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Moldova’s EU accession talks should start this year, MEPs say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:29 GMT

STRASBOURG — The EU should start membership talks with Moldova this year, members of the European Parliament said in an overwhelming but nonbinding vote today. A majority of 448 EU lawmakers supported a resolution that reiterates the Parliament’s position accession talks should begin in 2023 and condemned attempts by Russia to influence Moldova’s pro-EU government. The European Commission is preparing a progress report on the enlargement of the EU, scheduled for November. In the vote today, 45 MEPs voted against and 43 abstained.The signal from Strasbourg comes as European leaders including Moldova’s President Maia Sandu and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet at the European Political Community in the Spanish city of Granada, where Ukraine’s entry to the EU is also being discussed. Sandu said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, she “wholeheartedly welcomed” the Parliament statement, initially proposed by the center-right European Peo...

EU leaders sharpen tone on migration ahead of Granada summit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:29 GMT

EU leaders will adopt a hawkish tone on irregular migration at Friday’s summit in Granada, according to a draft of their declaration seen by POLITICO.The informal summit taking place in the Spanish city comes just days after EU countries struck a deal on the final piece of a flagship migration package that saw concessions made to Italy’s far-right government.Language in the Granada declaration — dated October 4 — is much harder on the topic of migration than in a previous version from late September. The new text says that “irregular migration needs to be immediately addressed in a determined manner.”It adds: “We will not allow smugglers to decide who enters the EU. We will continue to effectively and speedily implement all our decisions.”The draft mentions a raft of policies to counter migration, ranging from increasing “partnerships” with countries of origin and transit for irregular migration to “resolutely fighting organised crime.”The text even says the EU must count...

Alleged attack on German far-right leader raises questions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:29 GMT

A leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany party was hospitalized on Wednesday after members of his party alleged he was attacked at a campaign event in Bavaria.Tino Chrupalla was taken to the hospital on Wednesday after complaining of sudden pain in his upper arm and other health-related problems after he took selfies with several people, German police said.Police have opened an investigation into the incident, but said in a statement on Thursday that “there are no indications that Mr. Chrupalla was approached or attacked.”Chrupalla reported feeling the sudden pain in his arm on his way to the stage to give a speech, and later discovered a minor skin injury, which investigators said might indicate a small puncture, German outlet SPIEGEL reported. After that, Chrupalla reportedly began to feel cramps, nausea and dizziness.The incident came ahead of local elections in the states of Bavaria and Hesse on Sunday. In both states, Alternative for Germany (AfD) is vying for a second...

Week 5 high school football schedule

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:29 GMT

THURSDAY GAMESNashoba Tech at Whittier, 5:30Bourne at Monomoy, 6Mansfield at Sharon, 6Methuen at North Andover, 6Newton North at Natick, 6North Quincy at Plymouth South, 6Somerville vs. Medford, 6 (Hormel)Taunton at Franklin, 6Oliver Ames at Canton, 6:30Holliston at Norwood, 7Lowell at Chelmsford, 7Medfield at Hopkinton, 7FRIDAY’S GAMESEast Boston at O’Bryant, 4Nantucket at Dennis-Yarmouth, 4:45Bishop Stang at St. Mary’s, 5Abington at Sandwich, 6Barnstable at Nauset, 6Bellingham at Dedham, 6Bishop Feehan vs. Arlington Catholic, 6 (Hormel)Brookline vs. Boston Latin, 6 (WS)Burlington at Wilmington, 6Cambridge at English/New Mission, 6Cathedral at Archbishop Williams, 6Cohasset at Carver, 6Dartmouth at Falmouth, 6Dover-Sherborn at Medway, 6Everett at Revere, 6Lexington at Belmont, 6Lynn English at Greater Lawrence, 6Mashpee at Martha’s Vineyard, 6Milford at North Attleboro, 6St. John’s (Shrewsbury) at St. John’s Prep, 6Westwood at Ashland, 6Weymouth ...

How to spot — and avoid — personal loan scams

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:29 GMT

By Annie Millerbernd | NerdWalletWhen you need to borrow cash, the last thing you want to encounter is a fraudster plotting to steal money from you. But as people increasingly shop for personal loans online, scammers are ready to take advantage.Consumers reported losing nearly $8.8 billion in losses to fraud in 2022, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Those reports included imposters and scammers claiming to provide loans in exchange for information or money.“Separating the legitimate lenders from the fakes can be really hard, and the scammers get better every day at making their pitches look more convincing,” says John Breyault, vice president of public policy, telecommunications and fraud at the nonprofit National Consumers League.Before you provide personal or financial information, here are five signs the loan you’re considering may be a scam.1. Text messages and robocallsAn out-of-the-blue robocall or text message inviting you to apply for a loan should give you p...

