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The travel industry’s big shift: Why responsible tourism is the new normal 10:30 AM (2 minutes ago)

After years of reports about the importance of protecting local communities and the planet when traveling, it seems responsible travel may finally be emerging from its ‘niche’ status and becoming the baseline for globetrotters.

A significant 96% of global travelers now say responsible tourism is important to them. Moreover, they want their trips to tangibly uplift people and places—rather than just simply avoiding harm, according to a newly released Responsible Tourism Impact Report published by the Aruba Tourism Authority.

“Our research showed us that responsible tourism is no longer niche — it’s non-negotiable,” Ronella Croes, CEO of the Aruba Tourism Authority (A.T.A), told TravelPulse.
“We’re seeing this in real time: 96 percent of travelers say it matters, and 73 percent want to learn how to make a positive impact,” Croes added.

The A.T.A. report involved surveying more than 7,000 travelers across seven countries. That effort resulted in several notable findings surrounding responsible travel and the outlook of globetrotters.

Among the takeaways:

• Natural Beauty Matters: 66% of travelers prioritize destinations with natural surroundings and landscapes.
• Support Local: 65% of travelers seek out locally-owned businesses.
• Cultural Immersion: 59% value authentic experiences that connect them to local culture.
• Luxury with Impact: 34% of luxury travelers say making a positive impact defines luxury today.

“Travelers today expect their journeys to do more than avoid harm — they want to give back, protect nature and connect meaningfully with local culture,” continued Croes. “We see this as both a responsibility and an opportunity, delivered through simple, actionable ways to travel with purpose – like our Aruba Promise pledge.”

As part of its response to evolving traveler attitudes, such as those unearthed by the survey, Aruba tourism officials say they’re working to redefine travel by blending sustainability with culture, community, and authentic experiences.

To date, that effort has included creating programs like the Aruba Promise, which calls on island visitors to “consider themselves not just tourists or travelers, but guests” of the island. Being a guest carries a different weight and local tourism officials want island guests to exhibit “the spirit of Masha Danki,” which includes showing respect when exploring Aruba.

The A.T.A. has also drafted a set of visitor guidelines that include such tenets as urging visitors to consider their footprint while on the island, embrace a slower pace of travel, and travel mindfully.

Earlier this summer, Aruba also launched a voluntourism initiative that encouraged travelers to use their Volunteer Time Off (VTO) to visit the sunny Caribbean island and engage in meaningful voluntourism programs, called Aruba VTO.

In the spring, the island also introduced a new marketing campaign designed to flip the script on the traditional tourism model — reimagining tourism not as a transaction, but as a reciprocal relationship.

Man who tried to assassinate Trump wants to be imprisoned in assisted suicide state 10:30 AM (2 minutes ago)

President Donald Trump’s failed assassin, Ryan Routh, who was convicted on Sept. 23 in federal court, is requesting to be imprisoned in a state that permits assisted suicide.

Routh represented himself during his trial in September. A jury quickly returned a guilty verdict on all five counts stemming from Routh’s plot to assassinate then-presidential candidate Trump while he played a round of golf at his course in West Palm Beach, Florida. The request by Routh comes ahead of his sentencing hearing scheduled for Dec. 18. He faces life in prison.

“I would like to plan forward for sentencing and request kindly to be placed in a state that has assisted suicide since I am a constant failure,” Routh, 59, wrote. “I have yet been unable to obtain a list, but I hope someone can provide it.”

While assisted suicide is legal in 10 states and Washington D.C., state laws have restricted assisant suicides to mentally competent adults living with a terminal illness.

Routh’s interest in ending his life doesn’t come as a surprise. In response to hearing his guilty verdict, Routh grabbed a pen and attempted to stab himself in the neck, but he was unsuccessful as court marshals tackled him.

“This verdict sends a clear message. An attempt to assassinate a presidential candidate is an attack on our Republic and on the rights of every citizen,” U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said.

