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Britain’s foreign secretary will visit China in an attempt to shore up ties

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:24 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Britain’s top diplomat, James Cleverly, is set to visit China on Wednesday, in the first trip by a U.K. foreign secretary to the country in more than five years. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed the long-awaited trip on Tuesday.“The two sides will have in-depth communication on Sino-British relations and international and regional issues of common concern,” spokesman Wang Wenbin said. “We hope the British side will work with us to uphold the spirit of mutual respect, deepen exchanges, enhance mutual understanding and promote the stable development of Sino-British relations.”Cleverly’s visit is an attempt to stabilize China-Britain ties, which have sunk to their lowest level in decades. The countries disagree over issues such as Beijing’s curbing of civil freedoms in Hong Kong, a former British colony, alleged human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region, China’s support for Russia and Britain’s close security ties with the United States.Cleverly ...

Hong Kong police arrest 2 men accused of foreign collusion over links with protest fund

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:24 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong police on Tuesday detained two men on suspicion of violating the city’s national security law through links with a now-defunct fund that aimed to help people arrested in the pro-democracy protests in 2019.The two men were suspected of conspiring to collude with the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund to receive overseas donations and provide financial support to people who fled Hong Kong or organizations that called for sanctions against the city, police said in a statement. They did not identify the suspects or those alleged to have been aided by them.The arrests were widely seen as part of a crackdown on dissidents launched by the Hong Kong government following the massive protests. More than 260 people have been arrested under the Beijing-imposed security law, including many of the city’s most prominent activists. Last year, the fund’s former trustees, including Roman Catholic Cardinal Joseph Zen and singer Denise Ho, were also arrested under the t...

Wildfire crews in B.C.’s Shuswap hope for rain as longer nights aid battle

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:24 GMT

Crews battling a destructive wildfire in British Columbia’s Shuswap region are hoping for help from rain that could begin falling in the area tonight.Mike McCulley, an information officer with the BC Wildfire Service, says it’s unclear how much rain could aid their efforts as the last amounts varied widely across the 430-square-kilometre Bush Creek East blaze, from just one millimetre to 15.While fire behaviour has picked up with hot and dry conditions over the last few days, McCulley says there’s been no major growth on the fire, which destroyed or significantly damaged nearly 170 properties just over a week ago.The nights are getting longer, he adds, which should be “a huge help” in the battle.John MacLean, director of the emergency operations centre for the Columbia Shuswap Regional District, says staff began reaching out Monday to residents whose properties have been affected by the wildfire.It’s among just over 380 active blazes throughout B....

Police to provide update in case of man accused of selling deadly substance

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:24 GMT

MISSISSAUGA — Police are set to provide an update today in the case of an Ontario man accused of selling a lethal substance to individuals at risk of self-harm.The update from Peel Regional Police comes after British police revealed last week they are investigating the deaths of 88 people in the U.K. who bought products from Canadian-based websites allegedly offering lethal substances to those at risk of harming themselves.That British probe is part of inquiries triggered by the arrest earlier this year of Kenneth Law, who has been charged by Peel police with two counts of counselling and aiding suicide.Law is accused of using several websites to market and sell sodium nitrite – a substance commonly used to cure meats that can be deadly if ingested – and Peel police have said their investigation has revealed at least 1,200 packages were allegedly sent to 40 countries.Several police forces in Canada have said they are reviewing sudden deaths in their regions in light of the allegatio...

The grass that’s greener in drought-stricken B.C. might have been painted

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:24 GMT

VANCOUVER — What’s the secret of a lush-looking lawn in Metro Vancouver, where watering is banned amid a brutal drought?It might not be surreptitious sprinkling. Instead, it might be paint.  Tyler Basham, owner of Tinted Turf Grass Solutions, was giving a residential lawn in Maple Ridge an instant makeover on a recent morning, spray-painting the brown expanse and turning it a luxuriant green.“I know it might sound a little silly at first, but then when you started looking at it and that kind of transformation from the start to finish, it’s one of those phenomenal things,” said Basham, wielding a spray wand and wearing a white plastic backpack filled with green paint. Lawn watering was prohibited in Metro Vancouver’s 23 local authority regions on Aug. 4, with the ban in place until Oct.15. Some homeowners are looking for alternatives including spray-painting or artificial turf, but others are embracing the golden look.British Columbia is experiencing wha...

