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Starting from behind: EU vies to gain ground in green tech race

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:50 GMT

STRASBOURG — The race to control the technology of tomorrow is on, and Europe is desperately playing catch-up. The European Parliament on Tuesday passed the Net-Zero Industry Act, a bill to encourage more technology like solar cells and wind turbines to be made in the EU. Lawmakers hailed the result as a mighty signal of Europe’s intent to keep pace with global powers like the U.S. and China, which are both throwing money at green technology manufacturers. The Parliament also recently approved fresh legislation to get Europe mining more of the minerals needed for those green technologies.“That’s good news for the climate, it’s good news for the European economy and it’s a clear answer to the Americans,” Christian Ehler, a German MEP from the center-right European People’s Party who helped lead the negotiations, said Tuesday after the vote. But the EU faces tough global competition and a late break from the starting blocks. The U.S. has already approved $369 billion in incentiv...

Three detained for hit on Spanish right-wing politician

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:50 GMT

Three suspects were detained on Tuesday in connection with an assassination attempt on the former head of Spain’s Popular Party in Catalonia, according to Spanish media reports.Police detained two Spanish men and one British woman in the cities of Lanjaron and Fuengirola in the country’s south, Spanish media reported. The arrests came two weeks after Alejo Vidal-Quadras, who is also the former vice president of the European Parliament, was shot in the face in broad daylight on the streets of Madrid. Police are still searching for a fourth person who is believed to have fired the gun, according to local media reports. POLITICO attempted to reach Spanish police for confirmation but did not receive a response. The attack broke Vidal-Quadras’ jaw in two places, but the politician survived and is making “good progress” in hospital following an operation, Spanish media reported. The assassination attempt is being investigated by Spain’s National Court as a pot...

Preparations underway as mix of rain and snow approaches ahead of Thanksgiving

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:50 GMT

A storm arriving late Tuesday night is expected to bring a mix of rain and snow to New England, potentially having a major impact on holiday travel ahead of Thanksgiving. Snow is expected to give way to rain even in higher elevations in Worcester County by Wednesday morning. Even so, preparations were underway in communities including Leominster Tuesday. “We’re prepping some trucks up in case we have to go out,” said Leominster Department of Public Works Dispatcher Luke Beaulac. Some flakes may start to fly across part of Worcester County between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m., with rain drops starting after 10 p.m. across eastern Massachusetts. Rain and snow is expected to increase through the overnight hours before rain transitions to snow in inland areas near 2 a.m. Rain and wind in coastal communities is expected to then continue through the morning before rain tapers off early Wednesday afternoon. Snowfall forecasts from 7NEWS meteorologists as of Tuesday afternoon...

Travel Trouble Tomorrow

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:50 GMT

Tomorrow is the busiest travel day for Thanksgiving and Mother Nature is going to take an already bad situation and make it worse with wet weather rolling through tomorrow morning. It will actually start later tonight and with the chilly air overhead, could start as snow for some of us — mainly the higher terrain. It will then change to rain for everyone during the daylight hours on Monday.Here are some quick takeaways:-It’s a brief few hours of snow in the high terrain and then will flip to rain like the rest of us.-Rain totals should end up around an inch in most places. It will be steadiest and heaviest in the morning so watch for some pockets of ponding if you’re traveling tomorrow morning.-Wind will get gusty on the coast line with gusts up to 50 mph possible, most likely on the Cape and Islands.Rain and snow will begin later this evening, around 9pm. The snow will be confined to just the high terrain, and even there it won’t last for more than a few hou...

Andrew Bailey hired as Boston’s pitching coach after 4 years in role with Giants

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:50 GMT

Andrew Bailey was hired Tuesday as pitching coach of the Boston Red Sox after four seasons in the same role with the San Francisco Giants.He replaced Dave Bush, Boston’s pitching coach for the past four seasons.A two-time All-Star, the 39-year-old Bailey was 16-14 with a 3.12 ERA and 95 saves in eight seasons with Oakland (2009-11), Boston (2012-13), the New York Yankees (2015), Philadelphia (2016) and the Los Angeles Angels (2016-17).He spent 2018 as an Angels coaching assistant and video replay coordinator and 2019 as the Angels bullpen coach. He switched to the Giants to work under manager Gabe Kapler, who was fired after the season and replaced by Bob Melvin.Bailey is director of development for the Strike 3 Foundation, founded in 2008 by Craig Breslow, hired last month as Boston’s chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. The organization raises money for childhood cancer research. Bailey and Breslow were teammates on the 2013 World Series champion Red Sox.