The failed Trump assassin also suggested in a long tangent that the United States swap him for prisoners in other countries. He mentioned that he’d had offered this to “countless Ministry of Foreign Affairs.” He suggested if the United States swapped him for a prisoner held in Iran it could help repair diplomatic relations between the two countries.

“Iran would love an American to torture, kill and drag through the streets while while repairing international relations, and if they gave Trump the Nobel Laureate in exchange for me it would make Trump look good in the eyes of the Nobel Prisecommittee, while disposing of his worst enemy,” he said.

“Please trade me for one, so they all know they are not forgotten and left to die,” he continued.

Leading up to the trial, Routh made a similar request.

In September 2024, Routh hid outside the perimeter of the Trump International Golf Club before a Secret Service agent spotted his rifle poking through the fence. The agent fired at Routh before he fled and was eventually captured.

Have questions, concerns or tips? Send them to Elaine at emallon@sbgtv.com and follow her on X at @MallonElaine. Content from The National Desk is provided by Sinclair, the parent company of FOX45 News.

Ice Castles to open two Colorado locations this winter — with booze 10:29 AM (3 minutes ago)

DENVER — Ice Castles, a popular family-friendly winter attraction, is getting an adult upgrade this year when it returns to Colorado with two installations in the mountains.

Artisans will build these life-size winter wonderlands out of millions of pounds of ice in Cripple Creek for a third year running, as well as in Silverthorne. In addition to the ice caves, tunnels, and slides for people to climb on, the installations in Colorado will also feature an area called Frozen Tap, a frosty ice bar serving alcoholic seasonal drinks.

While Ice Castles has offered adult beverages at select locations in the past, it’s upping things a notch this year and including Frozen Tap as part of the experience at its five locations nationwide, said spokesperson Amanda Roseth. The pub will be located in an igloo on-site, where attendees age 21 and up can grab a drink and chill by a firepit or play an outdoor game.

“We try to create a little space for some outdoor winter drinks and fun for adults because a lot of Ice Castles is geared toward kids,” Roseth said.

Cripple Creek offered this adult amenity last year, but it was only available at the Eagle location on the weekends. It proved so popular, though, Frozen Tap will now be a staple of the experience, Roseth said. Past seasonal drinks included options like Boozy Hot Cocoa, Fire Cider and Polar Pina Colada.

Ice Castles, which celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2025, has moved around Colorado the last couple of years as it sought to find spaces with the right temperature and amenities, like access to water and sufficient drainage, to make it work. Opening in Silverthorne is something of a homecoming since that was where the “first commercial Ice Castles came to life,” founder Brent Christensen said in a statement. This is also the first time the installation has reached Summit County since the pandemic, when it ceased operating in Dillon.

“Celebrating 15 years of magic here feels like coming full circle,” Christensen said.

Orbán to press Trump for Hungary’s exemption from new US sanctions on Russian oil 10:20 AM (12 minutes ago)

By JUSTIN SPIKE, Associated Press

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Friday that he would try to persuade U.S. President Donald Trump to grant Hungary exemptions from Washington’s newly announced sanctions targeting Russian oil when he meets with the president next week.

The Trump administration unveiled sanctions against Russia’s major state-affiliated oil firms Rosneft and Lukoil last week, a move that could expose their foreign buyers — including customers in India, China and Central Europe — to secondary sanctions.

While most European Union member states sharply reduced or halted imports of Russian fossil fuels after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, Hungary and Slovakia have maintained their pipeline deliveries. Hungary has even increased the share of Russian oil in its energy mix.

Orbán, a Trump ally who is expected to visit Washington next week for his first bilateral meeting with the president since he retook office in January, has long argued that landlocked Hungary has no viable alternatives to Russian crude, and that replacing those supplies would trigger an economic collapse. Critics dispute that claim.

