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WSJ: McDonald’s to close offices briefly ahead of layoffs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:14 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A report says McDonald’s has closed its U.S. offices for a few days as the company prepares to inform employees about layoffs. The Wall Street Journal cited an internal email from the Chicago-based fast-food giant saying U.S. corporate staff and some employees overseas should work from home while the company notifies people of their job status. McDonald’s did not immediately reply to emailed requests for comment. The report said McDonald’s would inform its employees this week about staffing decisions that are part of a wide restructuring of the company announced earlier. Though the U.S. labor market remains strong, layoffs have been mounting, mainly in the technology sector, where many companies over-hired after a pandemic boom. IBM, Microsoft, Amazon, Salesforce, Facebook parent Meta, Twitter and DoorDash have all announced layoffs in recent months.Policymakers at the Federal Reserve have forecast the unemployment rate may rise to 4.6% by the end of this year, a siz...

EU's von der Leyen is in the running to be new NATO chief

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:14 GMT

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (pictured) is in the running to be the new head of NATO, The Sun newspaper reported on Friday (31 March), citing a diplomatic source.A number of NATO member states have suggested von der Leyen would take over the alliance this October, the report said.NATO's current Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is expected to end his term as planned in October, after his mandate has been extended three times and having served for a total of almost nine years.The Sun report, citing UK sources, also said Britain would likely veto von der Leyen, who was the former German defense minister, citing her poor track record in charge of Germany's Armed Forces.German newspaper Welt am Sonntag has reported that Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Britain's Defence Secretary Ben Wallace were among the leading candidates to succeed Stoltenberg.

Ukraine vows never to forget or forgive on Bucha anniversary

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:14 GMT

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated Friday (31 March) that the country would not forgive Russian troops for the atrocities committed in Bucha. The anniversary of Bucha's recapture was marked by a celebration near Kyiv.In late March 2013, Ukrainian forces retook control of Irpin and Bucha, two small towns located to the northwest Kyiv. This was after the Russian invasion force gave up their attempts to seize the capital.Moscow refutes accusations of executions, tortures, and rapes by its occupying forces who abandoned bodies on the streets after they fled."Russian evil will fall right here in Ukraine and will never rise again," Zelenskiy said. Zelenskiy, who led a ceremony in Bucha that saw the Ukrainian flag raised, stated that humanity will prevail.The president presented medals to soldiers involved with the recapturing of the town. Relatives received medals in memory of those who had died."When Bucha became de-occupied, we realized that the devil wasn't out there, but w...

Infant killed after driver hits family walking on sidewalk in Orange County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:14 GMT

An 11-month-old child was killed Sunday in Orange County after a driver lost control of his vehicle, hopped a curb and struck a family of three as they were walking on the sidewalk, authorities announced.  The incident occurred at around 4:15 p.m. near Antonio Parkway and Oak Tree Lane in the Las Flores area, according to California Highway Patrol.  Authorities said a 54-year-old San Clemente man was traveling northbound on Antonio Parkway in a 2017 Hyundai Sonata when he left the roadway for an unknown reason and hit the family as they were walking with their child in a stroller on the sidewalk.  The 34-year-old man, 31-year-old woman and their infant, residents of Rancho Santa Margarita, were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. CHP officials said that despite the efforts of Orange County Fire Authority paramedics, hospital doctors and nurses, the child succumbed to its injuries and was pronounced dead at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo.  The 54-year-old driver...

4 hurt in German hospital fire, suspect detained

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:14 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Four people were seriously hurt in an overnight fire at a hospital in Berlin, including a patient who sustained life-threatening injuries, authorities said Monday. A man was detained in connection with the blaze.The fire on the third floor of the Klinikum am Urban in the German capital was extinguished early Monday morning, the fire service said. Three patients and a nurse were seriously injured, among them a patient who got stuck in an elevator and whose life was in danger. Forty people were evacuated as smoke spread through the building.Firefighters said the blaze appeared to have started with burning beds in a corridor, but it wasn’t immediately clear how they caught fire, German news agency dpa reported. Police said a man was arrested and arson couldn’t be ruled out.Source

