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Ticker: Meta’s Threads has 70 million signups; Judge hits pause on NYC food delivery wage rule

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:54 GMT

Meta Platforms Inc.’s new social media app Threads has garnered 70 million users in just two days after its launch, a sign of enthusiasm that Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said was “way beyond our expectations.”Threads launched last Wednesday as an alternative to Elon Musk’s Twitter, which had 237.8 million users as of July 2022, but has also been beset by controversy. On Threads, which closely resembles Twitter’s look, people can post text and links and reply to or repost messages from others. The app will let users port over their existing follower lists and account names from Instagram, Meta’s photo and video-sharing app that counts major brands, celebrities and creators among its more than 2 billion users.Threads is currently ranked No. 1 among free apps on Apple Inc’s App Store in the US.Judge hits pause on NYC food delivery wage ruleA New York state judge issued a temporary halt to a new city law scheduled to go into effect next week, which requires minimum wage paym...

Cape Cod man seriously injured in fireworks explosion now faces criminal charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:54 GMT

The Cape man who suffered traumatic injuries to his leg and hand from a fireworks explosion is now facing criminal charges for having fireworks in Massachusetts.On the Fourth of July, West Yarmouth man Phat Truong sustained serious injuries from exploding mortar style fireworks in his yard. The 40-year-old man was transported to a Boston medical facility to get treated for serious, life-threatening injuries.Now following a police investigation, criminal charges have been filed against Truong for unlawful possession of fireworks.“All fireworks are illegal in Massachusetts for private residents,” Yarmouth Police said in a statement.“Massachusetts law prohibits the possession, use, and sale of fireworks by unlicensed individuals, even if you buy them legally in another state,” police added. “Leave fireworks to the professionals.”The police investigation was conducted by the Yarmouth Police Department, Yarmouth Fire Department, Massachusetts State Pol...

We’re listening: Yellen said US will review ‘unintended consequences’ raised by China

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:54 GMT

BEIJING — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Sunday said she agreed Washington will listen to Chinese complaints about security-related curbs on U.S. technology exports and might “respond to unintended consequences” as she ended a visit to Beijing aimed at reviving strained relations.Yellen defended “targeted measures” on trade that China’s leaders complain are aimed at hurting its fledgling tech industries. She said the Biden administration wants to “avoid unnecessary repercussions” but gave no indication of possible changes.Relations between the two biggest economies are at their lowest level in decades due to disputes about technology, security and other irritants. A key Chinese complaint is limits on access to processor chips and other U.S. technology on security grounds that threaten to hamper the ruling Communist Party’s development of smartphones, artificial intelligence and other industries.“We will open up channels so th...

USPS offices to host passport fairs amid high demand

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:54 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The current processing time for new passports is three months or more, according to the United States Postal Service.For those planning international travel in the fall, officials with the San Diego Passport Agency are advising you to submit those passport applications as far in advance as possible. Excessive Heat Warning issued for these areas in San Diego County Due to extremely high demand, USPS offices will be hosting several passport fairs across the county on Saturday, July 15 to help ensure travelers receive their documents in time. “The purpose of this one-day 'blizzard' of passport fairs is to make the process of applying for new passports easy for our customers,” said San Diego Postmaster Justine Valadez. “A lot of people, especially those with schoolchildren, don’t have the time during the week to visit a post office to submit their passport applications.”A full list of passport fair dates and locations can be found below:7/159:00 am-4:00 pmAlpine2127 Arnol...

Oceanside man in sheriff's custody dies at hospital

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:54 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A man in sheriff’s custody died at Tri-City Hospital Saturday afternoon, authorities confirmed.According to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, homicide investigators were notified that 43-year-old Zeke Davis was pronounced deceased at 3:30 p.m. Missing 14-year-old girl found at Camp Pendleton Davis, an Oceanside resident, was arrested by the Oceanside Police Department on Wednesday, June 28 for charges relating to resisting arrest, battery on a peace officer and violation of a temporary restraining order, SDSO said. After being transported to the Vista Detention Facility for booking, authorities say Davis was medically screened by sheriff's staff who determined that he should be transported to the hospital for follow up. Once there, medical staff evaluated Davis and admitted him to the hospital for a pre-existing medical condition, according to SDSO. He was provided care and remained at the hospital until the time of his passing.The Citizen's Law Enforcement R...

