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Dombrovskis signals Brussels will push ahead on Mercosur despite French opposition

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:59 GMT

Brussels is pushing for an agreement on a free-trade deal with the Mercosur bloc of South American countries despite French dissent, with the EU trade chief saying Paris “should have a look at what is actually in that final agreement.” Negotiations on the EU’s planned trade deal with Mercosur have stalled as Brazil signalled that the new Argentinian government would need to approve it. France, a long-time opponent of the deal, has derided the environmental aspects of the proposed accord. Despite those objections, EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis told the Financial Times that the majority of EU countries support the EU-Mercosur deal and that Brussels is committed to try to “finalize this agreement.” “I think the French side should have a look at what is actually in that final agreement, which we are still negotiating, and how far it addresses the concerns the president has stated,” said Dombrovskis. French President Emmanuel Macron last weekend criticized ...

US prosecutors reveal sweeping scope of bid to debunk Trump election machine claims

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:59 GMT

Special counsel Jack Smith on Saturday sharply rejected Donald Trump’s contention that foreign governments may have changed votes in the 2020 election, laying bare new details about his team’s extensive probe of the matter and its access to a vast array of senior intelligence officials in Trump’s administration.In a 45-page filing, Smith’s team describes interviewing more than a dozen of the top intelligence officials in Trump’s administration — from his director of national intelligence to the administrator of the NSA to Trump’s personal intelligence briefer — about any evidence that foreign governments had penetrated systems that counted votes in 2020.“The answer from every single official was no,” senior assistant special counsel Thomas Windom writes in the filing.The filing was part of the special counsel’s opposition to a bid by Trump to access a broad swath of classified intelligence as part of his defense against charges that he conspired to subvert the 2020 election and dise...

Patriots mailbag: What’s Bailey Zappe’s future with organization?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:59 GMT

The Patriots’ 2023 season certainly took a turn when the offense suddenly looked competent with Bailey Zappe as the starting quarterback in Week 14.So, is this sustainable? And what does Zappe’s future with the organization look like after Thursday’s start?That’s what fans want to know in this week’s mailbag.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots lose veteran LB again to Dolphins New England Patriots | Source: Patriots lose offensive coach with 4 games left New England Patriots | Patriots release hybrid RB/WR to make room for ex-Eagles linebacker New England Patriots | Bill Belichick opens up about what Army-Navy Game at Gillette Stadium means to him New England Patriots | Bailey Zappe’s impressive win still not enough for Bill Belichick to name him Patriots future starting QB @Birdy_BetsWhy go to Zappe now? They were in a position to be able to address their QB sit...

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy heads to Argentina in bid to win support from developing nations

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:59 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is heading to Buenos Aires to witness the swearing-in on Sunday of Argentina’s new president, Javier Milei, Zelenskyy’s office said.It is the Ukrainian leader’s first-ever trip to Latin America as Kyiv continues to court support among developing nations for its 21-month-old fight against Russia’s invading forces. A political outsider who has railed against what he calls entrenched official corruption in Argentina and promised to uproot the political establishment, Milei ran on a pro-Western foreign policy platform, repeatedly expressing distrust of Moscow and Beijing.Zelenskyy phoned Milei shortly after the Argentinian’s electoral victory, thanking him for his “clear support for Ukraine” which he described in social media posts as “well-noticed and appreciated by Ukrainians.”In its readout of the call published shortly later, Milei’s office said he had offered to host a summit between Ukraine and Latin American state...

Elon Musk restores X account of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:59 GMT

Elon Musk has restored the X account of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, pointing to a poll on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter that came out in favor of the Infowars host who repeatedly called the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting a hoax.It poses new uncertainty for advertisers, who have fled X over concerns about hate speech appearing alongside their ads, and is the latest divisive public personality to get back their banned account.Musk posted a poll on Saturday asking if Jones should be reinstated, with the results showing 70% of those who responded in favor. Early Sunday, Musk tweeted, “The people have spoken and so it shall be.”A few hours later, Jones’ posts were visible again — the last one from 2018, when the company permanently banned him and his Infowars show for abusive behavior.Musk, who has described himself as a free speech absolutist, said the move was about protecting those rights. In response to a user who posted that “permanent account bans a...

