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Federal workers strike for 10th day as negotiations on pay, remote work continue

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 13:16:13 GMT

OTTAWA — Workers in Canada’s largest federal public service union are hitting the picket lines for the 10th day as negotiations continue. Both sides are facing pressure to reach a deal, though there is no talk of back-to-work legislation being on the way.According to an update from Treasury Board President Mona Fortier earlier this week, wages and remote work are among the points of contention in the labour dispute. The federal government is offering a nine per cent wage increase over three years, backdated to 2021. Meanwhile, the union says it has adjusted its initial ask for a 13.5 per cent increase over the same period of time — but is not revealing the new number. As the strike continues, Canadians are facing a wide range of federal service disruptions ranging from immigration services to passport applications. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 28, 2023. The Canadian Press

B.C. government to announce Surrey police service decision, RCMP or municipal force

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 13:16:13 GMT

VICTORIA — A decision is due today on who will police the Metro Vancouver city of Surrey: the RCMP or the municipal Surrey Police Service.British Columbia Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says the government has reached a decision on which law enforcement agency it will approve after months of difficult deliberations.The city had hired numerous policing staff and even a new chief for the Surrey Police Service when voters elected a mayor and several councillors last fall who opposed the change. Mayor Brenda Locke campaigned on the promise to move back to the RCMP, saying it will be less expensive, but both the RCMP and the Surrey Police Service are currently working in the city. The B.C. government had previously approved the switch to the municipal force, and now it has to reveal if the city can reverse the decision. Opposition BC United Leader Kevin Falcon says he lacked information from the government to make a decision on which police force to support, while Green Leader Son...

Daily horoscope for April 28, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 13:16:13 GMT

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Leo.Happy Birthday for Friday, April 28, 2023:You are energetic, radiant and know how to motivate others. You have a strong sense of responsibility for others, especially family. This is a wonderful year to socialize and enjoy life. Let your guard down and loosen up. Meanwhile, old friends may reappear to rekindle relationships.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★★Social plans might suddenly change today. They might be canceled, or you might get a surprise invitation. Meanwhile, parents should be extra vigilant today, because this is an accident-prone day for your kids. Admittedly, there is increased chaos and confusion at home. Tonight: Party!TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★Your home routine will change today. Small appliances might break down or a minor breakage could occur. Someone might surprise you by knocking on your door and catching you off guard. Get dressed. Stock the fridge. Be ready for any...

Two women killed in Russian missile strike on museum, Ukraine says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 13:16:13 GMT

A Russian missile struck a museum in the centre of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kupiansk on Tuesday (25 April), killing two women and wounding 10 other people, the state emergency service said.Rescue workers dug through mounds of rubble to retrieve the bodies after the local history museum was hit by what President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff and the regional governor said was a Russian S-300 missile.Anatolii Haivoronskyi, who used to work at the museum, said the museum director had been trapped under the rubble."And that's a (museum) worker," he said, standing in the rain outside the devastated building and looking at a body bag on the ground.Yulia, a resident who gave no surname, said she had been at the post office when she heard three explosions in the morning attack."Civilians are suffering every day... Today's attack took place at 8:55 a.m., the ... museum was hit, and I guess some people were injured or died there. Civilians, not soldiers. There were no weapons ther...

Harriette Cole: How long until I can ask my grieving roommate for the rent?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 13:16:13 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: My roommate is suffering from a tough personal loss that has left them completely overwhelmed by grief.I understand and want to give them the space and support they need to process, but because they were so preoccupied, they seem to have forgotten to pay their half of the rent. I didn’t want to burden them, so I paid the full amount myself.When is the right time to ask them to pay me back?Awkward TimingDEAR AWKWARD TIMING: You were kind to step in in the way you did, but know that your kindness was also risky.Even during tough times, people have to be responsible for themselves. Hopefully, your roommate will make good on paying their portion of the rent.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: My husband just died, and my neighbor made a bothersome request Advice | Harriette Cole: How can I get out of paying for the car repair? Advice | Harriette Cole: I act like I have the answers, but my life is a wreck Advice |...

