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EU, US attempt to escape data-flows limbo with new transatlantic deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:07 GMT

BRUSSELS — The European Union on Monday approved a new deal allowing companies to freely transfer data between the EU and the United States, potentially ending three years of legal limbo for tech giants like Facebook and Google.The European Commission formally recognized the U.S. as a country with sufficient protection for Europeans’ personal data, adopting a so-called adequacy decision under its landmark privacy law, the General Data Protection Regulation.The deal, known as EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, clears the way for lucrative transatlantic data exchanges after the EU’s top court in 2020 struck down the governments’ previous data agreement, known as Privacy Shield, over concerns that U.S. intelligence agencies had too much leeway to snoop on Europeans’ personal data.The stakes for success are high: According to the White House, transatlantic data flows underpin $7.1 trillion in economic activities, and thousands of companies do business on both continents.“Today we tak...

One person shot outside of courthouse in Brockton

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:07 GMT

Authorities are investigating after at least one person was shot behind a courthouse in Brockton on Monday.The Brockton Police Department said its officers were called to Brockton District Court on Main Street where the shooting was believed to have happened some time after noon.No details on the condition of the victim or any possible arrests have been released yet.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Just a bit of exercise counters depression in people with chronic conditions, study finds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:07 GMT

(CNN) — As little as 20 minutes of moderate activity a day for five days a week can significantly lower the risk of depressive symptoms for people over 50 who have conditions often linked to depression, such as diabetes, heart disease and chronic pain, a new study found.People with diabetes have twice the risk for depression, according to Diabetes UK, and a 2017 study found heart disease patients are twice as likely to die if they develop depression after their diagnosis. Up to 85% of people with chronic pain experience severe depression, according to a different 2017 study.People without chronic disease in the study, however, needed to do moderate to vigorous exercise two hours a day to see improvement in depressive symptoms, according to lead study author Eamon Laird, a researcher at the Physical Activity for Health Research Centre at the University of Limerick in Ireland.Moderate physical activity is typically defin...

Modelo tops Bud Light in sales for the second month in a row

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:07 GMT

New York (CNN) — Mexican-made Modelo Especial is the top-selling beer in the United States for the second straight month, once again snatching the crown from Bud Light.For the four weeks ending on July 1, Modelo Especial captured 8.7% of overall beer sales, compared to Bud Light’s 7% share, according to NIQ data given to consulting firm Bump Williams. Dollar sales for the pre-July 4 period continued to be grim for Bud Light, with sales falling 28.5%, while Modelo’s grew 8.5% during the same time period.Bud Light initially lost the title last month, which it has largely held for two decades. The beer has been struggling following the beginning of the Dylan Mulvaney controversy, when it sent the transgender influencer a custom can of Bud Light, which she posted on Instagram. Right-wing media and anti-trans commenters on social media unleashed a fury of negative and hateful attention. Anheuser-Busch’s lackluster response also angered LGBTQ+ advocates.In Ju...

Russian mercenary leader Prigozhin pledges loyalty at the Kremlin after short-lived mutiny

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:07 GMT

By The Associated PressMercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin pledged loyalty to the Russian government in a Kremlin meeting with President Vladimir Putin five days after the commander led a short-lived rebellion, a senior government spokesman said Monday, the latest twist in a baffling episode that has raised questions about the power and influence both men wield.The three-hour meeting took place June 29 and also involved commanders from Prigozhin’s Wagner Group military contractor, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Putin gave an assessment of Wagner’s actions on the battlefield in Ukraine — where the mercenaries have fought alongside Russian troops — and of the revolt itself.“The commanders themselves presented their version of what happened. They underscored that they are staunch supporters and soldiers of the head of state and the commander-in-chief, and also said that they are ready to continue to fight for their homeland,” Peskov said.The con...

