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It’ll be a tough job getting countries to approve EU’s spending rules reform

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:16 GMT

BRUSSELS — The European Commission’s proposal to reform government spending rules is only a few hours old yet it’s already been met with a chorus of complaints.For Germany it is too soft, despite having won some concessions. Governments in the EU’s south complain it is too strict. Others think Berlin has been listened to too much. For it’s part, the Commission reckons it’s well balanced. What’s clear is it’s going to be fiendishly difficult to get an agreement between all 27 EU countries before Europeans go to the polls in about a year’s time. No one is happy. But then again, that was expected.“If I told you that we were expecting something really easy and that it was going to be a walk in the park, you wouldn’t believe me, right?” a French official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with policy.The proposed reform of the Stability and Growth Pact aims to give EU countries more leeway in determining the pace at which they must r...

Meloni: EU should hurry up and let Ukraine in

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:16 GMT

The EU should speed up Ukraine’s accession process as a reward for its contribution to Europe’s security in fighting off Russia’s invasion, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Wednesday.Ukraine “is an outpost for the security of the European continent,” Meloni said, standing next to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal as part of a bilateral conference in Rome aimed at preparing the country’s reconstruction.“The smartest way to thank Ukrainians for what they are doing is to accelerate the possibility for them to become part of the European institutions,” Meloni added.Ukraine, which was granted EU candidate status last June together with Moldova, has been pushing its European partners to quickly integrate it into the bloc — a process that usually takes years.In January, Shmyhal told POLITICO he was aiming to secure EU membership within two years, which meant starting accession negotiations by the end of 2023.But so far, B...

Man accused of assaulting MIT student in Back Bay ordered held without bail pending dangerousness hearing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:16 GMT

A man accused of assaulting an MIT student in Back Bay over the weekend was ordered held without bail Wednesday pending a dangerousness hearing next week. Nahom Getaneh, 33, was arrested Tuesday afternoon after he allegedly assaulted a woman around 11:45 p.m. Saturday in the area of Beacon Street and Public Alley 908. Police say Getaneh was wanted on two outstanding warrants on charges including failure to register as a sex offender and possession of Class B drugs. He is also now facing charges of assault with intent to rape and indecent assault and battery, police said.Following the attack, MIT officials said the person who was attacked was a student. Officials said a man on a bike grabbed her from behind while she was going into the back door of a sorority house. The student said the man asked her for food, groped her, then followed her into the building where he further assaulted her. Students on campus were shaken by the news. “It was shocking news to hear,” Rites...

OBF: Bruins set for now, and the future

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:16 GMT

SUNRISE, Florida – If you want to see the sun come up around here, drive about 13 miles east and check out Lauderdale Beach.Located on the brink of the Everglades, this city was born during the South Florida real estate boom of the 1960s. Its NHL franchise stands as the No. 2 local attraction, behind a shopping complex you can see from space on Google Earth. Or No. 3 if you consider that temperatures haven’t fallen below freezing in 46 years.The Bruins came here last weekend on the brink of irrelevance in the NHL playoffs. Not only was the “Greatest Team Ever” coming off a brutal home loss, it had ceded home ice to the 8th-seeded Panthers. Even worse, the ailing Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí would be injured no-shows for both games.Instead, Boston won two games here to take a 3-1 series lead by a combined score of 10-4. And it was 10-4, over and out for the Panthers. Game 5 of this series is tonight at TD Garden. But whatever sense of competitiveness in this series dissipated on...

New coalition forms to support MCAS, release testing reform recommendations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:16 GMT

As high-stakes MCAS testing gets underway this school year and opposition to the test intensifies, including by the state’s teachers union which wants to eliminate it as a graduation requirement for students, a new coalition is taking up the mantel to reform and preserve the controversial tests.“It seems like it’s been very much of a one-sided narrative when it comes to MCAS and what it does or doesn’t do for students,” said Mary Tamer, director of Education Reform Now Massachusetts. “And we wanted to have a conversation and specifically reached out to folks who acknowledge the value of MCAS but also see the opportunities for improvement.”The pro-MCAS coalition, Voices for Academic Equity, was convened by Education Reform Now Massachusetts and made up of a dozen education organizations and partners, the group said in a release.The group released a report, “Toward a Better MCAS: Consensus recommendations from organizations serving the C...

