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Britain’s Conservative government pushes tax cuts in hopes of bolstering electoral chances

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:50:14 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Conservative government sought to regain the political initiative Wednesday with a series of tax cuts for businesses and individuals that it hopes will bolster its chances in a national election next year that opinion polls suggest it will lose.Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt said the British economy “had turned a corner,” allowing him to offer what he termed the biggest set of tax cuts since the 1980s.Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government is desperately searching for an economic feelgood factor to boost Conservative election fortunes. But with public finances still stretched by historical standards, economic growth muted at best and inflation still more than double the Bank of England’s target rate of 2%, experts have warned that the government hasn’t got much room for further big giveaways in the run-up to the next election.The most high-profile measure in Hunt’s autumn budget statement was a cut to national insurance — a tax that employees p...

No Haaland, so Euro 2024 could give Ronaldo, Kane & Mbappe the advantage in the race for Ballon d’Or

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:50:14 GMT

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — There will be a notable absentee from next year’s European Championship. Erling Haaland. While Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Romelu Lukaku have the chance to extend their goal-scoring records and legacies at Euro 2024, Haaland will likely be on vacation after Norway’s failure to qualify for the tournament held in June and July. That might be welcome news for Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, allowing his star striker the chance to rest after a long season. But it robs Haaland of the chance to compete for one of the biggest international prizes, having also missed out on last year’s World Cup. It could also impact his ambitions of winning the Ballon d’Or award next year and being confirmed the world’s No. 1 soccer player. International trophies are a key factor in determining who wins the sport’s biggest individual prize. Take away Lionel Messi’s World Cup triumph with Argentina last year and the B...

Police seek help from public in locating 30-year-old reported missing from Pembroke Pines

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:50:14 GMT

The Pembroke Pines Police Department is seeking the public’s help in locating 30-year-old April Davis. Davis was last seen on Sunday leaving the Egrets Walk community, and her current whereabouts remain unknown. https://twitter.com/PPinesPD/status/1727164489433330029Authorities are urging anyone with information about her disappearance to contact Detective Sammarco at 954-431-2200.

Fluorescent vomit and a racism row: Is this Europe’s clean energy future?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:50:14 GMT

An international conference this week was meant to be a European showcase for “clean hydrogen,” touted as an emissions-free fuel of the future.Instead, European Hydrogen Week descended into a bitter standoff between top EU officials, industry chiefs and environmental activists critical of the lucrative sector, who repeatedly disrupted the event in increasingly dramatic — and colorful — ways.After one protester rushed the stage on Tuesday, she appeared to fall ill. Then suddenly, clutching her stomach, the woman vomited fluorescent green fluid into a bag and onto the floor. “I’m sick,” the besuited activist shouted, “I’m sick of greenwashing!”It was a far cry from the soaring rhetoric accompanying the event’s launch on Monday. Speaking from the same stage that would soon be splattered with incandescent vomit, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed hydrogen for “its potential to power heavy industries,...

Tom Brady is not impressed with today’s NFL, says there’s ‘a lot of mediocrity’

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:50:14 GMT

(CNN) — Tom Brady may have called time on his football career, but that hasn’t stopped him from keeping a close eye on the NFL this season. And the legendary quarterback isn’t particularly impressed with what he’s been seeing.Speaking on a recent episode of “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” seven-time Super Bowl winner Brady was in a damning mood as he lamented the current standard of play in the NFL.“I think there’s a lot of mediocrity in today’s NFL. I don’t see the excellence that I saw in the past,” he said.Asked why he felt that way, Brady added: “I think the coaching isn’t as good as it was. I don’t think the development of young players is as good as it was. I don’t think the schemes are as good as they were.“I think the rules have allowed a lot of bad habits to get into the actual performance of the game. So I just think the product, in my opinion, is less than what it’s been.”Brady, who retired from the NFL in February after a 23-year career with th...

