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EU Parliament seeks to improve gender balance on committees 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:24 GMT

BRUSSELS — The European Parliament is considering changing its rules to improve the gender balance of its committees. The measures are designed to address “striking disparities” in the gender balance of committees and delegations across the institution, according to an internal letter, seen by POLITICO, from senior Greek MEP Dimitrios Papadimoulis.  Papadimoulis — a Parliament vice-president who chairs a group of senior MEPs working on gender equality in the institution — sent the letter to the Constitutional Affairs Committee last month requesting its help in changing Parliament’s internal rules.“A possible proposal could be that at least it’s needed to have 30 or 35 percent of women in each committee,” Papadimoulis said in the letter. The MEPs in Papadimoulis’ group suggested that the “starting point” should be the Parliament’s current ratio of male to female MEPs: 61 percent of MEPs are male and 39 percent female.“I think it’s an overall strategy the Parliament agr...

Milei’s win in Argentina hits hopes for EU’s Latin America trade deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:24 GMT

BRUSSELS — The victory of a Trump-like president in Argentina could deliver a knockout blow to already teetering hopes of wrapping up a trade deal between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc of South American countries before the end of the year. Javier Milei, an anarcho-capitalist outsider nicknamed El Loco — the Crazy One — won Argentina’s presidential run-off on Sunday, coming from behind to beat Economy Minister Sergio Massa by 56 percent to 44 percent.The result stunned many in Brussels who fear that Milei’s victory spells further trouble for already-difficult talks on a landmark trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur that has been two decades in the making.Among the many inflammatory statements he made during his campaign, Milei has threatened to quit Mercosur — which groups Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay with Argentina.The former tantric sex coach, who has no government experience, called Mercosur a “phenomenal failure” and described it as a “...

New State Police Unit Will Target Hate Crimes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:24 GMT

A new State Police unit will work with other law enforcement agencies and community partners as Gov. Maura Healey’s office looks to bolster strategies for address hate-based incidents tied to race, ethnicity and religion, among other biases.The Hate Crimes Awareness and Response Team will be tasked with improving statewide data collection efforts to identify patterns and trends, developing “advanced training” with the Municipal Police Training Committee, and improving law enforcement coordination at the federal, state and local levels, Healey’s office announced Monday.Ten school districts are also receiving grants totaling nearly $462,000 to cover professional development for educators, community engagement and other efforts to clamp down on bias incidents and hate crimes.Massachusetts logged 440 hate crime incidents last year, and 406 in 2021. It was the highest volume since 2002, Healey’s office said.The state also recorded the country’s si...

Southborough police arrest man accused of inappropriately grabbing Dunkin employee

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:24 GMT

Southborough police say a man was arrested and faces charges that include indecent assault and battery after he allegedly “inappropriately grabbed” a Dunkin employee over the weekend.The Southborough Police Department said its officers made the arrest Sunday, after responding to a Dunkin location on Cordaville Road. The department had initially received a report that a male customer had accosted a female employee, who arriving officers made contact with.The department said that, according to the employee, a male suspect accosted and “inappropriately grabbed” her during the incident. Reviewing surveillance footage, officers identified and later arrested Paul Smith of Southborough.According to Southborough PD, Smith now faces charges that include Assault and Battery and Indecent Assault and Battery On A Person 14 Or Over.

Tiger Woods to make first competitive start since Masters withdrawal at Hero World Challenge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:24 GMT

(CNN) — Tiger Woods is set for his first competitive appearance in seven months at the Hero World Challenge later this month.The 47-year-old has not played a tournament since his early withdrawal from The Masters in April but will tee off as tournament host at the unofficial PGA Tour event in Albany, The Bahamas, on November 30, organizers announced Saturday.Woods underwent ankle surgery in May after enduring “constant” pain across his three rounds at Augusta National the previous month, only his second competitive appearance of 2023.Started in 2000 and staged as a benefit to Woods’ TGR Foundation, the Hero World Challenge will see the five-time event winner compete as part of a 20-player invitational field featuring many of the game’s top players, including world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland, Max Homa and Matt Fitzpatrick.American trio Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas are also set to play, with Justin Rose a...

