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Biden splits EU’s top ranks over China

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

A split is emerging at the very top of the European Union over the bloc’s China policy, amid growing pressure from U.S. President Joe Biden for Brussels to take a more hawkish stance toward Beijing.Senior figures in the European Council — including President Charles Michel — are pushing for a less confrontational approach to China than that of the Biden administration, which is trying to pressure allies to team up in taking on Beijing. The Council is the EU body that represents the 27 EU member countries — including governments with dovish positions on Beijing, such as Berlin, Budapest and Athens. EU kingpin Germany is a major investor in China, particularly through the car industry, and wants to avoid ructions in commercial ties. This means there are concerns in several member countries that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is striking a more hawkish tone, in line with the U.S. Crucially, the Commission is the executive body that plays a core role in deciding Chin...

France attacks ‘dangerous’ German effort to change EU car engine rules

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

France is ready to “fight” Germany to save EU green transport legislation which effectively bans the sale of combustion engine-installed cars and vans from 2035, Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said Monday.His comments put Paris and Berlin on a collision course over the draft law — a critical part of the EU’s green agenda which mandates that automakers only sell zero-emission vehicles from 2035.“We are ready to fight for it, because [to delay] it is an environmental mistake and I also think it is an economic mistake,” Le Maire told France Info.The German government, alongside allies like Italy, Poland, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, are threatening to block the legislation at the last minute unless they secure changes to the text that would allow a loophole for cars running on e-fuels — a synthetic and somewhat greener alternative to fossil fuels that can be used in conventional combustion engines.Ministers from Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic and ...

One student taken to hospital after crash involving school bus in Fall River

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

One student was taken to the hospital after a school bus crashed in Fall River Monday morning, according to police. Officers responded to the the intersection of Charles Street and King Street around 7 a.m., where the school bus operator veered off the road, striking a utility police and coming to rest against a home. At the time of the crash, there were four students, the operator, and the bus monitor on board. One student was taken to Saint Anne’s Hospital for back pain. Police say the operator of the school bus was cited for negligent operation of a motor vehicle and marked lane violation. No additional information has been released.

Shrewsbury PD looking to ID owner after recovering dog found tied to bench

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

Police in Shrewsbury are asking for the public’s help as they track down the owners of a dog found tied to a bench near a shopping plaza over the weekend.On their Facebook page, the Shrewsbury Police Department shared a photo of the dog found in the area of 1000 Boston Turnpike on Sunday morning, near the Christmas Tree Shops.According to the department, the dog had been tied to a bench by his leash, with his owner reportedly seen leaving the area in a taxi cab.The dog, appearing to be a German Shepherd, was described as being neutered and wearing a black collar with a chain leash, and having no microchip.“If this dog looks familiar or if any information is known about its owner please contact the Shrewsbury Police Department at 508-845-4681 or Shrewsbury Animal Control at 508-841-8421,” the department’s Facebook page stated.In the meantime, police said the dog is being held at the Worcester Animal Rescue League and is currently not available for adoption.

Arrest made after police find, safely detonate live pipe bombs found under porch in Laconia, NH

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

A suspect is facing several Class A felony charges after police in New Hampshire found explosives beneath a porch in Laconia over the weekend.Officials with the Laconia Police Department said it was Sunday afternoon when a call came in for a report of a suspicious device.According to the department, the caller had seen a male place an object beneath a front porch in the area of Oak Street.Responding officers later found and determined the device to be an explosive after examining it. Using a robot and X-rays, a New Hampshire State Police Bomb Squad determined the same and took the object, believed to be three pipe bombs taped together, to a safe location and detonated it.Authorities said the device was live and active when it was found. Using video evidence, officials said police were able to identify a suspect and later detained Tirar Tortorello after a traffic stop.Tortorello has since been charged with three Class A felonies of possession with an infernal device, according to the...

