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The EU wants to cure your teen’s smartphone addiction 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:25 GMT

Glazed eyes. One syllable responses. The steady tinkle of beeps and buzzes coming out of a smartphone’s speakers. It’s a familiar scene for parents around the world as they battle with their kids’ internet use. Just ask Věra Jourová: When her 10-year old grandson is in front of a screen “nothing around him exists any longer, not even the granny,” the transparency commissioner told a European Parliament event in June.Countries are now taking the first steps to rein in excessive — and potentially harmful — use of big social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. China wants to limit screen time to 40 minutes for children aged under eight, while the U.S. state of Utah has imposed a digital curfew for minors and parental consent to use social media. France has targeted manufacturers, requiring them to install a parental control system that can be activated when their device is turned on. The EU has its own sweeping plans. It’s taking bold steps with ...

Labour would ramp up UK diplomacy in Brazil and India, says Lammy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:25 GMT

LONDON — A future Labour government would seek to grow U.K. trade with emerging economies such as Brazil and India, its foreign affairs lead said.Speaking during a five-day visit to Brazil, Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy set out plans for a “new economic diplomacy,” with special “economic attaches” dispatched to boost trade with key developing nations.Lammy’s Labour Party enjoys a healthy 20 point lead in opinion polls over the ruling Conservatives. With a U.K. election due within 18 months, strategists are finessing its policy objectives in key areas such as the economy, trade and foreign affairs.On the first full day of his visit Wednesday, Lammy will meet senior figures in the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (known as Lula) in a bid to set out his party’s priorities and forge links before, if the polls prove correct, he becomes Britain’s foreign secretary.He told POLITICO: “Labour is building the relationships we will need in government now, so t...

UK banks shun companies trading with Ukraine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:25 GMT

LONDON — Banks are forcibly closing the accounts of British firms that trade with Ukrainian counterparts due to concerns over Russian sanctions and money laundering, business leaders have warned, hampering wider efforts to support Ukraine’s war-ravaged economy.In a letter to U.K. Treasury Minister Andrew Griffith, seen by POLITICO, British-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce (BUCC) Co-Chair Bate Toms said British firms are increasingly “afraid to trade with Ukraine from the U.K.” due to the risk of being de-banked.The letter, dated July 26 and also copied to U.K. Business and Trade Minister Nusrat Ghani, states the BUCC has received multiple complaints from firms who have had bank accounts closed — or their attempts to set up accounts rejected — because of dealings in Ukraine. “Conducting even one Ukrainian transaction can lead to an account being closed,” Toms wrote. “U.K. banks generally refuse to open accounts if any Ukrainian trade is contemplated.”Banks insist they ...

Boston Mayor Wu announces planned ‘Boston Delivers’ program to have electric bikes deliver cargo in Allston

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:25 GMT

A new pilot program set to launch next month will aim to trade out local delivery vehicles for “electric cargo bikes” in Allston with the goal of supporting local businesses, reducing pollution, easing congestion and improving street safety, city officials said. Dubbed “Boston Delivers,” the program is rolling out after the expansion of car-based delivery services in recent years.“There’s so many parts of traffic that are actually caused by delivery cars that are double parked or just circulating on the roads,” Mayor Michelle Wu said. Wu and the Boston Transportation Department announced Boston Delivers on Tuesday. Among comments, Wu said in a statement that officials are launching the program “to explore how to make our streets flow more smoothly and safely for everyone.”“A lot of the trips especially for close deliveries can be done much more quickly by bicycle,” Wu separately told 7NEWS Tuesday afternoon. Boston Delivers is expected to launch in mid-September and r...

Marcus Stroman won’t start Wednesday for the Chicago Cubs — and his return from the IL is uncertain — after suffering rib discomfort

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:25 GMT

Everything was lined up for Marcus Stroman’s return from the injured list to start Wednesday’s City Series finale for the Chicago Cubs.Instead of coming off the 15-day IL to take on the White Sox, it’s unclear when Stroman will make his next start due to right rib discomfort. The 32-year-old right-hander hasn’t pitched since July 31 because of right hip inflammation.A high-intensity, 50-pitch bullpen session went well Friday in Toronto, and a normal between-starts bullpen Sunday represented the last step before being activated Wednesday.However, Stroman experienced the rib discomfort later Sunday after throwing his pregame bullpen. He was getting checked out Tuesday.Right-hander Javier Assad “more than likely” will start Wednesday versus the White Sox, manager David Ross said before Tuesday’s series opener at Wrigley Field.Assad is coming off a stellar start Friday in Toronto, where he held the Blue Jays to one run and four hits in a career-...

