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France’s interior minister offers to quit after crushing defeat on immigration bill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:51 GMT

PARIS — French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin offered to resign on Monday after his controversial immigration bill was rejected by the National Assembly, but President Emmanuel Macron refused to accept it.The rejection of the bill on the first day of debates in the lower house is a crushing defeat for the government, after over a year spent negotiating and fine-tuning its details. The legislation, which has already passed a vote in the Senate, aims to speed up the deportation of foreigners who have committed crimes on French soil and includes measures to legalize undocumented workers in some cases.Darmanin conceded a defeat for the government during an interview with the TF1 channel. “It’s a failure, of course, because I wanted to give police officers, gendarmes… and judges the tools to defeat illegal immigration,” he said.On Monday, Macron asked Darmanin to submit “new proposals to move forward by overcoming this blockage and obtaining an effective ...

EU’s Borrell to propose sanctions on ‘extremist’ settlers in West Bank

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:51 GMT

EU top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Monday he would propose the imposition of sanctions on “extremist” Israeli settlers in the West Bank.“We will work on imposing sanctions against extremist settlers in the West Bank. I will make a proposal to member states in this regard,” Borrell said at a press conference after a meeting of EU foreign ministers.Borrell also said he opposed both the forced displacement of the civilian population of the Gaza Strip and Israel’s occupation of the enclave as it expands its ground offensive in the south of Gaza, forcing thousands of Palestinians to flee.Borrell added he had been “alarmed” by the Israeli government’s approval of the construction of another 1,700 housing units in East Jerusalem to expand the settlements. The EU considers the plan “illegal under international law,” he said.Earlier this month, the U.S. informed Israel that Washington would impose visa bans on Israeli settlers engaged in violence ...

9 left homeless, firefighter seen being loaded into ambulance after fire in Brockton

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:51 GMT

Nine people were left homeless and a firefighter was seen being loaded into an ambulance after a fire tore through a three-story home in Brockton Monday morning. The fire broke out on Waverly Street and drew a large emergency response, with dozens of firefighters working to douse the flames. The top of the building was left charred and debris continued to fall to the ground as firefighters remained on scene. Though officials said everyone in the home made it out safely, a 7NEWS crew spotted one firefighter being taken into an ambulance on a stretcher, at one point, after he was hit by a falling piece of debris. While crews continued to work, people who live in the building impacted by this fire spoke, saying they saw flames and rushed to get to safety. “Usually, when the alarm goes off, it’s nothing — a cooking fire,” said Denise Beighley. “But this time, I opened the front door and it was flames in the hallway.”A barber working down the street separat...

Burlington police arrest man in connection with animal cruelty incident at Mill Pond Reservoir

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:51 GMT

Police in Burlington say a 45-year-old man from Woburn turned himself in following an animal cruelty incident involving a suspect who assaulted a dog while out on a local trail.The Burlington Police Department said Austin Beliveau, Jr., turned himself in nearly a week after authorities said the attack happened at Mill Pond Reservoir.It was Tuesday morning, Dec. 5, when authorities said an individual on a bike approached a 69-year-old man who was walking his dog – an 8-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier named “Gigi.”The individual was described as having two, unleashed dogs with him when they approached the pair, leading to the animals nipping at one another and the suspect allegedly stepping in.The man, said to be a white male with an athletic build in his early 30s, punched Gigi multiple times, according to the victim’s family. While Gigi’s owner tried to protect the dog, the family said he lost his footing and fell backwards, suffering an injury.Police later...

Sunny & Seasonable Week Ahead

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:51 GMT

Well this week certainly started off on an active note, but now that it’s behind us, we have a nice quiet week of weather ahead. We had both wind and rain overnight. The wind was primarily along the Cape and areas south of Boston, but even Boston had winds that pushed 50 mph. These wind gusts were primarily overnight as the heavy rain was moving through, though it did stay windy/breezy for most of the day today.While the wind was mostly near the water, the heaviest rain was away from the water. Most towns picked up a couple inches of rain, with a few towns picking up over 4″ of rain since yesterday afternoon!The wind and rain were caused by a powerful cold front moving through and the temperatures today prove just how potent that front was. While most of us were sleeping, temperatures were more like spring than December with highs in the 60s around midnight. Actually, if you were outside last night from about 9pm on, you felt this too. (Lawrence – I’m not sur...

