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China rejects EU’s trade deficit complaint

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:25:17 GMT

BRUSSELS — Beijing has rebuffed a complaint by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen over the EU’s trade deficit against China, a day before her summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.The EU bears responsibility for the trade imbalance as it’s stopped businesses from exporting to China, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday, responding to von der Leyen’s call on China to open up access to its market.“If the EU on the one hand imposes harsh restrictions on high-tech exports, and on the other hopes to sharply increase exports to China, that I’m afraid doesn’t make sense,” Wang told a regular press conference.Wang’s comment appeared to refer to restrictions on exports of the most advanced lithography tools, made by Dutch market leader ASML, that are used to print the most powerful computer chips.He added that part of the profits generated from Chinese trade surpluses are earned by European comp...

Snowy Scene For Some

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:25:17 GMT

Before you get the snow, you need the cold, and temps this morning are cold enough to support snow across many locations. Moisture is limited away from the coast, so patchy light snow showers/flurries are present there, but other than spotty light dustings of snow, not much is falling. Close to the coast, close to an inch of snow fell overnight across Cape Ann and heavier and steadier bursts of snow have dropped even more across parts of Plymouth County. That is where the focus of the falling snow will be for the morning commute, as we’ll see snow covered untreated roads and reduced visibility at times. Snow continues across Plymouth County and parts of the Cape through mid to late morning, before drying out this afternoon. Many locations east of Route 24 to Route 3 will pick up 1-2″ of snow with isolated pockets of 3″ in a few towns. Even the western Cape picks up a coating to a couple inches. It’ll be dry and cold this afternoon with highs in the 30s. We...

Denny Laine, co-founder of bands Wings and The Moody Blues, dies at 79

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:25:17 GMT

(CNN) — Denny Laine, co-founder of bands Wings and The Moody Blues and longtime collaborator of Paul McCartney, died on Tuesday morning, according to Laine’s wife Elizabeth Hines. He was 79.Hines wrote in a post on Laine’s official Instagram account that Laine had “been in ICU on a ventilator this past week.” She said Laine had Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD), which “is unpredictable and aggressive.”“He fought everyday. He was so strong and brave, never complained,” she wrote.In 1971, Laine helped form Wings alongside Paul and Linda McCartney. They released their debut album “Wild Life” that same year, and followed up with their second album, 1973’s “Red Rose Speedway,” which brought them their first No. 1 hit with “My Love.”Wings’ most iconic musical offering was their 1973 album “Band on the Run. The album became one of the top-selling British albums of 1974 and reached No. 1 in US. It includes hits such as the title track “Band on the Run,” plus “Jet,” “L...

House Speaker Johnson wants to blur January 6 footage to protect Capitol rioters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:25:17 GMT

(CNN) — House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday that before publicly releasing footage of the US Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, the faces of the mob will be blurred to protect them from the Justice Department.The Louisiana Republican said during a news conference that he wants to make sure rioters don’t get prosecuted.“We’re going through a methodical process of releasing them as quickly as we can,” Johnson said. “As you know, we have to blur some of the faces of persons who participated in events of that day because we don’t want them to be retaliated against and to be charged by the DOJ and to have other, you know, concerns and problems.”He added: “So that’s a slow process to get it done.”Federal investigators and prosecutors already have footage from the Capitol’s security cameras and have used it to charge and prosecute members of the mob that day.But online sleuths and individuals from the public have previously helped to identify many people from images take...

OBF: Written in stone: Pats haven’t hit rock bottom

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:25:17 GMT

The Patriots have hit “rock bottom” more times this season than Wile E. Coyote bouncing down a cliff.They are not going to run out of “rocks” or “bottoms” any time soon.Sunday, the Chargers zapped Zappe & Company in a 6-0 soulless loss. By now you know these Patriots are the first team since the mighty 1938 Chicago Cardinals to allow 10 points or fewer in three straight games only to lose all three.Rock bottom?Yes. For now.But the Patriots are in line for a string of upcoming “rock bottoms” that could leave them so deep they’ll emerge in China.Thursday, the Patriots visit Pittsburgh. This roster is so devoid of talent that the Amazon Prime hype slide last week featured an image of Bill Belichick as the most notable Patriot.Sadly, neither Samuel Adams, Sam Adams, John Adams, nor Julius Adams is still with us. This nationally televised game is set to feature Zappe and Mitch Trubisky as the starting quarterbacks.The points total for Thursday’s game as of this writing was 30. The nu...