“We have to make the Americans understand this strange situation if we want exceptions to the American sanctions that are hitting Russia,” Orbán said in comments Friday to state radio.

The Hungarian leader, widely considered Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest partner in the EU, has maintained warm relations with the Kremlin, despite the war, and has taken a combative stance toward Ukraine, portraying the neighboring country as a major threat to Hungary’s security and economy.

Orbán said Friday that both the U.S. administration and Moscow were seeking an end to the war, but that Ukraine and the EU were the primary impediments to peace. However, a planned meeting between Trump and Putin in Budapest was recently scrapped after Russian officials made clear they opposed an immediate ceasefire in the conflict.

Orbán said that he would be accompanied to Washington by a “large delegation” of ministers, economic officials and security advisers aimed at “a complete review” of U.S.-Hungarian relations. He said that Budapest hopes to finalize an economic cooperation package with the U.S., including new American investments in Hungary.

But any deal, he stressed, depends on securing Hungary’s continued access to Russian energy.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Ravens fined $100K by NFL for handling of Lamar Jackson’s practice report 10:17 AM (15 minutes ago)

The Ravens have been fined $100,000 by the NFL for violating the league’s injury report policy with quarterback Lamar Jackson, the league announced Friday.

Baltimore, however, will not face the loss of draft picks with the violation determined to be the result of negligence and not an attempt to gain a competitive advantage, according to a league source with direct knowledge of the matter. If the investigation had determined it was intentional or competitive the discipline would have been more significant, including a potential loss of draft picks.

In a statement, the team said that it will not appeal the ruling.

“It is critical that the Baltimore Ravens always operate with integrity and in full accordance with NFL guidelines,” the statement reads. “We clearly made an error regarding player injury reporting and cooperated transparently with the league’s investigation.

“We accept the decision by the NFL that we violated the policy and have taken steps to ensure that we will be compliant moving forward.”

The news comes a week after the Ravens changed Jackson’s practice participation status from “limited” to “full” after he took scout team reps two days ahead of last Sunday’s game against the Bears and continued to work his way back from a hamstring injury that had sidelined him since Week 4. A day later, Baltimore retroactively changed his status back to limited and then ruled him out.

The Ravens went on to beat Chicago, 30-16, with Tyler Huntley starting at quarterback. After the game, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said that the practice report snafu was an “honest mistake” and that “nobody was trying to hide anything.”

Jackson returned Thursday night for the first time since injuring his hamstring in a Sept. 28 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, throwing four touchdown passes in a 28-6 win over the host Miami Dolphins.

This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. 

Built in the shadows and launched at night, Ukraine’s long-range drones are rattling Russia 10:15 AM (17 minutes ago)

By DEREK GATOPOULOS and VOLODYMYR YURCHUK, Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — At a secret location in rural Ukraine, columns of attack drones are assembled at night and in near silence to strike deep inside Russia.

Their targets are strategic: oil refineries, fuel depots, and military logistics hubs. Since the summer, Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign has ramped up dramatically, pounding energy infrastructure across Russia and stretching Moscow’s air defenses thin.

Built from parts made in a scattered network of workshops, these drones now fly much further than at any point in the war.

Officers in body armor move with quick precision; headlamps glow red to stay hidden. Engines sputter like old motorcycles as exhaust fumes drift into the moonless night. Minutes later, one after another, the drones lift from a makeshift runway and head east. The strikes have caused gasoline shortages in Russia, even forcing rationing in some regions and underscoring a growing vulnerability in the country’s infrastructure. Lt. Gen. Vasyl Maliuk, head of the Ukrainian Security Service, said Friday that more than 160 successful strikes had been carried out against Russia’s oil extraction and refining facilities so far this year.

Drones hammer refineries

Western analysts say the attacks on energy infrastructure so far have had a serious — but not crippling — effect. Ukrainian drones have repeatedly hit 16 major Russian refineries, representing about 38% of the country’s nominal refining capacity, according to a recent review by the Carnegie Endowment, a U.S.-based think tank.