Diehl sets sites on Senate with campaign update

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:51 GMT

After a pair of unsuccessful statewide campaigns, veteran Republican candidate Geoff Diehl of Whitman might now be eyeing a second pass at joining the Massachusetts Senate.Diehl filed paperwork Monday updating the office sought on his campaign account from governor, for which he challenged last year, to the Senate’s Second Plymouth and Norfolk District.With the change, Diehl will start his potential campaign with $31.35 in the bank, according to the last monthly report filed with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance.The potential campaign could be a rematch. While serving as a state representative, Diehl lost to current Democrat Michael Brady of Brockton in a 2015 special election for the Second Plymouth and Bristol Senate District.Brady continues to represent the district, which is now the Second Plymouth and Norfolk District following the latest decennial redistricting. He cruised to reelection in 2022 over Republican challenger Jim Gordon with nearly 64 percent of t...

Corner collapses at six-story Bronx apartment building, leaving apartments exposed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:51 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A six-story corner of a Bronx apartment building collapsed Monday afternoon, leaving apartments exposed like a stack of shelves, according to authorities and bystander video. There was no immediate word on any injuries.The Fire Department said it was called around 3:40 p.m. about a corner collapse at a building near the University Heights neighborhood. There was no immediate information from the city Buildings Department.Video showed a corner of the six-story building with its walls sheared off and floors sagging, and a heap of rubble in the street.The Associated Press

Creditors approve Metroland restructuring proposal following announced job cuts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:51 GMT

TORONTO — Creditors of Metroland Media Group have voted to approve the company’s restructuring proposal after the newspaper chain announced cuts to 60 per cent of its workforce earlier this year.Spokesman Bob Hepburn says the proposal, which was approved Monday, reflects input from stakeholders, including better protections for former employees.In September, Metroland announced the move to a digital-only model and an end to its flyer business as it revealed it would seek protection and attempt a restructuring under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act.It said at the time the cuts and restructuring would mean the loss of 605 jobs, following “unsustainable financial losses stemming from the changing preferences of consumers and advertisers.”Hepburn says there are still remaining steps that must take place before implementing the approved plan, but “we are hopeful that Metroland will soon emerge from these proceedings into the next chapter of the business, allowing...

After losing Houston mayor’s race, US Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee to seek reelection to Congress

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:51 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Two days after losing her bid to be Houston’s next mayor, longtime U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee announced on Monday she will seek a 16th term in Congress in 2024.Jackson Lee first took office in 1995. Her district includes downtown Houston and some of the city’s historically Black neighborhoods, including 3rd and 5th Wards.“I am enthusiastic about the prospect of continuing our shared journey to uplift the 18th Congressional District,” Jackson Lee, a Democrat, said in a statement. “Your support has been invaluable, and I eagerly welcome it as I strive to further serve and represent our community with my ability to get the job done.”Jackson Lee’s announcement comes after she was handily defeated by state Sen. John Whitmire in a mayoral runoff election on Saturday.She had sought to be Houston’s first Black female mayor. Jackson Lee was heavily outspent by Whitmire in the campaign and also had to deal with fallout from the release in October of an unver...

Toronto woman using her love of pickleball to help others

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:51 GMT

Pickleball has taken the world by storm, being played now by more than 40 million people daily. One Toronto woman who discovered her love of the sport is now using it to help others.Vivian Ringwald started playing pickleball for her own mental and physical health, but noticed early on there wasn’t a lot on the market for new equipment. “I want to look good. I want to feel good. I want it to be versatile. I want it stylish. I found nothing on the market,” said Ringwald.She created a website that sells custom bags and hilarious pickleball-related attire with the proceeds at times benefiting thousands of people.“The jargon that they use in pickleball is hilarious. So there’s the kitchen, which is by the net. The word dinking is used constantly because it’s by the net when you lob the ball over the net. I thought a nice play on words would be great on t-shirts, and it’s a great communication piece when people are playing together,” said Ri...