Latest news with #JamesBall
CTV News
a day ago
- Business
- CTV News
‘Our goal has never been a strike': Local Canada Post workers reeling from 2-year ‘mess'
As unionized workers once again vote on Canada Post's latest contract offer across the country, the president of Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) Local 730 in Alberta said his members are feeling 'pretty tired.' 'I mean, we've been doing this for two years … So everybody's pretty tired, but I think overall morale is still pretty good,' said James Ball. CUPW Local 730 represents about 2,700 of 55,000 unionized postal service workers ranging from Jasper east to Lloydminster and Lac La Biche south to Ponoka. The vote on a new contract began Monday and will be open to CUPW members until Aug. 1. Ball said the newest contract is the same offer as the one given to them by the Crown corporation back in November 2023. The offer includes wage hikes of about 13 per cent over four years. It also adds part-time workers Canada Post has said are necessary to keep the postal service alive. 'It's a mess,' Ball said. Recently, some CUPW negotiators have urged members to vote against the contract. Ball still said he sees a strike vote among his members as 'unlikely.' 'Our goal has always been to get a negotiated contract,' he said. 'Our goal has never been to strike.' A Canada Post spokesperson said the Crown corporation had operating losses amounting to $10 million a day through June, and in the event the vote is negative, the uncertainty will continue. In the meantime, though, Ball said many workers are refusing overtime until a negotiation is made. 'The only two pathways out of this are negotiation and arbitration … if they choose to lock us out, then they're just there to punish us for not giving them exactly what they wanted the whole time.' According to a survey released Monday by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), a postal strike could push 63 per cent of businesses to walk away from Canada Post permanently. CFIB also said 70 per cent of businesses have encouraged customers to use digital methods, 45 per cent have switched to private couriers and 27 per cent delayed their mail altogether. With files from the Canadian Press, CTV News Edmonton's Darcy Seaton and
BBC News
04-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Midfielder Ball joins Swindon on two-year deal
League Two club Swindon Town have signed midfielder James Ball on a two-year 29-year-old made 21 appearances for AFC Wimbledon in the 2024-25 season as the south London club won promotion to League started his career with Bolton Wanderers and had spells at Stockport County, Stevenage and Rochdale before joining Wimbledon in 2023."If we look at Swindon in terms of form and how they performed at the back end of last season, then there's no better place to be," he told the club website, is the Robins' third signing of the summer after the arrivals of midfielder Darren Oldaker and defender Tom Anderson at the County finished 12th in the table last season, eight points outside the play-off places.
BBC News
02-06-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Cambridgeshire fire service records five-year high in incidents
A fire service has said incidents across the county have been at a record five-year and Fire Rescue Service (CFRS) said it attended to more than 160 fires in March, compared with 111 the previous year, and more than 200 fires in April, compared with 131 in 2024. It recorded a 13% increase in incidents overall in the last 12 months, with 1,911 across the Ball, the head of community fire safety at the service, said: "This is a sharp rise and certainly a cause for concern." The service added the five-year average for incidents recorded for March was about 135 and 162 for April. CFRS said many of these fires had happened in a house, mostly starting in the kitchen due to cooking or from appliances. It added its firefighters had responded to 200 outdoor fires over this period of time, many of which were started attended a fire recently in Huntingdonshire involving a vanity mirror, which reflected the sunlight and had started a fire that caused significant damage. Mr Ball said: "One way residents can help keep themselves and their families safe in their homes is to use our online home fire safety check tool."We often see fires increase as the weather changes, with people getting their gardens ready for the summer."We have seen a few incidents recently where appliances, such as air fryers, are being heated up by a hob being accidentally switched on."There are precautions people can take to help reduce the risk of a deliberate fire."Things like making sure that lighters and matches are kept well out of reach of children, as well as making sure [children] stay clear of disused or derelict buildings, can also make a big difference." Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
New European
08-05-2025
- Politics
- New European
