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Night train from Brussels to Berlin is ready to go. Next stop, Barcelona

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:34:59 GMT

BERLIN — Startup railway company European Sleeper launches the first direct sleeper train between Berlin and Brussels in more than a decade on Thursday, but it’s already seeking investment to put on a second scheduled service, running to Spain.“We’re making good progress” on the financing side for extra carriages, said European Sleeper’s co-founder Chris Engelsman. “This is one of the areas where the European Commission can help.” Engelsman is hoping to capitalize on a surge in interest in rail as a green alternative to cheap flights with the launch of the Brussels-Berlin service on Thursday evening, which will run via Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp. The service will run three times a week in each direction, departing Brussels on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7:22 p.m. and arriving in Berlin the next morning at 6:48 a.m.In the opposite direction, the European Sleeper service will depart from Berlin on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday at 10:5...

Next NATO chief? Danish leader’s DC invite prompts speculation

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:34:59 GMT

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has emerged as a serious contender to lead NATO in the wake of an invitation to visit the White House.  Washington announced that President Joe Biden will host Frederiksen next month, fueling chatter at NATO headquarters about whether the U.S. will back the Danish leader for the NATO role, which is traditionally reserved for a European but requires Washington’s blessing. The current secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, is slated to leave his post at the end of September following multiple extensions — though it is possible that he will stay on for a few more months if the alliance’s leaders cannot agree on a replacement. The Danish leader checks off several boxes. Allies are looking for a politician with the stature of a head of government, and given that all previous NATO chiefs have been men, there is strong pressure to find a female candidate. At the same time, Denmark is seen as a middle-ground country within the ...

Uber Files : l’audition d’Alexis Kohler divise la commission d’enquête

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:34:59 GMT

Alexis Kohler sera-t-il auditionné par la commission d’enquête sur les Uber Files ? Le nom du secrétaire général de l’Elysée a été mis dans la balance par la rapporteure Danielle Simonnet (LFI), a appris POLITICO auprès d’un collaborateur parlementaire et de plusieurs députés.Le président Benjamin Haddad (Renaissance) a toutefois opposé son veto à l’élue insoumise sur une telle audition, ainsi que sur celles de plusieurs personnalités du premier cercle d’Emmanuel Macron lorsqu’il était ministre de l’Economie. Il revient donc au bureau de la commission de voter pour ou contre leur convocation.Réuni demain à 13 heures, le bureau devra ainsi examiner, outre le cas d’Alexis Kohler (directeur de cabinet d’Emmanuel Macron entre 2014 et 2016), les noms d’Emmanuel Lacresse, ex-directeur adjoint du cabinet d’Emmanuel Macron et désormais député Renaissance, de Philippe Vigier, député Modem qui a porté des amendements proposés par Ube...

No surprises here: These are the top US consumer complaints, from cars to credit cards

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:34:59 GMT

New York (CNN) — When you’re using your hard-earned money to pay for goods and services, chances are you’re not in the mood for aggravation, nor in favor of a bait-and-switch routine.And yet … US consumers encountered plenty of both last year.The Consumer Federation of America on Wednesday put out its annual list of top complaints filed with city, county and state consumer agencies across the United States. All in, they handled nearly 600,000 complaints in 2022 and recovered more than $740 million for consumers through mediations, court enforcement actions and other means, the CFA said.While these are the agencies where anyone can file a complaint, they can be especially helpful for people who don’t have the time or the means to resolve or litigate a dispute with a business on their own.The top complaint in 2022 was …The No. 1 consumer complaint in 2022 pertained to the sales and repairs of new and used autos. That category has held the top spot for seven years running, the CFA...

Can a daily multivitamin slow cognitive aging? Maybe

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:34:59 GMT

(CNN) — Older adults who took a multivitamin each day for three years found a mild improvement in their memory after one year compared with people taking a placebo, or sugar pill, a new study found.At the start of the study, 3,560 adults older than age 60 were asked to learn 20 words on a computer program. The study participants had three seconds to study each word before the next appeared. Immediately after, participants were asked to type all the words they could remember.Retested at the end of the first year, the study found people who continued to take a daily multivitamin were able to remember, on average, nearly one extra word compared with those who took a placebo. While the effect was small, it was statistically significant, according to the study published Wednesday in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.The improvement in memory remained for the duration of the study and was stronger for people with a history of cardiovascular disease, said ...