Great news for skiers: Black Mountain is back

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:25:17 GMT

First, a declaration of bias from this journalist: I have a soft spot in my heart for Black Mountainin Jackson, N.H.I looked down on the snowy white tree-lined trails every day from the peak of the nearby ski area I grew up at – now defunct Tyrol Mountain. I headed over to Black often; usually with some of my great local friends who knew the mountain well. I competed in freestyle jumping there and every time I ski that trail now, I harken back to those glory days.It was one of my very favorite apres spots when I came to that age, and is to this day, I like to get back there and experience it all: the lovely, narrow, woodlined classic eastern trails, the fun albeit aged base lodge and pub, the upscale but kicked back dinners at The Shovel Handle and, yes, even the semi-slow ride on the lovely, classic red double chair.It’s the first place I ever skied with my now husband of 40 years.I still cherish my now very old and priceless-to-me season passes from the place. So when I heard it w...

Suspects sought in smash-and-grab jewellery store robbery at Yorkdale Mall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:25:17 GMT

Police are looking for three suspects following a smash-and-grab robbery at a high-end jewellery store inside a Toronto mall that was still open to shoppers.Officers were called to Yorkdale Mall around 8:45 p.m. Tuesday night for reports of a robbery in progress.It is alleged that three male suspects entered the Cartier store and smashed display cases before making off with an unknown amount of product. The mall closes its doors to the public at 9:30 p.m. No injuries were reported.The Cartier store at Yorkdale Mall is the subject of a brazen smash grab just before closing time Tuesday night. Three smashed display cases. Unknown value of product taken from the high end jeweller. Police looking for three suspects.Listen Live: https://t.co/lu38IDAvEK pic.twitter.com/R5KrG5h7Rz— Alex Bloomfield (@AlexCityNews) December 6, 2023Police are searching for three male suspects:#1 – a male wearing a black toque, black face mask, black sweater, black backpack, brown pants and white s...

A new Homeland Security guide aims to help houses of worship protect themselves

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:25:17 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new guide from the Department of Homeland Security released Wednesday aims to help churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship protect themselves at a time of heightened tensions in faith-based communities across the country.The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, an arm of Homeland Security, works with faith groups across the country to help them prepare for and prevent targeted violence against their facilities and their members. David Mussington, who’s in charge of infrastructure security at CISA, says the goal of the 16-page document is to give useable information in a format that’s easy to understand. “It’s designed to be clear, to be less jargon-filled and to provide guidance and assistance in getting assistance from us,” Mussington said.The guidance, dubbed “Physical Security Performance Goals for Faith-Based Communities,” outlines how faith groups can better protect themselves: keeping landscaping like hedges trimme...

Edmunds recommends the best all-wheel-drive SUV alternatives

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:25:17 GMT

You can find all-wheel drive on most new SUVs on sale today, and some of the most popular models even come standard with this feature. All-wheel drive can be beneficial for the additional traction it provides on slippery or icy roads, especially when you’re trying to accelerate from a stop or up a hill. But what if you want all-wheel drive without the SUV? After all, SUVs are typically less fuel-efficient and more expensive than a comparably sized sedan or hatchback. Fortunately, there are options for shoppers seeking SUV alternatives with all-wheel drive. Edmunds’ experts have picked five of their favorites. The following prices include destination charges. AFFORDABLE HATCHBACK: 2024 SUBARU IMPREZAOf course, one of the main reasons you may be worried about not having an SUV is storage space. The Subaru Impreza is a nice alternative. Drop the rear seats in the Impreza and you’ll have 56 cubic feet of storage space to work with, which is about what a typical subcompact SUV offers. Th...

Biden will sign an executive order on federal funding for Native Americans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:25:17 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Wednesday during a tribal nations summit that aims to make it easier for Native Americans to access federal funding and have greater autonomy over how to invest those funds. “Tribal nations still face unacceptable barriers to fully exercising their inherent sovereignty, and really too often that occurs because of the way we are administering federal funding programs,” said Neera Tanden, White House domestic policy adviser. Historically, Tanden said, federal policies attacked Native people’s rights to self-governance and caused lasting economic damage. The Biden administration is working to undo that damage, she said. The order in part creates a clearinghouse for Native American tribes to find and access federal funding, and it requests that federal agencies ensure that funding is accessible and equitable. The order will be unveiled on the first day of an annual summit, when Biden is expected to address...