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German opposition leader faces unease over comments on cooperation with far right

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:49 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s opposition leader insisted on Monday that there will be no “cooperation” at the local level between his party and the far-right Alternative for Germany after his suggestion that they might somehow work together drew unease within his own conservative bloc.Friedrich Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union has long said it won’t work with Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which has drifted steadily further right. Merz reiterated in a ZDF television interview Sunday that there would be no cooperation in the national, state or European parliaments with AfD, which recently has surged in polls. But he was more equivocal about the situation at town and county level, after the first AfD candidates recently won elections in eastern Germany to lead a county administration and become the full-time mayor of a municipality. Those were democratic elections that “we have to accept,” Merz said. “And then of course ways have to be sought in local parla...

In the news today: Nova Scotia surveys damage from massive weekend rainfall

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:49 GMT

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…Municipal offices in Halifax closed after weekend rainsMunicipal offices across Halifax will be closed today as emergency crews work to repair damage caused by extensive rainfalls over the weekend. The Halifax Regional Municipality says many areas remain inaccessible, leading to safety concerns for local residents.Rescue efforts are also continuing at a flooded Nova Scotia field where four people, including two children, were lost after rushing water swamped the vehicles they were travelling in.Massive floods triggered by widespread rainstorms over the weekend dumped more than 200 millimetres of rain in the Hammonds Plains, Bedford and Lower Sackville areas.Fast-growing fire near Kamloops prompts evacuation alerts and ordersA fast-moving wildfire has prompted officials in the Kamloops area to issue evacuation orders and alerts for nearby properties as the fire ...

Russian athletes can qualify for Olympic spots in an increasing number of sports with a year to go

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:49 GMT

DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) — A year before the Paris Olympics, and nearly a year-and-a-half since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, officials governing many of the sports on the 2024 program are still split on how to treat Russian athletes.Increasingly, various governing bodies are allowing them back into Olympic qualifying competitions as neutral competitors without national flags or anthems. Most sports initially barred Russians from competing soon after last year’s full-scale invasion.The International Olympic Committee strongly backs those moves even as the body itself says it hasn’t decided if athletes from Russia and ally Belarus can compete at the Paris Games. However, the IOC has delayed action on the one sport whose qualification it runs in-house, boxing.Most of the sports which have allowed Russians to return also followed IOC advice on its preferred name — “individual neutral athletes” — and to keep barring those who are under contract with the military...

Biles, Ledecky, McLaughlin-Levrone all look for Olympic encores in Paris

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:49 GMT

The city itself will be one of the brightest stars at the Paris Olympics, with ceremonies on the Seine, beach volleyball by the Eiffel Tower and a marathon route that passes through Versailles.In the end, though, it will be the 10,500 athletes who will grab the spotlight once the festivities begin one year from Wednesday (July 26). Simone Biles is on a comeback, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone never left. A skateboarder who also likes to surf named Sky Brown is in contention to win gold medals in two events some 9,000 miles apart (more on that in a moment) and Katie Ledecky is still swimming strong heading into her fourth Olympics. Some athletes to watch next year in Paris include:SIMONE BILESBiles will be 27 by the time the Paris Games open, which is considered retirement age for most American female gymnasts. But Biles has been redefining what’s possible ever since she burst onto the scene 10 years ago. Her game-changing legacy included the decision to exit the competition at the ...

‘We take pride in what we accomplished’: Canadian veterans remember the Korean War

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:49 GMT

Bill Black still gets letters and cards thanking him and other Canadian veterans for their service in the Korean War.Quite a few of those notes from South Koreans have arrived lately at the Korea Veterans Association, where Black is president of an Ottawa chapter, as the 70th anniversary of the armistice in that conflict approaches. More than 26,000 Canadian Armed Forces were deployed to assist South Korea after it was invaded by North Korea in 1950 and 7,000 more followed to help with peacekeeping after the armistice was signed on July 27, 1953. Black was part of the peacekeeping contingent. He worked on a navy destroyer assigned to patrol South Korean waters and says it remains an honour to have served. “We take pride in what we accomplished there, all of our Canadian veterans who served in Korea take pride,” the 89-year-old Canadian veteran says. “We sort of slap ourselves on the back that we were there to contribute, to aid them.”Canada lost 516 soldiers ...

