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Amazon warns workers who don’t return to the office will have a harder time getting promoted

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:45:31 GMT

By Catherine Thorbecke | CNNNew York  — Amazon is once again doubling down on its return-to-office mandate, warning staff that not complying could impact their chances of being promoted.Employees who don’t regularly work in an office at least three days a week will find that any potential promotion will be subject to an additional layer of leadership approval, the e-commerce giant confirmed to CNN on Friday.There are a “variety of factors we consider when determining an employee’s readiness for the next level,” Brad Glasser, an Amazon spokesperson, told CNN in a statement.“Like any company, we expect employees who are being considered for promotion to be in compliance with company guidelines and policies,” Glasser added.In February, some three years into the dawn of the work-from-home era initially brought on by the pandemic, CEO Andy Jassy said that staffers would be required to return to office at least three days per week starting in May. “Collaborating and inventing is easier an...

Biden, Lopez Obrador pledge solidarity in fentanyl fight

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:45:31 GMT

By Colleen Long and Aamer Madhani | Associated PressSAN FRANCISCO — President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador pledged Friday to work side-by-side to confront illicit fentanyl trafficking into the U.S. and to manage the growing number of migrants traveling north to the border between their nation.“Nothing is beyond our reach in my view if Mexico and the United States stand together and work together,” Biden said.Biden’s relationship with López Obrador has at times been tense, in part because of Biden’s willingness to criticize Mexico on topics such as fentanyl production and the killing of journalists. And López Obrador isn’t afraid to snub the U.S. leader. He skipped a Los Angeles summit last year where leaders tackled the issue of migration because the U.S. didn’t invite Cuba, Nicaragua or Venezuela. He also initially said he would skip this year’s APEC conference, but changed his mind.The two men were all smiles...

A.S. Byatt dies at 87; award-winning author wrote best-seller ‘Possession’

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:45:31 GMT

By Jill Lawless | Associated PressLONDON — British author A.S. Byatt, who wove history, myth and a sharp eye for human foibles into books that included the Booker Prize-winning novel “Possession,” has died.She was 87.Byatt’s publisher, Chatto & Windus, said Friday that the author, whose full name was Antonia Byatt, died “peacefully at home surrounded by close family” on Thursday.Byatt wrote two dozen books, starting with her first novel, “The Shadow of the Sun,” in 1964. Her work was translated into 38 languages.“Possession,” published in 1990, follows two young academics investigating the lives of a pair of imaginary Victorian poets. The novel, a double romance which skillfully layers a modern story with mock-Victorian letters and poems, was a huge bestseller and won the prestigious Booker Prize.Accepting the prize, Byatt said “Possession” was about the joy of reading.“My book was written on a kind of high about the pleasures of reading,” she said.“Possession” was adapted...

Ethics chair launches new bid to expel Republican Rep. George Santos

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:45:31 GMT

By Kevin Freking | Associated PressWASHINGTON — The chairman of the House Ethics Committee announced Friday he has filed a resolution to force a vote on expelling Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., from Congress, one day after the committee issued a withering report detailing substantial evidence that Santos converted campaign donations for his own personal use.Santos easily survived an expulsion vote earlier this month as lawmakers in both parties stressed the need to allow due process, as Santos is also facing nearly two dozen charges in federal court. But the release of the committee’s findings has generated new momentum for ousting the scandal-plagued freshman. Shortly after the report was released, Santos announced he would not seek reelection.“The evidence uncovered in the Ethics Committee’s Investigative Subcommittee investigation is more than sufficient to warrant punishment and the most appropriate punishment, is expulsion,” said Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss....

Why was Bay Bridge blocked? APEC protests explained

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:45:31 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- San Francisco has been in a glaring global spotlight this week, hosting billionaire CEOs of major corporations, Chinese President Xi Jinping, U.S. President Joe Biden, and more presidents for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference.Protesters seized the rare opportunity by staging demonstrations on a wide range of global issues. Some of the protests were peaceful and legal. Thursday morning's traffic-halting protest on the Bay Bridge was illegal, the California Highway Patrol told KRON4. Here is a breakdown of what major protests this week were about:Bay Bridge Protest - Ceasefire In GazaDemonstrators shut down the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge in conjunction with the APEC Summit taking place Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)Hundreds of demonstrators shut down the Bay Bridge Thursday morning to demand that President Biden call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as well as end United States military aid to Israel.So...

