Author: natixis-ezine

European leaders want a say in talks to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. The US is brushing them off

natixis-ezine

Read time : 3 mins

Level : Advanced

Republican Guards stand outside the Elysee Palace during an informal meeting of leaders from key European Union nations and the United Kingdom in Paris, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

By SYLVIE CORBET and RAF CASERT Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — European leaders insisted Monday they must have a say in international talks to end the war in Ukraine despite the clear message from both Washington and Moscow that there was no role for them as yet in negotiations that could shape the future of the continent.

Three hours of emergency talks at the Elysee Palace in Paris left leaders of Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, NATO and the European Union without a common view on possible peacekeeping troops after a U.S. diplomatic blitz on Ukraine last week threw a once-solid trans-Atlantic alliance into turmoil. Continue reading

Roses are red, violets are blue, 940 million flowers are traveling (through Miami) to you

natixis-ezine

Read time : 3 mins

Level : Intermediate

Valentine’s Day roses are unwrapped after being inspected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialist Elaine Mendez at Miami International Airport, and Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

By DAVID FISCHER Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) — If any husbands or boyfriends mess up Valentine’s Day this week, it’s not because of a shortage of flowers.

In the run up to Feb. 14, agricultural specialists at Miami International Airport have processed about 940 million stems of cut flowers, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Around 90% of the fresh cut flowers being sold for Valentine’s Day in the United States come through Miami, while the other 10% pass through Los Angeles.

Roses, carnations, pompons, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums and gypsophila arrive on hundreds of flights, mostly from Colombia and Ecuador, to Miami on their journey to florists and supermarkets across the U.S. and Canada. Continue reading

Trump’s AI ambition and China’s DeepSeek overshadow an AI summit in Paris

natixis-ezine

Read time : 3 mins

Level : Advanced

Police patrol outside of the entrance to the Grand Palais, which will be the venue for an upcoming AI Action Summit, in Paris, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

By SYLVIE CORBET and KELVIN CHAN Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — The geopolitics of artificial intelligence will be in focus at a major summit in France where world leaders, executives and experts will hammer out pledges on guiding the development of the rapidly advancing technology.

It’s the latest in a series of global dialogues around AI governance, but one that comes at a fresh inflection point as China’s buzzy and budget-friendly DeepSeek chatbot shakes up the industry.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance — making his first trip abroad since taking office — will attend the Paris AI Action Summit starting Feb. 10, while China’s President Xi Jinping will be sending his special envoy, signaling high stakes for the meeting. Continue reading

What can the ‘black box’ tell us about plane crashes

natixis-ezine

Read time : 5 mins

Level : Intermediate

In this image provided by the National Transportation Safety Board, NTSB investigators examine cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, recovered from the American Airlines passenger jet that crashed with an Army helicopter Wednesday night near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. (NTSB via AP)

By BEN FINLEY Associated Press

It’s one of the most important pieces of forensic evidence following a plane crash: The so-called “black box.”

There are actually two of these remarkably sturdy devices: the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder. And they’re typically orange, not black.

Federal investigators on Friday recovered the black boxes from the passenger jet that crashed in the Potomac River just outside Washington on Wednesday, while authorities were still searching for similar devices in the military helicopter that also went down. Continue reading

With home prices and mortgage rates high, many families find the American dream out of reach

natixis-ezine

Read time : 3 mins

Level : Advanced

Julieta Lopez’s condo is seen from the street in Boston, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, some two years after she bought her first home, capping a 30-year pursuit of homeownership. (AP Photo/Rodrique Ngowi)

By R.J. RICO Associated Press

The Petersen family’s two-bedroom apartment in northern California is starting to feel small.

Four-year-old Jerrik’s toy monster trucks are everywhere in the 1,100-square-foot unit in Campbell, just outside of San Jose. And it’s only a matter of time before 9-month-old Carolynn starts amassing more toys, adding to the disarray, says her mother, Jenn Petersen.

The 42-year-old chiropractor had hoped she and her husband, Steve, a 39-year-old dental hygienist, would have bought a house by now. But when they can afford a bigger place, it will have to be another rental. Petersen has done the math: With mortgage rates and home prices stubbornly high, there’s no way the couple, who make about $270,000 a year and pay about $2,500 in monthly rent, can afford a home anywhere in their area.

According to October data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, a San Jose family with a median income of $156,700 would need to spend 80% of their income on housing — including an $8,600 monthly mortgage payment — to own a median-priced $1.54 million home. That’s far higher than the general rule of thumb that people should pay no more than 30% of their income on a mortgage or rent. Continue reading