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Liverpool set for Eurovision Song Contest final, with Sweden favored and Ukraine in spotlight

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:52:54 GMT

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — What includes a Swedish diva, a Finnish rapper who loves pina coladas, a band of Croatian agit-rockers and an Austrian duo possessed by a long-dead writer? It could only be the Eurovision Song Contest.The grand final of the pan-continental pop music competition takes place Saturday in Liverpool. This year’s theme is “united by music,” and the event fuses the soul of English port city that birthed The Beatles with the spirit of war-battered Ukraine. Britain is hosting the event on behalf of Ukraine, which won last year’s competition, and the show is set to open with a performance by Kalush Orchestra, the Ukrainian folk-rap band that took the 2022 trophy with its lyrical and defiant song “Stefania.”As contestants from finalist nations enter in an Olympics-style flag parade there will be live performances from Ukrainian acts including Jamala, Tina Karol and Verka Serduchka — all past Eurovision competitors. Britain’s Sam Ryder, who came in second place last ye...

A Vision for a Democratic Turkiye in Europe

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:52:54 GMT

As the EU Envoy of the Turkish president frontrunner Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and the head of the Republican People's Party (CHP) Representation to the EU, I am filled with confidence about the future of a democratic Turkiye in Europe - writes Kader Sevinç, Head of CHP Representation to the EU, PES Presidency Member.With the upcoming pivotal 2023 elections on Sunday, our six-party coalition bloc, the Nation Alliance, has outlined a roadmap for democratic transformation that will guide us towards a true European democracy.Under the leadership of presidential candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the Nation Alliance coalition is committed to transforming Turkiye into a nation that upholds democratic values. As the second-largest political family represented in the EU, the Party of European Socialists (PES) has expressed its support for Kılıçdaroğlu's pledge to fast-track the EU visa liberalisation process for Turkish citizens. The PES sees Kılıçdaroğlu and the united opposition as a beacon of hope ...

Ask Amy: My husband refused to confiscate the handicap placard

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:52:54 GMT

Dear Amy: I have been happily married for 39 years. The few “disagreements” we’ve had always seem to center around my husband’s family.The latest has to do with my brother-in-law. He has always had a very entitled attitude.When my mother-in-law passed away in 2020, the car she recently bought was taken over by him. I was fine with that.However, she also had a handicap parking permit that was issued to her by the state of New York due to her deteriorating health issues.My husband’s brother has chosen to use that permit illegally for the past two years.I have always suspected the fraud but didn’t want to accuse him and cause problems in the event that he had gotten his own permit.This past week he left the area to visit another relative, and his car was left in our driveway while he was away.After checking the tag through the window, I confirmed that he has been illegally using my mother-in-law’s handicap permit tag. This left me furious.Related ArticlesAdvice | Ask Amy: No...

Harriette Cole: Should I keep quiet about my friend’s teen daughter?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:52:54 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently discovered that my friend’s 19-year-old daughter is posting explicit content on a subscription-based website.My friend is not aware of her daughter’s activities, and I am afraid that she will be devastated if she finds out.I don’t want to cause any drama or harm their relationship, but at the same time, I don’t feel comfortable staying silent. I also worry about the potential consequences that this could have on the daughter’s future and reputation.What should I do? Should I talk to my friend about what I found, or should I stay quiet? Tricky SituationDEAR TRICKY SITUATION: By all means, talk to your friend, but do so with caution.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: Years ago, he threw dirt on my name. I haven’t forgotten. Advice | Harriette Cole: He said I could be his intern, but there’s something I didn’t tell him Advice | Harriette Cole: Is there anything I ...

A Nice Weekend Overall for Mother’s Day

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:52:54 GMT

The weekend is here and the forecast has trended drier and nicer compared to how it originally seemed earlier this week. The reason is due to an upper low that is still expected to pass to our south but dry air that will seep into South Florida from the north and east this weekend.Expect partly cloudy skies this Saturday with the chance for just a few spotty showers. It will remain warm and breeze with sustained winds up to 20 mph paired with high temperatures near average into the mid to upper 80s.Then on Sunday for Mother’s Day, expect a mix of sun and clouds with the chance for a few showers in some areas. Most of the area will remain dry given the 30% rain chance but there are still expected to be showers in spots. The day overall will be dry with high temperatures in the mid to upper 80s along with a lighter breeze.Now on Monday, this appears to be the day with the highest rain chance out of the next seven days due to more moisture in place, allowing for the development o...

