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Taylor Swift had the best year for any business leader in recent memory

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:39 GMT

Washington (CNN) — Taylor Swift didn’t have to run a major company or helm a central bank to wield some immense economic power this year.The pop superstar reigned supreme in 2023 not just as a musical artist, but also as a businessperson: Her career-defining “Eras” tour sold out stadiums across the globe, fans splurged on merchandise while attending her concerts, the film of her tour broke box office records in its opening weekend, and Swift herself became a billionaire along the way.Swift achieved remarkable feats that would be impressive for any typical business leader running a Fortune 500 company. She commanded a loyal base of fans who came out in full force to spend, and in an economy mainly driven by consumer spending, that’s success for any business leader – whether or not they bear the title of “chief executive officer.” (Here’s CNN Business’ choice of CEO of the year.)“She’s a powerhouse, business-wise,” Armen Shaomian, an associate profes...

MHSFCA announces its All-State football team

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:39 GMT

The Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association (MHSFCA) announced its All-State Football Team as selected by a committee of coaches from its association. The players will be honored at a dinner co-sponsored by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston and the MHSFCA on March 17 at the Burlington Marriott.At the dinner, the Gridiron Club will also honor Foxboro’s Jack Martinelli as its Coach of the Year, Isaiah Apperwhite of O’Bryant with the Burnett Award for top football player in the city of the Boston and Chelmsford quarterback Kyle Wilder as the recipient of the Henry Smith Courage Award.MHSFCA 2023 ALL STATE FOOTBALL TEAMOFFENSEQuarterbacksDrew Eason Methuen Sr.Henry Hasselbeck Xaverian Sr.Kellen LaChapelle Uxbridge Sr.Running BacksGreg Hoffmeister Needham Sr.Bo MacCormack BB&N Jr.Wide receiversJamal Abdal-Khallaq Walpole Sr.Cade Callahan North Middlesex Sr.Christian Zamor Everett SrOffensive LineCooper Ackerman Shrewsbury Sr.Thomas Brown Chelmsford Jr.Sea...

Live updates | Palestinian refugee camps shelled in central Gaza as Israel seeks to expand offensive

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:39 GMT

Israel is apparently preparing to expand its ground offensive in Gaza into a third section of the territory.Palestinian refugee camps were bombarded in central Gaza on Tuesday, residents said.More than 20,600 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and children, have been killed since the start of the war, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants among the dead. About 1,200 people were killed after Hamas raided southern Israel on Oct. 7, with around 240 people taken hostage. Israel says it aims to free the more than 100 hostages who remain in captivity in Gaza.Currently: — Lose a limb or risk death? Growing numbers among Gaza’s thousands of war-wounded face hard decisions— An Israeli airstrike in Syria kills a high-ranking Iranian general— Americans beg for help getting family out of Gaza. ‘I just want to see my mother again,’ a son says— Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-warHere’s wha...

A cyberattack blocks Albania’s Parliament

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:39 GMT

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s Parliament reported Tuesday it had suffered a cyberattack with hackers trying to get into its data and wipe them out, temporarily halting its work.A statement said Monday’s cyberattack had not “touched the data of the system,” adding that experts were working to discover what consequences the attack could have. It said services would resume at a later time.The local media reported that a cellphone provider and an air flight company were also targeted by cyberattacks Monday from Iranian-based hackers called Homeland Justice, something which could not be verified independently.Albania suffered a cyberattack in July 2022 that the government and multinational technology companies blamed on the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Believed to be in retaliation for Albania sheltering members of the Iranian opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, or MEK, the attack led the government to cut diplomatic relations with Iran two months later.The Iranian Foreign Ministr...