First Nation spends day in ceremony to launch dig for potential unmarked graves

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:49 GMT

MINEGOZIIBE ANISHINABE — Before the sun broke through the sky Monday morning, members of a Manitoba First Nation planned to start a critical month-long search in a good way. Spiritual advisers were to lead a pipe ceremony in Minegoziibe Anishinabe while a sacred fire was to be lit near where potential graves of children forced to attend residential school may be. The sacred fire is expected to burn for the entirety of the estimated four-week-long excavation of an area underneath the Catholic church where 14 anomalies were detected using ground-penetrating radar last year. “This allows for a trauma-informed, spiritually and culturally sensitive approach to the work that we have to do in the community,” Chief Derek Nepinak said before the ceremony. Monday is about ensuring elders, survivors and intergenerational survivors of the former Pine Creek Residential School are provided support before ground is expected to be broken Tuesday. The First Nation, northwest of Winnipeg,...

Daily horoscope for July 24, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:49 GMT

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Libra.Happy Birthday for Monday, July 24, 2023:You want life to be an adventure. You are often different from what others expect. You love the thrill of a new challenge. This year is slower-paced. It’s time to rejuvenate yourself and focus on personal relationships, especially those that are supportive and bring you happiness.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★You like to win, and you like to be first. Nevertheless, today the Moon is opposite your sign, which means you have to go more than halfway when dealing with others. Be accommodating. Grab every opportunity to socialize. This is a fun-loving time for you. Tonight: Conversations!TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★Family conversations, as well as a strong focus on a parent or a family member, are important now. Many of you are tackling home repairs, redecorating or doing something to make where you live more beautiful. Share your efforts and ti...

Miss Manners: Must I tip a server who irritates me?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:49 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am over 65, single, and enjoy dining out. I realize that I’m not young anymore, but I still take a lot of offense at being addressed in a condescending manner by female waitstaff, who use terms such as “honey” while talking to me. I think this is very rude, and I occasionally address it with them.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: Should I reveal my suspicions about how my ex died? Advice | Miss Manners: I was appalled by her request for her daughter’s birthday Advice | Miss Manners: Were these women being rude in the restaurant, or did I go too far? Advice | Miss Manners: Do we have to ask our neighbors before we use their trash can? Advice | Miss Manners: My husband can pull off this excuse, but it sounds shady coming from me Should this affect how much I tip, or whether I leave a tip at all?I had a recent experience that really irritated me. The waitres...

Jill On Money: Is the economy out of the woods?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:49 GMT

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) grew at an annual rate of 3 percent in June, the smallest increase since March 2021 and well off the recent peak rate of 9.1% seen in June 2022 (9.1% was the fastest annual rate since November 1981).Related ArticlesBusiness | Can you back out of a house offer once it’s accepted? Business | More travelers get cozy with glamping, even amid high costs Business | Stop using paper checks, already Business | Medicare should come with these 4 warning labels Business | Does homeowners insurance cover tree removal? The core rate, which strips out the volatile categories of food and energy, increased by 4.8%, the lowest core inflation has been since October 2021 and a significant improvement from its recent peak level of 6.6% in October 2022.A big contributor to the overall drop in CPI was energy, which has tumbled 16.7% since last year, led lower by a near 27% plunge in gas prices. ...

Dear Abby: How honest should I be with my married pickleball partner?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:49 GMT

DEAR ABBY: I play pickleball with a nice group of people. Partners normally split after each game. One day, however, a woman told me I was her favorite partner.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: I’m leaving, and I don’t want to hear their phony farewells Advice | Dear Abby: This guy I just met has gotten very creepy online Advice | Dear Abby: My teen’s phone has deranged her life, but I’m not allowed to take it away Advice | Dear Abby: Am I out of line in asking my college daughter to be an RA? Advice | Dear Abby: My neighbor found out my income and is spreading lies about me From that day on, she played with me as often as possible, even though she could have chosen partners who were better players than me, and won more games.Abby, she is the most attractive woman I have ever met, and not just physically — she’s smart, friendly, athletic, caring, supportive and reall...