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Philip Pullman is honored in Oxford, and tells fans when to expect his long-awaited next book

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:51 GMT

OXFORD, England (AP) — Fans of Philip Pullman have been waiting almost five years for the final instalment in the author’s sextet of books about his intrepid heroine Lyra and her adventures in multiple worlds. They won’t have to wait too much longer.Pullman says he has written 500 pages of a 540-page novel to conclude the “Book of Dust” trilogy, and it should be published next year — though he still doesn’t know what it’s called.“I haven’t got a title yet,” Pullman told The Associated Press in his home city of Oxford, where he was honored Thursday with the Bodley Medal. “Titles either come at once or they take ages and ages and ages. I haven’t found the right title yet — but I will.”The medal, awarded by Oxford University’s 400-year-old Bodleian Libraries, honors contributions to literature, media or science. Its previous recipients include World Wide Web creator Tim Berners-Lee, physicist Stephen Hawking and novelists Hilary Mantel, Kazuo Ishiguro, Zadie Smith and Colm Tóibín...

China denies accusations of forced assimilation and curbs on religious freedom in Tibet

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:51 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — A government official from China’s Tibetan region on Friday rejected allegations of forced assimilation and curbs on religious freedom, while stressing that Tibetan Buddhism should adapt to the Chinese context.Xu Zhitao, vice chairman of the Tibet region government, defended a boarding school system that overseas activists have said takes children away from their parents and their Tibetan communities. He said China has opened the schools to improve education for children from remote areas.“The claim that Tibetan children are forced to go to boarding schools is deliberate smearing with an ulterior motive,” he said at a news conference to release an official report on the Communist Party’s policies in Tibet.The report extolled progress in economic development, social stability and environmental protection under Communist Party rule. China has built highways and high-speed railways through the mountainous region and promoted tourism as a way to boost in...

Dignitaries attend funeral of ex-Finnish President Ahtisaari, peace broker and Nobel laureate

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:51 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Foreign dignitaries gathered in Finland’s capital on Friday to bid farewell to former President Martti Ahtisaari, including leaders of countries where he helped reach peace accords. Ahtisaari, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008, died Oct. 16 at the age of 86.More than 800 dignitaries and guests, including Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, Namibian President Hage Geingob, former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, and the former leaders of Indonesia and its Free Aceh rebel movement, are attending the ceremony at the Helsinki Cathedral.Ahtisaari helped reach peace accords related to Serbia’s withdrawal from Kosovo in the late 1990s, Namibia’s bid for independence in the 1980s, and autonomy for Aceh province in Indonesia in 2005. He was also involved in the Northern Ireland peace process in the late 1990s, being tasked with monitoring the IRA’s disarmament process.He later founded the Helsinki-based Crisis Management Initiative, aimed at preventing an...

In The News for today: More Canadians added to Gaza exit list

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:51 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…Canadians and families added to Gaza exit listSome 266 Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their family members had their names added to the list of foreign passport holders allowed to exit the Gaza Strip today. Officials at the Rafah border crossing into Egypt were expected to start processing the latest batch of people looking to flee the latest Israel-Hamas conflict around 7 a.m. local time.Another 32 people connected to Canada were able to leave the Gaza Strip on Thursday, after an initial 75 citizens, permanent residents and family members made the trip on Tuesday.Global Affairs Canada has not yet issued a statement on the latest update, but said, as of late Thursday, 550 more people were still hoping to leave the territory.The White House announced on Thursday that Israel agreed to put in place a daily four-hour “humanitarian pause” on ...

Former Manitoba Speaker fulfils last goal with dedicated space for Indigenous art

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:51 GMT

WINNIPEG — Scattered throughout the century-old Manitoba Legislative Building are the works of famed Indigenous artists, including Daphne Odjig and Jackson Beardy. Some pieces hang in offices, while others are placed for passersby to see. Now, one room in the historic building is home to a semi-permanent exhibit showcasing more than 20 pieces of Indigenous art.Having one space that captures the province’s vast collection of contemporary and traditional Indigenous art was something Myrna Driedger envisioned during her years as Speaker. She chose not to seek re-election as a Progressive Conservative legislature member earlier this year. “It was always at the back of my mind that it was something that I would love to see in the building, so that the building itself becomes a little bit more representative of our history,” Driedger said in an interview on Thursday. “Manitoba is pretty lucky that we have a building as beautiful as this, and now we have a room that...

