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No texts. No contracts. No criticism. How Europe’s COVID inquiry went dark

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:31:48 GMT

It all started so promisingly.In March 2022, the European Parliament set up a special committee on COVID-19, fuelled by the desire to restore some democratic accountability to decisions where Europe’s lawmakers felt they had been sidelined.The time seemed right for a transparency push. Just weeks earlier, the European Ombudsman had scolded the Commission for not searching for text messages allegedly exchanged between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla in the run up to signing the EU’s biggest vaccine contract.And the appointment of the Parliament’s Dieselgate investigator, Belgian MEP Kathleen Van Brempt, to lead the special committee, signalled they were serious.Yet, 16 months later, we know nothing more about the mysterious texts and what little we do know about the vaccine contracts comes from media leaks.What happened?Sworn to secrecyOn May 30 this year, a little over a week before its final meeting, a select group of MEPs in the European Parl...

How to master the art of modern job-hunting

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:31:48 GMT

Quitting a job might never seem like the best option for established professionals, but it’s a route that was taken by an incredibly high number of workers in recent years. According to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 50.5 million people quit their jobs in 2022.Improved job prospects undoubtedly contributed to that high turnover, but professionals who left their jobs without another one already lined up may need some help finding their next gig. Significant layoffs in the early months of 2023 coupled with tens of millions of individuals leaving their jobs voluntarily in 2022 could potentially make the competition for new jobs more intense.Professionals confronting that situation can consider these tips as they seek to master the art of modern job hunting.Use LinkedIn to your advantage. The professional social media platform LinkedIn is an invaluable resource, especially for professionals looking for a new job. Even professio...

Burke, Kissel & Fitzhenry: Beware Biden’s ‘Plan B’ on student loan amnesty

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:31:48 GMT

The Supreme Court has just saved American taxpayers more than half a trillion dollars by holding that President Biden and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona cannot cancel federal student loans under the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act of 2003, the “HEROES Act.”First, the court assessed whether any of the challengers to cancellation had standing to sue. In Department of Education v. Brown, the answer was “no.” A unanimous court held that the borrowers couldn’t demonstrate that their failure to receive debt relief was traceable to the secretary’s decision to proceed under HEROES.The court, however, reached the opposite conclusion in Biden v. Nebraska, filed by a coalition of six states. There the court held 6-3 that at least Missouri would suffer a financial injury directly linked to Biden’s cancellation plan, which gave the state standing to challenge the president’s authority.On the merits, Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, rejected the ...

Editorial: Rebellion reflects the rot in Russia

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:31:48 GMT

The short-lived rebellion by Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the mercenary Wagner Group, did not yet jettison the Kremlin’s military leadership. But it may have had a more profound domestic and geopolitical impact: piercing the aura of invincibility so carefully cultivated by Russian President Vladimir Putin.How this plays out in Moscow with military, political and economic elites, let alone regular Russians, remains to be seen. But it should further steel Kyiv — as well as Washington and Brussels, home to NATO — for maximum support for Ukraine’s counteroffensive.While the opaque nature of Russian politics and the fluidity of the situation leave more questions than answers, “What we do know is this was a demonstrable crack into [Putin’s] strength at home,” U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., told an editorial writer. “This shows that there is weakness in his regime.”In fact, for everyday Russians, “this puts a kind of kernel of a question a...

Didn’t make plans for the 4th? We found great celebrations around Massachusetts

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:31:48 GMT

It’s July 3, and you still haven’t nailed down your Fourth of July plans?Don’t worry, we found some great last-minute choices that are worth celebrating. Consider these.Rooftop party where the July 4 stars stay: The Fairmont Copley Plaza (https://www.fairmont.com/copley-plaza-boston/) is the official hotel of Boston’s Fourth of July stars: The Boston Pops. Book a Gold room for the night of the 4th and you’ll also get star treatment.The hotel will host a rooftop terrace party with those hors d’oeuvres Fairmont Gold is famous for, a signature welcome cocktail and honor bar, and a partial fireworks view from atop the 110-year old historic hotel.The party runs from 8 to 11 p.m., which means you’ve plenty of time to meander over to the Esplanade or just walk around and take in the sights of the city.Gold floor guests also get private check in, a dedicated concierge and access to their lounge where breakfast, snacks and evening appetizers are complimentary.Should you be ...

