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EU justice chief warns Spain over Catalan amnesty deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:54 GMT

BRUSSELS — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has just secured the key support from Catalan separatists that he needs to remain in power, but the amnesty bill his Socialist Party has promised to file in exchange for their support has kicked off a war of words between Brussels and Madrid.Thursday’s deal between Sánchez and former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont’s Junts party commits the Socialists to file a bill in the Spanish parliament that will give amnesty to those prosecuted for their involvement in the failed 2017 Catalan independence referendum. The exact scope and extension of the draft legislation, which is expected to be presented in the Spanish parliament in the coming days, has not yet been made clear.In a letter addressed to Spain’s justice and presidency ministers on Wednesday, the European Union’s Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said there were “serious concerns” about the amnesty bill, the existence of which has been the subjec...

Mike Preston’s midseason report card: Position-by-position grades for Ravens’ 7-2 start | COMMENTARY

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:54 GMT

The Ravens have won four straight games and five of their past six, but the second half of the season will be tougher.Their streak includes big wins against top NFC teams — Detroit (38-6) and Seattle (37-3) — but the Ravens (7-2) now must face division foes Cleveland and Cincinnati in back-to-back weeks, take on the Chargers and Rams, then close out the regular season at Jacksonville and San Francisco before hosting Miami and Pittsburgh.These will be different Browns (5-3) and Bengals (5-3) teams than the ones the Ravens beat earlier this season. Cleveland played without starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has missed much of the season with a shoulder injury but returned last week, and Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow lacked mobility because of an injured calf. He’s been back to his usual self amid a four-game winning streak.But that’s looking into the future. Before the second half of 2023 begins, The Baltimore Sun gives out its position-by-position gr...

Callahan: The Patriots’ midseason MVP, Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:54 GMT

It’s been a rough year in Foxboro.Playoff hopes shot before Thanksgiving, the worst nine-game start to a season since 2000, every blue-chip talent on the roster down with injury. Yet the Patriots persist.And as they trudge through the midpoint of their latest campaign, let’s hand out some hardware.Here are the Herald’s midseason awards for the 2023 Patriots.Most Improved PlayerLB Jahlani TavaiA punchline upon arrival two years ago, Tavai is now a key cog in Bill Belichick’s front seven.He is the only player on the Patriots to record a sack, a forced fumble and an interception so far this season. He’s tied for third on the team in tackles (54) and tied for fourth in pass deflections, with corners Jonathan Jones and J.C. Jackson. Tavai flips from playing on the edge to playing off the ball like no other linebacker on the roster.He’ll never reach a Pro Bowl, but Tavai has successfully established himself as an NFL starter. He’s opened all but o...

US diplomat assures Kosovo that new draft of association of Serb municipalities offers no autonomy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:54 GMT

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — The U.S. ambassador urged Kosovo’s government on Thursday to proceed with establishing an association of its Serb majority towns in order to unblock European Union-facilitated normalization talks with Serbia.U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey M. Hovenier said “there is no reason for the government of Kosovo not to move forward with this draft statute.”Normalization talks between Kosovo and Serbia have failed to make progress, particularly following a September shootout between masked Serb gunmen and Kosovo police that left four people dead and ratcheted up tensions in the region.The EU and the United States are pressing both countries to implement agreements that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti reached earlier this year. During a trip to the region at the end of last month, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told Kosovo to establish an Association of the Serb-Majority Municipalities and pushed Serbia to deliver “...

Nigeria’s president signs controversial bill for a presidential yacht and SUVs for lawmakers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:54 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s approval of a supplementary budget earmarking millions of dollars for a presidential yacht and sport utility vehicles for his wife and top government officials has again stoked anger among ordinary Nigerians over what they see as a growing economic disparity. Tinubu on Wednesday signed into law the budget that allocates $38 million for the presidential air fleet and other renovations. Some $6.1 million budgeted earlier for the the yacht was assigned by lawmakers to “student loans” – with the senate’s approval. The country’s navy said it had taken delivery of the yacht, but “it has not been paid for.”Presidential spokesperson Anjuri Ngelale defended the supplemental budget as serving to “strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture and address Nigeria’s critical infrastructure deficit, amongst other considerations.”The spokesperson said about 30% of the money would be spent on security, and another 35% on “provisi...

