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Commission to reopen chief economist vacancy after Scott Morton withdraws

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:23:32 GMT

It’s back to the drawing board for the European Commission after its proposed candidate for chief competition economist withdrew under withering criticism.Fiona Scott Morton, an American citizen who recently consulted for several Big Tech companies, wrote to Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager this morning she wouldn’t take up the position, “given the political controversy that has arisen because of the selection of a non-European to fill this position.” The Commission was under mounting pressure, including from French President Emmanuel Macron, to reverse its decision.With its preferred horse out of the race, the Commission has reopened the procedure. “Given the withdrawal of Dr. Morton, the Commission will, in due course, publish a new vacancy notice for the position of Chief Economist at DG Competition and conduct a new selection procedure,” spokesperson Balazs Ujvari said.It has little other choice: Commission spokesperson Arianna Pode...

Teenager killed, 3 others hospitalized after crash in Randolph

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:23:32 GMT

A teenager from Brockton was killed while three others were hospitalized after a vehicle went off of a road and hit a tree in Randolph Tuesday night.The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said Terry Boston, Jr., 15, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash that happened off of North Main Street.Randolph police were first called to the scene just before 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, where officials found a Nissan Altima had been travelling southbound when it left the road and crashed into a tree near 701 North Main St.According to the DA’s office, three passengers were injured, including a male who was taken to Boston Medical Center via helicopter and admitted to an intensive care unit. The two other passengers, both females, were taken to nearby hospitals via ambulance.“I join the Randolph Police in extending my condolences to young Mr. Boston’s family on this tragic loss of life,” Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey said in a statement.Officials added that as o...

US soldier who crossed into North Korea has history of assault and detention

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:23:32 GMT

Seoul (CNN) — New details have emerged about a US soldier who crossed into North Korea on Tuesday – but his exact whereabouts remain a mystery since the secretive country hasn’t said a word about the incident.Court documents showed that Private Travis King, believed to be the first US soldier to cross into North Korea since 1982, had a history of assault, was facing disciplinary action over his conduct and was meant to go back to the US the day before the incident. An army official told CNN the private was set to be administratively separated from the US Army.Details about how exactly King ended up on the North Korean side of the border remain unclear.King had been on a tour of a border area as a civilian when he crossed the demarcation line.His motive is also a mystery. King’s mother, Claudine Gates, told ABC she was “shocked” after being told by the US Army that her son had crossed into North Korea.“I can’t see Travis doing anything like that,” Gates told ...

For Chicago Cubs reliever Julian Merryweather, locked-in mechanics and health has been a consistency game changer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:23:32 GMT

Staying healthy has been a challenge at times for right-hander Julian Merryweather.The Chicago Cubs’ reliever always possessed electric stuff, but his inconsistencies often stemmed from unreliable mechanics and struggles to stay off the injured list. Both areas have come together as Merryweather and the Cubs hoped when the organization claimed him off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays in January.“Staying within my delivery, my mechanics have had ups and downs this year, but I feel like when my mechanics are right everything comes from there,” Merryweather told the Tribune on Tuesday before the Cubs took a 17-3 victory over the Washington Nationals. “My lower half — legs and hips — really drive the whole delivery for me, just timing, my rhythm, everything comes from there, like all the velocity.”Merryweather’s emergence as a go-to option in high-leverage spots will likely have teams inquiring about the 31-year-old if the Cubs sell at t...

High-water rescue crews save people flooded in Kentucky as death toll rises in northeast US

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:23:32 GMT

MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — High-water rescue crews pulled people from flooded homes and vehicles in Kentucky Wednesday, where waves of thunderstorms prompted flash flood warnings and watches. A search continued for two children swept away after torrential rains in the northeast.The National Weather Service estimated that as much as 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain could fall in the area where Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri meet at the convergence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.Atmospheric scientists say the global warming responsible for unrelenting heat in the Southwest also is making this kind of extreme rainfall a more frequent reality, because clouds hold more moisture as the temperature rises, resulting in more destructive storms. There were several reports of people being rescued from high water surrounding homes and vehicles in the Mayfield and Wingo areas early Wednesday, according to Keith Cooley, a senior forecaster with the weather service in Paducah, Kentucky. He ...