Subscription-based care moves beyond peddling birth control and helping with hair loss

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:39 GMT

Need help losing weight or handling depression? How about a pill that lowers cholesterol and treats erectile dysfunction?Online subscription services for care have grown far beyond their roots dealing mainly with hair loss, acne or birth control. Companies including Hims & Hers, Ro and Lemonaid Health now provide quick access to specialists and regular prescription deliveries for a growing list of health issues.Hims recently launched a weight-loss program starting at $79 a month without insurance. Lemonaid began treating seasonal affective disorder last winter for $95 a month. Ro still provides birth control, but it also connects patients trying to have children with regular deliveries of ovulation tests or prenatal vitamins.This Netflix-like approach promises help for two common difficulties in the U.S.: access to health care and prescription refills. But it also stirs concern about care quality.“This isn’t medicine. This is selling drugs to consumers,” said Dr. Adriane Fugh-Be...

Tokyo court only holds utility responsible to compensate Fukushima evacuees and reduces damages

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:39 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — A Tokyo court on Tuesday held only the operator of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant responsible for paying damages to dozens of evacuees.The Tokyo High Court also slashed the amount to half of what the lower court had ordered and relieved the government of responsibility — a decision that plaintiffs and their lawyers criticized as belittling their suffering and the severity of the disaster.The court ordered only the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, known as TEPCO, to pay a total of 23.5 million yen ($165,000) to 44 of the 47 plaintiffs, while not holding the government accountable.Tuesday’s ruling apparently backpedaled from an earlier decision in March 2018, when the Tokyo District Court held both the government and TEPCO accountable for the disaster, which the ruling said could have been prevented if they both took better precautionary measures, ordering both to pay 59 million yen ($414,400) in damages.The decision comes at a time when Jap...

34% of Canadian poll respondents, particularly younger individuals, report feeling lonely

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:39 GMT

A new poll conducted just days before Christmas has found roughly a third of all respondents reporting feelings of loneliness and depression, and that number jumps among younger individuals.The findings were contained in a poll released by Maru Public Opinion early Tuesday. According to the poll, 34 per cent of respondents shared lonely and depressed feelings during the holidays while hoping they could have someone reach out to them to offer comfort – 11 per cent of participants said they “very much” felt that way.When it comes to respondents between the ages of 18 and 34, 54 per cent of the group said they had these feelings with nearly one in five telling the polling company they “very much” felt that way. For those between 35 and 54, it dropped to 36 per cent. Related: New report highlighting impact of social isolation on aging Canadian population On a broader level this holiday season, 44 per cent of participants who earned below $...

Man stabbed inside home on South Side

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:39 GMT

CHICAGO — A 58-year-old man was seriously injured after being stabbed inside a home on the city's South Side.The incident happened around 3 a.m. Tuesday in the 400 block of East 45th Street in the Bronzeville neighborhood.Police said the man sustained a stab wound in the abdomen while inside a residence. He was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in serious condition. 1 dead, 1 critical in scooter crash on Northwest Side According to police, the man was uncooperative with details.No one is in custody. Area One Detectives are investigating.

Tuesday Forecast: Temps in low 40s with showers possible

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:39 GMT

CHICAGO — Temperatures in the low 40s Tuesday with mostly cloudy conditions. A few passing showers possible. High: 42. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storms here Cloudy and colder tonight with temperatures in the low 30s, and upper 20s in outlying areas. Low: 31.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Spirit Airlines sends unaccompanied boy, 6, on wrong flight

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:39 GMT

(The Hill) - A Spirit Airlines staff member placed an unaccompanied minor on an incorrect flight this week, the airline confirmed in a Sunday statement.The child departed Thursday from Philadelphia and was supposed to arrive in Fort Myers, Fla. Instead, the child landed in Orlando, about a three-hour drive away.According to local news television station WINK, the child was a 6-year-old boy, Casper, traveling to meet his grandmother, Maria Ramos. It was Casper’s first time flying, Ramos told the news station.“They told me, ‘No, he’s not on this flight. He missed his flight.’ I said, ‘No, he could not miss his flight because I have the check-in tag,'” Ramos told the local news station. “I ran inside the plane to the flight attendant, and I asked her, ‘Where’s my grandson? He was handed over to you at Philadelphia?’ She said, ‘No, I had no kids with me.'”Ramos told the station that her grandson then called her to let her know he landed in Orlando. What is the flight hack ‘skip laggin...