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England’s schools told to inform parents if kids want to change gender identity

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:00 GMT

LONDON — Schools in England will be expected to inform parents if their kids want to change their gender identity, under new guidance issued by the British government Tuesday.Under the draft plan, which comes amid heated debate about gender in the governing Conservative Party and calls from schools for more support, teachers will not be forced to automatically tell parents if their kids raise “general” questions about their gender identity at school.But they will be expected to inform parents if kids want to take more concrete steps towards transitioning. There will be some exemptions in place where there are concerns about a child’s safety at home.The guidance notably stops short of a total ban on social transitioning — which can include changes to someone’s name, pronouns and appearance — in schools, as some in the Tory Party had been calling for.Instead, the government says schools must take a “cautious approach” to such requests and are not under a “general duty” to comply...

Volcano erupts on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula weeks after town evacuated

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:00 GMT

(CNN) — A volcano has dramatically erupted in Iceland, expelling spectacular bursts of lava onto the landscape and emitting huge plumes smoke into the sky after weeks of seismic activity prompted the evacuation of a nearby town.The eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula began at around 10 p.m. local time (5 p.m. ET), following an earthquake around an hour earlier, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said in a statement.The office reported that the eruption was located close to Hagafell, about 3 kilometers (about 2 miles) north of the town of Grindavík.Iceland’s Coast Guard posted a video on Facebook showing one of its helicopters at the scene on Monday night, hovering over a long line of glowing lava spurting from the fissure in the ground. The air is shrouded by smoke and lit in glowing hues of orange and red.The fissure had formed underground last month, stretching 15 kilometers long, with magma entering into a crack beneath the surface, according to Rikke Pedersen, a scientist ...

Dana Farber Cancer Institute masking up once again

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:00 GMT

Patients and staff at Dana Farber Cancer Institute will be wearing masks again for the foreseeable future.The hospital said they will require everyone to wear face coverings due to the current high rates of respirator illnesses.Officials said they will lift the mask requirement when the number of infections is lower.According to the latest data from the state’s Department of Public Health, more than 15 percent of emergency room visits in Massachusetts over the past week were due to respiratory illnesses including COVID-19, the flu, and RSV.These illnesses also accounted for more than 17 percent of all hospital admissions.

Salvation Army hosting annual gift distribution

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:00 GMT

The Salvation Army’s annual Christmas Castle distribution started Monday, providing 5,000 Boston families with a little help this holiday season.Starting on Monday and running through Wednesday, 5,000 registered families in need can pick up holiday items at no cost.“We’re helping familes to create memories and lasting imporessions for their children,” said Jeffrey Bailey of the Salvation Army. “We’re passing out toys and we’re passing out food cards for families who need a little bit of extra help to get them over the hump – that’s what we’re here for.”The program is designe dfor families with children 14 years of age and younger who are struggling tomake ends meet so they don’t have to choose between groceries and gifts.“Every little bit helps just to make sure the families and your kids are having a good Christmas,” said Glenda Ramos.Gift distribution takes place at the Salvation Army’s Ray a...

Crews responding to damaged fire hydrant in Brighton

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:00 GMT

Crews were on the scene of a damaged fire hydrant on Arlington Street in Brighton Tuesday morning.Officials from the Boston Water and Sewer Commission said they do not believe it to be a water main break, but that the hydrant possibly “walked off”, a term used when the hydrant has come separated from the pipe that feeds it, because often movement is involved.Water and debris could be seen strewn across the road. https://twitter.com/BOSTON_WATER/status/1737082844596293830

Workers sort gifts at Toys For Tots distribution center

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:00 GMT

True or false: Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields’ inability to close will accelerate his exit from Chicago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:00 GMT

The Chicago Bears couldn’t believe it. Any of it. The Bears couldn’t fathom that they let a 10-point fourth-quarter lead get away, couldn’t comprehend that they kicked away a day-saving miracle on the game’s final play, couldn’t quite process that Sunday’s devastating 20-17 road loss to the Cleveland Browns torpedoed their energized chase of a playoff berth. Instead, they were left with another gut-wrenching disappointment to accept and another emotionally testing regrouping mission for Week 16.On Christmas Eve, the Bears will play the hapless Arizona Cardinals at Soldier Field with every opportunity to get back on the winning track. But the sting of Sunday’s loss is going to leave a mark and could create some unwanted resignation as well. The coming week will challenge the Bears’ focus, unity and emotional stability.As Tribune writers Colleen Kane and Dan Wiederer get their arms around it all, they engage in a “true or falseR...

Patriots-Chiefs film review: How Pats went from hot start to getting out-coached

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:00 GMT

This is the state of the Patriots.Multiple defensive players declared Sunday they did their part after a loss in which they allowed 27 points. A respected veteran openly questioned whether the offense had moved fast enough while trailing by two scores with four minutes left. And Bill Belichick, asked about his offense’s urgency in that moment, an obvious hurry-up situation, mostly agreed with said veteran.Because the Pats know they are out of options. Bailey Zappe is good for one half per game, then he flirts with disaster. Zappe is also throwing to the league’s worst receiving corps. The offensive line charged with protecting him is now split into two groups: those on the field, and in the trainer’s room. And the Patriots can’t kick field goals or stop committing dumb penalties.Of course, it’s in the team’s best interest, with a hollowed-out roster and without a franchise quarterback, to embrace defeat. But that’s not happening here.The Pat...

Major cleanup underway after storm batters Northeastern US, knocks out power and floods roads

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:00 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Utility crews worked Tuesday to restore power to hundreds of thousands of customers in Maine and some rivers continued to rise in New England following a powerful storm that hit the northeastern U.S., drenching communities and bringing windspeeds over 60 mph (96 kph) in some areas. At least four people were killed.“We anticipate a multi-day restoration effort involving hundreds of line and tree crews,” Central Maine Power, the state’s largest utility, posted online Monday night.Many communities were saturated, with some getting well over 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of rain during the storm. Some towns in Vermont, which had suffered major flooding from a storm in July, were seeing more flood damage. Some school districts remained closed in the region Tuesday.More than 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain fell in parts of New Jersey and northeastern Pennsylvania, and parts of several other states got more than 4 inches (10 centimeters), according to the Nation...

Australian jury records first conviction of foreign interference against a Chinese agent

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:00 GMT

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian court on Tuesday recorded the first conviction under the nation’s foreign interference laws with a jury finding a Vietnamese refugee guilty of covertly working for the Chinese Communist Party.A Victoria state County Court jury convicted Melbourne businessman and local community leader Di Sanh Duong on a charge of preparing for or planning an act of foreign interference.He is the first person to be charged under federal laws created in 2018 that ban covert foreign interference in domestic politics and make industrial espionage for a foreign power a crime. The laws offended Australia’s most important trading partner, China, and accelerated a deterioration in bilateral relations.Duong, 68, had pleaded not guilty. He was released on bail after his conviction and will return to court in February to be sentenced. He faces a potential 10-year prison sentence.Prosecutors had argued that Duong planned to gain political influence in 2020 by cultivatin...