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Romania threatens Austria with lawsuit over stalled Schengen accession

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:20 GMT

Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu wants to drag Austria to the EU’s top court if it continues to block his country’s entry into the EU’s free-travel zone.“If Chancellor [Karl] Nehammer unjustifiably uses his right of veto again, as prime minister I will have to challenge Austria’s decision at the European Court of Justice in order to claim compensation for the losses caused by non-accession,” Ciolacu said in an interview with Der Standard.The damage amounts to “at least 2 percent” of Romania’s GDP, according to Ciolacu.Croatia joined the Schengen zone this year, but Romania and Bulgaria’s accession was blocked following Austrian opposition over concerns about migration along the Western Balkan route. The Netherlands also pushed back against Bulgaria’s admission. Two weeks ago, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg told POLITICO that his country remains opposed to the countries’ e...

Theresa May: I’m woke

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:20 GMT

LONDON — This just in: former Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May thinks she’s “woke.”Speaking on Times Radio with ex-Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson Friday, May was asked whether she is woke — a term broadly defined but often pilloried on the political right for its focus on social justice and identity.May agreed she met the definition “of somebody who recognizes that discrimination takes place,” and said of the word woke: “Sadly, that term has come to be used … as part of this absolutism and polarization of politics.”Pressed further by Davidson on whether she’s aligned with the term, May said: “I am, yeah! It’s a bit like being asked in the old days, was I a feminist? Well, I wore a T-shirt that said ‘This is what a feminist looks like.'”May — ousted from office by her own Tory party in 2019 amid Britain’s Brexit drama — has been outspoken in her support for transgender people, a position that p...

TikTok hit with €345M fine for violating children’s privacy

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:20 GMT

Booming social media application TikTok needs to pay up in Europe for violating children’s privacy. The popular Chinese-owned app failed to protect children’s personal information by making their accounts publicly accessible by default and insufficiently tackled risks that under-13 users could access its platform, the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) said in a decision published Friday. The regulator slapped TikTok with a €345 million fine for breaching the EU’s landmark privacy law, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).The penalty comes amid high tensions between the European Union and China, following the EU’s announcement that it plans to probe Chinese state subsidies of electric cars. European Commission Vice President Věra Jourová is also set to visit China next Monday-Tuesday and meet Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing to discuss the two sides’ technology policies, amid growing concerns over Beijing’s data gathering and cyber esp...

EU suspends trade talks with Monaco after financial watchdogs’ warning

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:20 GMT

The EU has suspended trade talks with Monaco after the bloc’s financial watchdogs warned of “deep concerns” that closer ties with the tiny country would create risks for European consumers and open a backdoor into Europe for illegal money. In a statement on Friday, the European Commission said the two sides had agreed to suspend negotiations aimed at reaching an association agreement by the end of the year, without detailing any reasoning. The statement followed a meeting on Thursday between Commission Executive Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič and Isabelle Berro-Amadei, Monaco’s minister of foreign affairs.“The European Union is and will remain a privileged partner of the Principality. The European Commission remains available and ready to continue negotiations for an association agreement in the future.”The decision comes after POLITICO revealed the EU’s banking, markets and insurance regulators had warned in a letter that a deeper relationship with Mon...

Apple to issue iPhone 12 update in France after sales halted over radiation levels

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:20 GMT

Paris (CNN) — Apple plans to update iPhone12 software for users in France after the country’s regulators ordered a pause on sales of the 2020 model over radiation concerns.“We will issue a software update for users in France to accommodate the protocol used by French regulators. We look forward to iPhone 12 continuing to be available in France,” an Apple (AAPL) spokesperson told CNN Friday.France’s National Frequency Agency, the ANFR, ordered Tuesday an immediate withdrawal of the iPhone 12 from the French market, saying it exceeded European radiation exposure limits. The ANFR also ruled that for iPhone 12s already in use, Apple must adopt “all necessary corrective measures to bring the telephones into conformity as soon as possible” or it would have to recall the devices.Apple told CNN Friday that the suspension of sales was related “to a specific testing protocol used by French regulators and not a safety concern.”“Since it was introduced in 2020, iPhone 1...

