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US defense secretary says Washington won’t stand for ‘coercion and bullying’ from China

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:18 GMT

SINGAPORE (AP) — U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin vowed Saturday that Washington would not stand for any “coercion and bullying” of its allies and partners by China, while assuring Beijing that the United States remains committed to maintaining the status quo on Taiwan and would prefer dialogue over conflict.Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual forum bringing together top defense officials, diplomats and leaders in Singapore, Austin lobbied for support for Washington’s vision of a “free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific within a world of rules and rights” as the best course to counter increasing Chinese assertiveness in the region.The U.S. has been expanding its own activities around the Indo-Pacific to counter sweeping territorial claims from China, including regularly sailing through and flying over the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea. “We are committed to ensuring that every country can fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows,” he...

Israeli army kills gunman in shootout along Egypt’s border

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:18 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli troops shot and killed a gunman on Saturday in a shootout in southern Israel along the Egyptian border, the military said. It said the assailant was in Israeli territory when he opened fire at troops. The soldiers returned fire, killing the gunman. In an earlier statement, the army said two people were wounded. Israel and Egypt signed a peace agreement in 1979 and maintain close security ties. Fighting along their shared border is rare.The exchange of fire reportedly took place around the Nitzana border crossing between Israel and Egypt. The crossing is located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of the point where Israel’s border with Egypt and the Gaza Strip converge. It’s used to import goods from Egypt destined for Israel or the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.Israel built a fence along the porous border a decade ago to halt the entry of African migrants and Islamic militants who are active in Egypt’s Sinai desert.The Associated Press

Canadian towns and cities try creative ways to recruit lifeguards amid shortage

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:18 GMT

Staff running pools across Canada are trying to entice people to work as lifeguards amid a shortage, the Lifesaving Society says.  Pool and beach staffing can be somewhat challenging at the best of times, since the job often appeals to high school students between 16 to 18 who then leave to go away for post-secondary education, said Stephanie Bakalar, spokesperson for the Lifesaving Society Ontario. But COVID-19 made things worse. “You have those couple of years where hardly anyone got certified because the pools (were) open a little bit here and there, but not consistently enough to be able to really plan and run all these (training) programs,” Bakalar said. “It’s not like we could just put everyone on Zoom and say, ‘Oh, you could be a lifeguard,'” she said. “You need to be physically in the water.”On Friday, the Ontario government lowered the minimum age requirement for lifeguards from 16 to 15 years old in a move aimed at addressing...

‘I will not bend’: MP Jenny Kwan says she won’t allow China to erase history

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:18 GMT

OTTAWA — The briefing with Canada’s spy agency, warning Jenny Kwan that she is a target of foreign interference by China, took roughly an hour.It took less than a second, she says, for her to decide that she wouldn’t let Beijing weaken her resolve. The Hong Kong-born member of Parliament has been outspoken against human-rights violations by the Chinese Communist Party and often advocates for the country’s Uyghur Muslim minority.Kwan said in an interview with The Canadian Press that that’s what made her an “evergreen” target of the Chinese government, which has had its eye on her since before the 2019 federal election. She said she received a briefing from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service last week. She was not able to divulge the details of the intelligence they shared due to security laws. But she did not notice the interference when it was happening, she said. “My takeaway from that briefing is this: No matter what foreign interf...

How to keep your kids safe at the pool, beach and cottage this summer

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:18 GMT

The season for pool parties, beach excursions and trips to the cottage has begun.Sadly, some of these events turn tragic each year and drowning is the second leading cause of preventable death for children under 10 years old in Canada. Here are some tips from the Lifesaving Society of Canada on how to keep your kids — and yourself — safe:  When kids are in the water, they should always be within arm’s reach of an adult. It only takes seconds for a child to drown. At pool parties, the adults often chat among themselves while the kids are swimming. It’s easy to become distracted while assuming someone else is keeping an eye on the children.  Designate one adult to be watching the kids at all times instead of participating in the conversation. The Lifesaving Society suggests taking 15-to 20-minute shifts and then actively handing over kid-watching duties to the next adult. Get a whistle to pass between each other so it’s always clear who’s responsible for lifegu...

