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Macron pension reform ends cherished French exception

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:14 GMT

French President Emmanuel Macron has pushed through a pension reform that is unpopular, but at a great cost to his own political capital. He now seeks to restore it by offering discussions with unions about other issues.Some foreign commentators wondered why there were so many protests. His pension plan simply brought France in line with the European Union.This does not take into account the fact that the French regarded the 62-year-old retirement age as an important social benefit, nor the concern of many workers who were excluded due to their personal circumstances and face a later retirement.CAN THE FRENCH RETIRED EARLIER THAN OTHERS?Theoretically, yes. France, along with Greece, has the lowest retirement age of the European Union. The average for the 27 member states is 64.8.According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the French retire longer than most other countries due to their relatively lower retirement and higher life expectancy.According to the...

Bridge: April 21, 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:14 GMT

It’s common knowledge that opportunity knocks only once (if at all, for some of us). Even then, she may knock softly.Today’s North-South bid to a slam though West’s weak two-bid warned of possible bad breaks. When West led the king of hearts, South took the ace and cashed his A-K of trumps — and West discarded.South still had a chance. He took the queen of trumps, then started the diamonds. East ruffed the third diamond and led another heart. Declarer ruffed and tried a club finesse with dummy’s jack, but East’s queen won.TOP TRUMPSOpportunity knocked, could South but have heard. At Trick Two, South can ruff a heart. He then cashes his three top trumps. When he takes the A-K of diamonds next, and East plays the eight and ten, South can judge to play East for 4-3-2-4 pattern; hence, for the queen of clubs.South leads a club to dummy’s ace, ruffs the last heart and continues diamonds. When East ruffs, he must lead from the queen of clubs, conc...

Ask Amy: I fought with my fiancee’s kid about a slur, and now I’ve been kicked out

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:14 GMT

Dear Amy: At the end of an extremely long road trip, my fiancée, her 16-year-old son and I stopped at a noisy sports bar at 9:30 p.m., famished.As we waited for our food, I saw an article on my phone regarding a woman who was fired for using a slang variant of “the N-word.”I turned to my fiancée to recount the story, but instead of using the variant of the word I saw in the article, I leaned in and in a very low voice said the actual (offensive) word to her, never intending for her son to hear it.When we got into the car, her son vehemently questioned why I had used the word. I was stunned. His tone and aggression were totally disproportionate to my action. I got angry because of his tone and told them.My fiancée sided with her son. She said his tone was justified by my saying the word in his presence (we are all Northern European, by the way).I am a politically progressive American who has supported many Black candidates, worked for voting rights, and have many Black friends.My fia...

Harriette Cole: I have a bad feeling about her boyfriend. What should I do?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:14 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have noticed that my good friend’s boyfriend watches me a little too closely.We spend a lot of time together because my friend and I hang out a lot. Since we both have partners, we invite them to be with us.At first I thought this was really nice for friends who are now couples to hang out together. But there’s something creepy about her boyfriend. I sense it, but I don’t really know what to do.I don’t want to spoil this chance for the four of us to be couple-friends. I’ve never had that before.I just wonder if he will try to make a move or something if we are ever alone in a room. He has not done anything like that. It’s just a feeling I have.How should I address this?Give Me the CreepsRelated ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: The whole team can see her immodest photo during video calls Advice | Harriette Cole: I’ve had a privileged life, and the class assignment calls for hardship Advice | ...

Capstar Financial: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:14 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Capstar Financial Holdings Inc. (CSTR) on Friday reported first-quarter profit of $6.4 million.The Nashville, Tennessee-based bank said it had earnings of 30 cents per share.The results missed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of four analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 40 cents per share.The bank holding company posted revenue of $42.1 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $29.5 million, also falling short of Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $30.6 million._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on CSTR at https://www.zacks.com/ap/CSTRSource

Player of the Week: Clarke County’s Christopher LeBlanc

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:14 GMT

Each week, WTOP picks one student athlete to be featured on-air and online as our Player of the Week. This week’s WTOP Player of the Week is senior Christopher LeBlanc of Clarke County High School in Berryville, Virginia.Chris has earned six varsity letters in two sports during his time at Clarke County, four in soccer and two in football. As a three-year soccer starter at midfield and attacking positions, his play on the field has earned him plenty of postseason awards, as well.This week’s WTOP Player of the Week is senior Christopher LeBlanc of Senior Clarke High School in Virginia. (Courtesy Christopher LeBlanc)As a sophomore, Chris earned First Team All-District and All-Region. During his junior year, the team captured the Class Two State Championship, while he earned First Team All-District, Region and All-Area, along with Second Team All-State.Currently, the soccer team is undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the state.Chris has also succeeded on the football field, punt...

SAP: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:14 GMT

WALLDORF, Germany (AP) — WALLDORF, Germany (AP) — SAP SE (SAP) on Friday reported first-quarter earnings of $513.9 million.On a per-share basis, the Walldorf, Germany-based company said it had profit of 44 cents. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, were $1.16 per share.The results did not meet Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of six analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.20 per share.The business software maker posted revenue of $7.98 billion in the period, which beat Street forecasts. Five analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $7.97 billion._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on SAP at https://www.zacks.com/ap/SAPSource

Investar: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:14 GMT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Investar Holding Corp. (ISTR) on Thursday reported first-quarter profit of $3.8 million.The bank, based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, said it had earnings of 38 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, were 51 cents per share.The results fell short of Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 57 cents per share.The holding company for Investar Bank posted revenue of $32.1 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $21.2 million, which also did not meet Street forecasts._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on ISTR at https://www.zacks.com/ap/ISTRSource

Officials: US to begin training Ukrainian troops on the Abrams tank in coming weeks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:14 GMT

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AP) — Officials: US to begin training Ukrainian troops on the Abrams tank in coming weeks.Source

Capital Bancorp: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:14 GMT

ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) — ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) — Capital Bancorp, Inc. (CBNK) on Thursday reported first-quarter net income of $9.7 million.The Rockville, Maryland-based bank said it had earnings of 68 cents per share.The company posted revenue of $49.4 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $40.5 million, which fell short of Street forecasts.Capital Bancorp shares have declined 29% since the beginning of the year. The stock has declined 26% in the last 12 months._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on CBNK at https://www.zacks.com/ap/CBNKSource