Patriots mailbag: Will big-name option fill biggest current need?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:20 GMT

A once daunting AFC East doesn’t look as intimidating after Aaron Rodgers’ unfortunate Achilles tear in Week 1.The Patriots can take a major step in improving their chances within the division with wins in Weeks 2 and 3 against the Dolphins and Jets.Miami proved that adept offenses can move the ball on them Week 1 against the Chargers. And the Jets now much start Zach Wilson for the foreseeable future at quarterback.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Devin McCourty unsurprised but impressed with how Patriots replaced him at free safety New England Patriots | Patriots extra points: Ezekiel Elliott endorses signing ex-Cowboys O-lineman New England Patriots | Patriots aren’t underestimating Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa ahead of Week 2 New England Patriots | Patriots-Dolphins injury report: Pats defensive back hurt Thursday, could affect Tyreek Hill plan New England Patriots | Why Patriots...

After attacks, British prime minister says American XL Bully dogs are dangerous and will be banned

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:20 GMT

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday described American XL Bully dogs as a “danger to our communities” and announced plans to ban the breed following a public outcry after a series of recent attacks.Sunak said he has asked government ministers to bring together police and canine experts to legally define the characteristics of the American XL Bully, which is not recognized as a breed by groups such as the Kennel Club in Britain or the American Kennel Club in the United States.“It is not currently a breed defined in law, so this vital first step must happen fast,’’ Sunak said in a video statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter. “We will then ban the breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act and new laws will be in place by the end of the year.’’The government has been under pressure to take action after an 11-year-old girl was attacked and seriously injured by an American XL Bully on Saturday in Birmingham, England. Those concerns deepened on Thursday after a m...

Stock market today: US markets inch higher before opening bell with a winning week in sight

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:20 GMT

TOKYO — U.S. markets were slow to gain traction before the opening bell Friday with global shares mostly higher on news that China’s slowing economy showed signs of stabilizing.Futures for the S&P 500 inched up 0.1% while the Dow Jones industrials rose 0.2%.U.S. markets look to finish with gains after a busy week of economic data hinted at a mostly healthy economy with the Federal Reserve holding its next policy meeting next week. About 13,000 U.S. auto workers stopped making vehicles and went on strike Friday after union leaders and negotiators for Detroit’s three automakers couldn’t reach a deal before the four-year contracts expired at 11:59 p.m. Thursday. Members of the United Auto Workers union began picketing at three different Midwest plants, one each for General Motors, Ford and Stellantis.If the strike lasts a long time, dealers could run short of vehicles and prices could rise, impacting a U.S. economy already under strain from elevated inflation.Boosting m...

Princess Diana’s sheep sweater smashes records to sell for $1.1 million

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:20 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A red sweater adorned with a flock of sheep worn by the young Princess Diana has sold at auction for $1.1 million, many times its presale estimate and a record for an item owned by the late royal.The playfully patterned wool jumper featuring a single black sheep in a grid of white ones was bought by an unidentified bidder at Sotheby’s online Fashion Icons sale.The auction house had valued it at between $50,000 and $80,000 ahead of two weeks of bidding that ended Thursday. With 15 minutes left until the sale closed, the highest offer stood at $190,000, but leapt to $1.1 million after a final flurry of bids.The previous record for a piece of Diana memorabilia was $604,800 for a Victor Edelstein-designed ballgown sold by Sotheby’s in January.The sale also smashed the existing auction record for a sweater, the $334,000 paid in 2019 for Kurt Cobain’s green cardigan from Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged concert.The 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer was photographed in the eye-catc...

A daughter of long-detained activist in Bahrain is blocked from traveling to the island kingdom

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:20 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A daughter of a long-detained human rights activist in Bahrain tried to return to the island kingdom on Friday to press for her father’s release but was turned away from her flight in London. Maryam al-Khawaja was accompanied by a phalanx of other activists, including the secretary-general of Amnesty International, Agnès Callamard, seeking to prevent authorities from immediately detaining her. But before she could board her British Airways flight, she said she was prevented from checking in as Bahraini immigration officials told the airline not to allow her on the plane.Her attempted trip came as her father, 62-year-old Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, has resumed a hunger strike to protest the conditions of his yearslong imprisonment on internationally criticized charges stemming from him leading 2011 Arab Spring demonstrations in Bahrain. The attempt also renews pressure on Denmark, where both al-Khawajas have citizenship, and the United States, which...