U.S. adds 339,000 jobs in May, unemployment rises to 3.7%

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:18 GMT

WASHINGTON — The nation’s employers stepped up their hiring in May, adding a robust 339,000 jobs, well above expectations and evidence of enduring strength in an economy that the Federal Reserve is desperately trying to cool.Friday’s report from the government reflected the job market’s resilience after more than a year of rapid interest rate increases by the Fed. Many industries, from construction to restaurants to health care, are still adding jobs to keep up with consumer demand and restore their workforces to pre-pandemic levels.Yet there were some mixed messages in the jobs figures, which also showed that the unemployment rate rose to 3.7%, from a five-decade low of 3.4% in April. The government compiles the unemployment data with a different survey than the one used to calculate job gains. The two surveys can sometimes conflict.The length of the average work week also declined, and wage growth cooled, resulting in a jobs report that economists said painted an unusu...

Ask Amy: Time to sell a gift that has outlived a friendship

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:18 GMT

Dear Amy: Eighteen months ago, a friend gave me two highly collectible vintage items. I had always loved them, and she said she didn’t care for them anymore.About a year ago she abruptly moved across the country to live with her boyfriend, and cut all contact with everybody; it’s clear that she has no intention of speaking with me again.I still have the items she gave to me, and while I do like them, since our relationship ended on a sour note I don’t want to keep them.I want to sell them, since they’re quite valuable (about $800 for the pair), but to complicate things I’m really great friends with her brother, “James,” who still lives in my city.James and his sister shared the items in childhood (a gift from their mother), and so I’m feeling torn. Would it be rude of me to sell them? I don’t think he has any interest in keeping them (his sister told me this), and they’d probably just get put in storage.Should I give him a portion of the mon...

Bridge: June 3, 2023

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:18 GMT

My “Simple Saturday” columns focus on basic technique and logical thinking.You may have heard about two boll weevils, brothers they were, who grew up in Alabama. One went to the city and became rich. The other stayed home as a laborer; he was, of course, the lesser of two weevils.Declarer may have a choice of plays and must decide which offers the better chance. At four spades, South ruffed the third club, drew trumps and relied on a heart finesse with his jack. West’s queen won, and the defense also got a diamond.ENTRYAt Trick Four South should play a low diamond from both hands. If East returns a heart, South wins with the king, disdaining a finesse to preserve a dummy entry. He leads to the ace of diamonds, ruffs a diamond, takes the A-K of trumps and ruffs a diamond. South then draws trumps and goes to the ace of hearts for the good fifth diamond.The correct play offers at least an 80 percent chance. The heart finesse was lesser: a 50-50 proposition.DAILY QUEST...

Word Game: June 3, 2023

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:18 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — DESICCATE (DESICCATE: DES-ih-kate: To dry up.)Average mark 40 wordsTime limit 60 minutesCan you find 50 or more words in DESICCATE? The list will be published Monday.YESTERDAY’S WORD — INCLOSE icon insole isle nice noel noes noil noise nose clone close coil coin cole cone cosine lenis lens lesion lice lien line lion loin lone lose once scion scone silo since sine slice sloe soil sole sone sonicTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.Contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe a...

Horoscopes June 3, 2023: Anderson Cooper, overcome controversial situations

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:18 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Rafael Nadal, 37; Anderson Cooper, 56; James Purefoy, 59; Deniece Williams, 72.Happy Birthday: Hold yourself accountable this year. Take control, make decisions and don’t put up with anyone trying to push you in a direction that doesn’t interest you. Map out your plan and pay attention to what’s happening around you, and you will overcome controversial situations. Choose to be proactive and positively impact yourself and those you encounter. Your numbers are 7, 12, 18, 27, 34, 36, 47.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Make decisions based on the cost involved. Don’t go into debt; use your ingenuity to develop a plan to meet your demands. Take on a challenge that helps you master something you want to pursue. Don’t dawdle; act. 5 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Control your emotions until you understand the dynamics of whatever situation you face. Partnerships will require patience and intuitive maneuvers to avoid conditions getting ...