Commute Still Slow As T Checks Track Safety

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

MBTA commuters face sluggish travel Monday morning with speed restrictions still in place as crews continue their work to verify that previously identified track defects have in fact been addressed.T officials announced Sunday evening that slow zones remain in place on the entire Green Line and Mattapan Line after a failure to document repairs prompted them to impose systemwide speed restrictions Thursday night. The Red, Blue and Orange Lines since Friday have been subject to a series of localized speed restrictions, not end-to-end slow zones, that T officials now say affects nearly a third of track miles. As of Monday morning, the MBTA has 39 newly implemented “block speed restrictions” in place on the Red Line, 19 on the Orange Line and six on the Blue Line, together covering 31.9 percent of the track for those three routes. Officials did not provide any information about where the new slow zones are located. “A block speed restriction is a length of track that m...

Jets could be quiet in free agency market as they wait on Aaron Rodgers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

As the Jets wait for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’s answer on whether he is willing to accept a trade, don’t expect a ton of movement this week at the start of free agency.Monday at noon eastern marked the beginning of the NFL’s two-day negotiating window, during which teams can begin talking to pending free agents 52 hours before the new league year on March 15 at 4 p.m.Teams and a player’s agent can agree to contract terms but cannot officially sign until the new league year begins. For the Jets, it could be quiet in Florham Park for various reasons.Gang Green is working with less salary cap money than in previous years. The Jets currently have a little over $10 million as they enter the two-day negotiating period. That doesn’t include the $5 million of savings the Jets will get when they officially release wide receiver Braxton Berrios on Wednesday.The Jets have already made a couple of moves, including acquiring safety Chuck Clark from the Rave...

Bank stocks tumble; others rise on hopes for easier rates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

By STAN CHOE (AP Business Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — Bank stocks are continuing to drop Monday as Wall Street worries about what may be next to topple following the second- and third-largest bank failures in U.S. history. But much of the rest of the market is rising on hopes the fear will force the Federal Reserve to take it easier on its economy-rattling hikes to interest rates. The S&P 500 was 0.6% higher in midday trading after charging back from an early drop of 1.4%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 145 points, or 0.5%, at 32,055, as of 11:35 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 1.1% higher. The sharpest drops were again coming from banks and other financial companies. Investors are worried that a relentless rise in interest rates meant to get inflation under control are approaching a tipping point and may be cracking the banking system. The U.S. government announced a plan late Sunday meant to shore up the banking industry following the collapses of ...

Patriots trading TE Jonnu Smith to Falcons for late-round pick

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

The Patriots are trading veteran tight end Jonnu Smith to the Atlanta Falcons for a 2023 seventh-round pick, a source confirmed to the Herald.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots free agency tracker and grades: Every New England signing, rumor and move New England Patriots | 4 things to know about Patriots free agency New England Patriots | Patriots re-sign LB Raekwon McMillan, per report New England Patriots | Patriots release punter Jake Bailey New England Patriots | Guregian: Devin McCourty’s retirement leaves Patriots with huge void The Patriots will create $4.4 million in cap space and absorb a $12.8 million dead cap hit, per Over the Cap, in what amounts to a salary dump less than an hour away from the start of free agency. Smith has two years remaining on the 4-year deal he signed as an unrestricted free agent in March 2021, one of the least team-friendly contracts in the league. ...

Biden OKs major Willow oil drilling in Alaska over protests

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:09 GMT

By MATTHEW DALY and CHRIS MEGERIAN (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Monday it is approving the major Willow oil project on Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope, one of President Joe Biden’s most consequential climate choices that is drawing condemnation from environmentalists who say it flies in the face of the Democratic president’s pledges.The announcement comes a day after the administration, in a big move toward conservation, said it would bar or limit drilling in some other areas of Alaska and the Arctic Ocean.Biden’s Willow plan would allow three drill sites initially, which project developer ConocoPhillips has said would include about 219 total wells. A fourth drill site proposed for the project would be denied. The company has said it considers the three-site option workable. Houston-based ConocoPhillips will relinquish rights to about 68,000 acres of existing leases in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.Climat...