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European Commission rebuffs calls to retract US antitrust hire

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:30 GMT

The European Commission said there are no grounds to reverse the choice of a U.S. professor for a sensitive competition post after four European Parliament groups called for the job pick to be retracted.Renew Europe, the European People’s Party, Socialists and Democrats and Greens sent a letter to Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager on Friday, expressing “dismay” over the appointment of Fiona Scott Morton as chief competition economist this week. It is the first time a non-EU person has held such a senior Commission post.Commission spokesperson Dana Spinant told reporters on Friday that there is no good reason for the Commission to change course. “Following the recruitment process, the College endorsed the proposal to appoint this person to this position, the decision was made and we see no ground to reconsider,” she said.Lawmakers earlier told Vestager to “reverse the decision taken by the College” on July 11. “Though we recog...

One man killed, another injured in Pittsburg shooting

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:30 GMT

PITTSBURG — A shooting left one man dead and another seriously injured Friday afternoon in Pittsburg, police said.Officers were dispatched to the 2100 block of Crestview Lane around 5:10 p.m. for a report of a shooting, the Pittsburg Police Department said in a news release. Around the same time, a man pulled into the police department’s parking lot and summoned officers to his vehicle.The driver and his passenger were both suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, police said.Officers provided medical aid to the victims until paramedics arrived. Police said the passenger, a 24-year-old Antioch man, died of his injuries. The driver, a 21-year-old Antioch man, was taken to a hospital, where he was listed in serious but stable condition.Officers found evidence of a shooting in the 2100 block of Crestview Drive, police said.Anyone with information related to the case can contact the police department at 925-646-2441.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Oakland: 8-year-old...

Biden’s China diplomacy spree hits Republicans’ great wall of scorn

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:30 GMT

Beijing is about to get its third marquee visit from a top U.S. official in the span of a month. But for now, they’re mostly talking for the sake of talking.President Joe Biden’s climate envoy John Kerry will be in Beijing for four days of meetings starting Sunday — on the heels of recent visits by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. His task: Nudge the Chinese government to honor its commitments to reduce planet-warming methane emissions and “transition away from coal,” Kerry told a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing Thursday. The first step to all that: simply restarting stalled climate talks.While Beijing continues to refuse to renew high-level military communications between the two countries, the visits by high-level officials show that Biden’s predicted “thaw” is happening at least in some areas.Chinese paramount leader Xi Jinping declared meaningful results from Blinken’s trip last month. “The two s...

Europe still waiting on US to formally approve F-16 training

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:30 GMT

Nearly a dozen European countries that pledged this week to train Ukrainian pilots are still waiting on the U.S. to formally approve the program before instruction on American F-16 fighter jets can begin, according to U.S. and European officials involved in the discussions.A coalition of 11 nations, led by Denmark and the Netherlands, formally agreed to train Ukrainians to fly F-16s and potentially other fighter aircraft at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, this week. European officials have said they hope to begin the program in August in Denmark, and a training center will also be set up in Romania.But instruction on F-16s can’t actually start until the State Department formally signs off on the request to transfer instruction manuals, flight simulators and other materials associated with the jets — and that hasn’t happened yet.While President Joe Biden has promised to green-light the program, the formal request “is still being reviewed,” said Lt. Col. Garron Garn, a Pentagon...

Last-place Yankees’ bats, Carlos Rodón come up short in loss to Rockies to open second-half

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:30 GMT

DENVER — With a new hitting coach, mile-high altitude and an opposing starter with a 6.40 ERA working in their favor, the Yankees seemed primed for an offensive outburst at Coors Field on Friday.They scored two runs instead.Those came off the bat of Giancarlo Stanton, who laced a two-run, 455-foot homer off Colorado lefty Austin Gomber in the first inning. The blast started the Sean Casey era and the second half with a bang, but the tied for last place Yankees didn’t score again in a 7-2 loss to the last-place Rockies, who entered the game with the worst ERA in the National League.The Yankees had a chance to tack on more runs in the sixth, when Stanton led off with a bloop double. But Anthony Rizzo, Harrison Bader and Josh Donaldson all recorded outs as the Yankees’ offense continued to sputter like it did for much of the first half.Carlos Rodón, meanwhile, came up short in his second start for the Yankees. The southpaw totaled four hits, four earned runs, one...

