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European Commission signals game over for China investment deal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:14:53 GMT

BRUSSELS — A landmark trade and investment pact sealed by the EU and China in recent years is effectively dead.On Thursday, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who is in Beijing to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping, gave her strongest signal yet that the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) deal is dead in the water as the pact had not even been discussed.“The Comprehensive Agreement on Investment did not come up,” she told a press conference following her meeting with the Chinese president. “You know our position. We started negotiations round about 10 years ago and concluded the comprehensive agreement on investment two years ago. A lot has happened since then,” she said, including deterioration in market access for EU companies in the Chinese market.Von der Leyen had made similar comments last week in a keynote speech on China in Brussels, saying the EU needs to “reassess” the pact.“Our position is that we do have to reassess the Comprehensive Agreement...

State police investigating fatal crash on I-495 in Mansfield

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:14:53 GMT

A man was killed in a single-car crash on I-495 in Mansfield early Thursday morning, according to state police.Police say a preliminary investigation indicates that a BMW was traveling northbound at a high rate of speed around 4 a.m. when the driver lost control of the vehicle.The vehicle went off the road to the left, struck the guardrail, and entered the center median, police say. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.The driver’s name has not been released. The left lanes on both the northbound and southbound sides of the highway were closed for several hours, reopening at 10:30 a.m.The crash remains under investigation.

Authorities search for antelope that escaped western Mass. zoo

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:14:53 GMT

An antelope often found in the African plains has been roaming western Massachusetts after escaping Lupa Zoo in Ludlow last week.Zoo officials said one of its Eland antelopes got out after a tree fell and damaged the enclosure they were kept.On their Facebook page, the zoo said the female antelope inside the paddock stayed put, but the male “went for a walk” and has since been “touring Ludlow and nearby Wilbraham.”The Town of Ludlow’s Animal Control team said that as of Wednesday night, the herbivore was last seen near the Red Bridge in Wilbraham, near the Chicopee River Reservoir and Three Rivers village.In their own Facebook post, Ludlow Animal Control said the antelope was non-aggressive, but that members of the public should not approach the animal if they spot it and instead call local police.“She can kick if [approached] from behind and startled like a horse, but will not rear on hind legs,” the post stated, referring to the antelope a...

US Army apologizes after soldiers detain wrong person in Boston hotel room during training exercise

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:14:53 GMT

The U.S. Army has apologized after soldiers stormed into the incorrect Boston hotel room and detained the wrong person during a training exercise Tuesday night.Members of U.S. Army Special Operations Command were “conducting essential military training” with help from the FBI Boston division, according to a spokesperson from the U.S. Army. The training was at the Revere Hotel downtown.“The training was meant to enhance soldiers’ skills to operate in realistic and unfamiliar environments,” Lt. Col. Mike Burns, of U.S. Army Special Operations Command, said in a statement.“The training team, unfortunately, entered the wrong room and detained an individual unaffiliated with the exercise,” Burns added.The person who was detained might be a Delta crew member.“First and foremost, we’d like to extend our deepest apologies to the individual who was affected by the training exercise,” Burns said.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Saf...

It's National Burrito Day! Celebrate with these San Diego deals

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:14:53 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Hear ye, hear ye! It's National Burrito Day and San Diego is the city to celebrate, especially with deals like these.On the first Thursday in April, the nation celebrates everyone’s appreciation for burritos. This popular Mexican dish is enjoyed all over the world, but as the neighbor of the home place of this international treasure -- San Diegans and burritos go hand-in-hand. Highest-rated Chinese restaurants in San Diego for 2023, according to Tripadvisor Let's get to the fillings! Here's a list of burritos deals that should be celebrated on this annual holiday.-- Chipotle Giveaway: On April 6, Chipotle will be handing out 10,000 free burritos codes. Head on over to @ChipotleTweets, follow the account and then monitor the feed throughout the day for codes that can be texted to 888-222 for the chance to win. As an added bonus, all Chipotle burrito orders will be delivered for free with promo code "DELIVER," according to the restaurant. Find a Chipotle near you with ...

