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Germany’s Baerbock pitches radical EU reform as bloc eyes expansion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:40:43 GMT

BERLIN — The European Union needs to embark on bold reforms as it prepares to expand, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Wednesday.In comments that will cause alarm in some of the EU’s smaller member countries, Baerbock proposed the abolition of the current system which assigns each of the 27 countries a commissioner, as the EU gears up to allow new members to join the club by the end of the decade.“The European Parliament and the Commission cannot be simply allowed to grow and grow, become ever bigger,” she said at a gathering of foreign ministers and representatives from the EU and academia in Berlin. “We need to take brave, courageous decisions. A country like Germany, for example — we are ready to do without our own commissioner for a limited period of time.” Among the possibilities would be to divide large Commission portfolios among several member countries, Baerbock said. In addition, the Green politician proposed amending the “unanimity” rule which...

Police investigating fatal crash in New Bedford

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:40:43 GMT

Police are investigating a fatal crash in New Bedford on Thursday morning.The crash on the northbound side of Route 140 near Exit 7 left the vehicle off the side of the roadway.The cause of the crash remains under investigation.No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Source: Patriots signing Buffalo Bills draft pick to fill open 53-man roster spot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:40:43 GMT

The Patriots are signing rookie cornerback Alex Austin to their 53-man roster Thursday, a source told the Herald’s Doug Kyed.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Can the Patriots’ young receivers finally help the offense open up? New England Patriots | Callahan: Could Bill Belichick coach the Washington Commanders next season? New England Patriots | Patriots-Commanders injury report: Trent Brown among 2 starters out at Wednesday practice New England Patriots | Patriots missing 2 starters at Wednesday practice before Commanders game New England Patriots | Patriots coach Bill Belichick reacts to Josh McDaniels’ firing in Las Vegas The 6-foot-1, 191-pounder entered the league in April as a seventh-round pick of the Bills, who cut him at the end of training camp. Austin recently spent time on the Texans’ practice squad, but received his release on Wednesday. He’s appeared in t...

San Diego State University ranked 'most fashionable' college campus in US: study

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:40:43 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Students at San Diego State University (SDSU) have style, according to a new study analyzing fashion statements on campuses across the country.StyleSeat, an online platform for beauty and wellness professionals, took to social media to examine the societal trends and aesthetics of students in the U.S. to find out which universities are among the most fashionable.Researchers at StyleSeat used data from IPEDS and the U.S. Department of Education to create a list of over 60 of America’s largest and most popular colleges/universities. Photos: UC San Diego Health NICU babies dress up for Halloween Researchers then reviewed 100 of the most recent Instagram posts geotagged at each school. This totaled 6,600 photos analyzed total. The researchers then counted instances of the following:Low-effort outfits (school logos/mascots on shirts, hoodies, hats).High-effort outfits (unique, high fashion, nicely put together).Cozy outfits (sweatpants, loungewear that did not contain scho...

Bombardier swings to net loss despite revenue jump as private plane travel falls

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:40:43 GMT

MONTREAL — Bombardier Inc. is reporting a revenue leap of 28 per cent in its latest quarter as the company says it remains on track for its business jet delivery targets, even as private plane activity slumps across the globe.The plane maker says it incurred a net loss of US$37 million in the three months ended Sept. 30, down from a US$27 million profit in the same period a year earlier.Revenues from the Montreal-based company, which reports in U.S. dollars, rose to US$1.86 billion in its third quarter from US$1.46 billion the year before.Its adjusted net income also jumped to US$80 million or 73 cents per share from a loss of US$2 million or 10 cents per share.The adjusted earnings handily beat analyst expectations of 46 cents per share, according to financial markets data firm Refinitiv.Bombardier says it delivered 31 business jets in the third quarter, up six planes from the same time span in 2022, bringing the year’s total to 82 — though putting a heavy burden on the company as ...