Canada lifts education requirement for Hong Kong immigrants

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:30 GMT

Vancouver resident Calvin Wong says he can finally start picturing a future in Canada after the federal government announced it was dropping educational requirements for Hong Kongers seeking permanent residency in the wake of the Chinese city’s crackdown on dissent.Wong, 28, had graduated from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology with a computer science degree in 2017 before moving to Canada on a work permit in 2021, looking for a life where he could enjoy “political freedom.”But immigration pathways for Hong Kong residents that have allowed thousands to settle permanently in Canada excluded Wong because it has been more than five years since he graduated.That will change from August 15, after Ottawa announced on Tuesday it would remove all educational requirements for people with at least a year of work experience in Canada.Immigration consultants say the move effectively opens pathways for Hong Kongers of all ages, instead of the current focus on st...

Daily horoscope for July 15, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:30 GMT

Moon Alert: Avoid shopping or making important decisions from 8:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. EDT today (5:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. PDT). After that, the Moon moves from Gemini into Cancer.Happy Birthday for Saturday, July 15, 2023:You appreciate art, beauty and intellectual discoveries. You sometimes have a strong effect on people, whether you know it or not. This is a slower-paced year. Take time to focus on relationships, especially those that will benefit you and help you. Take time to rejuvenate yourself.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★★It’s Saturday, and this weekend is an excellent time for family discussions. Be open to listening to the advice of someone older or more experienced, because, let’s face it, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. It’s also a lovely day to schmooze and enjoy playful times with kids and sports. Tonight: Advice.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★★Short trips, errands, appointments and interactions with siblings, relatives and neighbors will make thi...

Miss Manners: What can I do when other people’s stuff is where I want to sit?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:30 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Does etiquette provide guidance on dealing with inanimate objects that are unaccompanied by their owners?Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: Was I wrong not to let this man have the parking space? Advice | Miss Manners: Their insinuating comments are getting on my nerves Advice | Miss Manners: I’m fed up with being told I’m using offensive words Advice | Miss Manners: I drove three days, then she said there was no room for me Advice | Miss Manners: She’s supposed to be a friend, but she drops innuendo about my marriage I swim laps daily at a recreation center. In the locker room, there are approximately 100 lockers and just two relatively narrow benches for patrons to utilize as they are changing.What should I do when the bench is largely occupied by things like empty baby carriers, gym bags, clothes or buckets of toiletries, leaving no place to comfortably change ...

Brentwood: Altercation ends in two males shooting each other

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:30 GMT

BRENTWOOD — Two people shot and injured each other Friday night in Brentwood, police said.The shooting was reported at 7:45 p.m. in the 800 block of Marjoram Drive, the Brentwood Police Department said in a statement.An initial investigation revealed two males were involved in an altercation before they exchanged gunfire, police said. Both were taken to hospitals, one of them with serious injuries.Officers detained others at the scene as part of the investigation, police said.A motive has not been identified, but police described the shooting as an “isolated incident with no apparent threat to public safety.”Anyone with information related to the case can contact detectives at 925-809-7911.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | One man killed, another injured in Pittsburg shooting Crime and Public Safety | Oakland: 8-year-old boy gravely injured in I-580 shooting Crime and Public Safety | Man shot in West Oakland on Thursday night C...

Dear Abby: The bride’s father is throwing a fit about the wedding

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:40:30 GMT

DEAR ABBY: My daughter, “Jessica,” is getting married. My husband offered to pay for most of the wedding. Jessica and her fiance happily accepted the offer.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: She makes Christmas a nightmare with her bizarre demands Advice | Dear Abby: If my wife calls me schlubby, can I point out she’s fat? Advice | Dear Abby: My wife says I’m too sensitive about her lovers Advice | Dear Abby: What can I do about my husband’s embarrassing sneeze? Advice | Dear Abby: My ex-wife says these kids are my grandchildren. I’m not so sure. My husband is now insisting that all of his aunts, uncles and cousins be invited, which means that Jessica and her fiance will have to eliminate nearly all of their friends from the guest list. Note: None of my aunts, uncles or cousins are invited, but I am OK with that.My husband is now threatening not to attend the wedding ...