Biden and King Charles III zero in on generational challenge of climate change

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:07 GMT

By SEUNG MIN KIM, JILL LAWLESS and CHRIS MEGERIAN (Associated Press)WINDSOR, England (AP) — President Joe Biden and King Charles III, two leaders who waited decades to reach the pinnacle of their careers, used their first meeting in those roles Monday to zero in on the generational challenge of climate change, prodding private companies to do more to bolster clean energy in developing countries. The meticulously choreographed gathering at Windsor Castle injected substance into the type of encounter between president and monarch that historically has been more about ceremony. After the arrival formalities, Biden and Charles participated in a climate-focused roundtable with officials from the financial and philanthropic sectors. John Kerry, the U.S. envoy on climate, also attended.The 74-year-old Charles, who was crowned in May, has long fought to protect wildlife and battle climate change. Biden, for his part, identified climate change as one of the four crises he was determine...

Judge declares mistrial in Emanuel Lopes double-murder case; audible gasps in court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:07 GMT

Following weeks of jury deliberations, a Norfolk Superior Court judge declared a mistrial Monday morning in the case of a Weymouth man accused of killing a police officer and bystander nearly 5 years ago.“Jurors, I’m in receipt of your note. Your services are complete. I’m declaring a mistrial,” Judge Beverly Cannone in courtroom video Monday morning, to audible gasps and the apparent sound of crying from the courtroom.Emanuel Lopes, 25, is accused of shooting Weymouth Police Sgt. Michael Chesna, 42, and bystander Vera Adams, 77, in the early hours of July 15, 2018. The defendant has pleaded not guilty to 11 charges in Norfolk Superior Court, including two counts of murder.Jury deliberations began on June 28 after closing arguments and restarted again when one juror was replaced on July 5.During the trial lawyers and witnesses laid out the day of the crimes in vivid detail. During July 14 and 15, witnesses testified, Lopes mood and actions took an abrupt turn...

As China struggles with heat, flooding and drought, employers are ordered to limit outdoor work

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:07 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Employers across much of China were ordered Monday to limit outdoor work due to scorching temperatures, while the east and southwest were warned to prepare for torrential rain as the country struggled with heat, flooding and drought.Temperatures as high as 40 C (104 F) were reported in cities including Shijiazhuang, southwest of Beijing, the capital. Highs of 35 C (95 F) to 38 C (100 F) were reported in Beijing, Guangzhou in the south, Chongqing in the southwest and Shenyang in the northeast.The weather agency issued an orange alert, its second-highest warning, for heat across southern China and much of the north and northeast. That requires employers to limit outdoor work, though delivery workers for restaurants and online retailers were still working.The agriculture ministry warned Sunday that persistent hot weather could damage rice harvests and told local authorities to ensure adequate water supplies to prevent the crop from ripening prematurely. Meanwhile, the Mi...

Giant Tiger founder dies at 89

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:07 GMT

The founder of Giant Tiger has died.Gordon Reid passed away in his home after a brief illness, a release from the company stated. He was 89.He opened the first Giant Tiger store in 1961 in Ottawa’s ByWard Market which remains in operation today.Giant Tiger now has 265 locations across Canada and employs more than 10,000 people.“Gordon was a giant within Canada’s retail sector, an innovator who reshaped the industry,” said Gino DiGioacchino, interim president and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Giant Tiger. “To us, he was also a friend and mentor. He will be greatly missed.”Reid received the prestigious Retail Council of Canada’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 and Ottawa’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.He previously held board positions with the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, the International Mass Retail Association, the Retail Industry Leaders Association, and the Ottawa Heart Institute.A commemoration of his legacy w...

Detroit-area officer charged with federal civil rights crime after punching Black man

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:07 GMT

WARREN, Mich. (AP) — A suburban Detroit police officer who punched a young Black man in the face and slammed his head to the ground was charged Monday with a federal civil rights crime.A criminal complaint against Matthew Rodriguez was unsealed in federal court ahead of an afternoon news conference by U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison.Jaquwan Smith, 19, was being processed at the Warren police station on June 13 after he was arrested on a warrant for multiple felonies.Video shows Rodriguez exchanging words with Smith before the officer punched him, knocked him to the floor and slammed his head on the ground.Other Warren officers immediately intervened and reported the incident to managers. Smith had previously been searched for weapons, indicating there was no threat to the officer’s security, a court filing said.“The victim was not in an aggressive stance and his hands were by his side with his thumbs in his pants,” FBI agent Brent Nida said in a court filing.Rodriguez was fired on Jun...