But it argues the actual impact has been considerably more limited: most plants resumed operations within weeks, and Russia’s refining output has been cushioned by idle capacity and existing fuel surpluses.

The deep strikes have, however, given Kyiv the initiative at an important moment. The United States and Europe are ramping up sanctions on Russia’s oil industry even as Kyiv’s request for U.S. long-range Tomahawk missiles has stalled. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine’s improved long-range strike capability is causing real damage – forcing the Kremlin to import fuel and curb exports. “We believe they’ve lost up to 20% of their gasoline supply — directly as a result of our strikes,” he told reporters at a briefing in Kyiv.

At the secret launch site, the commander overseeing the operation — a broad-shouldered man identified by his call sign, “Fidel,” in accordance with Ukrainian military regulations — watches through night-vision goggles as the drones climb into the star-filled sky.

“Drones are evolving,” Fidel told The Associated Press. “Instead of flying 500 kilometers (310 miles), now they fly 1,000 … Three factors go into a successful operation: the drones, the people and the planning. We want to deliver the best result. For us, this is a holy mission.”

Ukraine thrives on no-frills weapons

Much of Ukraine’s fleet is homegrown. The Liutyi, a workhorse of the nightly attacks, is a waist-high craft with a sausage-shaped body, a propeller at the back, and a distinctive triangular tail.

It looks neither sleek nor intimidating — more Home Depot than Lockheed Martin — but the ease of assembly means it can be kept hidden and constantly tweaked: optimized to slip through heavily monitored frontline airspace.

Typical of Ukraine’s no-frills war production philosophy, the Liutyi — whose name means “fierce” in Ukrainian — has become a symbol of national pride and recently featured on a local postage stamp.

The reach of these drones — with some models doubling in range over the past year to routinely strike targets within a 1,000-kilometer radius of the border — marks a shift in the geography of the conflict. Attacks a year ago damaged refineries in a much narrower range, mostly in western Russian border regions. Costs have also come down, further testing expensive air defense systems, with long-range drones now being produced in Ukraine for as little as $55,000.

A shift in conflict geography

“What we’re seeing is that Ukraine is getting better at taking the war inside Russia,” said Adriano Bosoni, director of analysis at RANE, a global risk analysis firm. “For most of the war, Russia operated on the assumption that its own territory was safe. That’s no longer the case.”

The strategic logic is attrition by logistics, he argued: by forcing Russia to reroute supplies and commit air defenses to a wider area, Kyiv seeks to degrade Moscow’s capacity to sustain large-scale operations.

The Paris-based International Energy Agency says repeated drone strikes have cut Russia’s refining capacity by about 500,000 barrels a day. That’s triggered domestic fuel shortages and curbed exports of diesel and jet fuel, even as overall global oil production remains steady and prices stable.

Kyiv’s homegrown strike capability allows independent drone launches, bypassing the Western approval required for imported long-range weapons. That autonomy preceded tougher sanctions on Russia: allies escalated only after Ukraine had spent months hitting Russian refineries.

On the ground, each mission is a study in tradeoffs. Fewer than 30% of drones even reach the target area, so meticulous planning is essential, said Fidel, who reflected on the human cost. “War has fallen to our generation so that we can fight for our kids and they can live in a free democratic country,” he said. “We are currently obtaining experience that will be used by every country in the world, and we are paying the price with our lives and the lives of our friends.”

Associated Press journalists Hanna Arhirova, Illia Novikov, Evgeniy Maloletka, Dmytro Zhyhinas and Alex Babenko contributed to this report from Ukraine.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

M. Night Shyamalan’s latest plot twist? Teaming with Nicholas Sparks on a novel and upcoming film 10:13 AM (19 minutes ago)

By ALICIA RANCILIO

Even M. Night Shyamalan — known for making darker movies like “The Sixth Sense” and “Signs” — goes looking for the light sometimes.

