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Sajjan says Liberals might reverse foreign-aid drop if economy bounces back

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:28 GMT

OTTAWA — International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan says his government might boost foreign aid spending if the Canadian economy rebounds after criticism over a drop in development funding that has the sector preparing to cut programs.“The stronger our economy, the more we can do around the world,” Sajjan said in an interview Thursday in his first public comments since last month’s budget called for a 15 per cent drop in aid funding.The Liberals are planning to scale back their official development assistance by $1.3 billion, but he echoed Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland in saying that this doesn’t amount to a cut. Sajjan said the $6.9 billion pledged for this year is more than the $6.6 billion allocated in the last pre-pandemic budget in 2019.The aid sector has pushed the government to instead build on the more than $8 billion they allocated for aid spending last year, as a result of two years of extra funding to respond to COVID-19 and Russia’...

Daily horoscope for April 7, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:28 GMT

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Scorpio.Happy Birthday for Friday, April 7, 2023:You are vibrant, positive and bold, and you will fight for your beliefs. You are sometimes rebellious. This year is the last year of a nine-year cycle, which means it’s time to let go of anyone or anything that is holding you back. Focus on being compassionate and loving.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★★Today’s a better day! You have lots of energy for home improvements and hustling with family activities. You also might spend money on beautiful things for yourself and loved ones. Nevertheless, you’ll give serious, practical thought to shared property and finances. Tonight: Money discussions.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★★★This is a high energy day for you! You’re full of bright ideas! Very likely, you will take the helm and tell others what to do, even though you are also playing things a bit low profile. People will help y...

Sex is a 'beautiful thing', Pope says in documentary

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:28 GMT

Pope Francis praised the virtues and beauty of sex in a Wednesday (5 April) documentary, describing it "one of God's most beautiful gifts to the human being".The comment was made by the 86-year old pontiff in The Pope Answers a Disney+ production. It captures a meeting he had in Rome last year with 10 young people.They quizzed Francis on a range of topics including LGBT rights, abortion, porn industry, sex and abuse in the Catholic Church.He said that "sex is one the most beautiful things God has given to the humanity of man" in the documentary."To express your sexuality is a richness."Francis was also asked if he knew what "non-binary" means. He answered affirmatively. He reiterated the Catholic Church must welcome LGBT people."All persons are children of God. God doesn't reject anyone, God is a father. And I don't have the right to expel anybody from the Church."Francis spoke out against abortion saying that priests should be compassionate towards women who have ended a pregnancy ...

Miss Manners: How do I tell them my nickname is not for their use?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:28 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My nickname is a shortened version of my name. My family and closest friends have always called me by that nickname, which is fine. I think of it as a term of endearment.The problem is that other people hear me respond to that nickname and then start using it, too. I really don’t like that. It seems much too familiar.How can I let it be known, without hurting feelings, that I prefer my unabbreviated name?GENTLE READER: “Oh, Chrys is just a family nickname. Please call me Chrysanthemum.”DEAR MISS MANNERS: A former colleague of mine now works at a company that makes a product I happen to really like.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: The bride punished me because I didn’t grant her request Advice | Miss Manners: Our landlady took dozens of our beloved plants. How do we get them back? Advice | Miss Manners: I was embarrassed when everyone in the post office focused on me Advice | M...

Dear Abby: She doesn’t know how cruel her new friend was to us

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:28 GMT

DEAR ABBY: I have a longtime friend, “Eve,” whose husband just died at 55. She is, of course, devastated.To combat her grief and loneliness, she’s going out every day or night with dozens of girlfriends. This is good because she’s doing all kinds of new sports and activities and filling her time with interesting people and events.The problem is, she has developed a close relationship with “Anne.” Anne did some unbelievably mean, cruel things to me (and others) when she hired me for a short job, and I saw how Machiavellian she really is.I know Eve will one day have a party or some other gathering and invite the two of us with others. I cannot bear to see Anne ever again.I don’t want to tell Eve about my terrible encounters with Anne. But I’m certain she is vulnerable right now in her profound grief, and I’m also certain Anne is using her. Without going into more detail, what would you do? CORNERED IN COLORADORelated ArticlesAdvice...

