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Amazon CEO says ‘it’s probably not going to work out’ for employees who defy return-to-office policy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:55:42 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon employees have been pushing back against the company’s return-to-office policy for months — and it seems CEO Andy Jassy has had enough. During a pre-recorded internal Q&A session earlier this month, Jassy told employees it was “past the time to disagree and commit” with the policy, which requires corporate employees to be in the office three days a week. The phrase “disagree and commit” is one of Amazon’s leadership principles, and was used often by the company’s founder and current executive chairman, Jeff Bezos. “If you can’t disagree and commit, it’s probably not going to work out for you at Amazon,” Jassy said, adding it wasn’t right for some employees to be in the office three days a week while others refuse to do so. His comments were first reported by Business Insider, and later shared by Amazon.The current office attendance mandate, which was announced in February and went into effect in May, is a shift from Amazon’s previous policy that allowed le...

Nebraska volleyball stadium event could draw 90,000-plus and set women’s world attendance record

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:55:42 GMT

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An attendance record of global proportions could be set Wednesday night when the University of Nebraska hosts a celebration of volleyball at Memorial Stadium.The event will feature an exhibition between in-state Division II powers Nebraska-Kearney and Wayne State and a regular-season match between Omaha and the fourth-ranked Cornhuskers. Country artist Scotty McCreery will perform afterward.Nebraska athletic department officials have taken aim at the women’s sporting event attendance record of 91,648, set during a Champions League soccer match as Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 5-2 at the Camp Nou Stadium in 2022.“If any place can do it, it’s Nebraska,” Huskers freshman outside hitter Harper Murray said.Memorial Stadium’s official capacity is just over 85,000 for football, but that number will be higher for this event because seating on the field is available. The court is positioned on the north end of the stadium, which is the home field of th...

DC’s Lincoln Theatre swaps ‘Greased Lightning’ for ‘Grease with a Side of Mumbo Sauce’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:55:42 GMT

(new Image()).src = "https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=9be9c680-c459-4acb-af21-654a2ccca384&cid=c2ffed0c-3624-46c0-b10f-97c976d290a3";cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "9be9c680-c459-4acb-af21-654a2ccca384",mediaId: "bde48cec-4af0-46fd-a278-4d6c4046b59d"}).render("ca575e250f014320a6fd2892391f3df3"); }); toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's Jason Fraley previews 'Grease with a Side of Mumbo Sauce' (Part 1) $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); ga('send', 'event', 'Audio', 'play', audio_filename); ...

Russia says no to international probe into Prigozhin crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:55:42 GMT

Russia will not conduct an investigation under international rules into the jet crash that killed Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin.Prigozhin was traveling in a Brazilian-made Embraer Legacy 600 when the plane crashed north of Moscow last week. The Brazilian Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (CENIPA) told Reuters on Tuesday that it would join a Russian-led investigation into the crash if invited, and if the probe is held under international rules. But Russia will not initiate an international probe “at the moment,” the Brazilian agency said. “They are not obliged, only recommended to do that,” Marcelo Moreno, head of CENIPA, told Reuters. “If they say they are going to open the investigation and invite Brazil, we will participate from afar,” he added. Air-crash investigators normally aim to conduct probes as transparently as possible, with the goal of improving safety standards as the highest priority. The plane carryin...

Worker dies after accident involving forklift at Logan Airport

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:55:42 GMT

A worker who was seriously hurt in an accident involving a forklift at Logan Airport Tuesday has died, state police said. The incident happened around 3:30 p.m. outside Terminal C, where police said part of a forklift appeared to have struck part of a stationary structure before overturning onto its operator. Police said the operator, a 51-year-old man from Winthrop, was taken to Boston Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.State police did not identify the forklift operator but said he works for a sub-contractor that was working for JetBlue. A spokesperson for Massport in a separate statement said there were no aircraft in the area at the time of this incident. JetBlue did not immediately respond to a request for comment.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Coup leaders in Gabon say ousted president is under house arrest

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:55:42 GMT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Mutinous soldiers who led an attempted coup in Gabon say President Ali Bongo Ondimba is under house arrest after a coup in the African nation.The statement, carried on state television, added that other people in the government have been arrested on various charges.The coup happened Wednesday, after election results were announced saying Ondimba would remain in power, continuing his family’s 55 hold on power. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Mutinous soldiers in Gabon said Wednesday they were seizing power to overturn the results of a presidential election, seeking to remove a president whose family has held power for 55 years, and crowds took to the streets to celebrate.The coup attempt came hours after the central African country’s President Ali Bongo Ondimba, 64, was declared winner of an election marred by fears of violence. Within minutes of the announcement, gunfire was heard in the center of the...