Online Atrocity Database Exposed Thousands of Vulnerable People in Congo

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:45:31 GMT

A joint project of Human Rights Watch and New York University to document human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been taken offline after exposing the identities of thousands of vulnerable people, including survivors of mass killings and sexual assaults.The Kivu Security Tracker is a “data-centric crisis map” of atrocities in eastern Congo that has been used by policymakers, academics, journalists, and activists to “better understand trends, causes of insecurity and serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law,” according to the deactivated site. This includes massacres, murders, rapes, and violence against activists and medical personnel by state security forces and armed groups, the site said.But the KST’s lax security protocols appear to have accidentally doxxed up to 8,000 people, including activists, sexual assault survivors, United Nations staff, Congolese government officials, local journalists, and victims of attacks, an Inte...

3 Las Vegas high schoolers facing murder charges in their classmate’s death appear in court

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:45:31 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Three of the eight Las Vegas high school students who are facing murder charges in the fatal beating of their classmate made their first appearances Friday in the adult court system.A judge ordered the 16-year-old and two 17-year-olds to be held without bail pending their next court date on Tuesday, at which time another judge may reconsider granting bail if the teens’ lawyers request it, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. A fourth student, 16, is set to make his first court appearance later Friday.The other four suspects are awaiting separate hearings since they are all under the age of 16.The students each face one count of murder but have not been formally charged, court records show. The Associated Press is not naming them because they are juveniles.Earlier this week, Las Vegas police announced the arrests of eight students, between the ages of 13 and 17, in connection with the Nov. 1 brawl that left 17-year-old Jonathan Lewis Jr. dead.Authorities have said ...

Live updates | Israel will allow ‘very minimal’ fuel into Gaza. UN warns of looming mass starvation

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:45:31 GMT

Israel announced Friday that it will allow for the first time “very minimal” daily shipments of fuel into Gaza for use by the U.N. and communications system.Aid agencies say the lack of fuel has forced them to call off deliveries of basic necessities in the Gaza Strip. They warned of possible widespread starvation in the besieged enclave because of the lack of fuel, and said most people in Gaza were without adequate food and clean water.Israel earlier said it found the body of another hostage in a building adjacent to Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital. The hospital has been the focus of clashing narratives over who is to blame for the widespread suffering of Palestinian civilians during the war between Israel and Hamas. At least 11,470 Palestinians — two-thirds of them women and minors — have been killed since the war began, according to Palestinian health authorities, who do not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths. About 2,700 people are reported missing.Israel vowed ...

Democrat in highly contested Virginia House race seeks recount

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:45:31 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Kimberly Pope Adams, the Democratic candidate in a central Virginia House of Delegates race that remains uncalled by The Associated Press, is seeking a recount. Adams said in a statement Thursday that the election results, which show just 78 votes separating Adams and GOP incumbent Kim Taylor, “are far too close for anyone to declare outright victory.”“The people of the 82nd House District deserve to know with absolute certainty who is the winner of this race and Virginia law affords them that right. For that reason, I am seeking a recount of the vote,” Adams said. Taylor, who has served in the House since 2022, previously declared victory. The competitive 82nd District covers Petersburg, Surry County and parts of Prince George and Dinwiddie counties.The outcome of the race won’t have implications for the balance of power in the House. Democrats secured a narrow majority on Election Day and are on track to have either 51 or 52 seats in the 100-seat chamber...

Guardians trade pitcher Cal Quantrill to the Rockies for minor league catcher Kody Huff

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:45:31 GMT

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Guardians traded starter Cal Quantrill to the Colorado Rockies on Friday for minor league catcher Kody Huff.Quantrill had an injury-plagued 2023 season for Cleveland, a year after he won 15 games and helped the Guardians win the AL Central. The team designated the 28-year-old pitcher for assignment this week.Quantrill went 4-7 with a 5.24 ERA in 19 games this season while also twice going on the injured list for lengthy stints with shoulder problems. He was acquired by Cleveland in 2020 at the trade deadline from San Diego.Cleveland has an abundance of young pitchers, making Quantrill expendable. Also, the team wasn’t ready to pay him the $6 million-plus salary range he was projected at because of his eligibility for arbitration.The 22-year-old Huff spent last season with Fresno in the Class A California League. He batted .262 with five home runs and 36 RBIs in 86 games. The Rockies selected him in the seventh round of the 2022 amateur draft afte...