Prohíben uso de TikTok a personal de la OTAN en sus dispositivos

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:14 GMT

(CNN) — La Organización del Tratado del Atlántico Norte (OTAN) prohibió oficialmente a su personal que descargue la aplicación de redes sociales TikTok en sus dispositivos proporcionados por la OTAN, alegando problemas de seguridad, según dos funcionarios de la OTAN familiarizados con el asunto.Los funcionarios de la OTAN enviaron una nota al personal el viernes por la mañana anunciando la prohibición, dijeron los funcionarios. La nota hizo oficial la prohibición, pero TikTok no era realmente utilizable en los dispositivos de la OTAN antes, de todos modos, dijeron los funcionarios, debido a las restricciones internas de tecnología.EE.UU. prohíbe el uso de TikTok en dispositivos gubernamentales“La ciberseguridad es una prioridad máxima para la OTAN. La OTAN tiene requisitos sólidos para determinar las aplicaciones para uso oficial de negocios. TikTok no es accesible en los dispositivos de la OTAN”, dijo un alto funcionario de la OTAN a CNN.La OTAN es el último organ...

'Son of a Sinner' Jelly Roll reigns at CMT Music Awards show

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:14 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — “Son of a Sinner” singer Jelly Roll was the big winner at the CMT Music Awards, as the rapper-turned-country singer took home three awards on Sunday as an outsider who won over fans with his confessional songs. The tattooed singer got emotional during the show in Austin, Texas, which aired on CBS, as he thanked the country radio industry for its acceptance and shouted out to those who felt like him. “You can be whatever you want to be. I promise you that. I told them that I wanted to be a country singer and I am standing here at the CMT Awards with the male video of the year, baby,” he shouted.Earlier in the night, he brought a choir out for his prayer-themed song “Need a Favor” and got the crowd to raise their hands to the roof. The show started off with a somber tone as country singer and co-host Kelsea Ballerini read off the names of six victims of a school shooting killed Monday in Nashville, Tennessee. She noted how she shared their pain, explaining that...

Paris votes to ban shared e-scooters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:14 GMT

The city of Paris on Sunday voted overwhelmingly to ban shared e-scooters — becoming the first European capital to do so.“Parisians have massively expressed themselves against keeping shared e-scooters,” Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said. “They have given us a very clear roadmap, and we are going to abide by their decision.”Eighty-nine percent voted to ban the scooters, but the landmark referendum was marked by sky-high abstention rates, with only around 8 percent of registered Parisian voters casting ballots.The streets of Paris will be cleared from shared e-scooters by September 1, the mayor said. That’s the date by which the contract expires which currently allows three companies — Dott, Tier and Lime — to each operate 5,000 e-scooters in Paris.Paris welcomed e-scooters in 2018, under the leadership of Hidalgo. But the scooters soon caused security concerns, at least in part due to careless riding, as well as over their true environmental footprint and t...

Palestinians say 2 killed in Israeli army raid in West Bank

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:14 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Two Palestinian men were killed by Israeli troops in an army raid in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus on Monday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, the latest in a year-long spike of violence that shows no sign of abating. The Israeli military said that troops arrested two people suspected of assisting a gunman who shot two soldiers in the occupied West Bank town of Hawara last month. The army said its soldiers came under fire during the raid and shot back, confirming “hits.” Violence has surged in recent months in the West Bank and east Jerusalem amid near-daily Israeli arrest raids in Palestinian-controlled areas and a string of Palestinian attacks.The U.S. has tried to broker talks between Israel, Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinians to try to defuse tensions during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, now in its second week. At least 88 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli or settler gunfire this year, according to an Associated Press tally. Palestinian a...

Zelenskyy to visit Warsaw to meet with Poles, Ukrainians

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:14 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will pay a visit to Warsaw this week that will include a visit with regular Ukrainians and Poles, the Polish president’s office announced on Monday.The visit is scheduled for Wednesday and will begin with an official meeting between Zelenskyy and his host, Polish President Andrzej Duda, and be followed by a meeting with the public, according to an announcement on the presidential website in Warsaw.Marcin Przydacz, the head of Duda’s international office, told radio broadcaster RMF FM that Zelenskyy will meet with Ukrainians and Poles at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, and that Zelenskyy says he wants to thank Poles for helping Ukrainians.Poland, a NATO and European Union nation on Ukraine’s western border, was the first stop for many of the refugees who fled war at home. Many chose to remain, with more than 1.5 million registering with the government.The Associated Press