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Renew proposes MEP Martin Hojsík as new Parliament vice president

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:32 GMT

BRUSSELS — Liberal Slovak MEP Martin Hojsík is in the running to become one of the European Parliament’s 14 vice presidents, after a spot opened up in the wake of September’s election in Slovakia.Chaired by Parliament President Roberta Metsola, the bureau of vice-presidents makes decisions on how the €2-billion-a-year Parliament runs, including appointments of top civil servants, acquisition of properties, and agreeing rules for MEPs.A current vice president, Michal Šimečka, is set to resign as he prepares to take up a seat in the national parliament, having led his Progressive Slovakia to the second-placed spot in the election. Hojsík also represents Progressive Slovakia, which looks set to be the main opposition party in Slovakia, after populist Robert Fico struck a tentative coalition deal with the social democrats and a far-right party Wednesday.“For me it’s humbling and I will try to do my best in order to get the confidence of the colleagues in the...

Local organization collecting donations to send to people in Israel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:32 GMT

What was once a meeting space in Newton has been converted into an operation center as a local Israeli-American organization is collecting donations to send to people in Israel. The Israeli American Council of New England is collecting supplies to send to the hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens who are displaced because of the current war between Israel and Hamas. A donation drive on Wednesday began at 9 a.m. at the operation center on Centre Street and was ongoing as of around 4 p.m. People were driving their cars to the site where donated goods were then taken upstairs to be sorted and boxed. Donations will eventually be brought on a plane to Israel. “This moment in time is calling us to take action and do what needs to be done,” said Noam Bentov of Combined Jewish Philanthropies.“People fled from their towns with only the clothing on their backs,” said Gilad Skolnick of the Israeli American Council. “They have absolutely nothing. They’ve lost everything.”The ...

Students, community members rally at MIT in support of Israel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:32 GMT

Emotions ran high on the campus of MIT in Cambridge Wednesday when hundreds of students held a rally in support of Israel. The midday rally came days after Hamas launched its surprise attack on Israel over the weekend. Speaking on Wednesday, rally attendees were calling for the violent attacks and kidnappings to end. “I can’t sleep and I can’t eat anymore and my brother calls me all the time to tell me he’s so, so scared,” said Liyam Chitayat.Chitayat’s family lives in Tel Aviv. Her brother is just 14-years-old. Chitayat helped organize Wednesday’s rally, which included people holding Israeli flags and handing out roses. One display included pacifiers and toys and mourned the loss of babies killed in the Hamas attack.Demonstrators were furious at those who say Israel is somehow to blame for the surprise atrocities. “This is not resistance,” Chitayat said. “Shame on you.”Chitayat told 7NEWS she is a PHD student who was serving in the Israeli army just two mon...

Fantasy Fixer: Week 6

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:32 GMT

7’s Morey Hershgordon has the inside scoop on who to start and sit this week in Fantasy Fixer. Go set your lineups!

Mild again tomorrow, some weekend showers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:32 GMT

It’s been a quiet day with clouds, some sun and mild temperatures. Tomorrow will be a similar feel. Friday will be cooler and breezy, but still dry. The weekend will bring cool temperatures, more clouds and the chance for a few showers.Overnight, temperatures will fall into the mid/upper 40s inland and 50s on the coast, Cape and Islands. You’ll want the jacket out the door in the morning, and might not need it in the afternoon. High temperatures will be similar to today in the mid/upper 60s. Some towns will get close to 70° once again.An upper level low and cold front will shift east into Friday. Behind that we’ll have a northwest wind. It’ll be breezy and cooler. Although these temperatures are closer to average for this time of year. Boston’s average high is 63° and Worcester’s average high is 60° come Friday.An area of low pressure will continue its journey across the country this week. Luckily, it looks like it will take a track that moves it ...