Sign confidentiality agreements for more details: Holland to provincial dental groups

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:51 GMT

OTTAWA — Health Canada will consult with provincial dental associations that have complained of being left in the dark about the new federal dental-care plan — but only if they sign a confidentiality agreement.Health Minister Mark Holland noted that condition in his response to provincial and territorial dental associations, who last month expressed serious concerns over Canadian dentists lacking information about critical aspects of the new plan set to launch before the end of the year. In a joint letter to the federal health minister, the associations said they worry the success of the new plan is being compromised “by a lack of meaningful consultation with the dentists we represent — those who will be expected to deliver on the government’s promises.”Holland responded to the provincial and territorial associations with his own letter on Wednesday, where he committed to engaging with them.He said, however, that the associations had recently declined conversations...

Damage to Gaza War Cemetery shows challenge of caring for monuments in conflict zones

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:51 GMT

This Remembrance Day, the Gaza War Cemetery – where nearly two dozen Canadians are buried – is closed to visitors as the Israel-Hamas war enters its sixth week. So are all other cemeteries and memorials in the Palestinian territories and Israel maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which has been taking care of monuments around the world for more than a century. “The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is concerned by the recent damage at the Gaza War Cemetery, where 3,217 Commonwealth casualties from the First and Second World War are commemorated,” a spokesperson for the commission told The Canadian Press in an email. “We are monitoring the situation closely and are working to support all our dedicated colleagues and their families in the region. Their safety remains our foremost concern.”The extent of the damage to the cemetery located in Gaza City is unclear. The commission said that it’s “currently not in a position to comment”...

‘It still haunts me’: Military veterans keen to share their history as numbers drop

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:51 GMT

CALGARY — The time around Remembrance Day is tough for Second World War veterans like Hank Jackson, who turns 103 in January. “It’s the only time you really stop and think about all the poor buggers that didn’t make it,” said Jackson, a former tail gunner on a Halifax bomber. Jackson flew 32 combat missions from the United Kingdom. All members of his crew received Distinguished Flying Crosses from the United States Armed Forces.“They’ve all disappeared. My father and my brother were both in the army overseas — my father in the First World War — and all three of us made it back. So we did above average. We gotta remember a lot of those guys that didn’t.”Bill Cook, who is 98 and was also a tail gunner in the Second World War, flew a dozen missions over Europe.“My crew have all passed away. It still haunts me.”More than one million Canadians served in the Second World War. More than 45,000 died and another 55,000 were wounded....

Daily horoscope for November 10, 2023

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:51 GMT

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Libra.Happy Birthday for Friday, Nov. 10, 2023:You are self-aware. You know your strengths and weaknesses, which gives you a realistic advantage in life. You are warm, kind and reliable. This year is the beginning of a new cycle for you, which means you can expect adventure and major changes in your life. Open any door!ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★Avoid controversial subjects like politics and religion, because you will quickly be fighting. The definition of prejudice is “a preconceived opinion not based on reason or actual experience.” Therefore, an appeal to reason to deal with someone’s prejudice is very difficult. Tonight: Listen.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★Today you might have disputes with someone about shared property, taxes, debt, mortgages, inheritances or any kind of agreement that deals with wealth and possessions. This might even be a disagreement about responsibi...

Tourism trips recover strongly, business travel struggles

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:51 GMT

In 2022, EU residents made 1.08 billion tourism trips with at least one overnight stay, indicating a +23% (+202 million) increase compared with 2021, the same percentage raise also registered between 2020 and 2021. Out of the total, most of the trips in 2022 (976 million, representing 91% of the total) were made for personal reasons and the remaining 100 million were professional trips. Both sectors grew from the previous year: +43% in business trips (+30 million) and +21% on trips for personal reasons (+171 million). However, compared with 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, the recovery was faster for personal trips (-4%) than for business travel (-20%). Compared with 2013, trips for personal reasons went up by 6% (+55 million), while trips for professional reasons decreased by 15% (-18 million). Source dataset: tour_dem_tttotEU residents spent an average of €87 per night on overnight staysIn terms of expenditure, EU residents spent an average of €87 per night w...