“I just finished three really dark movies, ‘Old,’ ‘Knock at the Cabin’ and ‘Trap,’ which are really edgy movies where the characters are super, super dark and complicated, and I wanted to do something different,” said the director.

He found an interesting opportunity to collaborate on a new supernatural romance novel called “Remain” with Nicholas Sparks. Yes, that Nicholas Sparks — king of romantic dramas like “The Notebook” and “A Walk to Remember.”

Co-authored books are a hot trend right now in the publishing world. Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben have a new novel out. James Patterson has teamed up with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton on books. This collab, however, is different in that Shyamalan had written the screenplay and Sparks agreed to write a novel based on that story. A “Remain” film — starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Phoebe Dynevor — already wrapped production and will be released next year.

“I don’t think anybody has ever done what we just did, which was take the same story and simultaneously go do our separate things,” said Sparks. “It isn’t in linear fashion. It’s two people doing two different art forms from the same story. I trusted him 100% to make the best film version of that story possible and he trusted me.”

The two crossed paths years ago when Shyamalan was asked if he would want to adapt Sparks’ novel “The Notebook” into a feature film. The job ended up going to Nick Cassavetes, but Shyamalan said Sparks’ work “always represented something magical to me.” It meant something to him that he would be entrusted with a story so beloved.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Sparks and Shyamalan talk about teaming up, scary movies and chicken salad. Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.

____

AP: At first thought, you two working together seems like an unlikely duo. but the supernatural and romance genres have a lot in common.

SPARKS: We’re not the first to dabble in this. The biggest movie of 1990 was “Ghost.” Shakespeare used to put ghosts into his plays.

SHYAMALAN: I think love is a supernatural conceit. It’s a mythology we all buy into, but it is still a mythology, a supernatural mythology that there’s a “one.” The “destined one” that you meet in the coffee shop and that you know it was meant to be, and then all the things that happened because you met.

AP: Night, you say you approached Gyllenhaal at the beginning of the year about this role. When you did that, did you tell him it would also be a novel written by Sparks?

SHYAMALAN: I must have. But it was such an unusual moment because I had finished writing the screenplay, pressed save, rushed to get in the car to go to New York for my daughter’s birthday. In the car the phone rings, and it’s Jake. And I’m like, “What’s up, man?” We hadn’t talked in five years, something more. And he’s like, “I’d love to be in one of your movies.” And I went, “That is so weird. Where are you?” And he’s like, “I’m in New York.” I said, “Well, I’m going to New York. Want to have tea?” I had a gut feeling that the universe was doing something. So, I called my assistant. I said, “Print the script.” So, we’re just having tea and catching up. And he’s telling me how in love he is and how he’s just so happy and in love. And I said, “You know what? Here.” He was in shock. He called me two days later and said, “I’m in. I love it.” It was a weird kind of beautiful thing.

AP: Does the book follow the screenplay to the letter or vice versa?

SPARKS: Like any adaptation, no. The first thing I said when I read his script was, “Hey, this is great. Of course, it’s gonna be nothing like my novel. It’s entirely different.” Night said basically the same thing.

SHYAMALAN: I think for audiences, it’ll be really interesting. They can point out the differences and ask, “Why did Nicholas do that with the character and the backstory? Why did Night do this?” Our dialogue isn’t the same.

AP: Night, we’re in spooky season with Halloween coming up. Are there any films — besides your own — that you recommend watching?

SHYAMALAN: “The Exorcist,” of course, it’s always there. There’s “The Innocents.” “The Haunting” 1963 film by Robert Wise. And the Japanese movie “Cure.”

AP: Nicholas, have you made Night your famous chicken salad with Splenda?

