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‘Sexist and undemocratic’: Pregnant MEPs demand ability to vote on maternity leave

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:58 GMT

STRASBOURG — With a year to go before the EU elections, four pregnant European Parliament members are leading a campaign with their male allies to make their workplace more hospitable to younger candidates by securing parental leave for lawmakers.Unlike members of national parliaments in countries like Spain, EU lawmakers cannot keep voting if they take time out to look after newborn children because there is no official procedure to permit parental leave and remote voting.“It’s 2023. If you’re forced to choose between your votes and your child that’s a really bad signal, especially for young women,” Lara Wolters, a Dutch MEP from the Socialists & Democrats group who’s expecting her second child, told POLITICO in an interview Thursday.The absence of just one MEP could make all the difference — as a recent flurry of finely balanced votes on legislation ranging from corporate due diligence to restoring natural habitats has shown. Even though MEPs are still p...

It’s official: Europe is awash with drugs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:58 GMT

“Everywhere, everything, everyone.”That’s the chilling finding of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA)’s 2023 annual report, which finds that illegal drugs are everywhere, pretty much any psychoactive substance can be found on the market, and no one can escape their swelling availability and subsequent ill effects.From the colleague calling in sick, to the health care workers overburdened by extra pressure, teenagers hoodwinked into crime and governments’ welfare budgets stretched, the impact of Europe’s complex dark drugs market is felt in every corner of the Continent. The report is a “a stark reminder that illicit drug problems can be found throughout our society,” said EMCDDA Director Alexis Goosdeel in a release published alongside the report.Record amounts of drugs are being seized, existing drugs are getting more potent and newly synthesized drugs keep appearing.  European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said...

At least 15 dead in Canada highway collision

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:58 GMT

(CNN) — At least 15 people have died after a truck collided with a bus carrying senior citizens in a rural portion of Canada’s Manitoba province on Thursday afternoon, according to local authorities.The bus was headed south on Highway 5 toward a casino near the town of Carberry, while the semitrailer was headed east on Highway 1, Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer Rob Lasson said in a news conference.The semitrailer struck the bus at the intersection of the two highways north of Carberry, roughly 170 kilometers (105 miles) west of Winnipeg.“Immediately it became apparent that this was a mass casualty situation,” Lasson said.In addition to the 15 killed, 10 others have been taken to a hospital, authorities said. The injured being treated included the drivers of the semitrailer and the bus, Lasson said.Twelve ambulances responded to the collision scene, as well as an air ambulance, said Jennifer Cumpsty, executive director of Acute Health Services.Manitoba has not se...

Teamsters will likely authorize a UPS strike Friday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:58 GMT

New York (CNN) — Members of the Teamsters union are almost certain to approve a massive strike at UPS in a vote concluding Friday. A prolonged work stoppage could severely damage the economy – but a strike is still more than seven weeks away, if it happens at all.Strike votes are a common part of labor negotiations, designed to give the union negotiators leverage while trying to reach an agreement. They typically pass overwhelmingly, and the majority of contract negotiations are concluded without a strike.If a strike does come, it would be the largest against a single employer in America’s history. More than 330,000 Teamsters work at UPS (UPS), making it the largest unionized employer in the private sector. And it is crucial to the nation’s economy, with an estimated 6% of the United States’ gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic activity, moving aboard UPS (UPS) trucks. It delivered 18.7 million domestic packages a day in the fir...

Authorities investigating after suspect allegedly tried setting U-Haul truck on fire, crashed into gas pump in Brockton 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:58 GMT

Police in Brockton are investigating after a suspect allegedly tried to set a U-Haul truck on fire and crashed into a gas pump early Friday morning.Both officers and Brockton firefighters were called to the area of N Montello Street around 4:25 a.m.where officials say a car struck a pump at a Prime gas station.No gas appeared to leak after the crash and according to the Brockton Fire Chief, one individual was taken to the hospital from the scene, though it was not clear if the person transported was the driver.The fire chief stated the driver was also allegedly involved in what officials are calling an arson attempt down the road.Brockton police at the scene of a U-Haul lot said the suspect attempted to set a truck on fire and also threw a brick, smashing a windshield.No details on a motive or what led up to the arson attempt or crash have been released yet.