Typhoon Mawar lashes Guam as Category 4 storm with strong winds, rain

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:34:59 GMT

By GRACE GARCES BORDALLO and JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER (Associated Press)HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — Typhoon Mawar inched over Guam as a powerful Category 4 storm on Thursday, relentlessly lashing the U.S. Pacific island territory with heavy rain, powerful winds, and a dangerous storm surge and knocking out power to many communities where frightened residents hunkered down for the night in homes and shelters.The typhoon’s center passed over the northern tip of Guam on Wednesday evening, the National Weather Service said. It is the strongest storm to hit the territory of over 150,000 people in decades. Its maximum sustained winds remained at 140 mph (225 kph) late Wednesday, and it was forecast to intensify throughout the day Thursday, the weather service said.Videos posted on social media showed fallen trees, a flipped pickup truck, solar panels flying through the air, parts of a wall of a multistory hotel crumbling to the ground and exposing rebar, and storm surge and waves cras...

Target becomes latest company to suffer backlash for LGBTQ+ support, pulls some Pride month clothing

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:34:59 GMT

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO (AP Retail Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — Target is removing some items from its stores and making other changes to its LGBTQ+ merchandise nationwide ahead of Pride month after intense backlash from some customers who confronted workers and tipped over displays.“Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work,” Target said in a statement Tuesday. ”Given these volatile circumstances, we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior.”Target said that customers knocked down Pride displays at some stores, angrily approached workers and posted threatening videos on social media from inside the stores. Target declined to specify Wednesday which items it was removing but among the ones that garnered the most attention were “tuck frien...

Patriots announce new jersey numbers for JuJu-Smith Schuster, Mike Gesicki and other vets

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:34:59 GMT

The Patriots released a batch of new jersey numbers for their veteran additions on Wednesday.Among the most notable players, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster will wear No. 7, while new running back James Robinson dons No. 3 and tight end Mike Gesicki takes over No. 88.  The Patriots also released the temporary jersey numbers for their rookies this spring and summer.Both lists of new jersey numbers are below.Veteran numbersRB James Robinson – 3DB Jabrill Peppers – 5WR JuJu Smith-Schuster – 7P Corliss Waitman – 15TE Scotty Washington – 17QB Trace McSorley – 19DB Tae Hayes – 37DB – Rodney Randle – 49LB Chris Board – 45LB Olakunle Fatukasi – 47OT Riley Reiff – 74OT Calvin Anderson – 76TE Mike Gesicki – 88Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Former Patriots captain Devin McCourty lands primetime NFL analyst job New England Patriots | Patriots-Steelers regular-season game coul...

Jimmy Butler shows signs of mortality and now the Celtics have life

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:34:59 GMT

Jimmy Butler is human after all — and he couldn’t have become mortal at a better time for the Celtics.Thanks to a rare underwhelming performance by Butler, who was on a heater before Games 3 and 4 of this very Eastern Conference Finals series, the Celtics forced a Game 5 with a 116-99 victory on the road in Miami on Tuesday.The Heat star still finished with 29 points on 9-of-21 shooting from the field, but Miami was outscored by 20 points in his 39 minutes on the floor, and he coughed up two costly turnovers as the Celtics ultimately ran up a double-digit lead and never let go in the second half.In Game 3, he scored 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting, but that game ended in a blowout victory.Game 4 was different. Butler didn’t have the same bark or bite. It was the first time Boston looked like a team that belonged in the hunt for the NBA title this series after three embarrassing losses to start the conference finals — including a deflating, 25-point walloping th...

Owners of San Diego restaurants charged with COVID-relief fraud

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:34:59 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Two San Diego restaurant owners were charged with fraud and money laundering in connection with an alleged scheme to falsify applications for COVID-relief funds.That's according to U.S. attorney Randy Grossman's office Tuesday, which announced the indictment of Leronce Suel, 46, and RaVae Smith, 45, who owned Rockstar Dough LLC and Chicken Feed LLC. DEA agent attacked by dog during search warrant in East County From March 2020 to June 2022, the U.S. attorney's office says Suel and Smith allegedly conspired to underreport over $1.7 million in gross receipts on Rockstar Dough LLC’s 2020 corporate tax return filed with the IRS in order to qualify for pandemic relief funds through the Paycheck Protection Program and Restaurant Revitalization Funding loans.According to the U.S. attorney's office, Suel and Smith also allegedly made materially false certifications on loan applications regarding the use of the money. The indictment states that the pair made "substantial...