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PMQs scorecard: Starmer and Sunak test out election lines but dodge Braverman and Boris rows

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:30 GMT

Prime minister’s questions: a shouty, jeery, very occasionally useful advert for British politics. Here’s what you need to know from this week’s session in POLITICO’s weekly run-through.What they sparred about: Turns out PMQs is good for something: the two leaders at least offered a useful preview of the next election campaign Wednesday lunchtime. Keir Starmer pressed Rishi Sunak on migration — ahead of an official stats drop Thursday that is expected to show a big rise in numbers coming to the U.K. Labour timed a handy policy announcement to go with the clash too, promising to end a discount for employers on hiring overseas workers to jobs where there are labor shortages. The opposition boss then moved on to the (arguably) more comfortable terrain for his party of increasing training and apprenticeships for British workers. Sunak hit back, claiming Starmer has “no ideas” on migration. And he seized on some more positive economic news for a government that’s made c...

Germany cracks down on climate activists after Scholz calls protest group ‘nutty’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:30 GMT

By GEIR MOULSON and FRANK JORDANS (Associated Press)BERLIN (AP) — German police raided 15 properties linked to the Last Generation climate activist group Wednesday, seizing assets as part of an investigation into its finances in a sign of growing impatience with disruptive protest tactics also seen in other European countries.Members of the group have repeatedly blocked roads across Germany in an effort to pressure the government to take more drastic action against climate change. In recent weeks, they have brought traffic to a halt on an almost daily basis in Berlin, gluing themselves to busy intersections and highways. Over the past year, they have also targeted various artworks and exhibits. The raids, ordered by Munich prosecutors, come days after Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that he thought it was “completely nutty to somehow stick yourself to a painting or on the street.” Leading figures with the environmentalist Green party, part of his governing coalition, h...

Gallery: Armed Forces Day and Military Spouse Appreciation Day

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:30 GMT

Armed Forces Day and Military Spouse Appreciation Day celebrated at Boston City Hall

Bye-bye Bay State: High housing costs and low transportation reliability driving outmigration

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:30 GMT

Congestion, cost of living, transportation reliability, workforce shortages, and talent outflow have led to the highest rate of outmigration Massachusetts has experienced in the last three decades, according to a report released Monday.The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation found that more than 110,900 people left the state between April 2020 and July 2022. And some of the trends pushing residents out of Massachusetts might sound all too familiar to those still here.“We’re seeing the future of our workforce, people aged 26 to 35, high wage residents, and those in key sectors, dominate the outflow of residents and talent. Massachusetts is facing a critical moment and it is imperative we address these challenges promptly to secure a prosperous future for our commonwealth,” Mass. Taxpayers Foundation President Doug Howgate said in a statement.With people leaving, Howgate said the historical abundance of highly educated and skilled workers and continuous influx of fresh talent from loca...

Stock market today: US futures follow global markets lower as US debt worries mount

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:30 GMT

BEIJING — U.S. markets followed global stock markets lower early Wednesday as the U.S. government crept closer to a catastrophic debt default.Futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined more than 0.3%.The longstanding Washington debate over the size and scope of the federal government now has just days to be resolved, with the Treasury Department saying the government risks running out of cash to pay its bills next week. Negotiators are expected to convene Wednesday for another round of talks as frustration mounts.The political standoff is tipping the country closer to a crisis, roiling financial markets and threatening the global economy. Anxious retirees and social service groups are among those making default contingency plans.Failure to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, now at $31 trillion, would risk a potentially chaotic federal default, almost certain to inflict economic turmoil at home and abroad. Republicans in Washington are pressing for cuts i...

