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UK diplomats plant a flag in San Francisco

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:21 GMT

A different sort of influencer has been popping up in California’s policymaking arenas: the British diplomat — and they aren’t just here to share tea and crumpets.The United Kingdom has more than doubled the number of diplomats posted in San Francisco since 2018 and now has 40 in its Northern California consulate — including policy and trade specialists who offer expertise to lawmakers and agency employees writing state policies. It’s comparable to the footprint of an embassy in a medium-sized country.California and the U.K. have always had a close relationship; the country is one of the state’s largest sources of foreign direct investment, rivaled only by Japan. Britain’s attention to California reflects the state’s growing influence in the global economy and partisan gridlock in Washington, D.C., that has made the Golden State a de facto regulator for major industries.“If you influence the state of California, that has significant heft at the federal level, too,” British...

Snow B Wan Kenobi, Sleetwood Mac, Fast and Flurryous: 12 state snow plows get creative new names thanks to MA students

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:21 GMT

A dozen Massachusetts snow plows have been christened with new names thanks to the creative minds of state elementary and middle school students. The state Department of Transportation recently announced the winners of the second annual “Name a Snowplow Contest”, which invites public school classrooms from across the commonwealth to submit names to be used for the 2023/2024 winter season. Organizers said the purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season and to help recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors during the winter season.The winning names are: Flower Plower, Edward Blizzardhands, Glacier Gobbler, Polar Pathmaker, Snow B Wan Kenobi, The Snolar Express, Sleetwood Mac, Snow Place Like Home, Snow-hemian Rhapsody, The Mayplower, Snow Monstah, Fast and Flurryous. “Keeping our roads across Massachusetts clear and safe every winter is a tough job,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-N...

Tape reveals Donald Trump pressured Michigan officials not to certify 2020 vote, a new report says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:21 GMT

Donald Trump pressured two election officials not to certify 2020 vote totals in a key Michigan county, according to a recording of a post-election phone call disclosed in a new report by The Detroit News.The former president ‘s 2024 campaign neither confirmed nor denied the recording’s legitimacy, insisting in a statement that all of Trump’s actions after his defeat to Democrat Joe Biden were taken to uphold his oath of office and ensure fair elections.Trump has consistently repeated falsehoods about the 2020 election as he runs again for the White House. No evidence has emerged in a litany of federal, state and outside investigations of voter fraud that could have changed the outcome of the election.The Nov. 17, 2020, telephone call included then-President Trump, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and Wayne County elections authorities Monica Palmer and William Hartmann, both of them Republicans, The Detroit News reported....

FDA says fake Ozempic shots are being sold through some legitimate sources

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:21 GMT

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it has seized “thousands of units” of counterfeit Ozempic, the diabetes drug widely used for weight loss, that had been distributed through legitimate drug supply sources. The FDA and the drug’s maker, Novo Nordisk, are testing the shots. They do not yet have information about the drugs’ identity, quality or safety, according to a statement. Five illnesses have been linked to the fake shots, but none have been serious, the FDA said Thursday. Some of the fake 1 milligram semaglutide shots may still be for sale, FDA said. In addition to the drug itself, the needles, pen labels, carton and accompanying health care information are also counterfeit, the agency said. It said the counterfeits were labeled with the lot number NAR0074 and serial number 430834149057. FDA advised retail pharmacies to buy authentic Ozempic only through authorized distributors and for patients to get it only through state-licensed pharmacies. Consumers can report ...

Police launch probe into alleged abduction of British teen Alex Batty who went missing 6 years ago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:21 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A criminal investigation was launched into the alleged abduction of British teenager Alex Batty, who was found last week in France six years after his mother and grandfather took him on a vacation and never returned home, Greater Manchester police said Friday. Batty, 17, returned to Oldham, near Manchester, on Saturday and was reunited with his grandmother — the legal guardian who had made frantic and emotional appeals over the years for his return. A delivery driver found Batty walking along a road in southern France in the middle of the night Dec. 13. The boy told police he had been living a nomadic lifestyle in Spain, Morocco and France with his mother and grandfather as part of a “spiritual community” and decided to leave when his mother talked about going to Finland.Authorities in France said last week that they thought his mother, Melanie Batty, could be in Finland and that his grandfather, David Batty, appeared to have died, but neither of those details seemed c...