Patriots veteran expects J.C. Jackson to make immediate impact

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:29 GMT

FOXBORO — The Patriots need immediate help at cornerback and defensive tackle Lawrence Guy believes recently reacquired J.C. Jackson can provide it.Guy said Thursday morning that Jackson was back in the building at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots acquired Jackson in a trade with the Chargers for a late-round pick swap. Jackson was with the Patriots from 2018 to 2021 before signing a five-year, $82.5 million contract with the Chargers in free agency last offseason.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Callahan: J.C. Jackson trade a no-brainer for the Patriots, so what’s next? New England Patriots | Patriots-Saints injury report: Rhamondre Stevenson among 10 limited Patriots on Wednesday New England Patriots | Patriots teammates confident Mac Jones can put poor showing behind him New England Patriots | How Patriots can utilize three players returning from PUP, injured reserve New England Patriots | ...

AR-15 style weapons banned under new House bill, gun rights groups not pleased

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:29 GMT

The Speaker announced the House will move forward with a controversial new gun control bill that would ban new purchases of AR-15s in Massachusetts.Formerly known as HD.4420, the new bill offered by state Rep. Michael Day offers many of the same provisions seen in a bill the Stoneham Democrat released in June. Day toured the state, making 11 stops, and met with gun rights groups in recent weeks before releasing a new version of his earlier offering on Thursday. According to House Speaker Ron Mariano, the complaints of gun rights groups were heard.“This is a huge pile of crap,” Jim Wallace, the Executive Director of the Gun Owners Action League, told the Herald after the bill was announced.Despite the previous bill being mired in legislative limbo since Day first offered it, gun rights groups responded with alarm when they learned the bill would ban them from carrying otherwise lawfully possessed concealed firearms in most private property without the express permission of prop...

Ravens vs. Steelers scouting report for Week 5: Who has the edge?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:29 GMT

The Ravens overwhelmed a debuting quarterback to beat the Cleveland Browns, 28-3. The Pittsburgh Steelers played dismal offense in falling, 30-6, to the Houston Texans. Which team will have the advantage Sunday?Ravens passing game vs. Steelers pass defenseLamar Jackson played masterfully against a Cleveland Browns defense that had smothered its first three opponents, completing 15 of 19 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns. He’s averaging a career-low 6.8 air yards per attempt but threw a pair of beautiful downfield passes, including a 43-yard, on-the-run strike to rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers that set up a touchdown. He’s completing a career-high 74.3% of his passes. Jackson worked without two of his top targets in Odell Beckham Jr. (ankle) and Rashod Bateman (hamstring) in Cleveland. Flowers (24 receptions on 29 targets, 224 yards) has been the team’s most prolific pass catcher. Tight end Mark Andrews appeared fully recovered from the quadriceps injury ...

Thousands of US workers are on strike today. Here’s a rundown of major work stoppages happening now

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:29 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — It’s been a big year for labor organizing in the U.S. And from auto production lines to Hollywood, all eyes are on strikes taking the world of work by storm.The boiling point we’re seeing today comes amid soaring costs of living and rising inequality, including growing pay gaps between workers and top executives. Now, thousands of workers who were asked to make sacrifices during the pandemic even as corporate profits soared are asking for better pay and protections — and walking off the job if progress isn’t made in heated contract negotiations.At least 453,000 workers have participated in 312 strikes in the U.S. this year, according to Johnnie Kallas, a Ph.D. candidate and the project director of Cornell University’s Labor Action Tracker. This year’s work stoppages have spread across multiple industries — including transportation, entertainment and hospitality.Here’s a rundown of some of the largest strikes...

The Nobel literature prize goes to Norway’s Jon Fosse, who once wrote a novel in a single sentence

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:29 GMT

By DAVID KEYTON, MIKE CORDER and JILL LAWLESS (Associated Press)STOCKHOLM (AP) — Norwegian writer Jon Fosse, whose work tackles birth, death, faith and the other “elemental stuff” of life in spare Nordic prose, won the Nobel Prize for Literature on Thursday for writing that prize organizers said gives “voice to the unsayable.”The novelist and playwright said the prize was recognition of “literature that first and foremost aims to be literature, without other considerations” — an ethos expressed in dozens of enigmatic plays, stories and novels, including a seven-book epic made up of a single sentence.Fosse’s work, rooted in his Norwegian background, “focuses on human insecurity and anxiety,” Anders Olsson, chair of the Nobel literature committee, told The Associated Press. “The basic choices you make in life, very elemental stuff.”One of his country’s most-performed dramatists, Fosse said ...