Toddler walking in road killed by pickup truck in North County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:25 GMT

OCEANSIDE, Calif. -- A 16-month-old toddler was hit and killed by a pickup truck in Oceanside, law enforcement said.The collision occurred around 3:39 p.m. in the 3200 block of San Tomas Drive, Jennifer Atenza with the Oceanside Police Department said in a news release.A 62-year-old driver was traveling west in a white Ford F-150 on San Tomas Drive when the vehicle collided with the toddler who was walking in the roadway, according to authorities. Din Tai Fung at Westfield UTC temporarily closed for repairs First responders attempted life-saving measures on the child, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.The driver of the F-150 cooperated with officers after the crash, police said.Driving under the influence nor speed were believed to be a factor in the crash.Anyone with information regarding the collision is asked to call Traffic Collision Investigator Kevin Lissner at (760) 435-4651.

Monica Montgomery Steppe leads in early returns in District 4 Supervisor race

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:25 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Monica Montgomery Steppe was leading Tuesday night in early returns in the special election for District 4 Supervisor, though no candidate yet had the majority needed to win the race.The first batch of unofficial election results released Tuesday night after polls closed at 8 p.m. showed Montgomery Steppe with 40.71% of the vote, followed by Amy Reichert with 28.67%.If a candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, they would assume the role for the remainder of the term, which goes until January 2027. If no candidate wins a majority of the vote, a special general election between the top two vote-getters will be held on Nov. 7. Tuesday’s primary was the first election to fill the former Supervisor Nathan Fletcher’s seat on the county board following his resignation in May amid accusations of sexual misconduct in his role as chairman of the MTS board. District 4 covers the cities of La Mesa and Lemon Grove and the following areas (in alphabetical order): Alta...

Results: District 4 Supervisor special election

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:25 GMT

Unofficial, early results in the special election for District 4 Supervisor, released shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday:This page will be updated when new results are released by the Registrar of Voters.

Deadly clashes between rival militias in Libya leave 27 dead, authorities say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:25 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Deadly clashes between rival militias in Libya’s capital killed at least 27 people and left residents trapped in their homes on Tuesday, unable to escape the violence, medical authorities said. The fighting appears to be the most intense to shake Tripoli this year. There were at least four people dead but it was not immediately clear if they were militiamen or civilians, an official said. The clashes erupted late on Monday between militiamen from the 444 brigade and the Special Deterrence Force, according to local media reports. Tensions flared after Mahmoud Hamza, a senior commander of the 444 brigade, was allegedly detained by the rival group at an airport in Tripoli earlier in the day, the reports said. Over 100 people were injured in the fighting, Libya’s Emergency Medicine and Support Center, a medical body that is deployed during humanitarian disasters and wars, said early Wednesday.It is unclear how many of the dead were militiamen or civilians. The R...

Stock market today: Asia shares decline as faltering Chinese economy sets off global slide

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:25 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares declined Wednesday amid worries over discouraging data on China, as well as over the future of the U.S. economy.Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 dropped 1.1% in morning trading to 31,879.84. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dove 1.4% to 7,204.00. South Korea’s Kospi dipped 1.2% to 2,539.48. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped 1.2% to 18,364.11, and the Shanghai Composite lost 0.7% to 3,153.43.New Zealand’s central bank left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 5.5% on Wednesday. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s monetary policy committee said the headline inflation rate had declined, but core inflation remained too high. The committee said it would take a prolonged period of subdued spending to reduce inflation pressure. The New Zealand dollar was little changed on the news, trading at around U.S. $0.6.“A recent set of disappointing economic data out of China has not been encouraging for the region,” said Yeap Jun Rong, market analyst at ...