Asian stocks rise ahead of US job market update

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:28 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets rose Friday ahead of a United States job market update that traders hope will encourage the Federal Reserve to ease off plans for more interest rate hikes.Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul advanced. New York, London and Frankfurt were closed for the Good Friday holiday.Traders who worry higher interest rates might tip the global economy into recession looked ahead to U.S. government data that are expected to show the job market is cooling. They hope that will prompt the Fed to decide aggressive rate hikes are no longer needed to extinguish inflation.Other data have “confirmed a clear trend that a labor market slowdown has begun,” said Edward Moya of Oanda in a report.The Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.4% to 3,327.64 and the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo advanced 0.2% to 27,518.31.The Kospi in Seoul rose 1.3% to 2,490.41. Bangkok, Taiwan and Malaysia also gained.On Wall Street, the benchmark S&P 500 rose 0.4% after a U.S. government report showed fewer workers...

Policías disparan fatalmente a un hombre tras dirigirse a una dirección equivocada en Nuevo México

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:28 GMT

La policía de Farmington disparó mortalmente a un hombre tras dirigirse a una dirección equivocada durante una llamada de violencia doméstica el miércoles en Nuevo México.Según un comunicado del Departamento de Seguridad Pública de Nuevo México, los agentes respondieron a la llamada de emergencia en la ciudad ubicada en el noroeste del estado, alrededor de las 11:30 p.m.Los agentes tocaron la puerta y se anunciaron como policías de Farmington pero pidieron a su central que volvieran a llamar, ya que no salía nadie, dijo la policía.El propietario de la residencia incorrecta, identificado como Robert Dotson, de 52 años, abrió la puerta armado con una pistola y recibió un disparo mortal, dijo la policía estatal.La esposa de Dotson disparó desde la puerta de la residencia, pero una vez que se dio cuenta de que los individuos eran agentes, bajó el arma y acató las órdenes del agente, según la policía.El jefe de policía de Farmington, Steve Hebbe, reconoció en un vídeo que los agentes se ...

Review: ‘Tetris’ and ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ deliver a double dose of Nintendo nostalgia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:28 GMT

toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's Jason Fraley covers 'Mario' & 'Tetris' (Part 1) $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); ga('send', 'event', 'Audio', 'play', audio_filename); }); });  Hollywood delivers a double dose of Nintendo nostalgia this week with a pair of video game adaptations. One is a fictional tale set inside the animated fantasy world of the game itself, the other is a true story of the real-life maneuvering and cutthroat business deals behind the scenes that brought the game to st...

Dodgers look to continue win streak, play the Diamondbacks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:28 GMT

Los Angeles Dodgers (4-2) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (3-3)Phoenix; Friday, 9:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw (0-0); Diamondbacks: Madison Bumgarner (0-0)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Dodgers -225, Diamondbacks +186; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Los Angeles Dodgers look to keep a three-game win streak intact when they play the Arizona Diamondbacks.Arizona went 74-88 overall and 40-41 in home games last season. The Diamondbacks slugged .385 as a team in the 2022 season while hitting 1.1 home runs per game.Los Angeles had a 111-51 record overall and a 54-27 record on the road last season. The Dodgers pitching staff averaged 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings while giving up 3.2 runs per game in the 2022 season.INJURIES: Diamondbacks: Corbin Martin: 60-Day IL (lat), Carson Kelly: 10-Day IL (forearm), Mark Melancon: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Joe Mantiply: 15-Day IL (shoulder)Dodgers: Miguel Rojas: day-to-day (groin), Miguel Vargas: day-to-day (thumb), Alex Reyes...

Power restored after manhole explosion causes widespread outages in Newton

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:28 GMT

Power has been restored after a manhole explosion caused widespread outages in Newton on Thursday, drawing an emergency response and keeping Eversource crews busy for several hours.The incident happened around 3:30 p.m. near the intersection of Walnut Street and Lakewood Road in the Newton Highlands area, according to police. Ultimately, more than 6,000 energy customers in Newton lost power. Traffic lights were also temporarily without power in many spots, according to Newton Police Chief John Carmichael. No one was injured.Lindsay Delevingne said she and her husband were working from home when their Zoom calls suddenly went out. “We tried to get out WiFi with our hotspots and that didn’t work either,” Delevingne said. Delevingne said she and her husband ended up driving around their neighborhood, finding “everything seemed to be black.”Area residents Paul Gross also lost power.“All of a sudden our power went out,” he said. “People who were walking by noticed smo...