CEO of world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange pleads guilty to money laundering violations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:50 GMT

New York (CNN) — Billionaire Changpeng Zhao and leading cryptocurrency exchange Binance pleaded guilty on Tuesday to federal charges in a watershed moment designed to bring order to the often-lawless crypto industry.As part of a coordinated settlement across the federal government, Binance has agreed to pay more than $4 billion in fines and other penalties. Zhao, one of the most powerful figures in crypto, has agreed to step down as CEO from the exchange that he founded.Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, admitted to engaging in anti-money laundering, unlicensed money transmitting and sanctions violations.US officials described this as the biggest-ever corporate resolution that includes criminal charges for an executive.Following a years-long investigation, authorities allege Binance allowed bad actors to freely transact on the platform, enabling everything from child sex abuse and narcotics to terrorist financing for ISIS, Al Qaeda and Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades.Zhao...

Boston’s Largest Thanksgiving Meal Returns to TD Garden

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:50 GMT

Boston’s Table of Friends kicked off the holiday season with a sit down event to feed over 1000 homeless a hot thanksgiving meal, including a 501 pound pumpkin pie, at the Boston Garden, served by Boston’s Civil employees, the Bruins, the Celtics and volunteers.

Smooth sailing: Cruise lines roll out early Black Friday deals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:50 GMT

Cruise lines aren’t waiting for actual Black Friday to roll out their deals, with many major brands dropping costs and beefing up amenity offerings for new bookings.Carnival Cruise LineCarnival Cruise Line also has a pair of deals for those booking this week.The “Pre Cyber Early Saver Sale” has up to 35% off cruise rates and reduced deposits as low as $50 per person for sailings through April 2026. The “Great Rates Free Room Upgrade Sale” also has up to 35% off and free room upgrades within the same category, but that’s only for sailings through February 2024. Both sales end Sunday. Details at carnival.com.Related ArticlesTravel | 6 things you may not realize are discounted on Black Friday Travel | What to buy (and skip) on Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2023 Celebrity CruisesCelebrity Cruises is offering either a BOGO rate of 75% off for nonrefundable bookings or 50% off refundable bookings for sailings through April 30, 2026. It’s also offering $150 ...

Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu says war against Hamas will not stop after cease-fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:50 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will continue its war against Hamas, even if a temporary cease-fire is reached with the Islamic terrorist group to release hostages.In comments Tuesday ahead of an expected Cabinet vote on a cease-fire proposal, Netanyahu vowed to press ahead.“We are at war, and we will continue the war,” he said. “We will continue until we achieve all our goals.”The Israeli Cabinet was expected to vote on a plan that would halt Israel’s offensive in Gaza for several days in exchange for the release of about 50 of the 240 hostages held by Hamas. Israel has vowed to continue the war until it destroys Hamas’ military capabilities and returns all hostages.Palestinians gather in front of a building hit by an Israeli on the Gaza Strip in Nusseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)Palestinians gather in front of a building hit by an Israeli on the Gaza Strip in Nusseirat refugee camp, central Gaza S...

Pennsylvania governor appeals decision blocking plan to make power plants pay for greenhouse gases

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:50 GMT

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration said Tuesday that it is appealing a court ruling that blocked a state regulation to make Pennsylvania’s power plant owners pay for their planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, even as the Democrat warned lawmakers to get to work on a better alternative.In a statement, Shapiro didn’t pledge to enforce the regulation, should his administration win the appeal at the Democratic-majority state Supreme Court. His appeal revolves around the need to preserve executive authority, his administration said. But he also urged lawmakers to come up with an alternative plan.“Now is the time for action,” Shapiro’s office said. “Inaction is not an acceptable alternative.”The case revolves around the centerpiece of former Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to fight global warming and make Pennsylvania the first major fossil fuel-producing state to adopt a carbon-pricing program.In a Nov. 1 decision, a 4-1 Commonwealth Court ma...