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Skills shortages are a serious problem for majority of EU SMEs, Eurobarometer shows

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:30 GMT

A new Eurobarometer survey finds that skills shortages are one of the most serious problems for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the EU. The challenge of skills shortages has grown over the years and now encompasses all EU member states and all sectors of the economy.The survey is a useful tool in understanding the impact of skills shortages on SMEs, and will feed into the Commission's policy making. Among other things, it will inform the implementation of the SME relief package that was adopted in September 2023 and stipulates various actions to improve the skills situation for SMEs in the EU. The survey also complements another recently published Eurobarometer study which, among other things, focuses on the training and skilling activities of businesses.Some of the key conclusions of the Eurobarometer study are:Skills shortages represent a serious problem from the smallest to mid-sized companies in Europe, being identified as such by 53% of micro companies (<10 empl...

Horoscopes Nov. 16, 2023: Marg Helgenberger, put your energy where it counts

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:30 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Kimberly J. Brown, 39; Maggie Gyllenhaal, 46; Martha Plimpton, 53; Marg Helgenberger, 65.Happy Birthday: Look for opportunities, make changes that position you to reach your goal and follow your heart. Happiness is your responsibility, and doing what makes you feel good about yourself will ensure you reach your expectations. Put your energy where it counts and you’ll reap the rewards you deserve. Surround yourself with people who share your beliefs and contribute to your success. Your numbers are 9, 14, 23, 28, 36, 42, 49.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Limit spending. Use your intelligence to devise different ways to utilize your skills, and you’ll find a lucrative and fulfilling path. Refuse to let emotional factors stand between you and what you want to pursue. Take responsibility for your happiness. 2 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): An open mind will help you reach your destination. Don’t fear change if it can catapult you to a position ...

Bridge: Nov. 16, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:30 GMT

Cy the Cynic says that we don’t really get smarter as we get older. We just run out of mistakes to make.Cy was declarer at today’s four spades. He ducked West’s king of diamonds, won the next diamond and led a trump to his ace and a second trump. West took the king and led a third diamond.The Cynic ruffed, drew the missing trump with dummy’s queen and ran the hearts. He lost a club at the end, making four.Were mistakes made?HEART SWITCHCy must avoid letting East gain the lead for a club switch; the defense needs a way for East to get in. When Cy led a trump to his ace, West could infer that Cy didn’t have the jack also, not having finessed. So West could dump his king under the ace. Then East would get in with the jack in time to lead a club, beating the contract.Cy could avoid that if he led a heart to his hand at Trick Three and returned a low trump toward dummy. If West played low and dummy’s queen won, Cy could effectively play low on the next...

Word Game: Nov. 16, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:30 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — DISMAYED (DISMAYED: dis-MADE: Experiencing feelings of concern or agitation.)Average mark 27 wordsTime limit 40 minutesCan you find 33 or more words in DISMAYED? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — GONDOLAS glad gland goad goal godson gold gonad gondola good goods goon lagoon land load loan logo long loon along also salon saloon sand sang slag slang slog slogan snag snood soda sold solo solon song soonTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.Contact Word G...

The eight most expensive reported home sales in Milpitas the week of Nov. 6

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:30 GMT

A house that sold for $2.5 million tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Milpitas in the past week.In total, eight residential real estate sales were recorded in the area during the past week, with an average price of $1.4 million. The average price per square foot ended up at $960.The prices in the list below concern real estate sales where the title was recorded during the week of Nov. 6 even if the property may have been sold earlier.8. $930K, condominium in the 1400 block of Nightshade RoadThe property in the 1400 block of Nightshade Road in Milpitas has new owners. The price was $930,000. The condominium was built in 2018 and has a living area of 1,111 square feet. The price per square foot is $837. The condominium features two bedrooms and two bathrooms.Nightshade Road7. $1.1 million, condominium in the 600 block of Mente Linda LoopThe 1,371 square-foot condominium in the 600 block of Mente Linda Loop in Milpitas has been sold. The transfer of ow...