Patriots OC Bill O’Brien believes Mac Jones’ struggles are ‘fixable’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:24 GMT

The Patriots coaching staff returned to work Sunday determined to fix what’s been ailing their 2-8 team.Chief among their list of problems is poor quarterback play. Starter Mac Jones was benched for a third time this season in the Pats’ latest loss, a 10-6 defeat to the Colts in Germany.Jones ranks in the bottom 10 by virtually every metric among starting quarterbacks and is tracking for career worsts across most statistical categories. He’s completed 65.4% of his passes for 2,031 yards, 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Asked about Jones’ play in Germany, where he threw a crippling red-zone interception in the fourth quarter, offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien said all of his struggles are “fixable.”“I think at times Mac’s played really well. I think that’s what we have to remember: at times this year, Mac has played really well,” O’Brien said. And I also think that it’s really important to point out th...

All 7 CT Boston Market locations served eviction notices as company’s ‘death spiral’ closes Newington, Bristol stores

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:24 GMT

With almost all of its Connecticut restaurants abruptly closing in recent months, the Boston Market’s once-powerful operation in the state appears to be falling victim to the same financial troubles dogging the chain nationally.Boston Market has been evicted from its West Hartford, Danbury, Stratford, Meriden, Wilton and East Haven locations this year, and a Superior Court judge last week ordered it out of its Old Greenwich storefront.The company was hit last week with an eviction notice for its Meriden restaurant, where an employee said Wednesday that it probably wouldn’t be open beyond Friday. In Bloomfield, the chain was evicted a year ago and the building owner is courting a bank that would remodel the space.The recently closed Bristol location has a “space available” sign on its window, and the Newington location is shut down: A state tax department notice on the door advises that its sales and use tax permit was suspended Nov. 9.The chain’s collap...

Canadian airlines rank last for on-time arrivals in North America

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:24 GMT

A new report says the country’s two biggest airlines ranked last for on-time performance among large North American carriers last month.Aviation data company Cirium says nearly 28 per cent of Air Canada flights, or more than 8,700, landed late in October, placing the company ninth out of 10 airlines on the continent.The report found WestJet came last with nearly 29 per cent of arrivals touching down late — defined as more than 15 minutes after scheduled arrival.The two airlines’ on-time percentage of just over 70 per cent falls far short of the North American average of 80 per cent — itself the lowest of any region globally — while Delta Airlines, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines and American Airlines all notched north of 85 per cent.Nonetheless, Air Canada’s outcome marks an improvement from its tally of 68 per cent the previous month.In the past, Air Canada has pointed to a shortage of air traffic controllers, bad weather and a network running at full tilt amid h...

A Canadian mining company at the center of Panama protests says it may have to suspend operations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:24 GMT

PANAMA CITY (AP) — The Canadian mining company whose contract with Panama’s government has triggered weeks of protests said Monday that it has reduced operations and soon may have to suspend them due to a blockade of its mine’s power plant.Minera Panama, the local subsidiary of First Quantum Minerals, said in a statement that small boats had blocked its port in Colon province, preventing supplies from reaching the copper mine.“If the illegal actions continue impeding the necessary supplies to operate the power plant, the company will reduce the remaining processing train this week and will temporarily suspend production,” the statement said.Panama has been roiled by weeks of massive street protests and highway blockades as citizens worried about the impact on the environment pressure the government to revoke the contract. The protesters, a broad coalition of Panamanians, fear the mine’s impact on nature and especially on the water supply.The mine employs thousands and accounts...

Hannah Waddingham takes viewers ‘Home for Christmas’ with holiday special featuring ‘Ted Lasso’ pals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:24 GMT

Hannah Waddingham’s friends weren’t exactly ready to celebrate Christmas when they received an invitation to attend a live taping of her holiday special last May at the London Coliseum.It “was uncommonly sweaty in London,” recalled Waddingham, “and there was us putting out an invitation saying, ‘Please wear your Christmas finery.’ So many of my friends rang me, were like, ‘Dude, really?’ I was like, ‘Yes, get your Christmas sweater out. If I’m going to be sweating, so can you.’”“ Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas,” debuting Wednesday (along with an accompanying soundtrack), is a dream come true for the performer, an Emmy Award-winner and three-time Olivier Award nominee. Her mother, Melodie Kelly, was an opera singer and Waddingham says she essentially spent her childhood at the Coliseum. “I’ve run around those corridors since I was 8 years old. The reason why I am who I am as a performer is from sitting in that theater watching the great opera sing...