‘A different feel’: Why the Chicago Bears defense is confident last season’s struggles are a thing of the past

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:58 GMT

When Chicago Bears safety Jaquan Brisker got his chance Wednesday afternoon, he didn’t let it float by. During 7-on-7 work at the team’s minicamp at Halas Hall, Brisker broke on a pass thrown over the middle by quarterback Justin Fields and after cornerback Jaylon Johnson appeared to get a hand on the football, he pounced.Brisker had an interception in his hands and daylight to his left. Up the sideline he went, all the way through the north end zone on Field 2 and up toward the Halas Hall weight room.Brisker’s defensive teammates erupted.It was the kind of play that lights a wick for a defense with an energy the Bears are vowing to bring much more of in 2023.All spring long, veteran safety Eddie Jackson has felt such vibes pulsing.“It’s just a different feel out there right now,” Jackson said this week, acknowledging the number of newcomers he’s still getting acquainted with as he returns from a foot injury that ended his 2022 campaign prem...

TTC adjusting acoustics on Pride chimes after commuter reactions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:58 GMT

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) say will be removing the chimes rolled out in celebration of Pride Month and adjusting the acoustics on the jingle after commuters reported being confused and taken aback by the sound.In late May, the TTC announced that “the sounds of Pride” would fill subway stations with the iconic TTC three-tone announcement chime to be performed by “Singing Out,” considered the city’s largest 2SLGBTQQIA+ community choir.They had partnered with the choir to produce three versions of the chime expected to be played before all station and platform announcements and was supposed to sound like this: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Singing Out (@singingoutlgbtq)Instead, many TTC riders have taken to social media to describe what they’re calling an awful sound, not at all in line with what is supposed to be a fun jingle.One person wrote, “The TTC sound is just awful. You have to get rid of this.”Another person tweeted, “What is this squawking ...

Greek coast guard defends rescue operation of migrants after boat disaster, as questions mount

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:58 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s coast guard defended its actions Friday in the deadly sinking of a ship carrying hundreds of migrants off the country’s south coast, indicating that a 72-hour rescue operation would be extended. Patrol boats and a helicopter continued to scour the area where the fishing vessel packed with hundreds of people capsized and sank early Wednesday. Rescuers pulled 104 people from the water and later recovered 78 bodies, but the rescue operation has failed to locate any more since late Wednesday. Several hundred others are believed to have gone down with the vessel, which sank while traveling across the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy. The rescue operation has created political controversy as Greece heads to a general election on June 25, and triggered large protests in Athens that turned violent late Thursday and led to 21 arrests. Left-wing opposition leader Alexis Tsipras visited survivors and said the coast guard should have towed the ship to...

China calls hacking report ‘far-fetched’ and accuses the US of targeting the cybersecurity industry

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:58 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China’s government on Friday rejected as “far-fetched and unprofessional” a report by a U.S. security firm that blamed Chinese-linked hackers for attacks on hundreds of public agencies, schools and other targets around the world.A foreign ministry spokesperson repeated accusations that Washington carries out hacking attacks and complained the cybersecurity industry rarely reports on them.Mandiant’s report came ahead of a visit to Beijing by Secretary of State Antony Blinken aimed at repairing relations that have been strained by disputes over human rights, security and other irritants. Blinken’s visit was planned earlier this year but was canceled after what the U.S. government said was a Chinese spy balloon flew over the United States.The report said hackers targeted email to engage in “espionage activity in support of the People’s Republic of China.”“The relevant content is far-fetched and unprofessional,” said the Chinese spokesperson, Wang ...

Swiss cyclist Gino Mäder dies from injuries suffered in crash during Tour de Suisse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:58 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — Swiss cyclist Gino Mäder died Friday, one day after crashing and falling down a ravine during a descent at the Tour de Suisse, the Bahrain-Victorious team said.The 26-year-old Mäder crashed on a fast downhill road approaching the end of the mountainous fifth stage into La Punt.“Gino lost his battle to recover from the severe injuries he sustained,” the team said in a statement. “Despite the best efforts of the phenomenal staff at Chur hospital, Gino couldn’t make it through this, his final and biggest challenge, and at 11:30 a.m. we said goodbye to one of the shining lights of our team.”Medical staff who reached Mäder found him motionless in water. They performed CPR before he was airlifted to the hospital.“Our entire team is devastated by this tragic accident, and our thoughts and prayers are with Gino’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” Bahrain-Victorious said.The Tour de Suisse is a preparation race ahead of next month’s Tour ...