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Blinken seeks a new extension of the Gaza cease-fire as he heads again to the Middle East

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:05 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the Biden administration would like to see a new extension of the cease-fire agreement in Israel’s war with Hamas after the current one expires to secure the release of additional hostages held by the militant group and to ramp up humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza.As he prepared to make his third visit to the Middle East since the war began with Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, Blinken said Wednesday that in addition to discussing short-term logistical and operational planning, the Biden administration believes it is imperative to discuss ideas about the future governance of Gaza if Israel achieves its stated goal of eradicating Hamas.Israel and Arab nations have resisted such discussions about future governance, with Israeli officials concentrating on the war and Arab leaders insisting the immediate priority must be ending the fighting that has killed thousands of Palestinian civilians.The extension of the current deal e...

Supreme Court to examine the power of agencies and the president

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:05 GMT

(CNN) — The Supreme Court returns to the so-called “administrative state” Wednesday, in a case that offers the conservative majority a fresh chance to pare back the authority of regulatory agencies and could potentially enhance presidential power.The case involves the reach of the Securities and Exchange Commission – established in 1934 to protect investors and maintain orderly markets – but it could also impact other federal agencies depending upon how the justices view the dispute.It’s one of several cases this term where the conservatives on the court are expected to take a hard look at the structure of government out of a belief that independent agencies unaccountable to the public have become too powerful, in violation of the separation of powers.One aspect of the case – that will be decided by July in the heat of the presidential election – concerns the tenure of administrative law judges who can only be removed for cause, and not at the whim of the president. It comes as...

Casino magnate to buy majority share of NBA’s Dallas Mavericks from Mark Cuban, reports say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:05 GMT

(CNN) — The owner of a casino empire is preparing to buy a majority share of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks franchise from billionaire businessman Mark Cuban, according to multiple media reports.The reports come as Las Vegas Sands Corp. informed the Securities and Exchange Commission Tuesday that Dr. Miriam Adelson, the company’s majority shareholder, and the Adelson family trust plans to sell $2 billion of Sands stock “to fund the purchase of a majority interest in a professional sports franchise.”The Las Vegas Sands Corp., headquartered in Nevada, owns casinos in Macao and Singapore, and used to own The Venetian on the Las Vegas Strip.The Adelson family will purchase a majority share of the Mavericks from Cuban for $3.5 billion, according to media reports that cited sources familiar with the deal. The deal will reportedly see Cuban retain partial ownership of the Mavericks franchise and remain in control of the team’s basketball operations. Cuban would al...

Gallery: Grave marker ceremony for Samuel Adams and John Hancock

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:05 GMT

Boston Tea Party holds grave marker ceremony for Samuel Adams and John Hancock at Granary Burial Grounds in Boston

56 gun control bills bring heated testimony to Beacon Hill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:05 GMT

Dozens of gun control measures under consideration by the state Legislature are plainly at odds with recent rulings by the Supreme Court and wouldn’t actually prevent gun violence or crime, firearms advocates told a legislative joint committee.However, some of the would-be gun laws might make Massachusetts safer and potentially save lives, if advanced to the full Legislature and given the governor’s signature, gun safety advocates told the same group of lawmakers.Through four hours of occasionally heated and emotional testimony during a hearing held Tuesday morning, the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security heard from both gun owners and victims of gun violence over 56 firearms-related bills, consideration of which comes just weeks after the state House passed an omnibus gun policy proposal and while the Senate considers a similar measure.“A majority of the bills have already been incorporated, in one fashion or another, into the omnibus gun bill t...

GM says strike cost $1.1B, but it can absorb rising labor costs as it raises dividend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:05 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors says pretax earnings took a $1.1 billion hit this year from a six-week strike by autoworkers, but the company expects to absorb the costs of a new contract and is even raising its dividend. The Detroit automaker on Wednesday reinstated its full-year earnings forecast that was withdrawn after the United Auto Workers began targeting the factories of Detroit automakers with strikes on Sept. 15. Those strikes continued at GM until Oct. 30.The company now predicts full-year net income of $9.1 billion to $9.7 billion, down from its previous outlook of $9.3 billion to $10.7 billion. But GM expects to generate more cash for the full year. It expects free cash flow of $10.5 billion to $11.5 billion, an increase from a previous forecast of $7 billion to $9 billion.To get there, GM expects to cut capital spending, including a slowdown in spending on electric vehicles and at Cruise, its troubled autonomous vehicle unit. California regulators revoked the San Francis...

