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French government survives no-confidence votes over pensions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:48 GMT

PARIS (AP) — The French government has survived two no-confidence votes in the lower chamber of parliament, proposed by lawmakers who objected to its push to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.National Assembly lawmakers rejected both motions Monday — one from the far-right National Rally and the other, more threatening one from a small centrist group that gathered support across the left.The first motion, by the centrists, garnered 278 votes, falling short of the 287 needed to pass. The far-right initiative won just 94 votes.With the failure of both votes Monday, the pension bill is considered adopted.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.The French government survived two no-confidence votes Monday in the lower chamber of parliament, prompted by a push by President Emmanuel Macron last week to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 without giving lawmakers a vote.The no-confidence motion filed by a small centrist group and supported by a leftist coal...

$9.25 million settlement announced in 2020 protest lawsuits

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:48 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia officials announced a $9.25 million settlement Monday with hundreds of people over several lawsuits challenging the police response to the protests and civil disorder in 2020 after George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police.Officials said the money will be distributed among 343 plaintiffs in connection with police actions during the protests that erupted in west Philadelphia and along Interstate 676 in the city center that spring. In addition, a grant will provide $500,000 to $600,000 for mental health counseling for west Philadelphia residents. Videos of Philadelphia police firing tear gas on June 1, 2020, at dozens of protesters trapped on I-676 by SWAT team officers on both sides — many unable to retreat to an on-ramp and clambering to get up a steep embankment and over a concrete wall and fence — were spread widely on social media. Attorneys suing over events the day before in and around a west Philadelphia business corridor th...

Millions in extra funding pledged for ICC work in Ukraine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:48 GMT

LONDON (AP) — An international conference in London raised 4 million pounds ($4.9 million) to support the International Criminal Court in its investigations into alleged war crimes in Ukraine and its work to hold Russia to account, officials said Monday.Justice ministers from over 40 countries met in London for the war crimes conference days after the global court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of personal responsibility in the abduction of children from Ukraine. Friday’s move was the first time the court has issued a warrant against a leader of one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.“We share the belief that President Putin and the wider leadership must be held to account,” Britain’s Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said as he opened the meeting. “Let’s make sure that we back up our words with deeds, that we back up our moral support with practical means to effectively investigate these awful crimes.”Karim Khan, the...

Canada’s foreign minister says China peace talks in Moscow will prolong Ukraine war

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:48 GMT

OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says China’s attempts to broker peace in Ukraine will likely just help Russia re-arm and prolong the conflict.In a Monday statement, Joly said the only way to end the war is for Russian President Vladimir Putin to “lay down his weapons and get out of Ukraine,” and accused Moscow of turning to Beijing with a false premise.“Make no mistake, the Russian regime is looking to buy time to resupply, recruit and re-attack,” Joly said in the statement.“A ceasefire not predicated on Russia’s withdrawal of their troops from Ukrainian territory would only serve Putin’s agenda by freezing the conflict before his losses become even greater.”Chinese President Xi Jinping is in Russia, arriving on Monday for peace talks after Beijing laid out a proposal that calls for an end to the conflict, although Xi has no plans to visit Kyiv.Canada and the other countries in the G7 have said since last October t...

Women-owned businesses on the rise, but barriers persist: study

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:48 GMT

TORONTO — A new study finds that while the pandemic disproportionately hurt female entrepreneurs, the number of women-owned businesses is on the rise.The Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub’s 2023 State of Women’s Entrepreneurship in Canada report says the proportion of majority women-owned businesses is increasing. The study estimates 18 per cent of businesses are majority-owned by women, up from 16.8 per cent in 2020 and 15.6 per cent in 2017.Lead researcher Wendy Cukier, the founder of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Diversity Institute, says she is also encouraged that the gender gap related to early interest in entrepreneurship and innovation is shrinking.But the study shows majority male-owned businesses have higher survival rates than majority female-owned businesses in the 14 years after their creation.Female entrepreneurs also tend to be concentrated in some sectors and underrepresented in others, and face barriers such as lack of access to capital through fi...