Austrian government plans cap on rent increases to cushion the impact of inflation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:55:42 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — The government of Austria presented a series of measures Wednesday to counter the impact of inflation, including a three-year cap on rent increases for many apartments and a freeze on fees to use highways.The package foresees a 5% cap on annual rent increases in 2024-2026 even if inflation is higher than that. According to the government, the cap will prevent hikes of some 15% next year in some public housing.Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler said the limit would benefit 1.2 million housing contracts in the country of some 9 million people, the Austria Press Agency reported. Kogler’s Green party said that number represents three-quarters of all rental contracts, according to the news agency.Austria’s annual inflation rate stood at 7% in July.The government’s package also caps the cost of the sticker that cars must have to use Austria’s highways at 96 euros ($104) per year, rather than increasing it with inflation. The price for a “climate ticket” that all...

Rubiales crisis hangs over European soccer ahead of gala award ceremony in Monaco

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:55:42 GMT

The governing body of European soccer heads to its annual awards gala on Thursday in Monaco amid turmoil created by its vice president from Spain.Luis Rubiales won’t be at the high-end ceremony in Monte Carlo where the awards for best player and coach will be made because he has been suspended by FIFA, the sport’s ultimate governing body. Spain could sweep the prizes for women’s soccer.FIFA suspended Rubiales, who is both the president of the Spanish soccer federation and a vice president at European soccer body UEFA, for at least 90 days while it investigates the kiss he forced on Women’s World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso and the ongoing fallout from his overall conduct at the final in Sydney, Australia.UEFA has stayed publicly silent in the 10 days since Rubiales provoked a furor in Spain and elsewhere, later fueled by his defiant refusal to resign.Even after FIFA formally opened a disciplinary case on Thursday, UEFA did not say if it had taken action against Rubiales, wh...

Britain’s top diplomat visits China for the first time in 5 years with hopes of stabilizing ties

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:55:42 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Britain’s top diplomat, James Cleverly, began a long-awaited visit to China on Wednesday as the two countries attempt to stabilize their ties that have frayed badly in recent years. The trip is the first by a U.K. foreign secretary to China in more than five years, underscoring the downturn in relations over Beijing’s curbing of civil liberties in Hong Kong, a former British colony, abuses against Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region, China’s support for Russia and Britain’s close security ties with the United States. Cleverly met first with Vice President Han Zheng, who said the visit will “further promote the sound and stable development of bilateral relations.” The British official said it was important to “avoid misunderstandings” in relations between the U.K. and China.“It is important that countries like ours meet and speak face to face on regular occasions to enhance understanding, to avoid misunderstanding and to address the challenges and differences of o...

A multi-truck crash involving hazardous materials kills 2 on German highway

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:55:42 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Crashes involving multiple trucks, including one transporting hazardous materials and another carrying tanks of nitrous oxide, killed two people on a highway in Germany, according to German news agency dpa. The chain of collisions happened Tuesday by a construction site on the A2 highway near the city of Magdeburg. The truck with the hazardous materials crashed into three other trucks and then a fifth truck loaded with the high-pressure tanks crashed into the other four, dpa said Wednesday. A fire quickly developed, and the flames spread from the truck with the nitrous oxide containers to the one with the hazardous materials. It was not immediately clear what kind of materials the latter was transporting, but authorities said toxic substances were released. Several explosions were reported, and nearby residents were asked to stay home with their windows closed to avoid exposure to the fumes. Authorities established a safety perimeter with a 650-meter (711-yard) radius ...