Cabinet, and can dissolve the assembly at any time. In September, voters sent conservative Islamist figures and two women to the assembly in the second election in less than two years. The election results wer...

Bosnia: rights activists assaulted following LGBT event ban

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:02 GMT

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Rights activists in the Serb-run part of Bosnia were assaulted late Saturday, hours after banned an LGBT event planned there over the weekend, citing security concerns.The attack took place as the activists were leaving a meeting at the offices of the Bosnian branch of the global anti-corruption group Transparency International in Banja Luka. The meeting was organized after the event they hoped to stage in the northwestern city on Sunday to promote LGBT rights was banned by local police. The activists said a few dozen men chased them through the streets, hurling insults and punches. Before police arrived on the scene, several activists were hurt, including one who required medical attention. The Banja Luka police said law enforcement officers had escorted the activists to the police station to take their statements and were still looking for the perpetrators. The canceled LGBT event, organized and supported by several rights groups from across Bos...