Fossil future: Exxon Mobil picks up Permian Basin rival in $59B deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:32 GMT

Exxon Mobil is buying Pioneer Natural Resources in an all-stock deal valued at $59.5 billion, its largest buyout since acquiring Mobil two decades ago, creating a colossal fracking operator in West Texas.Including debt, Exxon is committing about $64.5 billion to the acquisition, leaving no doubt of the Texas energy company’s commitment to fossil fuels as energy prices surge.Pioneer shareholders will receive 2.32 shares of Exxon for each Pioneer share they own.“I think fossil fuels, as the world looks to transition and find lower sources of affordable energy with lower emissions, fossil fuels oil and gas are going to continue to play a role over time,” Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods said during an interview with CNBC. “That may diminish with time. The rate of that is, I think, not very clear at this stage. But it will be around for a long time.”Woods explained that Exxon and Pioneer will be able to use their combined capabilities to drive down emissions an...

Social media is awash in misinformation about Israel-Gaza war, but Musk’s X is the most egregious

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:32 GMT

By BARBARA ORTUTAY (AP Technology Writer)While Twitter has always struggled with combating misinformation about major news events, it was still the go-to place to find out what’s happening in the world. But the Israel-Hamas war has underscored how the platform now transformed into X has become not only unreliable but is actively promoting falsehoods.Experts say that under Elon Musk the platform has deteriorated to the point that it’s not just failing to clamp down on misinformation but is favoring posts by accounts that pay for its blue-check subscription service, regardless of who runs them.If such posts go viral, their blue-checked creators can be eligible for payments from X, creating a financial incentive to post whatever gets the most reaction — including misinformation.Ian Bremmer, a prominent foreign policy expert, posted on X that the level of disinformation on the Israel-Hamas war “being algorithmically promoted” on the platform “is unlike anything I’ve ever been exposed to...

Patriots-Raiders injury report: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Demario Douglas out Wednesday, 11 limited

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:32 GMT

The Patriots listed wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Demario Douglas as non-participants for Wednesday’s practice.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Mac Jones bringing new attitude after two straight Patriots losses? New England Patriots | Patriots offense gets good news at practice ahead of Week 6 matchup vs. Raiders New England Patriots | Bill Belichick insists re-signing Jakobi Meyers was priority for Patriots New England Patriots | Bill Belichick: Mac Jones will start at QB, Patriots ‘not making any changes’ New England Patriots | Could Patriots CB J.C. Jackson start Sunday against the Raiders? The team also listed 11 players as limited, including six starters. Of those six starters, half were offensive linemen: left tackle Trent Brown, left guard Cole Strange and right guard Mike Onwenu. After missing Tuesday’s practice, Onwenu returned to the field Wednesday.In Las...

Ex-NFL player Sergio Brown arrested in Southern California in connection to mother’s slaying

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:32 GMT

Former NFL player Sergio Brown was arrested in Southern California in connection with the death of his mother, authorities said, as he tried to reenter the United States from Mexico just weeks after the 73-year-old woman was found slain behind her suburban Chicago home.Brown, 35, was detained Tuesday afternoon and booked into San Diego County Jail without bail following a “fugitive arrest,” records show.Brown agreed to be extradited to Illinois during a Wednesday court hearing, San Diego District Attorney’s office spokesperson Steve Walker told The Associated Press in an email.Authorities in Illinois have until Nov. 13 to retrieve Brown, Walker said.Walker said an attorney from the San Diego County Public Defender’s office represented Brown at the hearing. The AP was unable to reach anyone Wednesday afternoon at the public defender’s office for comment.It was unclear what the exact charges are against Brown, but a warrant for his arrest cited first-degree murder, accordi...

Families in Israel and abroad wait in agony for word of their loved ones taken hostage by militants

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:32 GMT

TEL AVIV (AP) — One of those taken hostage is a grandmother who learned Arabic in hopes of building bridges with her neighbors. Others include 10 members of an extended family, one an elderly man in a wheelchair who requires hospital care. Still another is a nurse who delivered thousands of babies over the years to parents both Israeli and Palestinian.All are among roughly 150 people abducted by Hamas militants early Saturday during sweeping raids on Israeli towns and villages near the heavily fortified border with the Gaza Strip. They include citizens of Brazil, Britain, Italy, the Philippines and the United States, as well as many Israelis. The number of hostages, provided by Hamas and Israeli officials, has not been independently confirmed.Militants have vowed to start killing hostages if Israel’s airstrikes target civilians inside Gaza without first providing a warning allowing them to flee. It has placed the families and friends of those taken in a terrifying and desperate situ...