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Orbán aide: Hungary could lift Ukraine funds veto if EU unblocks all frozen cash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:21 GMT

Hungary has issued its ransom demand to Brussels. Budapest is ready to retract its veto on a new package of EU aid to Ukraine if Brussels agrees to unblock all the funds that have been frozen by the bloc over concerns about the rule of law in the country, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s political director said. European leaders are set to make historic decisions at a summit later this week on opening accession talks with Ukraine and delivering a €50 billion, four-year aid package which Kyiv crucially needs to support its flailing war economy against Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s aggression — but first, they need to overcome Hungary’s objections on both topics. “Hungary’s EU funding and Ukraine’s financing are two separate issues,” Balazs Orbán told Bloomberg in an interview published late Tuesday.“But if the EU insists that Ukraine’s financing should come from an amended EU budget, then the two issues become linked,” added the adviser, who is not related to ...

Services announced for National Grid worker killed in Waltham worksite crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:21 GMT

Services are set for the National Grid technician who police say was killed in last week’s deadly series of crashes in Waltham. The family of Roderick Jackson on Monday night announced they will hold visitation hours on Saturday morning beginning at 9 a.m. at the St. Paul AME church in Cambridge. Jackson’s funeral will follow at 11 a.m.Jackson died last Wednesday afternoon when, according to police, a New Hampshire man crashed his pickup truck into the worksite on Totten Pond Road where Jackson was working. At least two other National Grid workers were injured and a Waltham police officer was killed, according to police. Police said the alleged driver, identified as Peter Simon, 54, fled the scene before stealing a police cruiser at knifepoint, leading police on a chase and later crashing the cruiser. Simon was arrested Wednesday night and arraigned on charges including manslaughter on Thursday. Tributes continued, in the meantime, as community members mourned the loss of ...

Weather On Cruise Control

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:21 GMT

After an active Monday, we’re now on cruise control for the next several days with quiet weather taking us through the week and even through the upcoming weekend! Temperatures tonight will be similar to last night with most of us falling just below the freezing mark. The only difference is last night the wind shut off so it was a nice morning for a walk this morning. Tonight we’ll hold the breeze so there will be more of a brisk feel tomorrow morning.Temperatures will be about two degrees colder than today, but with the breeze it will feel colder, keeping wind chills in the 30s for Wednesday.We’ll also have a few more clouds in the mix tomorrow (not cloudy, just more clouds than today), but we’re back to the sunshine for Thursday and Friday!Temperatures take a bit of a tumble on Thursday. It’s not frigid air… it is December after all, but even for December standards it will be on the cooler side. Thankfully there won’t be much for wind. The ...

Diverted Delta passengers spend the night in remote military barracks in Canada

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:21 GMT

(CNN) — Hundreds of airline passengers bound for Detroit spent Sunday night in a remote Canadian military barracks after their Delta Air Lines jet experienced mechanical issues, the airline said.Delta Flight 135, carrying 270 customers, three pilots and seven flight attendants from Amsterdam to the US, made the unexpected overnight detour to Happy Valley-Goose Bay in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador “out of an abundance of caution,” Delta said in a statement.The Federal Aviation Administration said the pilot of the Airbus 330 “reported problems with deicing equipment and diverted to Happy Valley-Goose Bay Airport in Canada around 3:15 p.m. local time.” The FAA said it will investigate.“Crew duty times were impacted due to weather and runway conditions at the Goose Bay airport causing the airport to suspend operations,” Delta said, and the passengers stayed overnight Sunday in military barracks in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, a community of about 8,000 residents in ...

Rifts between Biden and Netanyahu spill into public view

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:21 GMT

Washington (CNN) — Rifts between the United States and Israel spilled into public view Tuesday as President Joe Biden warned that Israel was losing international support for its campaign against Hamas and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected American plans for post-war Gaza.The divides, which until now had mostly been contained behind the scenes, reflected growing differences between the two staunch allies as the civilian death toll in Gaza mounts.Speaking to Democratic donors in Washington, Biden voiced criticism of Israel’s hardline government and said Netanyahu needed to alter his approach.“I think he has to change, and with this government, this government in Israel is making it very difficult for him to move,” Biden said, calling Netanyahu’s government the “most conservative government in Israel’s history.”He warned support for the country’s military campaign is waning amid heavy bombardment of Gaza and added that the Israeli government “doesn’t want a two-s...