Enbridge raising quarterly dividend next year as it expects business to grow

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:05 GMT

CALGARY — Enbridge Inc. is raising its dividend as it expects its business to continue to grow next year.The company also reaffirmed its full year guidance for 2023 for earnings before interest, income taxes and depreciation and distributable cash flow.Enbridge says it will pay a quarterly dividend of 91.5 cents per share, effective with the dividend payable on March 1, 2024, up from 88.75 cents per share.The increased payment to shareholders will come as the company expects 2024 adjusted EBITDA on its base business to total $16.6 billion to $17.2 billion. Distributable cash flow per share is expected between $5.40 and $5.80.Enbridge says the ranges for 2024 represents growth of four per cent for its base business EBITDA and three per cent for its distributable cash flow compared with the midpoint of its 2023 guidance.The guidance does not include the impact of the U.S. gas utility acquisitions announced in September that are expected to close during 2024.This report by The Canadian...

Argentina’s president-elect announces his pick for economy minister

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:05 GMT

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina’s President-elect Javier Milei announced Wednesday he has chosen Luis Caputo, a former finance minister and Central Bank chief known as an expert in markets, to lead the Economy Ministry when the right-wing leader takes office on Dec. 10.The pick confirms that Milei, a libertarian outside r, is building a more orthodox team to manage Argentina’s economy, which is suffering from red-hot inflation running at an annual rate of 143%.“Yes, the economy minister is Luis Caputo,” Milei said in a radio interview shortly after landing from a two-day trip to the United States, where he met with officials from the Biden administration. As the first finance minister in former conservative President Mauricio Macri’s government, Caputo was in charge of a debt restructuring and later became Central Bank chief. Milei has said he wants to get rid of the Central Bank.Macri’s party backed Milei in the Nov. 19 presidential runoff and now his allies are jock...

Edmunds tests the best automotive hands-free driving systems

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:05 GMT

While fully automated vehicles are still a ways off, the stepping stone of hands-free driving technology has become prevalent in the past few years. These assist systems allow drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel in certain situations. Combined with automated braking and acceleration, the feature can help make driving long distances or in congested traffic easier and less fatiguing. To better explain what’s available, the automotive experts at Edmunds put four hands-free drive systems to the test: Ford’s BlueCruise, General Motors’ Super Cruise, Tesla’s AutoPilot with Full Self-Driving Beta and BMW’s Driving Assistant Plus. FORD BLUECRUISEFord calls its hands-free driving system BlueCruise and offers it on a handful of its vehicles. BlueCruise allows for hands-free driving on most U.S. highways that don’t have traffic signals or intersections. Edmunds tested it on the electric Mustang Mach-E fitted with the latest version called BlueCruise 1.3. BlueCruise is easy to tu...

Driver caught going nearly 100 km/h over limit in Brampton said ‘he needed to use bathroom’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:05 GMT

A driver from Caledon is facing stunt driving charges after he was caught going nearly 100 km/h over the speed limit.In a post on X, Peel Regional Police say officers stopped the driver near Queen Street East and Goreway Drive in Brampton on Monday night.Police say the 26-year-old driver was pulled over just after snow began to fall. His vehicle was clocked at 153 km/h in a 60 km/h zone.The driver’s excuse for speeding was that “he needed to use the bathroom,” according to police.The driver has had his license suspended for 30 days and his vehicle impounded for two weeks.After the snow began to fall last night, a vehicle was stopped for 153km/h in a 60km/h zone. Queen Street East/Goreway Drive #Brampton.Driver, a 26-year-old man from Caledon, said he needed to use the bathroom. Charge: Stunting 30-day License suspension, 14-day impoundment pic.twitter.com/FIVtlv0xqm— Peel Regional Police (@PeelPolice) November 28, 2023