US applications for jobless benefits inch higher but remain at historically healthy levels

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:40:43 GMT

The number of Americans applying for jobless benefits inched up last week but remains low by historical standards, even with the Federal Reserve’s aggressive interest rate hikes meant to cool the economy and taper lingering inflation.Unemployment claims rose by 5,000 to 217,000 for the week ending Oct. 28, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Jobless claim applications are seen as representative of the number of layoffs in a given week.The four-week moving average of claims, which quiets some of the week-to-week ups and downs, ticked up by 2,000 to 210,000.Overall, 1.82 million people were collecting unemployment benefits the week that ended Oct. 21, about 35,000 more than the previous week and the most since April.Those “continuing claims,” analyst suggest, continue to rise because many of those who are already unemployed may now be having a harder time finding new work.Still, the American labor market continues to show resiliency in the midst of the Federal Reserve’...

2 more killed as Russian artillery keeps on battering southern Ukraine’s Kherson region

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:40:43 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian shelling killed an 81-year-old woman in the yard of her home and a 60-year-old man in southern Ukraine’s Kherson region Thursday, local authorities said. The deaths were the latest civilian casualties in Moscow’s recent ramped-up bombardment of the front-line area.Kherson is a strategic military region located on the Dnieper River near the mouth of the Black Sea. Unconfirmed reports say attacking Ukrainian troops have gained a foothold on the Russian-held side of the river during Kyiv’s monthslong counteroffensive.The two civilians died when Russian artillery targeted Kherson region villages, according to Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin. Four others were injured in the strikes, which also damaged residential and public buildings, authorities said.On Wednesday, one person died in Russian shelling that caused extensive damage in the Kherson region’s capital city of the same name. Prokudin called it “an apocalyptic scene.” A 91-year-old local woman was killed in he...

Why is Quebec’s language fight taking on English students?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:40:43 GMT

In today’s Big Story Podcast, Quebec’s CAQ government has spent years tightening laws around languages in the province, with a stated aim to protect French as its predominant language. Their latest attempt, doubling the tuition paid by out-of-province students attending universities in Quebec, has led to anger, condemnation and protests in the streets.Alyssia Rubertucci, a reporter with CityNews Montreal, says one of the policy’s stated aims is to change the linguistic makeup of downtown Montreal.“The language minister just says it’s a problem that tens of thousands of people arrive and leave without mastering French, and they say that it creates an anglicizing effect on the metropolis,” says Rubertucci.So why target Canadian students this way? Will it work to achieve the government’s aims, or could the new policy have consequences nobody has considered?You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.You can also find it at thebigst...

Shopify reports US$718M Q3 profit, revenue up 25% from year ago

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:40:43 GMT

OTTAWA — Shopify Inc. reported third-quarter net income of US$718 million compared with a loss of US$159 million a year ago as its revenue rose 25 per cent.The e-commerce software company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says the profit amounted to 55 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a loss of 12 cents per diluted share in the same quarter last year.Revenue totalled US$1.71 billion for the quarter, up from US$1.37 billion a year earlier.The growth came as subscription solutions revenue rose to US$486 million from US$377 million a year ago, while merchant solutions revenue totalled US$1.23 billion, up from US$989 million.On an adjusted basis, Shopify says it earned 24 cents per diluted share for its most recent quarter compared with an adjusted loss of two per cents per diluted share a year ago.Analysts on average had expected an adjusted profit of 14 cents per share and US$1.67 billion in revenue, according to estimates compiled by financia...

Uber and Lyft to pay $328M in New York wage theft settlement

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:40:43 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft will pay a combined $328 million to settle wage theft claims in New York, Attorney General Letitia James announced Thursday.James said the settlements resolve investigations into the companies improperly charging drivers sales taxes and other fees when the costs should have been paid by customers. Uber will pay $290 million and Lyft will pay $38 million. The money will be distributed to current and former drivers, she said. The companies have also agreed to provide drivers outside of New York City with paid sick leave and give drivers outside of New York City a minimum wage of $26 per hour. “For years, Uber and Lyft systemically cheated their drivers out of hundreds of millions of dollars in pay and benefits while they worked long hours in challenging conditions,” James said in a statement. Tony West, chief legal officer for Uber, said the agreement “helps put to rest the classification issue in New York and moves us forward...