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China home-built aircraft carrier conducting sea trials

Isabel M. Crowe

BEIJING (AP) — China’s Defense Ministry said the navy’s only entirely home-built aircraft is carrying out sea trials to test weapons and equipment and enhance training of the crew.

Ministry spokesperson Ren Guoqiang said Friday the exercises were being conducted as planned, apparently unaffected by the country’s coronavirus outbreak.

The Shandong’s commissioning last year by Chinese President Xi Jinping underscored the country’s rise as a regional naval power at a time of tensions with the U.S. and others over trade, Taiwan and the South China Sea.

It is the second Chinese aircraft carrier to enter service after the Liaoning, which was originally purchased as a hulk from Ukraine and entirely refurbished.

Both are based on a Soviet design with a ”ski jump” style flight deck for takeoffs rather than the flat decks used by much larger U.S. aircraft carriers. It is powered by a conventional oil-fueled steam turbine power plant,

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Florida’s lax oversight of nursing homes spills over from one deadly crisis to the next

Isabel M. Crowe

Florida’s solution for one potential crisis — the failure of nearly 100 elder-care facilities to comply with the state’s emergency power law, even as hurricane season approaches — is to allow the homes to pack all their residents into a confined space to keep them cool during a power outage.

But the plan, spelled out in a series of orders signed by health regulators the past two weeks, could collide with a far deadlier crisis: the coronavirus pandemic, an extraordinarily contagious menace that already has claimed the lives of more than 600 long-term care residents.

The last time Florida long-term-care facilities faced a disaster — Hurricane Irma, which cut off power across the state and led to more than a dozen miserable deaths in one sweltering Hollywood nursing home — the state took action, mandating that all homes have backup generators to kick in during a power outage.

But when

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Inside a Mecca of Midcentury Brazilian Art and Design

Isabel M. Crowe

Brazilian design dealer Ulysses De Santi and his husband, Graham Steele, didn’t normally spend long periods of time together. They had different responsibilities, and very different rhythms. “Graham is extremely social, hyperactive, and his schedule was always insane,” says De Santi, who’s been sheltering at home with Steele since the pandemic upended life as we know it. “So just to be able to have him here is such a gift.” As a senior director at Hauser & Wirth, an art gallery with outposts in Asia, Europe and North America, Steele was used to jetting across the globe, sometimes having breakfast in one continent and dinner in another. By contrast, De Santi is an introvert. “He would happily be socially isolating for the next five years,” says Steele, only half-jokingly.

The couple’s personality contrasts extend to their design sensibilities: One is a minimalist and the other a maximalist. And yet in

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35 decorative rugs that will turn any outdoor space into an oasis

Isabel M. Crowe

Our editors independently selected these items because we think you will enjoy them and might like them at these prices. If you purchase something through our links, we may earn a commission. Pricing and availability are accurate as of publish time. Learn more about Shop TODAY.

Summer is around the corner, and if you plan on spending lots of time at home, now is the perfect time to invest in your outdoor space.

From an outdoor fire pit to inflatable kiddie pools (or even a fun pool float!), there are plenty of ways to turn your backyard into an oasis. And let’s not forget about revamping that outdoor living area or a patio.

One way to add texture or color to any outdoor living space is with an outdoor rug. It offers comfort, helps reduce mold or mildew in moisture-prone areas and is an easy way to upgrade

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