Man, woman, 2 boys facing more than 30 charges in Toronto robbery investigation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:30 GMT

Four people are under arrest and facing more than 30 charges following an armed robbery investigation in Toronto.Toronto police responded to a robbery at a retail store on Monday in the Finch Avenue East and Kennedy Road area of Scarborough.It is alleged that a group of four suspects drove to the store in the same vehicle. Upon arrival, two boys from the vehicle entered the store while wearing masks.Police say one of the boys pulled a knife on a worker inside and the pair left the business with the employee’s cellphone, cannabis, and a quantity of cash. The group of four drove away from the scene.Investigators from the Toronto police Hold Up Squad were able to track down the vehicle and took the group into custody. Police say officers seized a number of items related to the investigation at the time of the arrests.Police also executed a search warrant at an address where they recovered two loaded guns.The following four suspects are facing a combined 31 charges.Brandon William...

CPP Investments reports 1.3 per cent return for its latest fiscal year

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:30 GMT

TORONTO — The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board earned a net return of 1.3 per cent in its latest fiscal year as inflation and rising interest rates weighed on both stock and fixed-income markets.The board says the investment gains combined with net transfers from the Canada Pension Plan brought its net assets to $570 billion at March 31, up from $539 billion a year earlier.CPP Investments says the increase included $8 billion in net income and $23 billion in net transfers from the Canada Pension Plan.It says the gain for its latest fiscal year reflected returns on investments in infrastructure and certain U.S. dollar-denominated private equity and credit assets, which benefited from foreign exchange, while external investment managers using quantitative, equity, and fixed-income trading strategies also contributed positively to results. CPP Investments says its performance was partially offset by declines in both equities and fixed income across major markets as high inflation a...

No public inquiry on foreign interference: Why not? What happens now?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:30 GMT

In today’s Big Story podcast, special rapporteur David Johnston’s report on foreign interference was released on May 23. The report ruled out the call for public inquiry into Chinese government interference in Canadian democracy and elections.The decision was just one of the takeaways, despite the controversy dominating federal politics in recent months.Stephen Maher, reporter and writer on foreign interference at The Walrus, says, “There are serious questions about how we got to this to this point, and no clear path to getting answers.”So, why did Johnston decide the public inquiry wouldn’t — or couldn’t — happen? What did we learn from the report he presented? What will the next few months bring? Will there be more hearings?You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.

Bestselling Japanese author Haruki Murakami wins Spanish Asturias prize for literature

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:30 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Bestselling Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami has won this year’s Princess of Asturias Award for literature, the Spanish foundation that organizes the prizes said Wednesday.The Princess of Asturias Award jury praised the “uniqueness” of the 72-year-old Kyoto-born writer’s essays, short stories and novels, which have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold millions of copies.The panel highlighted Murakami’s “ability to reconcile Japanese tradition and the legacy of Western culture in an ambitious and innovative narrative.”It said his work expressed some of the great themes and conflicts of our time, including “loneliness, existential uncertainty, dehumanization in big cities and terrorism.”The panel lauded his ability to appeal to different generations through different genres, describing him as “one of contemporary literature’s major long-distance runners.”Murakami has written several dozen books and has also translated works by authors s...

BMO reports Q2 profit down from year ago, raises quarterly dividend

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:30 GMT

TORONTO — BMO Financial Group raised its quarterly dividend as its second-quarter profit fell compared with a year ago and its provisions for credit losses climbed higher.The bank said Wednesday it will now pay a quarterly dividend of $1.47 per share, up from $1.43 per share.The increased payment to shareholders came as BMO reported a profit of $1.06 billion of $1.30 per share for the quarter ended April 30, down from a profit of $4.76 billion or $7.13 per diluted share a year earlier.Revenue totalled $8.44 billion, down from $9.32 billion in the same quarter last year, while the bank’s provision for credit losses amounted to $1.02 billion, up from $50 million a year earlier.On an adjusted basis, BMO says it earned $2.93 per diluted share in its latest quarter, down from an adjusted profit of $3.23 per diluted share in the same quarter last year.The average analyst estimate had been for an adjusted profit of $3.19 per share, according to estimates compiled by financial markets...