1,000 Bulgarian nationalists protest against government plans to adopt euro currency
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Police in Bulgaria’s capital clashed with nationalist protesters Saturday who demanded that the government scrap plans to bring the country into the eurozone. About 1,000 protesters gathered in front of the Sofia office of the European Commission, which is the European Union’s executive branch, and began throwing red paint and firecrackers at the building. A door was eventually set ablaze. Firefighters were dispatched to the scene as well as police reinforcements, who pushed back the protesters. Police said that several demonstrators had been arrested, while some officers had been injured during the clashes.
Engineering company settles Flint water lawsuits for $53M but denies any blame for lead crisis
DETROIT (AP) — An engineering company said Friday it has agreed to pay $53 million to settle all remaining lawsuits that alleged some blame for lead-contaminated water in Flint, Michigan, a decade ago. The deal by Veolia North America and Flint residents comes on top of $26.3 million in previous settlements with the company, and $626 million from the state of Michigan and other parties. Veolia has denied responsibility for the contamination and repeatedly noted that it was briefly hired by Flint as a consultant months after the city began pulling water from the Flint River in 2014. The water was not treated to reduce corrosion, causing lead to leach from old pipes.
Cryptocurrency exchange says it was victim of $1.5 billion hack
A major cryptocurrency exchange says it was the victim of a sophisticated hack that stole about $1.5 billion worth of digital currency, marking one of the biggest online thefts of all time. Bybit said Friday that a routine transfer of Ethereum, one of the most popular cryptocurrencies, between digital wallets was “manipulated” by an attacker who transferred the crypto to an unidentified address. The company sought to reassure customers that their cryptocurrency holdings with the exchange were safe. The company added that news of the hack had led to a surge in withdrawal requests and there could be delays in processing them. Ben Zhou, Bybit’s CEO, said on social media that his company would remain solvent even if the hacked crypto wasn’t recovered.
National Park Service restores some jobs of fired employees, pledges to hire 7,700 seasonal workers
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is restoring jobs for dozens of National Park Service employees fired amid government-wide reductions and hiring nearly 3,000 additional seasonal workers, following an uproar over an aggressive plan to downsize the agency. At least 50 jobs are being restored to help maintain and clean parks, educate visitors and collect admission fees, according to two people familiar with the agency’s plans who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. The moves come as the park service said in a new memo that it will hire up to 7,700 seasonal positions this year, up from about 5,000 promised earlier this week and higher than the three-year average of 6,350 seasonal workers. The park service has about 20,000 employees.
Trump says he may take control of the US Postal Service. Here’s what to know
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday said he may put the U.S. Postal Service under the control of the Commerce Department in what would be an executive branch takeover of the agency, which has operated as an independent entity since 1970. “We want to have a post office that works well and doesn’t lose massive amounts of money,” Trump said. “We’re thinking about doing that. And it’ll be a form of a merger, but it’ll remain the Postal Service, and I think it’ll operate a lot better.” Trump made the remarks at the swearing-in of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. He called the move a way to stop losses at the $78 billion-a-year agency, which has struggled to balance the books with the decline of first-class mail.
Differences bubble up between PepsiCo and Coca-Cola on diversity programs
PepsiCo confirmed Friday that it’s ending some of its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, even as rival Coca-Cola voiced support for its own inclusion efforts. In a memo sent to employees, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said the company will no longer set goals for minority representation in its managerial roles or supplier base. The company will also align its sponsorships to events and groups that promote business growth, he said. Laguarta wrote that inclusion remains important to PepsiCo, whose brands include Gatorade, Lay’s potato chips, Doritos, Mountain Dew as well as Pepsi. The Purchase, New York-based company’s chief diversity officer will transition to a broader role focused on employee engagement, leadership development and ensuring an inclusive culture, he said.
Frustrated by Trump’s threats, some Canadians canceling trips to the United States
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Making the trip from Vancouver to Seattle to watch baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays play the Mariners has been a tradition for Peter Mulholland and his wife, but not this year. Mulholland was already frustrated over U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats of crippling tariffs on imported goods from Canada and talk about the country becoming the 51st state. The final straw came when Trump referred to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a dictator. “We were starting to get leery,” said the 69-year-old, semiretired Vancouver resident. “The tariffs he’s trying to do is going to hurt both countries, that’ll become evident eventually, but it’s going to hurt us more.”
AP sues 3 Trump administration officials, citing freedom of speech
The Associated Press sued three Trump administration officials Friday over access to presidential events, citing freedom of speech in asking a federal judge to stop the blocking of its journalists. “We’ll see them in court,” the White House press secretary said in response. The lawsuit was filed Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., 10 days after the White House began restricting access to the news agency. It was assigned to U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump nominee. The AP says its case is about an unconstitutional effort by the White House to control speech — in this case not changing its style from the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” as President Donald Trump did last month with an executive order.
Musk’s cost-cutting team is laying off workers at the auto safety agency overseeing his car company
NEW YORK (AP) — Elon Musk’s cost-cutting team is eliminating jobs at the vehicle safety agency that oversees Tesla and has launched investigations into deadly crashes involving his company’s cars. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has cut a “modest” amount of positions, according to a statement from the agency. Musk has accused NHTSA of holding back progress on self-driving technology with its investigations and recalls. Asked about whether the cuts would impact any probes into Tesla, the agency referred to its statement that says it will “enforce the law on all manufacturers of motor vehicles and equipment.” The job cuts at NHTSA enacted by Musk’s advisory group on shrinking the federal government, the Department of Government Efficiency, was earlier reported by The Washington Post.
Dunkin' to stop charging customers extra for non-dairy milk alternatives
Dunkin' will no longer be charging coffee-drinking customers extra for requesting a non-dairy milk alternative in their cup of joe. Beginning March 5, customers won't have to pay $0.50 or more to add soy, oat, almond or coconut milk to their coffees, a Dunkin' spokesperson confirmed to Fox Business on Thursday. "Dairy alternatives will be standard options for Dunkin' beverages at no additional cost to guests," Dunkin' said.