The EU wants to put a tax on emissions from imports. It’s irked some other nations at COP28

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:59 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The European Union’s plan to impose a tax on the carbon pollution emitted to make goods imported from countries like India and China has sparked a debate at the United Nations climate conference in Dubai, as poorer countries argue that the tax will harm livelihoods and economic growth.Known as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, the tax wants to set a price on the carbon emitted to make energy-intensive products like iron, steel, cement, fertilizers and aluminum in non-EU countries. The EU says this creates a level-playing field for domestically-manufactured goods that have to adhere to stricter green standards and also reduces emissions from imports. But other nations, particularly developing countries, are worried this would harm their economies and make it too expensive to trade with the bloc.“CBAM’s sole aim is to prevent carbon leakage” elsewhere in the supply chain, European Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said at a press conference at COP28....

Tyler Cowen: The YIMBY movement needs to go commercial

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:59 GMT

The YIMBY movement has so far focused on the deregulation of the residential housing market. In California, for instance, a variety of legal changes have made it easier to build more densely. In the commercial market, there is no real YIMBY movement — and not just because offices tend not to have backyards. What would “Yes in My Backyard” even mean in the context of commercial real estate?A new economic research paper offers a hint of an answer: Most likely, there would be taller buildings, more mixed-use neighborhoods and considerably more wealth.One way to approach this question is to look at less regulated cities. According to one widely used index, the least regulated metro area in the U.S. is Midland, Texas. Midland isn’t particularly large or well-known, with a population of about 132,000, yet one of its nicknames is the “Tall City” because of its downtown skyline. When there is freedom to build, going vertical often is most cost-effective.F...

Horoscopes Dec. 10, 2023: Raven-Symone, build a better future

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:59 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Raven-Symone, 38; Emmanuelle Chriqui, 48; Meg White, 49; Kenneth Branagh, 63.Happy Birthday: Pay attention; if you are too busy chasing an impossible dream, you will miss an opportunity. Use common sense, and don’t feel pressured to act in haste. Make plans and justify what you want and the best way to make things happen. Energy alone won’t get you where you want to go, but discipline, hard work and taking advantage of what’s available will help you build a better future. Your numbers are 7, 18, 23, 27, 31, 44, 46.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Keep your plans to yourself. Don’t get involved in drama when spreading joy will bring better results. Physical activity will ease stress and help you prepare for the festive season. Don’t wait until the end of the year to resolve bad habits; start today. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Keep your money in your wallet and use common sense when spending. Resist and protect against temptat...

Word Game: Dec. 10, 2023

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:59 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — STRIDENT (STRIDENT: STRY-dent: Characterized by harsh, insistent and discordant sound.)Average mark 55 wordsTime limit 60 minutesCan you find 66 or more words in STRIDENT?TODAY’S WORD — STRIDENT send sent side sine sire siren site sitter snide snit stein stent stern stet stint stir stride tend tent tern test tide tied tier tinder tine tint tire titer trend trident tried tries trine trite rein rend rent resin rest ride rind rinse rise risen rite ides inert insert inset inter deist dent dentist diet dine diner dint dire dirt dries driest edit nerd nest niterTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed...

Vermont Niceness Is Not the Answer to the Shooting of Three Palestinians

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:59 GMT

People gather for a vigil, after three Palestinian American students were shot near the University of Vermont campus, in Pliny Park in Brattleboro, Vt., on Nov. 27, 2023.Photo: Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via APWhen a white man shot three Palestinian students in Burlington, Vermont, it struck much of America as the least likely place for the violence of Israel–Palestine to show its teeth. Vermont is peaceful. Vermont is civil. Vermont is tolerant. It had to be an aberration.In fact, it turned out that Jason Eaton — the man charged with shooting Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Tahseen Ali Ahmad — is not a Vermonter. He’s from Syracuse, New York, just recently relocated to Burlington, where he bought the gun. He might not have had plans to stay. Yes, it had to be an aberration.I have lived half-time in Vermont for 32 years. The home my partner and I share is on a dirt road in a small town in the rural Northeast Kingdom, which is about as far as you can get, eco...