SPARKS: No, I haven’t. I did an interview with the New York Times where I offered the reporter some of my homemade chicken salad and it had Splenda. And whatever reason this blew up on social media. People thought it must be the most disgusting chicken salad ever. So, I said, “No, it’s delicious.” We started making it on my book tour last year, handing it out to people. And in fact, Splenda put the recipe on its boxes. You can get them. I was invited to the Indianapolis 500 to see the Splenda car.

SHYAMALAN: To get to the core of your question. No, he has not made it. Nor has he mentioned it. Didn’t even offer it.

Drop in altitude on JetBlue flight that forced emergency landing injured at least 15, officials say 10:12 AM (20 minutes ago)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — At least 15 JetBlue passengers were injured and taken to the hospital after a sudden drop in altitude on a flight from Mexico forced an emergency landing in Florida, officials said Friday.

The Thursday flight from Cancun was headed to Newark, New Jersey, when the altitude dropped. The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was diverted to Tampa International Airport around 2 p.m. “after the crew experienced a flight control issue.”

Between 15 and 20 people were taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Vivian Shedd, a spokesperson for Tampa Fire Rescue.

JetBlue says it has taken the aircraft, an Airbus A320, out of service for inspection. The plane has 162 seats, according to the airline’s website. It wasn’t immediately known how many people were on board.

“We will conduct a full investigation to determine the cause,” JetBlue said in a statement. The FAA says it is also investigating.

Pilots told air traffic control that there had been “a flight control issue” and described injuries including a possible “laceration in the head,” according to audio recorded by LiveATC.net.

Medical personnel met the passengers and crew on the ground at the airport, according to an airport spokesperson.

In June, a JetBlue flight landing at Boston’s Logan International Airport rolled off the runway and into the grass. No one was injured but the runway was temporarily closed.

How scammers can infect our lives through our computers | READER COMMENTARY 10:00 AM (32 minutes ago)

“Message scam losses are on the rise,” is the headline in a recent edition of the AARP Bulletin. To be sure, in every single AARP publication as well as in Consumer Reports and other magazines, there are scam warnings.

Daily, on our computers and our smartphones, we find invoices from people and places we have never ever heard of. We’ve all heard the stories of so-called “digital friends” that women and men, especially seniors, but young people as well, have fallen for and have ended up losing thousands of dollars.

Today, with AI, these scams, false and confusing messages, are more prevalent than ever. And sadly, almost none of us is immune.

Several years ago, I wrote an op-ed for this newspaper describing my personal scam story and heard from many readers who also had fallen for a computer scam. Here is the op-ed, slightly updated.

On an ordinary Tuesday, I was sitting at my desk-top computer, about to check the weekly sales at my food market. Suddenly, on my large computer monitor, (great for my Zoom classes), multiple boxes appeared with frightening warnings:

“Don’t turn off your computer or you’ll lose all your data!”

“You’ve been hacked!”

“Call the Microsoft number on the bottom of the screen immediately!”

And, to make matters even scarier, there was a woman’s voice loudly repeating the above messages.

After many years depending on my computer, like most people, to be sure, I was frightened, and so I called the Microsoft number on the screen. (It turned out that the number was the actual Microsoft number; just the area code was wrong. It was the area code and number of an actual person living in Hayes, Virginia, but more about that shortly.)

The man who answered said, with a slight foreign accent, that his name was Travis Wilson and he told me to “calm down.” He said he had been receiving calls from many people whose data had been hacked, and he reassured me he would fix the situation. He then gave me an employee ID, a phone number and an extension number. He added Microsoft’s address: 1 Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA — which happens to be the correct Microsoft address.

In answer to one of Travis’s many questions, I said I did no banking online; I don’t, and that was fortunate. But as a writer and teacher and researcher with business and personal contacts, with many friends and acquaintances, I need my data on the computer and I want to protect it.

And that was why I missed two red flags: Travis told me to keep the computer on overnight (he had installed an icon allowing him to go over everything on it) and he told me not to tell anyone for 48 hours that I was being hacked. He claimed he could “remove all malicious software” through the connection.