Dear Abby: Lying husband is ‘sorry, not sorry’

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:31:48 GMT

Dear Abby: My husband lies to me all the time. It could be about spending money or something as small as forgetting to start the dishwasher. He nearly went too far with a woman from work. I finally spoke up after I felt it was an emotional affair. His response? “Well, you and I weren’t getting along, so I didn’t see anything wrong with it.”He doesn’t seem to be sorry for anything he does. He says the word “sorry” a lot, but there is no remorse. He also lies to the people he works with. I know I enable him because I threaten to leave and never follow through. I have asked him to talk with a counselor, but he refuses.I’m not sure why I stay because he doesn’t act like he wants me to be around. He’s obsessed with video games and doesn’t act like he respects me. What should I do? Why do I feel I deserve to be treated like this? — Feeling Like Mrs. StupidDear Feeling Like: You are asking excellent questions. Although...

The aftermath of mass shootings infiltrates every corner of survivors’ lives

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:31:48 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — More than a year after 11-year-old Mayah Zamora was airlifted out of Uvalde, Texas, after being critically injured in the Robb Elementary school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers, the family is still reeling.Knocks on the door startle Mayah into a panic. The family is skipping Fourth of July celebrations to avoid booming fireworks. An outing to the Little Mermaid movie requires noise-canceling headphones. Since 2016, thousands of Americans have been wounded in mass shootings, and tens of thousands by gun violence, with that number continuing to grow, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Beyond the colossal medical bills and the weight of trauma and grief, mass shooting survivors and family members contend with scores of other changes that upend their lives.Survivors talked to The Associated Press about the mental and physical wounds that endure in the aftermath of shootings in Uvalde, Las Vegas, Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the Chicago suburb of H...

3 Palestinians killed as Israel stages large-scale raid in West Bank stronghold of militants

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:31:48 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military sent a large-scale raid into a stronghold of militants in the occupied West Bank early Monday, and local health officials said at least three Palestinians were killed.Israeli forces raided what the military described as a “unified command center” for militants in the Jenin refugee camp, describing it as “an advanced observation and reconnaissance center” where militants would gather to coordinate and prepare for attacks. Israeli media said the military also conducted airstrikes, reviving a tactic it had largely halted during the past two decades, after a Palestinian uprising against Israel’s open-ended occupation slowly fizzled.The Palestinian Health Ministry said three Palestinians were killed and 13 injured early Monday, three of them critically.In a separate incident, a 21-year-old Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire near the West Bank city of Ramallah, the ministry said.The Jenin camp and an adjacent town of the same name have been ...

In workaholic Japan, ‘job leaving agents’ help people escape the awkwardness of quitting

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:31:48 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — In Japan, a nation reputed for loyalty to companies and lifetime employment, people who job-hop are often viewed as quitters. And that’s considered shameful. Enter “taishoku daiko,” or “job-leaving agents.” Dozens of such services have sprung up in the last several years to help people who simply want out. “Imagine a messy divorce,” says Yoshihito Hasegawa, who heads Tokyo-based TRK, whose Guardian service last year advised 13,000 people on how to resign from their jobs with minimal hassles. People often stick with jobs even when they’re unhappy, feeling as if they are “kamikaze” sacrificing their lives for the greater good, he said, comparing his clients to pilots sent on suicide missions in the closing days of World War II. “It’s the way things are done, the same way younger people are taught to honor older people,” he said. “Quitting would be a betrayal.” Founded in 2020, Guardian, a taishoku daiko service, has helped various people, mostly in their 20s and 30s...

Deep sea mining permits may be coming soon. What are they and what might happen?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:31:48 GMT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The International Seabed Authority — the United Nations body that regulates the world’s ocean floor — is preparing to resume negotiations that could open the international seabed for mining, including for materials critical for the green energy transition. Years long negotiations are reaching a critical point where the authority will soon need to begin accepting mining permit applications, adding to worries over the potential impacts on sparsely researched marine ecosystems and habitats of the deep sea.Here’s a look at what deep sea mining is, why some companies and countries are applying for permits to carry it out and why environmental activists are raising concerns.WHAT IS DEEP SEA MINING?Deep sea mining involves removing mineral deposits and metals from the ocean’s seabed. There are three types of such mining: taking deposit-rich polymetallic nodules off the ocean floor, mining massive seafloor sulphide deposits and stripping cobalt crusts f...