Heat warnings in place in six provinces, Ontario town faces tornado warning

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:54 GMT

Extreme weather alerts remain in place across much of Canada, with federal forecasters warning of heat, rainfall, thunderstorms and a possible tornado in different parts of the country. Environment Canada has issued a tornado warning for the northwestern Ontario town of Sioux Lookout, while Fort Severn on Hudson Bay is facing a rainfall warning. The neighbouring province of Quebec is under multiple alerts for both rainfall and severe thunderstorms that could produce lightning, flash floods and nickel-sized hail.Heat warnings are in place in six provinces and two territories as an ongoing heat wave shows no signs of letting up. In Atlantic Canada, temperatures are forecasted to reach close to 30 degrees on Sunday in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, while humidex values are expected to hit 37 degrees.Temperatures are forecasted to soar near or above 30 degrees Celsius into Monday for parts of southern and coastal British Columbia, with the highest temperatures in s...

Sex worker wins in Nova Scotia court, but ruling leaves sex industry conflicted

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:54 GMT

In a legal decision described as the first of its kind in Canada, a Halifax sex worker successfully sued a client for nonpayment of services, but actors in the industry are conflicted about the ruling’s impacts.Former sex worker Brogan Sheehan took Bradley Samuelson to small claims court after he didn’t fully pay her fee, which both parties had agreed to beforehand. Samuelson argued that the agreement was invalid because it is illegal to purchase sexual services, but court adjudicator Darrel Pink said the contract could still be enforced and awarded Sheehan $1,800.Sex work remains criminalized in Canada, but a 2014 law removed criminal penalties for people, like Sheehan, who sell sexual services. Paying for sex, however, remains illegal.Sheehan’s lawyer, Jessica Rose, says she and her client wanted to expose the court to the “economic realities of doing sex work.” As well, Rose said they wanted to raise awareness about “what is needed as far as ac...

Porfirio Muñoz Ledo, Mexico’s veteran political chameleon, has died

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:54 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Porfirio Muñoz Ledo, Mexico’s veteran political chameleon who played a key role in the country’s democratic reforms, has died at age 89, his family announced Sunday.His relatives did not give a cause of death, but he had been in ill health for some time.Since entering politics in the 1970s, Muñoz Ledo was never far from the center of power, even if that meant changing parties. Tributes poured in from most of Mexico’s political parties; he had belonged to most of them at some point. And many of the tributes began with phrases like “despite our differences,” because Muñoz Ledo eventually broke with all of them. A brilliant strategist, Muñoz Ledo was able to conceive of many possible paths in Mexico’s long transition to democracy. But he was never able to imagine one without himself in a central role.In a 2020 interview with The Associated Press, Muñoz Ledo joked about his own mortality. Asked if he represented the “living history” of Mexican politics, the husk...

UK police say a second 8-year-old girl has died after an SUV crashed into a Wimbledon school

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:54 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A second 8-year-old girl has died after an SUV crashed into an elementary school in the Wimbledon area of London, British police said Sunday.The Metropolitan Police force said Nuria Sajjad died in a London hospital on Sunday, three days after the crash.Sajjad’s family said in a statement that “Nuria was the light of our lives. She embodied joy, kindness and generosity and she was loved by all around her.”Another 8-year-old, Selena Lau, died Thursday after a Land Rover plowed through a fence and hit a building at the Study Preparatory School, a private school for girls in the quiet suburb.The crash happened about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, which is hosting the world-famous Wimbledon tennis tournament. Police said the collision, which happened while the children were having an outdoor end-of-year party on the school’s premises, was not terror-related.The 46-year-old driver was arrested on suspicion of causing death by...

1 dead, at least 23 injured after fiery bus crash on LSD

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:54 GMT

CHICAGO — One person is dead after a fiery crash involving a CTA bus on DuSable Lake Shore Drive that injured at least 23 people total in the Kenwood neighborhood early Sunday morning.According to the Chicago Fire Department, 16 were transported to the hospital, 13 are in good condition and three are in critical condition. Seven individuals refused medical attention.The Chicago Police Department said that three people in critical condition — a male driver and two female passengers — were in a Dodge journey travelling southbound that hit an occupied CTA bus that was travelling northbound on DuSable Lake Shore Drive.One of the female passengers was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead.Police said the other female passenger and the driver, an adult male, were both in critical condition and taken to local hospitals. Multiple armed robberies conducted on Divvy bikes in Loop: CPD Fire officials said DuSable Lake Shore Drive northbound is...