US boosts military presence in the Middle East after Iran seizes tankers

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:52:54 GMT

The U.S. military is working with allies to send more ships and aircraft to the Middle East as Iran escalates its seizures of merchant tankers, the National Security Council announced Friday.“Today, the Department of Defense will be making a series of moves to bolster our defensive posture in the Arabian Gulf,” NSC spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.The announcement comes after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized a Panama-flagged oil tanker called Niovi on May 3, as the ship was traveling through the Strait of Hormuz. The tanker left Dubai, and moved toward a UAE port when a dozen boats from the IRGC navy forced the tanker to head into Iranian waters.Another incident occurred April 27, when the Advantage Sweet tanker ship belonging to the Marshall Islands was also seized after colliding with an Iranian boat, which injured several crewmembers, according to Iran’s state media.Over the past two years, the IRGC has attacked or disrupted 15 tankers as tensions between Ira...

After ‘humbling’ return to Triple-A, Kyle Stowers is searching for his role with Orioles

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:52:54 GMT

Kyle Stowers wasn’t surprised when he was sent down to Triple-A early in the season, but that didn’t make the demotion sting any less.“Those first couple days, it was kind of a tough pill to swallow,” he said. “It was humbling.”The Orioles outfielder entered the season with the opportunity to earn a larger role on an emerging team, one that has spent most of the season as the American League’s second-best. Instead, he was back in the minors less than two weeks into the year.Stowers was barely playing for the Orioles, totaling just six plate appearances in the club’s first eight games. At just 25 years old, Baltimore wanted the outfield prospect to get consistent playing time in Norfolk rather than wasting away on the big league bench.“Obviously, it was hard. Really hard,” Stowers said. “You want to be up in the big leagues and help the team win. Especially in a time that’s so fun right now with such a good group...

Battenfeld: Political polling now dominated by PR firms and special interests

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:52:54 GMT

Polls weren’t reliable before but now they are almost completely worthless — thanks to a proliferation of politically motivated polls, some funded by slanted special interests.Public relations firms like Democratic consultant Doug Rubin’s Northwind Strategies and organizations like the conservative Mass Fiscal Alliance are conducting polls now like the 2024 Senate matchup pitting Elizabeth Warren against Charlie Baker.Those polls not surprisingly produced vastly different results — with the Mass Fiscal poll showing Baker ahead and the Northwind survey putting Warren in the lead.And a recent poll by a super PAC supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis showed shockingly that DeSantis is ahead of Donald Trump in Georgia.So what are voters to believe?Who sponsors a poll and why is very important.And it’s very easy to manipulate a poll to get the results that serve your interests or client. Slanted questions and weighted results can alter the poll in favor of the answers that the firm or org...

Haiti at risk of famine as farmers kidnapped, ‘extremely bad’ hunger fuels tumult

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:52:54 GMT

OTTAWA — Even as Canadian aid feeds thousands, the United Nations is warning that Haiti’s political chaos is putting the country at risk of famine, as farmers get kidnapped and the desperate turn to vigilante justice against gangsters.“This is not the usual chronic food crisis in Haiti. This is extremely bad,” said Jean-Martin Bauer, the World Food Programme’s country director for the Caribbean state.“It’s very difficult to organize a peaceful election with a starving population.”In an assessment last October, some 20,000 people in Haiti were classified as being in catastrophic food insecurity, which Bauer says is the first time that people in the Americas have been characterized as being at risk of famine.Bauer said the hardest-hit demographic live in Cité Soleil, a gang-controlled area of the capital, Port-au-Prince, where residents face conditions more often found in parts of Somalia and Afghanistan.Some five million people — half the cou...

‘Systemic difficulties’ hampered review of Canada’s cyberspy service: watchdog

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:52:54 GMT

OTTAWA — A culture within Canada’s cyberspy service of “resisting and impeding” independent review has frustrated efforts to ensure it is obeying the law, say newly released documents from the federal intelligence watchdog.The unusually candid National Security and Intelligence Review Agency records from 2021 are the latest evidence of the watchdog’s irritation at trying to scrutinize the operations of the Communications Security Establishment.The CSE and the spy watchdog say strides toward smoother relations have been made in recent months.The Ottawa-based CSE monitors foreign communications — from email and phone calls to text messages and satellite transmissions — for intelligence of interest to Canada. It also safeguards Canadian computer systems and engages in cyberoperations to counter threats from abroad.The agency is a key element of the intelligence-sharing network known as the Five Eyes: Canada, the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand....