View time: 2 min 10
Level : Advanced
Author: natixis-ezine
Europe’s economy needs help. Political chaos in France and Germany means it may be slower in coming
Read time : 3 mins
Level : Advanced
By DAVID McHUGH and LORNE COOK Associated Press
BRUSSELS (AP) — Even before the French and German governments collapsed, Europe’s economy had enough difficulties. Tepid growth and lagging competitiveness versus the U.S. and China. An auto industry that’s struggling. Where to find billions for defense against Russia? And now Donald Trump threatening tariffs.
Solutions will be harder to find while the two countries that make up almost half of the eurozone economy remain stuck in political paralysis well into 2025.
Where once there was the so-called French-German axis to push Europe ahead, now there’s a vacuum. French Prime Minister Michel Barnier resigned Thursday after losing a vote of confidence, and while President Emmanuel Macron will appoint a successor, the new head of government will lack a majority. Elections are not constitutionally permitted until at least June. Continue reading
Libraries are offering free health and wellness classes across the US
Read time : 2 mins
Level : Intermediate
By DEVI SHASTRI AP Health Writer
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Aurora Health Care Mobile Medical Clinic team waited patiently at a table in the main hallway of the Milwaukee Public Library’s sprawling downtown branch, a blood pressure cuff and mental health questionnaire at the ready as they called out to patrons who paused: “Do you have any questions about your health?”
On this Tuesday afternoon, one man did. His joints were bothering him, he told Carolyn McCarthy, the team’s nurse practitioner. And he knew his bones need calcium to stay strong, so he stopped taking his blood pressure medication, a calcium channel blocker.
McCarthy talked with him at length in simple and specific terms about how the medication worked on his cells, why it was important to take and how it doesn’t affect calcium storage in his bones.
“Hopefully, he walked away a little bit more informed,” McCarthy said. Continue reading
The world gets its first glimpse inside Notre Dame Cathedral after 5 years under wraps
View time : 1 min 17
Level : Intermediate
Retail giants harness AI chatbots to personalize holiday gift recommendations
View time: 2 min 08
Level : Advanced
Donald Trump’s call for ‘energy dominance’ is likely to run into real-world limits
Read time : 3 mins
Level : Advanced
By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is set to create a National Energy Council that he says will establish American “energy dominance” around the world as he seeks to boost U.S. oil and gas drilling and move away from President Joe Biden’s focus on climate change.
The energy council — to be led by North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s choice to head the Interior Department — will be key in Trump’s pledge to “drill, drill, drill” and sell more oil and other energy sources to allies in Europe and around the globe.
The new council will be granted sweeping authority over federal agencies involved in energy permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation and transportation, with a mandate to cut bureaucratic red tape, enhance private sector investments and focus on innovation instead of “totally unnecessary regulation,” Trump said. Continue reading
Over Half of White Collar Workers Prefer Working From Home, Even With One-Third Experiencing Isolation
Read time : 2 mins
Level : Intermediate
BY Jon Dulin | Wealth of Geeks undefined
Remote work has gone from a necessity to a must-have for many workers. A recent USA Today study shows most workers prefer to work from home, ideally at least three days a week.
While workers cite benefits, including increased productivity, this “new normal” also brings challenges like managing work-life balance and feeling isolated from colleagues. Even with some companies pushing back with return-to-office requests, experts project the number of remote workers to increase in the coming years. As businesses and employees adapt, the conversation around remote work evolves, revealing opportunities and hurdles for the future workforce. Continue reading
Thanksgiving turkeys are dropped from the air for some Alaskans living off the grid
View time : 2 min 30
Level : Intermediate
A $300B a year deal for climate cash at UN summit sparks outrage for some and hope for others
View time: 1 min 31
Level : Advanced
US regulators seek to break up Google, forcing Chrome sale as part of monopoly punishment
Read time : 3 mins
Level : Advanced
By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer
U.S. regulators want a federal judge to break up Google to prevent the company from continuing to squash competition through its dominant search engine after a court found it had maintained an abusive monopoly over the past decade.
The proposed breakup floated in a 23-page document filed late Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Justice calls for sweeping punishments that would include a sale of Google’s industry-leading Chrome web browser and impose restrictions to prevent Android from favoring its own search engine.
A sale of Chrome “will permanently stop Google’s control of this critical search access point and allow rival search engines the ability to access the browser that for many users is a gateway to the internet,” Justice Department lawyers argued in their filing. Continue reading