US company says Mexican police illegally seized property

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:48 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A U.S. company said Monday that Mexican police and soldiers have illegally entered and seized a cargo port it operates on land it owns on Mexico’s Caribbean coast. Alabama-based Vulcan Materials said the police forced their way into the Caribbean coast dock at Punta Venado, near Playa del Carmen, last week. “It should be clear that the rule of law is no longer assured for foreign companies in Mexico,” the company said in a statement. “This invasion, unsupported by legal warrants, violates Vulcan’s commercial and property rights.”Police and marines first occupied the property last Tuesday night, and they were still there as of Monday, according to the company. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has been in a dispute with Vulcan for several years. López Obrador needs the dock to get cement, crushed stone and other materials into the area to finish his pet project, a tourist train known as the Train Maya. The president shut down Vulcan’s stone quarries last ...

Biden issues first veto, taking on new Republican Congress

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:48 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden issued the first veto of his presidency Monday in an early sign of shifting White House relations with the new Congress since Republicans took control in January. He’s seeking to kill a Republican measure that bans the government from considering environmental impacts or potential lawsuits when making investment decisions for Americans’ retirement plans.It’s just the latest manifestation of the new relationship, and Biden is gearing up for even bigger fights with Republicans on government spending and raising the nation’s debt limit in the next few months.The measure vetoed by Biden ended a Trump-era ban on federal managers of retirement plans considering factors such as climate change, social impacts or pending lawsuits when making investment choices. Because suits and climate change have financial repercussions, administration officials argue that the investment limits are courting possible disaster. Critics say environmental...

Ohio State student found dead amid spring break tragedies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:48 GMT

Editor’s Note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Henry Meacock’s cause, location and date of death have not been released. A previous version of this story stated he was in Mexico for spring break at the time of his death. We regret the error.(NewsNation) — An American college student has been found dead, one of several recent tragedies that have involved university students.Henry Meacock was a student at Ohio State University. The university confirmed his death but exact details of when, where and how the student died have not been released.“The Ohio State community has suffered a tragic loss, and we extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Henry Meacock,” OSU said in a statement. The university is also directing students to the counseling center for support. Miami Beach declares curfew over spring break violence Meacock’s death is not the only tragedy to be reported as college students hit the road for spring break.Another student is on life suppor...

It’s the first day of spring: Here’s what that really means

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:48 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Spring has sprung!Monday marked the spring equinox — at least for those in the Northern Hemisphere.But what does that actually mean?WHAT IS THE SPRING EQUINOX?As the Earth travels around the sun, it does so at an angle.For most of the year, the Earth’s axis is tilted either toward or away from the sun. That means the sun’s warmth and light fall unequally on the northern and southern halves of the planet.During the equinox, the Earth’s axis and its orbit line up so that both hemispheres get an equal amount of sunlight. Cherry blossom peak bloom prediction announced The word equinox comes from two Latin words meaning equal and night. That’s because on the equinox, day and night last almost the same amount of time — though one may get a few extra minutes, depending on where you are on the planet.The spring — or vernal — equinox can land on March 19, 20 or 21, depending on the year. This year it landed on Monday at 5:24 p.m. Eastern time.WHY ARE THERE TWO KINDS OF...

Winter temps to leave then it's hello 80s

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:48 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Goodbye, winter. Your grip on this weekend's weather didn't dampen the spirits of spring breakers and SXSW goers. But, you can leave now and give us back our feel of spring. BLOG: April showers: Here's the outlook for Central Texas Spring arrives at 4:24 this afternoon with temperatures in the 50s. It does not look like we'll see much of the sun today with the possible exception of the far western Hill Country. There's just too much moisture flowing into the area. NEW BLOG: Monday could be one of our coldest spring equinoxes in Austin Mainly cloudy and cool as we transition from winter to spring Monday afternoonWinds will gust into the lower to upper 20s today. There won't be much change from that going through the entire week. Winds will be strongest Wednesday through Friday.Gusty winds from the south-southeast Monday afternoonA little drizzle/light rain/mist will greet early risers tomorrow morning. A slightly better chance for rain will be part of Tuesday's f...