While his scheme, still unknown to me, was running, I went about my usual day — including walking at the Nordstrom Mall, going to a yearly doctor’s appointment at Hopkins Green Spring, and sleeping during the night.

On the second day, I received a call, several, actually, until I answered, from someone named Ben, who had the same number Travis used with a Virginia area code. When I asked Travis about that number the day before since it had Ben’s first and last name on my phone, Travis answered, “It’s the hackers; they use phony names all the time.”

But when I spoke to Ben, he explained that the whole thing was a scam, and he said he had been getting dozens of calls like mine from people all over the country, but especially from Baltimore. (A good friend, I later found out, got the same warning on her iPad, but, fortunately for her, she turned it off.)

Ben said the day before, he had received a call from a woman who had had $160,000 stolen from her online bank account from this same scammer.

Travis, it appears, is part of a computer-savvy group of crooks preying on innocent people. The scammers’ main objective: to get into people’s bank accounts and extract as much money as possible.

Ben, a retired shipbuilder, who lives with his wife in rural Hayes, Virginia, was very helpful. First, he told me to turn off my computer, which I did. He then advised me to call my bank and credit card company and explain what happened. I did, and there was no problem.

But, above all, he told me to take my computer to a reputable dealer to have it completely checked out.

Soon after we hung up, I took the computer to Micro Center in Parkville, where I had bought the computer, printer and monitor several years ago. Their excellent technician performed a complete diagnostic scan — I left the computer overnight — and $140 later, my computer was completely restored.

Why are computers so vastly important to us today? Because we want to be smart: to work smart and to play smart. Micro Center has captured those thoughts on a wall. Large photos surrounding a photo of Albert Einstein make their point. Mr. Hewlett and Mr. Packard, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and 17 others smile down on customers buying, fixing and using their computer devices.

Dr. Grace Hopper, the only woman pictured, helped develop the UNIVAC I computer and managed the development of COBOL and FORTRAN, the early computer programming languages.

Of course, I felt quite stupid having fallen for the scam in the first place; however, several Micro Center workers said many of their customers had fallen for it as well, especially during the past few weeks.

For good measure, I took my iPad to the Apple Store and it, too, was fine.

Meanwhile, Ben in Virginia said he is contacting his congressman and senators to alert them to this awful scam.

The moral of the story: Today, we cannot live without our computer devices, but beware of fake messages and fake messengers.

— Lynne Agress, Towson

The letter writer teaches in the Odyssey Program of the Johns Hopkins University and was president of BWB-Business Writing Inc., a writing and editing consulting company. She is the author of “The Feminine Irony” and “Working With Words.”

Add your voice: Respond to this piece or other Sun content by submitting your own letter.

China’s Xi promises to protect free trade at APEC as Trump snubs major summit 9:58 AM (34 minutes ago)

By HYUNG-JIN KIM, KIM TONG-HYUNG and HUIZHONG WU, Associated Press

GYEONGJU, South Korea (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping told Asia-Pacific leaders on Friday that his country would help to defend global free trade at an annual economic regional forum snubbed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Xi took center stage at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit that began Friday in the South Korean city of Gyeongju, as Trump left the country a day earlier after reaching deals with Xi meant to ease their escalating trade war.

This year’s two-day APEC summit has been heavily overshadowed by the Trump-Xi meeting that was arranged on the sidelines.

Trump described his Thursday meeting with Xi as a roaring success, saying he would cut tariffs on China, while Beijing had agreed to allow the export of rare earth elements and start buying American soybeans. Their deals were a relief to a world economy rattled by trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies.

Trump’s decision to skip APEC fits with his well-known disdain for big, multi-nation forums that have been traditionally used to address global problems. But his blunt dismissal of APEC risks worsening America’s reputation at a forum that represents nearly 40% of the world’s population and more than half of global goods trade.

