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Tea and nickel on the agenda as Biden hosts Indonesian president

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:44:10 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will host Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the White House on Monday, one day before the U.S. leader leaves for San Francisco to attend a summit of Asian leaders.The two presidents will share an afternoon tea and meet with top advisers, according to senior administration officials who insisted on anonymity to preview the schedule. They will also talk about ways to expand the trade of critical minerals like nickel, which can be used to produce electric vehicle batteries. Indonesia is the world’s largest producer of nickel.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said they “will explore opportunities to enhance cooperation on the clean energy transition, advance economic prosperity, bolster regional peace and stability, and reinforce our people-to-people ties.”Biden’s meeting with Widodo comes shortly before he sits down with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Indones...

New ‘joint employer’ rule could make it easier for millions to unionize – if it survives challenges

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:44:10 GMT

A new federal rule that goes into effect next month could make it easier for millions of workers to form unions at big companies like McDonald’s. But it’s already facing significant pushback from businesses and some members of Congress.The rule — announced late last month by the National Labor Relations Board –- sets new standards for determining when two companies should be considered “joint employers” under the National Labor Relations Act.It sounds wonky. But essentially, the rule could widen the number of companies that must participate in labor negotiations alongside their franchisees or independent contractors. For example, it might require Burger King to bargain with workers even though most of its U.S. restaurants are owned by franchisees. Or it could require Amazon to negotiate with delivery drivers who are employed by independent contractors. “It’s trying to take in the realities of today’s workforce, when many employers subcontract out work and say, ‘Oh, we’re not the emp...

EU nations condemn Hamas for what they describe as use of hospitals, civilians as ‘human shields’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:44:10 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The 27 European Union nations have jointly condemned Hamas for what they described as the use of hospitals and civilians as “human shields” in the war against Israel.EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said Monday that at the same time the bloc asked Israel “for maximum restraint and targeting in order to avoid human casualties.”At a meeting of the bloc’s foreign affairs ministers, Borrell brandished a statement he issued on behalf of the 27 nations as a show of unity following weeks of often contrasting statements on how the group should address the Israel-Hamas war.“You know how difficult it has been the last times, after the vote in the United Nations, where countries were voted in different ways, to present a completely united approach,” Borrell said. Only hours after EU leaders professed unity over the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 28, the member states were totally split in a vote on a General Assembly resolution calling for humanitarian truces in Gaza lead...

Ex-Prime Minister David Cameron makes shock return to UK government as foreign secretary

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:44:10 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Former British Prime Minister David Cameron made a shock return to high office on Monday, becoming foreign secretary in a major shakeup of the Conservative government that also saw the firing of divisive Home Secretary Suella Braverman.Cameron, who led the government between 2010 and 2016, was appointed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a Cabinet shuffle in which he sacked Braverman, a divisive figure who drew anger for accusing police of being too lenient with pro-Palestinian protesters.She was replaced by James Cleverly, who had been foreign secretary.Cameron’s appointment came as a surprise to seasoned politics-watchers. It’s rare for a non-lawmaker to take a senior government post, and it has been decades since a former prime minister held a Cabinet job.The government said Cameron will be appointed to Parliament’s unelected upper chamber, the House of Lords. The last foreign secretary to serve in the Lords, rather than the elected House of Commons,...

Thousands flee Gaza hospital, health officials say, but many, including babies, still trapped

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:44:10 GMT

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Thousands of people have fled Gaza’s largest hospital as Israeli forces and Palestinian militants battle outside its gates, but hundreds of patients, including dozens of babies at risk of dying because of a power blackout, remained inside, health officials said Monday.With only intermittent communications, it was difficult to reconcile competing claims from the Israeli military, which said it was providing safe corridors for people to escape intense fighting in the north and move south, and Palestinian health officials inside Shifa Hospital, who said the compound was surrounded by constant heavy gunfire.The military also said it had placed 300 liters (79 gallons) of fuel near the hospital to help power its generators, but that Hamas militants had prevented staff from reaching it. The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza disputed that and said the fuel would have provided less than an hour of electricity.World Health Organization Director-General Tedro...