What to stream this week: ‘America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League,’ Barbenheimer and ‘Night Court’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:21 GMT

The return of “Night Court” and new music from the K-pop act TVXQ are some of the new television, movies and music headed to a device near you.Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are a true crime story on Max, a new version of “America’s Got Talent” and a streaming guide to the year’s best films.NEW MOVIES TO STREAM— As the year winds down, most of the movie action is in cinemas. But if you’re not heading out to see “The Color Purple,” “Poor Things” or “Ferrari,” there’s no better time to catch up on some of the year’s best movies. Many of the films that made the top 10 lists of myself and AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr are available in various places to stream.If you haven’t caught up to “Barbie” or “Oppenheimer” yet, you can digitally rent Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster biopic, while Greta Gerwig’s pink-hued phenomenon is streaming on Max. Alexander Pay...

UN health agency cites tenfold increase in reported cases of dengue over the last generation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:21 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. health agency said Friday that reported cases of dengue globally increased tenfold over the last generation, with climate change and the growing spread of virus-carrying mosquitoes partly to blame for transmission that remains mostly prevalent in the Americas.The World Health Organization said reported cases soared to a record 5.2 million in 2019, up from 500,000 in 2000, across 129 countries worldwide, figures that likely understate the actual toll. In January, WHO warned that dengue posed a pandemic threat and was the world’s fastest spreading mosquito-borne disease. While there are vaccines and specially bred mosquitoes containing a bacteria called Wolbachia to fight dengue, there are no specific treatments for the virus once someone becomes infected.This year, more than 5 million cases and over 5,000 dengue-related deaths were reported, WHO said. Changing distribution patterns of the mosquitoes that spread dengue, together with higher rainfall, humidity an...

France completes military withdrawal from Niger, leaving a gap in the terror fight in the Sahel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:21 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — France on Friday completed the withdrawal of its troops after they were asked to leave Niger by the country’s new junta, ending years of on-the-ground military support and raising concerns from analysts about a gap in the fight against jihadi violence across the Sahel region of Africa.The last French military aircraft and troops departed Niger by the Dec. 22 deadline set by the junta which severed ties with Paris after the coup in July, the French Army General Staff told The Associated Press by email. France already announced this week that it would close its diplomatic mission in Niger for “an indefinite period.”However, the country would continue to be involved in the Sahel — the vast expanse south of the Sahara Desert which has been a hot spot for violent extremism — although differently, President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday during a visit to a base in Jordan. “I decided on some important reconfigurations,” Macron said. “We will continue to protect our in...

GDP flat for third straight month in Oct. as economy ‘continued to sputter’: StatCan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:21 GMT

Statistics Canada says the economy flatlined once again, with GDP showing no growth in October for the third straight month.“Canada’s economic engine continued to sputter in the fourth quarter,” said Royce Mendes, Desjardins managing director and head of macro strategy, in a note to clients.“As more households and businesses feel the impacts of higher interest rates in 2024, we expect Canada to fall into at least a mild recession. So while the economy is sputtering now, it might begin rolling backwards early in the new year.”StatCan reported services-producing industries edged 0.1 per cent higher in October, while goods-producing industries were unchanged.It also forecasted that real gross domestic product for November increased 0.1 per cent, with estimated gains in manufacturing, transportation and warehousing, and agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting partially offset by decreases in retail trade.Olivia Cross of Capital Economics said the GDP figures w...

Still haven’t bought holiday gifts? Retailers have a sale for you

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:21 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Retailers are stepping up sales and other enticements in the final days before Christmas to lure shoppers who’ve been waiting for the best deals, or who didn’t have the time or the urge to wrap up gift-buying early.Incentives to spend last minute are an extension of ongoing efforts by stores to keep shoppers engaged, an effort that began as early as October this year. Some retailers have put goods on clearance racks and shelves before the holiday to lure bargain hunters. Michaels, the arts and crafts chain, trimmed prices on holiday trees by up to 75% on Dec. 15, cuts that would typically arrive the day after Christmas.“I think this is a more challenging year than if you looked across the last decade of Christmases,” said Amanda Rassi, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Michaels. “But overall, we’re happy with how it’s come in.”There had been rising concern among retailers leading up to the holiday about the willingness of Americans to s...