Xi defends multilateralism

“The more turbulent the times, the more we must work together,” Xi said during APEC’s opening session. “The world is undergoing a period of rapid change, with the international situation becoming increasingly complex and volatile.”

Xi called for maintaining supply chain stability, in a riposte to U.S. efforts to decouple its supply chains from China. He also expressed hopes to work with other countries to expand cooperation in green industries and clean energy.

In written remarks sent to a CEO summit held in conjunction with APEC, Xi said China was open for investment and would uphold the multilateral trading system.

“Facts have proven that whoever gains a foothold in the Chinese market will be able to seize the critical opportunity in increasingly fierce international competition,” Xi wrote. “Investing in China is investing in the future.”

U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, who attended the summit on Trump’s behalf, said a U.S. move to rebalance its trade relationships would ensure that “each country operates on fair and reciprocal terms.” He added that the U.S. is “investing with its trading partners to build resilient production networks that reduce dependence on vulnerable sectors.”

Xi met other leaders on the sidelines

It’s Xi’s first visit to South Korea in 11 years.

On the sidelines of the summit, Xi had bilateral meetings with new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Friday.

In his meeting with Takaichi, Xi said he hopes the two countries would commit to building a constructive and stable relationship “fit for the new era.” Takaichi expressed hopes to ease what she called “a variety of” challenges facing the two countries. She said she also hopes to deepen her personal relationship with Xi.

On Saturday, Xi is to meet South Korean President Lee Jae Myung for another one-on-one meeting expected to touch on North Korea’s nuclear program.

APEC faces challenges

Established in 1989 during a period of increased globalization, APEC champions free and open trade and investment to accelerate regional economic integration. But the APEC region now faces challenges like strategic competitions between the U.S. and China, supply chain vulnerabilities, aging populations and the impact of AI on jobs. The U.S. strategy has been shifted to economic competitions with China rather than cooperation, with Trump’s tariff hikes and “America first” agenda shaking markets and threatening decades of globalization and multinationalism.

Leaders and other representatives from 21 Asia-Pacific Rim economies are attending the APEC meeting to discuss how to promote economic cooperation and tackle shared challenges. Opening the summit as chair, Lee called for greater cooperation and solidarity.

“It’s obvious that we can’t always stand on the same side, as our national interests are at stake. But we can join together for the ultimate goal of shared prosperity,” Lee said. “I hope we will have candid and constructive discussions on how we can achieve APEC’s vision in the face of the new challenge of a rapidly changing international economic environment.”

Carney reiterated his government’s plan to double its non-U.S. exports in the next decade, as he said that “our world is undergoing one of the most profound shifts since the fall of the Berlin Wall.”

Despite Trump’s optimism after a 100-minute meeting with Xi, there continues to be the potential for major tensions between the countries, with both seeking dominant places in manufacturing and developing emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.

“It is certainly a contribution to bring the leaders of the two largest economies together for a meeting where they agreed to withdraw their most extreme tariff and export control threats. As a result, worst-case outcomes for global trade were averted,” said Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.

“However, APEC is meant to be more than a venue for a trade war truce,” Easley said. “Greater multilateral efforts are needed to address the region’s most pressing economic challenges, including resisting costly and destabilizing protectionism, harmonizing regulations for sustainable trade, and coordinating standards for digital innovation.”

Host South Korea pushes for joint statement

South Korean officials said they’ve been communicating with other countries to prod all 21 members to adopt a joint statement at the end of the summit so as not to repeat the failure to issue one in 2018 in Papua New Guinea due to U.S.-China discord over trade.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said last week that issuing a joint statement strongly endorsing free trade would be unlikely because of differing positions among APEC members. He instead anticipated a broader declaration emphasizing peace and prosperity in the region.

As the host nation, South Korea placed a priority on discussing AI cooperation and demographic challenges during the summit.

Wu reported from Taipei, Taiwan. Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.