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UK will keep EU’s safety mark in Brexit climbdown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:00:51 GMT

LONDON — British businesses will be allowed to continue to use the European Union’s safety mark indefinitely, the U.K. government announced Tuesday — in a climbdown from previous post-Brexit plans.Ministers pledged to introduce a competitor assurance mark to the EU’s “CE” (Conformité Européenne) when Britain left the bloc in 2020, but the planned introduction of the “UKCA” mark has been delayed on three separate occasions. After those postponements, the new U.K. safety mark was intended to mandatorily replace the CE mark on all goods sold in Great Britain by December 2024. But the government came under pressure to back down further, as businesses warned preparing for the changes would add costs.The government bowed to those calls Tuesday, announcing that firms will now be free to use either the UKCA or the CE mark when selling goods in the U.K. “By extending CE marking use across the U.K., firms can focus their time and money on creating jobs and growing the econo...

France to evacuate nationals from Niger following coup

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:00:51 GMT

France is planning to evacuate its citizens from Niger, where a military junta ousted the Nigerien president last week in a coup.“An evacuation is being organized” and “will happen rapidly,” France’s foreign ministry said Tuesday.The announcement comes after Niger’s top military brass announced last week on national television that they had overthrown the country’s president Mohamed Bazoum. Bazoum, who was democratically elected in 2021, is currently under detention. A change in regime in Niger is seen as a blow to the West — especially France — as it has strong ties to the West African nation. Paris had reportedly deployed about 1,500 French soldiers in Niger after a bilateral military agreement aimed at fighting terrorism.Last week, thousands of people demonstrated in front of the French embassy in Niamey, the capital of Niger, with some of them reportedly shouting “Long live Putin” and “Down with France.”The announcement comes as the milita...

Russia accuses Ukraine of drone attack on Moscow, hitting a tower for the second time in 3 days

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:00:51 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Russian authorities early Tuesday accused Kyiv of yet another attack on Moscow and its surroundings with drones, one of which hit a building in the capital that was damaged by a drone just days ago in a similar attack early Sunday. Russian officials have claimed that the intensified attacks on the capital region reflect failures in Ukraine’s counteroffensive, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said over the weekend that “the war is gradually coming back to Russian territory,” but stopped short of taking responsibility of the attacks. The repeated drone strikes underscore Moscow’s vulnerability as Russia’s war in Ukraine drags into its 18th month.The Russian Defense Ministry said in the early hours of Tuesday that it it shot down two Ukrainian drones outside Moscow and jammed another, sending it crashing into a skyscraper in the Moscow City business district and damaging the building’s facade. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the ...

In the news today: BC wildfire evacuees return home, union warned over strike deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:00:51 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…Osoyoos, B.C., residents who fled fire head homeResidents of Osoyoos have been returning home after the lifting of most evacuation orders on the southern British Columbia town that had been threatened over the weekend by a wildfire that jumped the United States border.But most of the community remains under evacuation alert and must be ready to leave at short notice because of the Eagle Bluff fire that came close to engulfing the town as it roared down surrounding hills on Saturday night, before a wind shift turned the tide for firefighters.BC Wildfire Service spokeswoman Shaelee Stearns says the reins in the fight against the Eagle Bluff fire are being transitioned to a new management team that will be in constant contact with U.S. counterparts.Industrial board warns union bosses not to backtrack on new B.C. port dealThe union representing about 7,400 of Canad...

The fate of the American nurse and her daughter kidnapped by armed men in Haiti remains uncertain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:00:51 GMT

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — The fate of an American nurse and her daughter kidnapped in Haiti last week remains unknown Tuesday as the U.S. State Department refused to say whether the abductors made demands. Around 200 Haitians had marched in their nation’s capital Monday to show their anger over an abduction that’s another example of the worsening gang violence that has overtaken much of Port-au-Prince. Alix Dorsainvil of New Hampshire was working for El Roi Haiti, a nonprofit Christian ministry, when she and her daughter were seized Thursday. She is the wife of its founder, Sandro Dorsainvil.Witnesses told The Associated Press that Dorsainvil was working in the small brick clinic when armed men burst in and seized her. Lormina Louima, a patient waiting for a check-up, said one man pulled out his gun and told her to relax.“When I saw the gun, I was so scared,” Louima said. “I said, ‘I don’t want to see this, let me go.’”Some members of the community said the unidentified men...