Ex-Harvard prof sentenced, fined for lying about China ties

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:16 GMT

By MARK PRATT (Associated Press)BOSTON (AP) — A former Harvard University professor convicted of lying to federal investigators about his ties to a Chinese-run science recruitment program and failing to pay taxes on payments from a Chinese university was sentenced Wednesday to supervised release and ordered to pay more than $83,000 in restitution and fines.Charles Lieber, 64, the former chair of Harvard’s department of chemistry and chemical biology, was convicted in December 2021 of two counts of filing false tax returns, two counts of making false statements and two counts of failing to file reports for a foreign bank account in China.Lieber was sentenced to time served — the two days he spent in jail after his arrest — two years of supervised release — the first six months in home confinement — a $50,000 fine and $33,600 in restitution to the IRS, which has already been paid.Prosecutors in court documents had recommended three months in prison,...

Singapore executes man on pot charge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:16 GMT

HONG KONG — Singapore on Wednesday executed a man accused of coordinating a cannabis delivery, despite pleas for clemency from his family and protests from activists that he was convicted on weak evidence.Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, was sentenced to death in 2018 for abetting the trafficking of 2.2 pounds of cannabis. Under Singapore laws, trafficking more than 500 grams of cannabis may result in the death penalty.Tangaraju was hanged Wednesday morning and his family was given the death certificate, according to a tweet from activist Kirsten Han of the Transformative Justice Collective, which advocates for abolishing the death penalty in Singapore.Although Tangaraju was not caught with the cannabis, prosecutors said phone numbers traced him as the person responsible for coordinating the delivery of the drugs. Tangaraju had maintained that he was not the one communicating with the others connected to the case.At a United Nations Human Rights briefing Tuesday, spokesperson Ravina Shamdasan...

Two UCF men’s basketball players file for early entry to 2023 NBA Draft

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:16 GMT

The NBA released a list of 242 players from colleges and professional teams who have applied for early entry into the 2023 draft Tuesday night and two members of UCF men’s basketball were on it.Taylor Hendricks, a projected top-10 pick in June’s draft, was included as expected.A name that’s somewhat surprising to see listed is UCF guard Ithiel Horton.While Hendricks had already publicly declared for the draft over a month ago — first by telling ESPN and then sharing a graphic on social media — Horton’s decision to file for early entry comes with little to no fanfare.The redshirt senior guard was one of two Knights to start all 34 of UCF’s games this past season. Hendricks, the program’s first one-and-done, was the other player to do so.It’s unclear when Horton made the decision to enter the draft early but the deadline for players to do so was Sunday night.If Horton wants to return to UCF and join the Knights in the Big 12 Confer...

'The big warm up' begins in San Diego

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:16 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The National Weather Service San Diego says the region's "big warm up" is expected to begin Wednesday and continue into the weekend.Say hello to a high pressure system that weather officials say will strengthen over Southern California the next few days, bringing with it much warmer temperatures. Headed to the beach this week? Here is the water temperature forecast Temperatures for inland areas are expected to reach the 80 degree mark Wednesday and hold steady before heating up further on Saturday, with forecast temperatures expected to hover right below 90 degrees.Meanwhile, the lower deserts will see 90 degree temperatures as early as Wednesday, according to NWS.As for the coastal areas, weather officials predict midweek temperatures to "coast" around 70 degrees before rising to the mid 70s this weekend. Weather officials say cool ocean temperatures and weak onshore flow will result in less warming for those coastal communities. Saturday and Sunday should be the w...

2 San Diego beaches nominated for 'Best Beaches on the West Coast'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:16 GMT

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Two beaches in San Diego have been nominated for USA Today's 2023 Readers' Choice for "Best Beach on the West Coast."With over 30 beaches spread across the region's coastline, San Diego is a perfect location for sunbathing, surfing, kayaking and more. This San Diego beach is considered ‘the most beautiful’ in the US: study But there are two specific beaches that some have considered top-notch while comparing them to all areas where sand meets the Pacific Ocean in the U.S. This is quite a compliment as the West Coast stretches over 1,000 miles. The first beach that's in the running is North County's Oceanside Harbor Beach. USA Today says this sandy spot "offers a relaxed and family-friendly atmosphere, with gentle waves suitable for swimming, boogie boarding and surfing."Some qualities that may set Oceanside Harbor Beach aside from others include its fire pits, volleyball courts, picnic table areas and the fact that it's in walking distance to a variety of sho...