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Canadian universities bet on international students, but global shifts present risks

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:07 GMT

VANCOUVER — When the University of British Columbia announced the launch of Vantage College in 2013, the school said it envisioned the program for fee-paying international students would have enrolment of 1,000 by August 2016.The program would target first-year students who otherwise failed to meet UBC’s English requirements, providing them with extra language lessons in addition to their degree courses. It would house the students — whose fees are now about $60,000 per year — in a $127 million facility designed by world-renowned architecture firm Perkins&Will, some of its dorm rooms featuring sweeping ocean views.However, Vantage’s enrolment is currently 172 students, having declined every year since reaching 498 in 2018-2019. The struggles of Vantage College reflect the unpredictable nature of the lucrative international education sector, as Canadian universities find themselves beholden to geopolitical and economic shifts.There have been massive changes in the sec...

‘Most challenging Thanksgiving:’ Long weekend marked with soaring food bank use

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:07 GMT

VANCOUVER — Food banks across Canada continue to face soaring need this Thanksgiving, with one executive warning that things could quickly get worse.Amid inflation, increasing food and housing costs, and precarious employment situations, the country’s food banks have watched the need for their goods balloon as the organizations enter what, for many, is a critical time of year for fundraising. Neil Hetherington, CEO of Toronto’s Daily Bread, which supports more than 200 food programs in the area, said this long weekend has been the “most challenging Thanksgiving we have ever had.”Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization saw about 65,000 client visits per month, he said. That number last month was 275,000.“You’ve got food prices, you’ve got a precarious work environment, and most of all lack of decent, affordable housing,” he said.“And you put all of those things together and suddenly you can understand why people are turni...

Daily horoscope for October 8, 2023

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:07 GMT

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Leo.Happy Birthday for Friday, Oct. 8, 2023:You’re imaginative, creative and sometime eccentric. You are also intelligent, but easily distracted. This is a year of learning and teaching for you. Take time to renew your spiritual or religious beliefs. Explore philosophies that give you a better understanding of the meaning of your life.ARIES(March 21-April 19)★★★★★This is a playful, fun-loving day! It’s the perfect time for a vacation, social outings, sports events, fun times with children, plus enjoying the theater, the entertainment world and the hospitality industry. Basically, you want the freedom to do exactly what you want to do today. Tonight: Socialize! This Week: It’s a tough start. Focus on relationships.TAURUS(April 20-May 20)★★★★You will enjoy entertaining at home today, especially in groups. This might be with people who are different from you. Or it could be ...

Shane van Ginsbergen wins Bathurst 1000 for 3rd time ahead of NASCAR departure

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:07 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — NASCAR-bound New Zealander Shane van Ginsbergen has won Australia’s most-prestigious auto race, the Bathurst 1000, for the second straight year and third time overall.Van Ginsbergen and Kiwi co-driver Richie Stanaway drove their Red Bull Camaro to a 19.9 second win Sunday over Australians Brodie Kosteki and Dave Russell in the 60th anniversary edition of the race on the Mount Panorama circuit. Anton de Pasquale and Tony D’Alberto were third, 33 seconds behind van Ginsbergen.With the win, Van Ginsbergen cut Kostecki’s overall lead in the Supercars championship to 131 points.Van Ginsbergen and Stanaway started from sixth on the grid in the Triple Eight Racing car in warm dry conditions on Sunday. Kosteki was on pole position in the Coca-Cola Chevrolet and Depasquale was fifth in a Ford Mustang.Van Ginsbergen led for most of the second half of the six hour race and had a mostly trouble-free day, though he complained of a soft brake pedal after one pit stop and had a minor...

El alcalde de Nueva York, Eric Adams, dijo que visitó el tapón del Darién este sábado y pide una “respuesta uniforme” a la “crisis global”

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:07 GMT

(CNN) — El alcalde de la ciudad de Nueva York, Eric Adams, dijo este sábado que visitó el tapón del Darién, la traicionera región de selva tropical que conecta América del Sur y Central y se ha convertido en un importante cruce para los migrantes que buscan llegar a Estados Unidos.Adams dijo que visitó el tapón del Darién con el embajador de Colombia en Estados Unidos, Luis Gilberto Murillo, y otros bajo lo que dijo era “el control total” de la Policía Nacional de Colombia.En una conferencia de prensa vespertina desde Bogotá, Colombia, Adams se negó a decir exactamente cuánto tiempo él y otros funcionarios de la ciudad pasaron en el área.“Estábamos bajo órdenes estrictas de la Policía Nacional sobre cómo querían que respondiéramos y cómo querían que interactuáramos y cumplimos con lo que dijeron”, dijo Adams.La cifra de migrantes que cruzan el tapón del Darién alcanzó un nuevo récord, según las autoridadesEl alcalde dijo que tomó un helicóptero para sobrevolar el tapón del Dar...

