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Moldova’s first dog nips Austrian president on the hand during official visit

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:21:59 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen had an unusual encounter during an official visit to Moldova when the country’s first dog, a rescue belonging to Moldovan President Maia Sandu, bit him on the hand.Video footage from Moldovan media showed van der Bellen standing with Sandu and Codrut, her rescue dog, during his visit to the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, on Friday. When the Austrian president leaned down to pet Codrut, the dog snapped and briefly bit his hand.“It was a small wound that was treated with a bandage,” van der Bellen’s office told the German news agency dpa, adding that the Austrian president “is doing well.”Van der Bellen was meeting with Sandu and Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar to discuss Moldova’s bid to join the European Union.The Austrian president posted about the incident on his Instagram page later Friday, acknowledging it “caused a bit of a stir.”“Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a big dog lover and can understand his excitement,”...

Australia says its navy divers were likely injured by the Chinese navy’s ‘unsafe’ use of sonar

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:21:59 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Australia on Saturday accused the Chinese navy of likely causing minor injuries to Australian naval divers by operating its sonar while they were trying to clear fishing nets from their ship’s propellers.The Australian government has expressed its serious concerns to the Chinese government over what it called the unsafe and unprofessional conduct earlier this week, Defense Minister Richard Marles said in a statement on his official website.There was no immediate comment from the Chinese side. The U.S., Canadian and Australian militaries have complained multiple times about what they say have been dangerous actions by the Chinese navy and air force in the western Pacific. Analysts fear a collision or other accident could spark an international incident and escalate into conflict.The HMAS Toowoomba stopped in international waters on Tuesday in Japan’s exclusive economic zone after fishing nets became entangled in its propellers, the defense minister’s ...

Shifa Hospital patients, staff and displaced leave the compound as Israel strikes targets in south

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:21:59 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Patients, staff and displaced people left Gaza’s largest hospital Saturday, health officials said, leaving behind only a skeleton crew to care for those too sick to move and Israeli forces who had taken over the facility earlier in the week. The exodus from Shifa Hospital in Gaza City came the same day internet and phone service was restored to the Gaza Strip, ending a telecommunications blackout that forced the United Nations to shut down critical humanitarian aid deliveries because it was unable to coordinate its convoys.In the south, an Israeli airstrike hit a residential building on the outskirts of the town of Khan Younis, killing at least 26 Palestinians, according to a doctor at the hospital where the bodies were taken. Israel’s military has been searching Shifa Hospital for traces of a Hamas command center that it alleges was located under the building — a claim Hamas and the hospital staff deny – and urging the several thousa...

Word Game: Nov. 18, 2023

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:21:59 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — COLISEUM (COLISEUM: kahl-uh-SEE-um: A large stadium for public entertainments.)Average mark 35 wordsTime limit 45 minutesCan you find 46 or more words in COLISEUM? The list will be published Monday.YESTERDAY’S WORD — MENACING mace magi magic main mane mange manic mean meaning mega mica mice mien mince mine enigma name naming nice nine acing acme acne amen anemic anime cage came cane canine caning cinema iceman image inane gain game gamin genicTo 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...

Bridge: Nov. 18, 2023

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:21:59 GMT

Simple Saturday columns focus on basic technique and logical thinking.Some players view partners as a necessary evil and aren’t mindful of their partner’s problems. Their approach seems to be, “Let partner guess. That’s what partners are for.” That is a poor basis for an effective partnership.In today’s deal, West led a low club against 3NT. (South’s jump to 3NT would typically be based on long, strong diamonds and no interest in a heart contract.) East took the king and returned the deuce: ten, jack.FOURTH CLUBMentally patting himself on the back for finding a good lead, West cashed the ace, dropping declarer’s queen, and led a fourth club. Unfortunately, after East won with the eight, he led a spade … and South claimed the rest, scoring game.West was numb to the fact that his partner might have a problem when he won the fourth club. West would lose nothing by taking the ace of hearts before leading the fourth club. East, I susp...