Miss Manners: The teacher says my little girl can’t wear her hat

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 13:16:13 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My 6-year-old daughter has had a best friend ever since the girls were old enough to notice there was another small person in the stroller next to them.During COVID, her mother and I arranged outdoor playdates and video calls. The girls are like sisters.Just before they were to enter kindergarten last year, the friend, “Jenna,” was diagnosed with a form of cancer with a very low survival rate.My daughter understands that a terrible sickness got into Jenna, and that the doctors will do everything they can, but her friend may have to go to Heaven. For the most part, she is handling the situation beautifully.But then there is the hat. My daughter decided that she and Jenna needed matching hats when Jenna’s hair began to fall out so that it would be a “fashion statement,” not a problem. She insists on wearing her hair in a bun and covering it with the hat so she and her friend match.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: I don&...

Dear Abby: My wife won’t drive and says I should take her to work everyday

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 13:16:13 GMT

DEAR ABBY: I have recently retired after 40 years of working. My wife, who still works, thinks I should get up every morning and take her to work.We live in a big city where crime happens, so she doesn’t want to take the bus. Uber and Lyft are strangers to her. I tried teaching her to drive — even bought her a car — but she’d rather I take her.It’s a 40-mile round trip. The traffic is crazy at that time.If I refuse, there are usually hard feelings. I don’t want to do it every morning only to have to pick her up in the evening at major traffic time. What can I do?UNENTHUSED CHAUFFEURDEAR CHAUFFEUR: Uber and Lyft are more expensive than they used to be. Even if your wife were willing to drive herself, the cost of the vehicle, insurance and fuel would cost a bundle.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: My hairstylist’s obsession has become really annoying Advice | Dear Abby: Am I overreacting to my European daughter-in-...

BBC chairman Richard Sharp quits over report into Boris Johnson loan

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 13:16:13 GMT

LONDON — BBC Chairman Richard Sharp will resign after a damning report into his appointment and a bitter row over a six-figure loan to Boris Johnson.Sharp, an ex-investment banker and Conservative donor, secured the top scrutiny role at the public broadcaster in February 2021, in a move signed-off by the then-prime minister.But, in a report published Friday, independent barrister Adam Heppinstall found Sharp failed to declare “potential perceived conflicts of interest” when going through the appointments scrutiny for the BBC post. He did not disclose his involvement in a process that saw Johnson secure an £800,000 loan while prime minister from the financier Sam Blyth.There was, the report said, “a risk of a perception that Mr Sharp was recommended for appointment because he assisted … the former prime minister in a private financial matter, and/or that he influenced the former prime minister to recommend him by informing him of his application before he subm...

Eurozone economy posts meager growth in first quarter

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 13:16:13 GMT

FRANKFURT — The eurozone economy expanded only slightly in the first quarter of the year, after stagnating at the end of last year, preliminary data released by Eurostat showed Friday.According to the release, seasonally adjusted GDP grew by 0.1 percent, disappointing analysts’ expectations for 0.2 percent growth. Compared to a year earlier, the economy expanded by 1.3 percent.In the wider EU, economic activity grew by 0.3 percent on the quarter and 1.3 percent on the year.Among the largest member countries for which data are available, Portugal (+1.6 percent) recorded the highest increase compared to the previous quarter, followed by Spain, Italy and Latvia (all +0.5 percent). Declines were recorded in Ireland (-2.7 percent) as well as in Austria (-0.3 percent).The year-on-year growth rates were positive for all countries except Germany, which contracted by 0.1 percent.According to Oxford Economics economist Rory Fennessy, there is no reason to tighten the seatbelts as growth...

UK annoys Brexiteers as it dampens bonfire of EU laws

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 13:16:13 GMT

LONDON — The U.K. government has poured cold water on long-touted plans for a bonfire of laws inherited from the EU after Brexit — and some Conservative Euroskeptics aren’t happy.During a briefing Monday on the Retained EU Law Bill, Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch told senior Tory Brexiteers that by December 31 the government will only bin 800 — or one in four — of the estimated 3,200 pieces of EU legislation which were automatically added to the U.K. statute book after Brexit.The bill introduces a controversial “sunset clause” that will automatically scrub EU retained laws that have not been changed or repealed by the end of this year. Advocates see that cull as a key Brexit dividend as the U.K. goes its own way, but the policy has been criticized by business groups for creating regulatory uncertainty.Badenoch told the group of MPs that her officials had concluded it is not possible to remove thousands of laws, according to people in the room who confirmed a Daily Telegraph story....