The problem with this Labour government is…
The Matts are joined by New European political editor James Ball to step back and reflect on why Keir Starmer's government is conspicuously failing to excite and unite a British public desperate for change after so many years of Tory rule. They have their theories. Is there an easy(-ish) answer? And who should they really be worried about if it's not Reform? In the second half, the Matts take a look at the new documentary into the life of Leni Riefenstahl, filmmaker to the Nazis, and ask what her post-war rehabilitation tells us about the intersection of culture and politics. EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Get The New European for just £1 for the first month. Head to
Metro
28-04-2025
- Metro
WhatsApp users want to get rid of Meta AI — here's everything we know
WhatsApp users have expressed outrage over a new artificial intelligence feature, saying it is 'pointless and irritating'. Meta AI was first integrated into WhatsApp in 2023 and advertised as a useful chatbot that can 'answer your questions, teach you something or help come up with new ideas'. But it's now appearing on more and more people's phones in the UK, and the feature has sparked backlash as users are not given the option of removing the chatbot, with one claiming they felt like they were unable 'to opt out of a bad blind date'. Here's everything you need to know about the Meta AI feature in WhatsApp – as well as the ways you could remove it. What is Meta AI in WhatsApp? It is a chatbot operating Llama 4. So it's similar to ChatGPT, but is a competitor using artificial intelligence developed by Meta. Meta launched the Meta AI feature in the US and Canada in 2023. It has since been integrated into Meta's messaging and social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, across Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India. In the UK, Meta AI was first added to the Facebook Messenger phone app in October 2024. It is currently being rolled out, with most people now seeing the glowing blue circle in the bottom right of the app, which opens up a chat if you tap on it. That's not the only way to interact with it: you can also type @Meta AI, followed by a question. Why has Meta AI sparked backlash? The WhatsApp chatbot sparked fury after users realised they were not given the option of disabling or deleting it from the app. Meta says using it is completely optional. But you'll still see that blue bob hovering, while others you chat with could be using it. Many have taken to social media to criticise the feature, with one X user asking: 'Anyone else feeling like their phone just got a clingy new roommate?' Joel Jacob also took to X to say Meta AI is an 'overkill and ruins the experience', while another user said: 'I am leaving @WhatsApp because of @Meta AI.' James Ball said: 'Congratulations to [Meta and WhatsApp] on the most pointless and irritating AI integration into an app so far. 'When I am searching for a chat, none of this is remotely useful,' he wrote on X. 'Apple Intelligence was hard to beat on this front, but you managed it!' Why is there no option to disable @Meta AI in @WhatsApp? The icon floating there feels vaguely threatening and sinister. — 2xpress (@2xpressfreely) March 29, 2025 Congratulations to meta/whatsapp on the most pointless and irritating AI integration into an app so far. When I am searching for a chat, none of this is remotely Intelligence was hard to beat on this front, but you managed it! — James Ball (@jamesrbuk) March 27, 2025 Natalie Freeman, another enraged user, posted: 'I don't want to use AI to write my messages for me! 'I AM A CAPABLE HUMAN BEING!!' How can I remove Meta AI from my WhatsApp? While Meta has offered no advice on how to remove Meta AI from WhatsApp, users have found tricks to avoid the chatbot. Some have suggested switching to WhatsApp Business, an alternative version of the app designed to help businesses communicate with customers. While some WhatsApp Business users claim Meta AI does not appear on their app, others say they can still see the chatbot. Another option which has worked for some Android users is downgrading the app by downloading an older version. Ultimately, neither of these options are likely to be a longterm fix even if they still work currently, as with the rollout continuing, more and more versions of the app will include it. Does Meta AI have access to my personal messages? Meta says the chatbot cannot access or read the content of your messages unless you ask it for help – but even then, your messages will remain end-to-end encrypted. Even though your WhatsApp messages are encrypted, your interactions with Meta AI are not. This means that anything you send to the chatbot may be used to improve its AI models, so users are advised not to 'send messages … with information you don't want it to know.' This is an updated version of an article first published on April 5, 2025. check our news page.