Boston City Councilor Kendra Lara released on charges related to crash, ordered not to drive

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:23:32 GMT

City Councilor Kendra Lara was released on personal recognizance today after her arraignment on a host of charges related to her alleged high speed crash into the side of a Jamaica Plan home last month.Lara was arraigned a West Roxbury District Court moments after a judge found probable cause to charge her on a summons related to the June 30 event.Lara was also charged with driving without a valid driver’s license, and the judge on Wednesday ordered her not to drive unless she obtains a valid one.Lara left the court after this morning’s arraignment to a chorus of calls for her resignation from a crowd of hecklers waiting outside.Lara appeared in court facing charges of driving an unregistered, uninsured vehicle with a revoked license before crashing into a Jamaica Plain home last month.Her defense attorney objected to the arraignment and unsuccessfully attempted to get the charges dismissed.Instead, First Assistant Clerk Magistrate Paul Troi tacked on two additional charges, includi...

Homeless shelter to open in heart of Oceanside

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:23:32 GMT

OCEANSIDE, Calif. -- A new year-round homeless shelter is set to open in the heart of Oceanside in the coming weeks, the City Manager's Office announced Tuesday.The Oceanside Navigation Center, which sits on the property of a former school located at 3131 Oceanside Boulevard, has undergone major renovations and upgrades. The city says the project was funded by a generous grant award of $3.3 million from the County of San Diego and $2.25 million in federal funding secured by California Congressman Mike Levin. County gun safety reform initiative fails after Board of Supervisors vote Within the building, a variety of support services and case management will be provided with the goal of transitioning individuals into a stable and healthy permanent living situation. The city says this initiative is poised to make a significant impact on homelessness and mitigate community impacts in Oceanside."Our goal is not just to provide a bed for the night, but to provide our residents with ...

German woman voices remorse over enslaved Yazidi girl’s death at new court hearing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:23:32 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A German woman convicted on charges that she and her husband allowed the death by thirst of a 5-year-old Yazidi girl she and her husband kept as a slave when they were members of the Islamic State group in Iraq expressed remorse as a new sentencing hearing opened on Wednesday.A federal court in March ordered judges in Munich to reconsider the sentence of the 32-year-old, who has been identified only as Jennifer W. in line with German privacy rules. She risks a more severe sentence than the 10 years she was given at her original trial.The defendant was convicted in October 2021 of, among other things, two counts of crimes against humanity through enslavement, in one case resulting in death, being an accessory to attempted murder and membership in a terrorist organization abroad. Prosecutors have accused her of standing by as her then husband chained the young Yazidi girl in a courtyard and left her to die of thirst. At her original trial, the court found that she did no...

Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan says port workers strike illegal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:23:32 GMT

VANCOUVER — Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan says a strike by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada is illegal after a ruling by the Canada Industrial Relations Board.In a tweet, O’Regan says the board ordered that the union cease and desist any strike activity because it did not provide 72 hours notice.The strike that has shut down British Columbia’s ports resumed Tuesday after the longshore workers union rejected a tentative mediated deal.The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada says “employers have not addressed the cost of living issues” faced by workers in the last few years.The tentative four-year deal that was rejected had been proposed by a federal mediator at the instruction of O’Regan.  O’Regan and Transport Minister Omar Alghabra have said workers and employers across Canada cannot face further disruption and that they are looking at all options.This report by The Canadian Press was first publi...

Grassroots groups say Canada won’t meet UN Sustainable Development Goals, lacks data

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:23:32 GMT

OTTAWA — A coalition of grassroots groups says Canada won’t meet goals it set for 2030 as part of a United Nations initiative to bridge inequities around the world.The Sustainable Development Goals are a series of benchmarks around issues such as poverty and gender equality that states have agreed to pursue at home while funding programs to help developing countries.Social Development Minister Karina Gould says Ottawa is making good progress on these goals in Canada, telling a review body in New York City this morning about policies including daycare reform. Yet a coalition of civil-society groups that also sent a delegation to the UN body says Canada lacks adequate data and consultation procedures to get a sense of how different groups are faring, particularly Indigenous Peoples and those with disabilities.The organizations, which also advocate for women and older Canadians, note that Canada is not on track to meet multiple targets by the deadline seven years from now.Gould r...