Israeli military official says ‘hundreds of terrorists’ have been killed and dozens captured amid Hamas incursion

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:07 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli military official says ‘hundreds of terrorists’ have been killed and dozens captured amid Hamas incursion.Source

Why Biden has ‘no alternative’ to Netanyahu

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:07 GMT

The Palestinian militants who attacked Israel this weekend have done Benjamin Netanyahu a much-needed political favor: They’ve revived his foundering relationship with Joe Biden.The decadeslong friendship between the Israeli prime minister and the U.S. president had been sorely tested in recent months as Biden urged Netanyahu and his far-right government to abandon efforts to overhaul Israel’s judiciary in ways many Israelis fear will destroy their democracy. Divisions in the Democratic Party over Israel continue to grow. Long gone were the days when Biden expressed outright “love” for Netanyahu — instead, Biden even delayed inviting him to the White House for months.But the astonishing, multipronged attack by Hamas militants is sure to cast aside those frictions for now. Instead, the two men are refocused on something that has always united them: ensuring Israel’s security and long-term survival. And they’re doing so as both face complex political shifts at home — with their leader...

Azerbaijan leader: ‘France would be responsible’ for any new conflict with Armenia

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:07 GMT

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said France would be to blame for any new conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, following Paris’ promise to deliver military equipment to Armenia last week.“The provision of weapons by France to Armenia was an approach that was not serving peace, but one intended to inflate a new conflict, and if any new conflict occurs in the region, France would be responsible for causing it,” according to the Azerbaijani readout of a call between Aliyev and European Council President Charles Michel.Aliyev also blamed France for his absence at a summit of the European Political Community last week in Granada, Spain, intended to address the conflict with Armenia.In late September, Azerbaijan declared victory after a lightning military offensive in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, forcing around 100,000 ethnic Armenians living in the breakaway region into exile. Last week, Baku officially dissolved Nagorno-Karabakh. Franc...

US Lawmakers want to help Israel, but political chaos means it won’t be fast

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:07 GMT

Within hours of the stunning attack by Hamas militants in Israel, U.S. lawmakers were quick to promise more aid to America’s closest ally in the Middle East.Yet those pledges come at a time of deep political dysfunction in Washington, raising questions over how quickly the money can start flowing.Despite pronouncements of support on both sides of the aisle, there will likely be no fast or easy response until the chaos surrounding the House’s empty speakership is settled. Both candidates for the gavel backed more support for Israel on Saturday, yet the House is still several days away from electing a leader, and the lower chamber remains far from unified on most issues.At the same time, Congress also has to grapple with a looming government shutdown when a funding patch expires Nov. 17.“There is nothing the House can do until they elect a speaker, and I don’t know if that happens quickly,” former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told Fox News on Saturday.A Defense Departme...

Five things we learned from the Orioles’ 3-2 loss to the Texas Rangers in ALDS Game 1

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:07 GMT

After enjoying a festive scene before the game, the Orioles came up empty on too many at-bats with runners on base in losing their American League Division Series opener, 3-2, to the Texas Rangers.Here are five things we learned from the game.Baltimore’s reunion with postseason baseball went from festive to tense in a hurryPlayoff baseball returned to Baltimore at 2:16 p.m. Saturday with a 96-mph sinker from Orioles starter Kyle Bradish, fouled off by American League Most Valuable Player candidate Marcus Semien.Orange-clad fans whipped their orange towels in the air. They bellowed for each Oriole who walked onto the field via orange carpet. Joan Jett, a fan of the club since before the last time it won the World Series, sang The Star-Spangled Banner. Bradish felt the ground shake each time he finished off a hitter. The atmosphere suited the occasion.Three hours and nine minutes later, that festive bliss was replaced by somber reckoning with a harder reality. The Orioles, havi...