Waterford-Halfmoon girls soccer repeats as state champs; shares title with Mount Academy

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:44:10 GMT

HOMER, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- It's a special thing to win back-to-back section titles, which the Waterford-Halfmoon girls soccer team did two weeks ago with a victory over Stillwater. But to claim back-to-back state titles is legacy-type stuff. And this year's Fordians squad etched their name in the Waterford-Halfmoon record books Sunday afternoon. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Meghan Reynolds' bunch battled with Section IX's Mount Academy to a 2-2 double-overtime tie in the Class C state championship game played out at Homer High School. No goals were scored in the two 15-minute, sudden death OT periods, and penalty kicks are not held in the championship round, so the two sides were declared co-champions - the second straight year Waterford has claimed at least a share of the title; they won outright last year.Finishing the season with a tie in the final game took some steam out of the Fordians' celebration, and the mood wasn't wh...

No. 1 Saint Rose takes down Adelphi to win NE10 title

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:44:10 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The College of Saint Rose women's soccer team defeated Adelphi 4-1 in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship today at Sullivan Field. The triumph marks the fourth consecutive NE10 championship victory for the Golden Knights and the 11th league title in program history. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Junior forward Mia Klammer finished with two goals and an assist to claim the honor of Most Outstanding Player during the league's postseason.Junior back Ryleigh Hopeck also finished with a goal and an assist, while freshman midfielder Brielle Zink totaled two helpers as well.After Adelphi took a 1-0 lead with an unassisted score by Kayleigh Goodrich in the sixth minute, the Golden Knights rattled off four answered goals to claim the victory in a rematch of last fall's NE10 championship contest.Trailing 1-0, Mia Klammer and Hopeck scored three minutes apart to provi...

Average EU farm income continues to increase

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:44:10 GMT

The latest EU Farm Economics Overview (FEO) shows that average EU farm income grew to reach EUR 28,800 per worker in 2021. The increase over the last decade can be attributed to a faster growth of the production value than the cost growth, leading to a higher total income per farm, and to a decrease in the number of farm workers.The FEO also finds that nearly all types of farming showed an increase in income compared to 2020 (13.6% on average), with the exception of pigs and poultry. However, despite falling prices and higher costs, the income of farms specialising in pigs and poultry remained the highest (EUR 43,400 per worker) compared to other agricultural sectors.Regarding income differences, the highest farm incomes are still to be found in the north-western regions of the EU, while the lowest are in the Eastern part. The analysis also found that a gender gap remains for almost all member states, sectors, and sizes of farms, though it is reducing over time. Finally, concer...

Word Game: Nov. 13, 2023

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:44:10 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — MISLED (MISLED: mis-LED: Caused to lead in a wrong direction.)Average mark 17 wordsTime limit 30 minutesCan you find 22 or more words in MISLED? The list will be published tomorrow.SATURDAY’S WORD — ANEURYSM aery amen amuse arms army name near nurse earn easy unarm uneasy unsay urea user ramen ream ruse yarn year yearn yuan same sane saner sayer seam seamy sear senary serum smear smeary snare suer sure surname mane manse manure many mare maser mean means menu mesa muse mynaTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or ...

Bridge: Nov. 13, 2023

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:44:10 GMT

“My life is about to become idyllic,” Cy the Cynic told me. “I found a book online titled `How to solve 50 percent of your problems.'”“So now everything will be perfect?” I frowned.“I ordered two copies,” the Cynic said.A finesse will work 50 percent of the time, though some players might dispute that notion. But some finesses can be problem-solvers whether they work or not. At today’s four spades, South ruffed the third club and next took the three top trumps. He hoped for a friendly break, but West had J-7-6-2.DOWN THREESouth couldn’t lead another trump — West would cash clubs — so he led a diamond to dummy and returned a heart to his jack. He went down three when West won and took his jack of trumps and two clubs.At Trick Four, South should lead a trump and finesse with dummy’s nine. As the cards lie, he makes an overtrick. If East had the jack, South would still be safe: If East led a heart, South coul...