Baseball great Ichiro Suzuki throws shutout against a high school girls’ team in Japan

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:50:14 GMT

(CNN) — He may have retired from professional baseball four years ago, but Ichiro Suzuki certainly hasn’t lost his appetite for the game.Likely a future Hall of Famer for his stellar Major League Baseball (MLB) career as an outfielder, Ichiro, 50, not only still likes to play, but he’s doing it as a pitcher.A Japanese high school girls’ team found out just how well he can throw during Ichiro’s annual All-Star game on Tuesday.The game, which was first played two years ago, was set up to encourage women to play baseball in Japan – and Ichiro was certainly all in.According to MLB.com, Ichiro threw a 116-pitch, complete game shutout and struck out nine in the 4-0 victory at the Tokyo Dome.He even dusted off an 86-miles-per-hour fastball during the game which, in truth, might give some of the best hitters in the world something to think about.Ichiro was joined in the game by former MLB pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka – who played for the Boston Red Sox and New Yor...

What’s open and closed on Thanksgiving Day 2023

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:50:14 GMT

New York (CNN) — Thanksgiving Day has looked different in recent years.Sights of people lining up at 5 pm Thanksgiving Day at large retailers to catch Black Friday deals are rare since the onset of the pandemic. Many stores opted to close its doors on Thanksgiving in 2020 to limit crowding and spread out the holiday shopping season — and made the decision permanent.This year, the turkey day falls on Thursday, Nov. 23. Here’s what’s open and closed on Thanksgiving Day 2023.RetailTarget is closed on Thanksgiving Day. The closure on Thursday began for the first time in 2020.“Once I heard from team members how much they appreciated that time with their families, it was an easy decision to make the policy permanent, and our store teams have had that time off ever since,” CEO Brian Cornell said in a statement in November.Walmart also won’t be open on Thanksgiving.“It’s a thing of the past. We’ll again be closed on Thanksgiving,” Walmart (WMT) US CEO John...

Police investigate shooting in Bay Terraces

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:50:14 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A man with a gunshot wound to the chest went to the hospital Wednesday morning after being shot in Bay Terraces, authorities said.The San Diego Police Department told FOX 5 a call came in reporting a possible shooting on the 6800 block of Potomac Street around 6 a.m. A resident heard commotion outside, prompting them to call authorities. Car dealership rampage: Man suspected of smashing windows arrested A victim of unknown age drove himself to Paradise Valley Hospital to receive medical attention, police said. He was then transferred to Mercy Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Officers are investigating the scene and are still looking for a suspect. SDPD said the shooter may have ran into an apartment complex in the area.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Palestinian flags displayed by fans of Scottish club Celtic at Champions League game draws UEFA fine

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:50:14 GMT

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — The display of hundreds of Palestinian flags at a Champions League game by fans of Scottish club Celtic cost the team a fine of 17,500 euros ($19,000), UEFA said Wednesday.The fans of the Scottish champions have long publicly supported the Palestinian cause and defied requests from the club not to do so on Oct. 25 when the team hosted Atletico Madrid.UEFA charged Celtic for a “provocative message of an offensive nature” inside the stadium.Celtic was fined 20,000 euros ($21,700) by UEFA for the same charge at its previous Champions League home game against Italian club Lazio on Oct. 4. At that time, Celtic fans showed an anti-fascist display with an image of Benito Mussolini, the World War II-era Italian dictator, and a slogan using an expletive.Also Wednesday, UEFA added fines totaling 11,500 euros ($12,500) for fans lighting fireworks and blocking exit passages at the game against Atletico.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerThe Associated Press

EU lawmakers reject proposal to cut the use of chemical pesticides by 50% by 2030

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:50:14 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union lawmakers on Wednesday rejected a plan to reduce the use of chemical pesticides by 50% by 2030 and to ban all pesticide use in areas such public parks, playgrounds and schools.After a series of amendments watered down the proposal of the EU’s executive Commission, the bill was rejected in a 299 to 207 vote, with 121 abstentions. It buried the bill for good and any new proposal would need to start from scratch after June elections for members of the European Parliament. “This is a bitter blow for the protection of the environment and public health. To put it bluntly, the majority of MEPs put the profits of big agri over the health of our children and the planet,” said Sarah Wiener, a Green lawmaker who was rapporteur for the proposal.“There is not going to be a new sustainable use of pesticides regulation,” Wiener said.The European Commission said last year that current rules limiting the use of pesticides were too weak and had not been applied co...