Northwest Territories starts plans to lift evacuation as wildfire battle sees shift

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:24 GMT

YELLOWKNIFE — Fire-weary Northwest Territories is preparing for tens of thousands of people to return home after a much-needed win in the battle against a blaze that was threatening Yellowknife. The status of a wildfire located 17 kilometres from the city’s edge was changed to “held” Monday after a weekend of cooler temperatures and a small amount of rain helped firefighting efforts. City officials say while the development is a major turn in the fire fight, it’s not safe for people to come back to the territorial capital. Sheila Bassi-Kellett, Yellowknife’s city manager, says there will be multiple phases to lifting the evacuation order.Essential personnel will return first, she says, and grocery stores, gas stations and hospitals will need to have supplies and staff before everyone else can come back. She says it’s been a really challenging time but people in Yellowknife are resilient. Jessica Davey-Quantick, a wildfire information officer, says there has been good news in the wil...

Daily horoscope for August 29, 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:24 GMT

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today until 11 p.m. EDT tonight (8 p.m. PDT). The Moon is in Aquarius.Happy Birthday for Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023:You are imaginative, analytical and resourceful. You can put a new spin on things to make the best of what you have. This is a marvelous year when you will reap the benefits of all your hard work. You may attain power and leadership. Expect a promotion, an award and acknowledgement!ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★A friend or a member of a group might surprise you today, or say or do something that catches you off guard. Beware knee-jerk reactions. Don’t lose your cool. You also might meet someone new who is unusual and intriguing. Tonight: Tolerance.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★Be prepared for something unexpected today. Very likely, a parent, boss or a person in authority will do or say something that catches you off guard. They might criticize you. They will surprise you. Knowing this ahead of time, ...

Production of manufactured goods up by 5% in 2022

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:24 GMT

Following two successive decreases, including a 7% fall in 2020, the EU’s production of manufactured goods has been recovering and growing. The EU’s industrial production went up 8% in 2021 compared with 2020 and then continued its upward trend with a 5% increase in 2022 compared with 2021.Between 2012 and 2014, the EU’s production decreased slightly before starting a gradual increase until 2018. In 2019, the value of sold production registered a small decrease, then dropped more sharply in 2020 due to the pandemic's effects. The outbreak of COVID-19 and related containment measures widely introduced by the EU countries had a significant impact on the EU’s industrial production in 2020, but 2021 and 2022 showed increases in production in all the industrial activity groups.In nominal terms, the EU’s value of sold production jumped from €5 209 billion in 2021 to €6 179 billion in 2022, indicating a 19% increase.This information comes from data on the production of manufactured goods p...

Harriette Cole: Our marriage is just one long fight. How do I fix this?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:24 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I just had a huge fight with my husband for the gazillionth time.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: I let my college-age daughter fly by herself. Was I a bad mom? Advice | Harriette Cole: He ignored my warnings. Now the IRS wants to talk to him. Advice | Harriette Cole: I’m fuming over this anonymous note about my teen Advice | Harriette Cole: My son says he’ll never forgive me for selling his inheritance Advice | Harriette Cole: Should I tell the truth about why I ditched them on our trip? The arguments all seem to blur together after a while. We say the same things, yell about the same topics and resolve nothing.The next day, he always acts like nothing happened, but it is hard for me to let go of the fact that he was cussing me out or belittling me the day before. He says I interrupt him all the time and blame him for everything.I don’t see his side at all, and ...

Miss Manners: Is the fundraising tactic of my child’s school tacky or smart?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:24 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: What is the etiquette of maintaining anonymity when making financial donations? Should a polite donor always check the “I prefer to remain anonymous” box?Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: Will foreigners just assume I’m a nuisance? Advice | Miss Manners: I won’t be going on the cruise. How do I explain my absence? Advice | Miss Manners: Can I poke them if they sleep during my son’s performance? Advice | Miss Manners: He insists on the grandchildren using this ridiculous name Advice | Miss Manners: We cleared dinner, and then this guest walked in I was surprised to see a packet from my children’s school arrive in the mail that listed the names of parents who had donated to a fund and the amount they had contributed. Is this tacky, or a smart fundraising tactic?GENTLE READER: Both.Miss Manners understands that many people want their contributions ...