Healey plans to file economic development bill next year as revenues draw concern

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:21 GMT

Gov. Maura Healey said her administration is prepping a wide-ranging economic development bill to file early next year as Massachusetts’s revenue picture continues to draw concern.The exact details of a the proposal are still scarce outside of a 66-page statutorily required economic development plan Healey released last week and promoted to the public during a Tuesday afternoon event inside the State House.Healey said she hopes to file the legislation “as soon as possible” and the administration has taken into account lower-than-expected tax revenues during the first months of fiscal year 2024. She declined to put a dollar figure on the legislation when asked how much it would cost.“Obviously, we’ve given a lot of thought and consideration to different parts we’d like to see included,” Healey said.Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao said the administration is “really excited to partner with our legislative folks and also with the (Executive Office of) Adminis...

First Taste: Our food critic visits CosMc’s, a futuristic concept from McDonald’s

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:21 GMT

Louisa Kung Liu Chu | Chicago TribuneCHICAGO — CosMc’s, a new futuristic concept from McDonald’s, secretively opened its first location near Chicago Thursday. The fast-food chain originally announced that the beverage-focused shop would open in Bolingbrook, Illinois, Friday.Some locals, though, noticed small lawn signs posted on-site stating that it was open to the public — and possibly the media helicopters circling overhead. A line snaked through the adjacent mall parking lot until the wait peaked at around two-hours long.Named for CosMc (pronounced “cosmic”), a little-known company character (a space alien who visited the fictional McDonaldland in the late 1980s and early ’90s), the theme essentially throws back to the McDonald’s drive-in origin story. Though, instead of milkshakes and hamburgers, customers can now order popping boba slushies and spicy queso sandwiches.And it’s a drive-thru only. There is no indoor dining room, outdoor seating or walk-up window. There are also no...

Ticker: Coked-up tuna seized by Spain; GM signs on to hydrogen fuel cell project

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:21 GMT

Spanish authorities have confiscated 11 tons of cocaine and arrested 20 people in two different operations against the smuggling of the illegal drugs inside shipping containers, Spain’s National Police said Tuesday.Police said that 7,500 kilograms of cocaine seized by agents in the northwestern city of Vigo were hidden between pieces of frozen tuna. Investigators said that a criminal organization was using a frozen seafood company as a front to bring the drugs from South America to Spain.A separate sting by police in the Mediterranean city of Valencia led to the seizure of 3,400 kilograms of cocaine found in false bottoms of shipping containers in the eastern city’s port.Police didn’t reveal the exact dates of the operation, only indicating that they had been carried out recently. They said both rings were linked to criminal organizations from the Balkans region.GM signs on to hydrogen fuel cell projectGeneral Motors Co. is partnering with a manufacturer of mining ...

Dip into the holidays with these tasty spreads

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:21 GMT

Beth Dooley | Star Tribune (TNS)Potlucks, cocktail parties, family gatherings and happy hours all require noshes and nibbles as well as libations. Now’s the time to make a plan.This year, I’m diving into dips and spreads, the kind that are ready in minutes, can be made in big batches and served on demand. It helps, too, if they can be repurposed into sauces for meats and roasted vegetables or spreads for sandwiches, flatbreads and pizzas — and they’re perfect for dressing up leftovers.For the most flavorful dips and spreads, look to the sunny cuisines of the Mediterranean. They’re bright with warm spices and comprise everyday ingredients you probably already have on hand. Based on contrasting flavors, colors and textures — sweet, tangy, spicy, creamy — these three dips taste surprisingly complex.Take hummus, a beloved staple throughout the Middle East (and ubiquitous in the United States). It shines when made from scratch using freshly cooked dried beans (gar...

New York’s high court orders new congressional maps as Democrats move to retake control of US House

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:21 GMT

By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE (Associated Press)ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York’s highest court on Tuesday ordered the state to draw new congressional districts ahead of the 2024 elections, giving Democrats a potential advantage in what is expected to be a battleground for control of the U.S. House.The 4-3 decision from the New York Court of Appeals could have major ramifications as Democrats angle for more favorable district lines in the state next year. Republicans, who won control of the House after flipping seats in New York, sought to keep the map in place. The state’s bipartisan Independent Redistricting Commission will now be tasked with coming up with new districts, which will then go before the Democrat-controlled Legislature for approval. The court ordered the commission to file a map no later than Feb. 28, 2024. “In 2014, the voters of New York amended our Constitution to provide that legislative districts be drawn by an Independent Redistricting Commission,&#...