Ask Amy: I’m hurt that my friends didn’t realize I needed their help

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:21:59 GMT

Dear Amy: My mother died recently, after a brief illness.Related ArticlesAdvice | Ask Amy: We rushed home from our trip, and then we learned what our friend’s ’emergency’ was Advice | Ask Amy: Am I wrong to think my son should put aside his trauma for our family’s sake? Advice | Ask Amy: I found out why I was behaving badly, but my wife won’t come back Advice | Ask Amy: The bride and I aren’t speaking because of her non-negotiable demand Advice | Ask Amy: I misled my host about why I wanted to stay in a hotel It was heartbreaking for me. My father died 10 years ago, and now they’re both gone.I sent a text to my close friends letting them know about her death and telling them that there would not be a service. My mom had requested to be cremated and to have a gathering for family only.My friends all responded with sympathy to my text telling them that my mother had died...

Harriette Cole: I felt like a loser so I quit my job after a week. Now things are even worse.

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:21:59 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I’m a perfectionist, and it’s causing me a lot of stress.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: My mom is putting up a huge fight about my college decision, but it’s my life Advice | Harriette Cole: I’m a college student now, so I can’t relate to my family Advice | Harriette Cole: I’m arguing more and more, and I need a strategy Advice | Harriette Cole: How can I break the hold of wine and binge-watching? Advice | Harriette Cole: I don’t have rich parents, and I’m scared about graduating I recently accepted a job that proved to be overwhelming to me. I thought I would be good at it, but I had to stretch a lot, and it just seemed like I was not doing anything right. I ended up quitting after one week. I felt like such a failure.My boss didn’t say that I was doing a bad job, but she kept pointing out things that I needed to work on. I ...

Meet the Secret Donors Who Fund AIPAC’s Israel Trips for Congress

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:21:59 GMT

For the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, one of Washington’s most influential lobby groups, trips to Israel for members of Congress play an important role in lining up support on Capitol Hill. Millions are spent every year ferrying dozens upon dozens of members to Israel for eight-day junkets.Who pays for these trips has, until now, remained largely a mystery. According to an unredacted tax filing for 2019 obtained by The Intercept, the financiers are a clutch of large foundations and nonprofits, some of which are family-run, that also give to a wide range of other political and cultural groups.The trips are organized through a cutout called the American Israel Education Fund, a charitable organization founded by AIPAC, from which it borrows its offices, board members, and even part of its logo. Like other tax-exempt nonprofits, AIEF must file a Form 990 every year with the IRS, but donors are redacted from the version that is made accessible to the public.According to the ...

Nice Weekend Ahead Overall

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:21:59 GMT

We have finally reached the weekend and the weather will be much better than it was earlier this week.Saturday will still be a transition day with leftover moisture in place. Expect patches of fog and mostly cloudy skies through much of the morning. Then that will give way to a blend of sun and clouds for the afternoon along with a nice, warm breeze.A weak front will cross through overnight, clearing much of the clouds out and leaving us with a very nice Sunday, featuring mostly sunny skies and comfortable humidity levels. Highs will be a touch warmer than average in the low to mid 80s.Through the weekend, winds will generally stream out from the north, preventing temperatures from turning too warm. It will also drive lows down to the mid to upper 60s across much of South Florida for Sunday morning.That will change by early next week, however, as winds veer more off the water along with a beach breeze in place. A spotty shower could move onshore, otherwise the dry pattern will persi...

Musk threatens ‘thermonuclear lawsuit’ as X ad boycott gathers pace

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:21:59 GMT

Elon Musk said on Saturday that he will file a “thermonuclear lawsuit” against non-profit watchdog Media Matters and others, as companies including Disney, Apple and IBM reportedly have paused advertising on X amid an antisemitism storm around the social media platform.Media Matters, a U.S. group that describes itself as “a progressive research and information center” that monitors “media outlets for conservative misinformation,” published earlier this week research showing that X has posted ads appearing next to pro-Nazi posts.X CEO Linda Yaccarino previously said that brands are now “protected from the risk of being next to” potentially toxic content on the platform.“The split second court opens on Monday,” Musk said in a post on X on Saturday. “X Corp will be filing a thermonuclear lawsuit against Media Matters and ALL those who colluded in this fraudulent attack on our company,” he said.Musk also posted a statement with...