Residents of Osoyoos, B.C., heading home after harrowing fire fight

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:00:51 GMT

OSOYOOS, B.C. — Residents of Osoyoos have been returning home after the lifting of most evacuation orders on the southern British Columbia town that had been threatened over the weekend by a wildfire that jumped the United States border.But most of the community remains under evacuation alert and must be ready to leave at short notice because of the Eagle Bluff fire that came close to engulfing the town as it roared down surrounding hills on Saturday night, before a wind shift turned the tide for firefighters.BC Wildfire Service spokeswoman Shaelee Stearns says the reins in the fight against the Eagle Bluff fire are being transitioned to a new management team that will be in constant contact with U.S. counterparts.The fire has scorched more than 14 square kilometres on the B.C. side of the border and 40 square kilometres on the U.S side, where it has destroyed several structures.More than 700 properties were ordered evacuated Saturday evening but the Regional District of Okanagan-Si...

Daily horoscope for August 1, 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:00:51 GMT

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Full Moon in Aquarius peaks at 2:32 p.m. EDT today (11:32 a.m. PDT).Happy Birthday for Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023:You are passionate and independent and have strong opinions. You are also a natural leader and very happy in that role. This year is the time for reflection and exploring your spiritual or religious beliefs. It is a time of learning and perhaps teaching.ARIES(March 21-April 19)★★★★You can be super productive today at work or with any task that you set for yourself. You might focus on a new direction or method for your life’s path. You also might take on a new health regimen, because you feel unusually vigorous and energetic today. Tonight: Don’t criticize.TAURUS(April 20-May 20)★★★★★This is a super positive day for those of you who are involved in sports. You’ll be competitive and highly effective! It’s also a great day to shine in the arts, the entertainment world, plu...

Rising temperatures pose serious risks to workers’ health

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:00:51 GMT

According to new data from Copernicus, the Earth observation component of the European Union’s space program, and the World Meteorological Organization, July 2023 is set to be the hottest month on record. Extreme temperatures in southern Europe have impacted workers’ health and resulted in industrial action in some EU member states. Eurofound’s research shows that, already in 2015, 23% of workers in the EU were exposed to high temperatures during at least a quarter of their working time. On national level, in 2015, workers in Romania (41%), Spain (36%) and Greece (34%) were most affected. The prevalence of high temperatures was, and continues to be, higher among agriculture workers and construction workers: 51% and 45%, respectively, were exposed to high temperatures at least a quarter of the time. Overall, due to gender segregation in the labour market, exposure to high temperatures is an issue that affects more men than women. This 2015 data was collected as part of the European W...

Miss Manners: Can we tell the in-laws what wedding gift would be appropriate?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:00:51 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: How can we offer ways to give wedding gifts without implying that they are expected?Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: Am I allowed to point out that these people are short? Advice | Miss Manners: I don’t want to give away any more avocados after what she did Advice | Miss Manners: Am I the only one bothered by how the kids say no? Advice | Miss Manners: It was a bad time for me, and I can’t believe my friend was so heartless Advice | Miss Manners: In a moment of forgetfulness, I made a mortifying offer to a friend My daughter’s fiance comes from a different country. Most of his parents’ friends and family will not be able to attend the wedding, but have requested instructions for gift-giving. Registries are not common where we live, and cash gifts are the norm. Mailing checks in a different currency is not practical.We will be sending a streaming link to al...

Dear Abby: My friends are going to be angry about what I’ve hidden from them

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:00:51 GMT

DEAR ABBY: I’m a woman in my late 40s, and since coming out of the isolation of the pandemic (the lockdown was strict where we live), I’ve had a hard time rekindling the friendships I valued before — with my two best girlfriends, in particular.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: My parents took in my ex while I had to live in my car Advice | Dear Abby: My friend makes silly excuses for why her husband won’t see me Advice | Dear Abby: Would it be awkward to invite her to my wedding dinner? Advice | Dear Abby: I wasted five years on a man, and I want to start dating efficiently Advice | Ask Amy: My dad’s humiliating tell-all book could affect my job hunt We used to have the type of relationship in which we were very open. We told each other everything and had a lot of fun.The last two years were really hard on me. I faced a series of serious health issues, as did my youngest k...