REVIEW: Air, the creation of an iconic shoe

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:14:53 GMT

Air welcomes the viewer in with a 80s montage, showing the setting and details of 1984. That’s when we find our protagonist, Sonny Vaccaro (played by Matt Damon from the Departed and the Martian), a middle-aged man willing to risk it all to win it all. The film shows him living in a world of excess, and he desires to own as much of that excess as possible.Matt Damon in Air, courtesy of Amazon Studios.The film from Amazon Studios depicts Vaccaro’s attempts to convince Michael Jordan (then a rookie with the Chicago Bulls) to sign a deal with them and create an exclusive shoe line, the Air Jordan. Damon plays Vaccaro like a gambling addict, one who wants to win it all. He works in the basketball division of Nike, and he comes to believe that despite their limited budget and lack of success in the basketball shoe world, they can get a rookie who is going to become a star.Playing at times like a more mainstream and less anxiety-inducing version of Uncut Gems, the film shows i...

Grief wracks parents after Brazilian axe attack kills 4 kids

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:14:53 GMT

BLUMENAU, Brazil (AP) — They sent their seven-year-old to day care Wednesday and plunged into the deepest nightmare of any parent’s life.A man with a hatchet jumped over a wall and burst into the day care center in southern Brazil, killing little Larissa Maia Toldo and three other children. On Thursday, Larissa’s parents held hands over her white-draped coffin, decorated with a few bouquets, as three of the four victims were prepared for burial.The parents, along with other mourners at the São José cemetery, which overlooks Blumenau’s German district, could not speak with the press as they grieved. All of Brazil was struggling for answers in the face of unspeakable violence waged against the most innocent. All four victims had been their parents’ only children, with no siblings, Mayor Mário Hildebrandt told reporters. An Easter celebration aimed at children was cancelled.Mourners had to either drive or climb up a steep ladder to the burial site in a private room or the c...

Protests again hit France as striker numbers dwindle

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:14:53 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Protesters disrupted vehicle traffic at Paris’ main airport and police fired clouds of tear gas in other French cities in the latest round of strikes and demonstrations Thursday against President Emmanuel Macron’s contested pension reforms. Macron’s drive to raise the national retirement age from 62 to 64 has ignited a months-long firestorm of public anger. Talks between trade union leaders and Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne broke up Wednesday without a breakthrough, setting the stage for protesters’ return to the streets. However, the number of strikers has fallen, particularly in the transportation sector, since protests began in January. About 400,000 people joined the protest in Paris Thursday, down from 450,000 the week before, said the powerful CGT union. Police estimates of the marchers’ numbers weren’t immediately available but are always lower.On Thursday, the Paris Metro ran almost normally, in stark contrast to previous days of action. Less than 8...

Juventus given partial stadium ban for racism toward Lukaku

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:14:53 GMT

MILAN (AP) — Juventus was given a partial stadium ban for its next home game in the Italian Cup after some of its supporters directed racist chants at Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku.Lukaku was sanctioned with a second yellow card for provoking Juventus fans by holding his finger to his lips as if to silence the crowd after converting a stoppage-time penalty to earn Inter a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the semifinals on Tuesday.Lukaku was suspended for the second leg of the semifinals on April 26 by the Italian league judge on Thursday.Lukaku’s gesture enraged the opposing team and the game ended in a scuffle between the two squads, with Juventus winger Juan Cuadrado and Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic also sent off.Cuadrado was banned for three matches while Handanovic was banned for one game. Each player was fined 10,000 euros ($11,000).Part of the southern end of the Allianz Stadium will be closed for Juventus’ first home game in next season’s Italian Cup.Juventus said it wou...

Stocks drift as they close out a holiday-shortened week

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:14:53 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is drifting amid mixed trading Thursday, threatening to send the S&P 500 to its first losing week in the last four following some discouraging reports on the economy. The S&P 500 was 0.1% lower in midday trading, and it’s on pace for a 0.6% loss for the week. The U.S. stock market will be closed Friday in observance of Good Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 88 points, or 0.3%, at 33,393, as of 11:30 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.1% higher. A report on Thursday morning showed that fewer U.S. workers filed for unemployment benefits last week, though the number was still higher than expected. The government changed how it tracks the numbers, which could cause some swings, and the number of workers getting continuing claims for benefits rose to the highest level since December 2021. Thursday’s data followed a string of reports on the economy earlier in the week that were weaker than expected. That included everyth...