Ask Amy: Am I wrong to think my son should put aside his trauma for our family’s sake?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:30 GMT

Dear Amy: My son revealed to me that years ago an older male family member propositioned him to have sex.Related ArticlesAdvice | Ask Amy: I found out why I was behaving badly, but my wife won’t come back Advice | Ask Amy: The bride and I aren’t speaking because of her non-negotiable demand Advice | Ask Amy: I misled my host about why I wanted to stay in a hotel Advice | Ask Amy: Is this a creepy idea for a high school reunion? Advice | Ask Amy: I told the bride she was free to exclude me, but I’m hurt by how she did it This apparently took place at a holiday dinner where some heavy drinking had occurred (which was not unusual), and after his father and I had left.My son confronted this person two years ago, and it didn’t go well.The family member appeared truly shocked and denied all involvement. At first, he was open to discussion, but then became very angry and lashed out.My so...

Harriette Cole: I’m a college student now, so I can’t relate to my family

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:30 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I’m the first in my family to go to college, and there’s a lot of pressure on me. I feel like I can’t relate to my family anymore.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: I’m arguing more and more, and I need a strategy Advice | Harriette Cole: How can I break the hold of wine and binge-watching? Advice | Harriette Cole: I don’t have rich parents, and I’m scared about graduating Advice | Harriette Cole: I asked why my boyfriend’s mom doesn’t like me, and the answer hurt Advice | Harriette Cole: Ever since I committed to being happy, my life has been a trainwreck How can I cope with this and excel in my graduate program?— Need SupportDEAR NEED SUPPORT: Stop looking to your family for the emotional support you need.Since you are a pioneer in higher education in your family, they don’t have the tools to help you manage your academic...

Israel signals wider offensive in Gaza’s south, where hundreds of thousands have fled

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:30 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli forces dropped leaflets warning Palestinians to flee parts of southern Gaza, residents said Thursday, signaling a possible expansion of their offensive to areas where hundreds of thousands of people who heeded earlier evacuation orders are crowded into U.N.-run shelters and family homes.Meanwhile, soldiers continued searching Shifa Hospital in the north, in a raid that began early Wednesday. They displayed guns they say were found hidden in one building, but have yet to release any evidence of the central Hamas command center that Israel has said is concealed beneath the complex. Hamas and staff at the hospital, Gaza’s largest, deny the allegations.Broadening operations to the south — where Israel already carries out daily air raids — threatens to worsen an already severe humanitarian crisis in the besieged territory. Over 1.5 million people have been internally displaced in Gaza, with most having fled to the south, where food, water and ...

Crossroads of a Crisis: Spies use global chaos as cover

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:30 GMT

Declining Western support for Ukraine. A massacre in Israel followed by war in Gaza. The disarray in the U.S. Congress. In his new series “Crossroads of a Crisis,” WTOP’s National Security Correspondent J.J. Green’s delves into the three weeks in October when the world changed dramatically. And while many have been distracted by the chaos, Russian spies have launched a secret espionage operation in the U.S. For years, Robert Baer lived in the trendy Dupont Circle neighborhood. After a long career as a clandestine CIA operative abroad, he understood what the signs of intelligence activity were. He also knew his own neighborhood was a hotbed of foreign activity. Much of it, he believed, was connected to the Russian government.“The FSB is known to run operations out of the Russian Cultural Center,” according to Baer, who said he knows this, because “I used to live right around the corner from it.”Read Part 1 of “Crossroads of a Crisis”: The storm no one saw comingThe ...

Stock market today: World shares are mixed and oil prices fell after Biden’s meeting with China’s Xi

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:30 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were mixed Thursday in Europe and Asia after a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping that yielded no big breakthroughs, though both sides said it was constructive. Any lift in sentiment from a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping appeared to fade after Biden, pressed by a reporter on whether he trusted Xi, said he believed in trusting but verifying and conceded that China’s leader is a dictator.“He is a dictator in a sense,” Biden said. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, said, “Such a remark is extremely wrong and is irresponsible political manipulation.” Biden and Xi emerged from their first face-to-face meeting in a year vowing to stabilize the fraught relationship between the world’s two biggest economies. They showcased modest agreements to combat illicit fentanyl and re-establish military communications. Rifts on economic competition and global security threats persist...