Show your local independent bookstore some love

For avid readers and independent booksellers, Saturday might feel a bit like Christmas.

Hats off to Klassen’s splendid simplicity

WHAT IT IS: A page from I Want My Hat Back, a 2011 picture book by Jon Klassen, the Winnipeg-born, Ontario-raised writer and illustrator who just won the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, a Swedish prize for contributions to children’s and young adult literature.

This honour, worth almost $750,000, comes on top of an American Caldecott Medal, a British Kate Greenaway Medal and a Governor General’s Award here in Canada.

Klassen’s books are also global bestsellers, now translated into 27 languages. They are lauded by critics and librarians, but — most importantly — they are adored by the kids and parents who read them.

Again and again and again.

Manitoba premier says social media ban coming for kids, like Australia

WINNIPEG - The Manitoba government will move to ban children from using social media accounts and artificial intelligence chatbots, Premier Wab Kinew told fellow New Democrats on Saturday night.

Kinew told some 900 people at a party fundraiser that the province plans to protect kids from technology platforms that he says hurt their development.

"These tools have been designed by ... people who understand our psychology, who understand our biology. And they have designed these tools and optimized them to hack our children's reward system in their brain," Kinew said.

"These are forces that contribute to anxiety and depression. These are forces that lead to young women being trafficked."

North End non-profit bridges divides with technology

Imagine not having access to accounts, information, resources; no way to apply for jobs, connect with friends and family, and no digital skills to be able to accomplish any of those tasks.

It may be surprising to learn that in a city like Winnipeg, not everyone who’d like to be connected online has both the device and the know-how to use it. That means people are being left behind in significant ways.

That’s where North End Connect Inc. comes in.

The Indigenous-led, non-profit community service organization is dedicated to advancing digital equity and fostering reconciliation in Winnipeg’s North End. Despite its rich heritage, the North End faces continuing challenges, including economic disparities and limited access to digital resources.

Canadiens coach says Seinfeld the secret to a good sleep: ‘It’s a show about nothing’

MONTREAL - Few jobs carry as much pressure as coaching the Montreal Canadiens, and few buildings rock louder than the Bell Centre.

Yet Martin St. Louis says he sleeps just fine, even when he’s in the middle of an intense playoff series. His secret? Spending time with Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine.

“I watch Seinfeld,” he said Saturday as a room of reporters broke out in laughter. “What is there, nine seasons? I've probably watched it four times in a row. To me, Seinfeld is the show that can let me disconnect from everything.”

Why’s that?

Copycats are frustrating but hard to stop in fashion business: experts

The first time one of Calgary designer Nina Kharey's designs was copied, it came with an air of flattery.

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, wore a $1,085 sleeveless trench from Kharey's brand Nonie out with husband Prince Harry. The appearance heaped so much attention on Nonie that when copycats sprang up, Kharey ignored them because her trenches were selling and she figured everyone would know who made the original.

The second time one of her designs — a red and pink silk wrap dress — was copied, there was no celebrity champion, so it was hard to swallow and as she soon realized, pretty much impossible to stop.

"I actually talked to a fashion lawyer, and (they said) there's nothing you can do," recalled Kharey, who now focuses most of her time on Folds, a medical scrubs company she started in 2021 that is also being targeted by copycats.

The Latest: Pakistan says US-Iran mediation moving ahead after Trump holds back envoys

U.S. President Donald Trump said he told his top envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner not to travel to Pakistan to negotiate with Iran on Saturday.

“If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!” Trump said on social media.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country won’t negotiate while the United States imposes a blockade on its ports. Pezeshkian told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a phone call Saturday night that the U.S. “should first remove operational obstacles, including the blockade,” to allow a new round of negotiations, according to the ISNA and Tasnim news agencies in Iran.

Pakistan’s top political and military leadership is continuing to mediate between the U.S. and Iran, with indirect ceasefire talks still alive despite mounting tensions between the sides, two Pakistani officials said Sunday.

A growing amateur choir brings joy and community to hundreds in Serbia

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — An amateur pop choir that started with a couple dozen singers in a small Serbian town has found unexpected success across the country. Its motto? Anyone can sing.

While community choirs are common in other countries, they are relatively rare in Serbia. The no-stress and fun approach has attracted hundreds of people, mostly women of all ages.

Modeled after similar projects abroad, the choir is encouraging “everyone from 5 to 105” to join and sing for joy and stress relief.

Since starting out in a small town in central Serbia four years ago, Pop Hor has spread to 10 towns across the Balkan country with an ambition to grow further. There are no auditions or voice tests, and newcomers don’t have to know how to read music.