Quebecor reports Q3 profit and revenue up from year ago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:54 GMT

MONTREAL — Quebecor Inc. reported its third-quarter profit rose compared with a year ago as the acquisition of Freedom Mobile Inc. earlier this year helped boost revenue.The company reported $209.3 million in net income attributable to shareholders for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up from $178.4 million a year earlier.Quebecor says the profit amounted to 91 cents per share, up from 76 cents per share in the same quarter last year.Revenue for the quarter totalled $1.42 billion, up from $1.14 billion a year earlier.Quebecor says its adjusted income from continuing operating amounted to 88 cents per share, up from 75 cents per share in the same quarter last year.Last week, Quebecor’s TVA Group announced it was laying off 547 employees — nearly a third of its workforce — as part of plan that involves overhauling its news division, ending its in-house entertainment content production and optimizing its real estate assets.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, ...

No bus service in Hamilton starting today as transit workers strike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:54 GMT

Bus service is suspended in Hamilton starting Thursday with hundreds of transit workers now on strike.ATU Local 107, the union representing nearly 900 Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) workers, rejected what the city was calling its “final offer” earlier this week. The job action means transit service in the city is not operating as of Thursday morning.The city says it is putting contingency measures in place during the service disruption. A notice from the city advises residents who can’t drive or walk to use the city’s taxi services, rideshare, bikeshare, or e-scooter programs during the duration of the strike.The strike action will not impact accessible transportation services offered by DARTS, a service available to residents with disabilities.#HSRAlert Please note that the ATU Local 107 are now on strike. Therefore, no bus service will operate until further notice. DARTS service is unaffected by the strike and is operating. We appreciate your understanding ...

Avoid these 3 business mistakes during the holiday season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:54 GMT

A broken website. Sold-out items. Shipping delays. These conditions can be detrimental to small businesses during the holiday season, arguably the busiest time of year for retail sales.“We see some of our clients in one weekend — like over Black Friday, Cyber Monday — make more money that weekend than they do for the entire year. It’s a huge opportunity,” says Sharon Lee Thony, founder and CEO of SLT Consulting, a boutique digital marketing agency, and a Verizon Small Business Digital Ready instructor.Small-business owners may not be able to plan for every contingency, but identifying some of the more likely (and costly) possibilities, as well as having plans to prevent them, can help position businesses for success.Here are three of the most common mistakes small businesses make leading up to and during the holiday shopping season, and tips to avoid them.1.FAILING TO PLAN AHEADPlanning ahead is key to running a small business, but it’s even more important during the holiday season ...

Canadian Tire raises quarterly dividend, reports third-quarter loss

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:54 GMT

TORONTO — Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd. raised its quarterly dividend as it reported a loss in its latest quarter, weighed down by a one-time charge related to its deal to buy back the 20 per cent stake in Canadian Tire Financial Services that is owned by Scotiabank.The retailer says it will now pay a quarterly dividend of $1.75 per share, an increase of 2.5 cents per share.The increased payment to shareholders came as Canadian Tire reported a net loss attributable to shareholders of $66.4 million, or $1.19 per diluted share, for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of $184.9 million, or $3.14 per diluted share a year earlier.The results included a $328-million charge related to the Scotiabank transaction, offset in part by a $131-million insurance recovery related to a fire at a distribution centre in March.On a normalized basis, Canadian Tire says it earned $2.96 per diluted share in its latest quarter, compared with $3.34 per diluted share a year earlier.Revenue was $4.25...

The UK’s interior minister accuses the country’s police of favoring pro-Palestinian protesters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:54 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s interior minister on Thursday accused the country’s largest police force of being more lenient toward pro-Palestinian demonstrators than other groups, deepening a political feud sparked by the Israel-Hamas war.In a highly unusual attack on the police, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said London’s Metropolitan Police force was ignoring lawbreaking by “pro-Palestinian mobs.” She described demonstrators calling for a cease-fire in Gaza as “hate marchers.”Pro-Palestinian protests have been held in London and other British cities every weekend since the war began more than a month ago. The government has criticized organizers for planning a march on Saturday because it is Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of World War I, when many in Britain pause to remember victims of war.The march is a day before the main Remembrance Sunday commemorations, when King Charles III, senior politicians, diplomats, military leaders and veterans are to attend a wreath-laying c...