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New Hampshire Senate votes to protect presidential primary

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:11 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire’s prominent place in the presidential nominating calendar would be enshrined in the state’s constitution under a measure that won unanimous support Thursday in the state Senate.If 60% of the House agrees, voters would be asked in November 2024 whether to add language to the constitution mirroring an existing state law that requires the primary to be held at least seven days before any similar contest. It was one of two bills passed by the Senate as a rebuke to the Democratic National Committee, which last month approved replacing the Iowa caucus with the South Carolina primary in the leadoff position in 2024 and having New Hampshire share the second slot with Nevada.The shakeup, championed by President Joe Biden as a way to empower minority voters, has faced major pushback in New Hampshire from Republicans and Democrats alike.“To think that any political party is going to lean on the elected officials in this state to give up our tradition, th...

Mass. eviction prevention policy set to expire, local organizations call for extension

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:11 GMT

Massachusetts’ eviction prevention policy is set to expire Friday unless lawmakers extend it. Chapter 257 requires eviction cases to hold when a tenant has a pending application for rental aid. More than 100 organizations have endorsed an extension, saying Bay Staters could be displaced without it.

Medford dog found in NH nearly a year after going missing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:11 GMT

A Medford dog was found safe in Pelham, New Hampshire Wednesday nearly a year after going missing. The pup, named “Bo,” went missing in May 2022. After months of no sightings, Bo’s family received a call from the microchip company. Bo’s family says they are overjoyed to have him back home and that he’s already becoming best friends with his new puppy sister.

José Abreu begins his next chapter in Houston after time with Chicago White Sox: ‘I am very grateful for the 9 years’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:11 GMT

José Abreu gave Gavin Sheets a big hug before beginning batting practice Thursday afternoon at Minute Maid Park.A few minutes later, Eloy Jiménez and Yasmani Grandal watched from behind the cage as Abreu took a few swings. A few minutes after the session finished, Abreu received a hug from Lance Lynn near the Houston Astros dugout.Abreu enjoyed the reunion with his former teammates before making his debut with the Astros against the Chicago White Sox. Abreu went 1-for-4 in a 3-2 loss to the Sox.“The guys over there I respect and they treat me with respect as well,” Abreu said through an interpreter before Thursday’s game. “The only thing I can hope for is they are healthy all season.“Just because I am in a different uniform across the field doesn’t mean I’m not going to have respect for them. A lot of those guys are friends of mine. Some I didn’t get to know as well. But the respect is still there.”Abreu, who ranks in t...

Canadian Press NewsAlert: Rogers-Shaw deal gets final approval

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:11 GMT

OTTAWA — Rogers Communications Inc’s $26-billion takeover of Shaw Communications Inc. cleared the last regulatory hurdle Friday.The federal industry minister approved the transfer of Shaw-owned Freedom Mobile’s wireless licences to Quebecor Inc., which paves the way for the deal to be completed.More comingCompanies in this story: (TSX:RCI.B, TSX:SJR.B, TSX:QBR.B)The Canadian Press

A key inflation gauge tracked by the Fed slowed in February

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:11 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve’s favored inflation gauge slowed sharply last month, an encouraging sign in the Fed’s yearlong effort to cool price pressures through steadily higher interest rates.Friday’s report from the Commerce Department showed that consumer prices rose 0.3% from January to February, down from a 0.6% increase from December to January. Measured year-over-year, prices rose 5%, slower than the 5.3% annual increase in January.The report also showed that consumer spending rose 0.2% from January to February, a drop from a month earlier but an indication that households are still providing fuel for economic growth.Taken as a whole, Friday’s figures show that inflation pressures, though easing gradually, still maintain a grip on the economy. The Fed has raised its benchmark rate nine times since March of last year in a strenuous drive to tame inflation, which hit a four-decade high in mid-2022.Even after having slowed, consumer prices are still p...

Feds approve Rogers $26-billion takeover of Shaw Communications

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:11 GMT

Rogers Communications Inc’s $26-billion takeover of Shaw Communications Inc. cleared the last regulatory hurdle Friday.The federal industry minister approved the transfer of Shaw-owned Freedom Mobile’s wireless licences to Quebecor Inc., which paves the way for the deal to be completed.BREAKING: The Rogers Shaw deal has received its final approval. Innovation Minister @FP_Champagne has attached 21 conditions in which the companies involved have agreed to in legal contracts. Rogers is the parent company of @CityNewsTO #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/eJ9IGsvj3P— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) March 31, 2023Since the initial merger announcement, it’s actually become a three-way deal with Quebecor acquiring Freedom Mobile last month.The companies had pushed back their self-imposed deadline to March 31.In October, the minister laid down two conditions, saying Videotron would have to agree to keep Freedom Mobile’s licenses for at least 10 years.He also said he would expect...

Cyprus, Greece, Israel: East Med energy source for Europe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:11 GMT

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The eastern Mediterranean can provide a key energy corridor to Europe through a planned electricity cable connecting the power grids of Cyprus, Greece and Israel and a potential natural gas pipeline, the three countries’ top diplomats said Friday.The three foreign ministers met in the Cypriot capital as part of a series of high-level trilateral meetings aimed at deepening a partnership founded on the discovery of substantial offshore natural gas deposits.“Unlocking the full potential of our region will be a game changer,” Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos told a news conference. “We strive to promote a reliable and sustainable energy corridor from the Eastern Mediterranean basin to Europe.”Work hasn’t started on either the cable — which will be partly funded by the European Union — or the gas pipeline, which has been under discussion for years but is still at the feasibility study stage.The Cypriot foreign minister has underscored that t...

Wall Street futures tick higher ahead of US inflation update

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:11 GMT

BEIJING — Wall Street inched higher ahead of an inflation update Friday that could influence the Federal Reserve and its decision on interest rates at its next meeting.Futures for the benchmark S&P 500 index inched up about 0.1% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2% before the opening bell.On Friday, the Commerce Department releases its consumer spending report that contains a measure of inflation — personal consumptions expenditures, or PCE — that is closely watched by the Federal Reserve.A softer inflation reading would be a “signal to continue with the risk-on theme,” said Tim Waterer of Kohle Capital Markets in a report.Traders were rattled by this month’s bank failures but regulators appear to have calmed fears by promising lending measures if needed to keep other institutions stable after repeated rate hikes caused prices of bonds and other assets on their books to fall.Markets have shifted focus back to uncertainty about the global economic outlook as the F...

Ukraine looks to block athletes from competing with Russians

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:11 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Ukrainian government is looking to block its athletes from sports competitions, particularly qualifying events for next year’s Paris Olympics, which readmit Russian athletes.The International Olympic Committee recommended Tuesday that sports federations allow Russians and Belarusians to compete as neutral athletes without national symbols. Ukraine wanted to continue the full exclusion, which had been in place in most sports since shortly after last year’s Russian invasion.Government minister Oleh Nemchinov said Thursday that a decision had been taken only to enter events with no Russians involved, according to public broadcaster Suspilne.No ruling was immediately published and it was not clear exactly how it would be implemented. The IOC recommends allowing Russians to compete as individuals but not as national teams. However, several Olympic sports run individual and team events together at a single location, as in gymnastics or fencing. Interna...