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Dutch election is wide open as voting begins

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:09 GMT

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands — As Dutch polling stations open on Wednesday, any one of four rival party leaders could yet win power. Volatile polls in the final days of the campaign have left the outcome on a knife-edge, with the big surprise a sudden surge in support for the far-right party of Geert Wilders. His anti-Islam and anti-EU Freedom Party (PVV) appears to be making a dramatic comeback — one poll put him level in first place with outgoing premier Mark Rutte’s group, the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). The Labour-Green alliance, led by EU veteran Frans Timmermans, and a new party of centrist outsider Pieter Omtzigt are trailing behind in third and fourth place, according to pollster Maurice de Hond. Other polls put Timmermans’ party tied in first position with Wilders, closely followed by the VVD. However, the differences are small and, most importantly, 63 percent of voters had not yet settled on their final choice one day ahead of the election, accord...

Rishi Sunak hits the tax cut button as his luck runs out

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:09 GMT

LONDON — Rishi Sunak was once the golden child of British politics. These days, nothing seems to be going his way. A series of big moments intended to pump up the ailing prime minister since the summer have fallen flat — significantly raising the stakes for Wednesday’s Autumn Statement, a major government fiscal event that looks set to put tax cuts front and center.One by one, the Conservative Party leader has been running out of levers to pull in recent months.A party conference speech came and went, framed around correctives to overbearing climate policy and profligate high-speed rail spending. That was meant to paint Sunak as the “change” candidate — a tough sell after 13 years of Tory rule.The King’s Speech, seen as Sunak’s final big chance to renew his government’s legislative program before an expected election next year, was viewed in Westminster as relatively thin gruel.Last week’s government reshuffle — which saw the dramatic return of former Prime Mi...

Carbon capture and storage to reach net zero 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:09 GMT

Listen on Spotify Apple Music Google Play EN_Google_Podcasts_Badge Created with Sketch. Acast Amazon Music Oil, gas and coal still made up 81.5 percent of the global energy mix in 2022 — down just 3 percent from 2015, when the Paris climate agreement was signed. Given the slow pace of the energy transition, carbon capture and storage, or CCS, has the potential to become an impo...

Belgium’s on-again, off-again hunt for the men accused of corrupting the European Parliament

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:09 GMT

BRUSSELS — Should the key figures accused of corrupting the European Parliament be arrested or not?That’s the question at the heart of the scandal known as Qatargate — the most serious corruption allegations to hit European Union institutions in decades. In a sprawling Belgian police and intelligence investigation, major diplomatic and government figures have been accused of funneling payments to members of the European Parliament in exchange for influencing decisions in favor of Qatar and Morocco.In January, Belgian authorities issued a national notification for the arrest of Qatari Labor Minister Ali Bin Samikh Al Marri, his aide Bettahar Boudjellal and Morocco’s ambassador to Poland, Abderrahim Atmoun, according to Belgian police reports seen by POLITICO.Later that month, Michel Claise, then the lead investigative judge in the case, ordered the notifications for arrest to be rescinded.At a later date, new notifications for the arrest were issued for the two representatives o...

US has sent Israel data on aid group locations to try to prevent strikes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:09 GMT

The Biden administration has been providing Israel with the location of humanitarian groups in Gaza for weeks to prevent strikes against their facilities. But Israel has continued to hit such sites.The information included GPS coordinates of a number of medical facilities and information on movements of aid groups in Gaza to the Israeli government for at least a month, according to three people familiar with the communications. All were granted anonymity because they feared speaking publicly would make it more difficult for aid groups to operate in Gaza.Still, Israel has launched operations against Hamas in or near aid sites, including hospitals, leading to the destruction of buildings and the blocking of fuel and other critical supplies.It’s unclear if the U.S. has compiled a formal “no-strike” list or if it is providing one-off guidance. But officials have helped transmit coordinates of groups that provide food and medical care in Gaza and operate out of hospitals, smaller offices...

Storm brings mix of rain and snow to New England ahead of Thanksgiving

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:09 GMT

A storm moving across the region overnight is expected to bring a mix of rain and snow to New England, potentially having an impact on holiday travel Wednesday morning ahead of Thanksgiving. Snow is expected to give way to rain even in higher elevations in Worcester County by Wednesday morning. Even so, preparations were underway in communities including Leominster Tuesday. “We’re prepping some trucks up in case we have to go out,” said Leominster Department of Public Works Dispatcher Luke Beaulac. Snow flakes were beginning to fly in western Massachusetts around 9 p.m. while rain moved in elsewhere. By 10 p.m., snow was creeping into some spots further east including Shrewsbury and Leominster.Rain and snow is expected to continue falling through the overnight hours before the rain/snow line pushes fully into New Hampshire near midnight. Rain and wind in coastal communities is then expected to persist through the morning and eventually taper off near 12 p.m. Snowfall ...

Driver to face charges in connection with crash into gas station in Carver

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:09 GMT

A driver is expected to face charges in connection with a crash into a gas station in Carver Tuesday, police said. Carver Police Chief Marc Duphily in a statement said the crash happened at the Nouria gas station on Tremont Street Tuesday afternoon.Officers responded to the scene around 2:30 p.m. and found a roughly six-foot hole in the back of the station’s wall, according to Duphily. The driver, Duphily said, had fled the scene. Duphily said a state police trooper was at the gas station at the time of the crash and followed the driver down the street. The driver was taken to a hospital with unspecified injuries and is expected to be summonsed to court to face charges including operating under the influence and leaving the scene of a property damage accident, according to Duphily. Duphily said additional charges are likely.While the driver was injured, there were no other reported injuries. 

1 girl found dead and 5 still missing after large Alaska landslide

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:09 GMT

(CNN) — A girl was found dead and five others are still missing after a large landslide covered a highway near a remote community in southeast Alaska on Monday, according to the state’s Department of Public Safety.The landslide was reported Monday around 9 p.m. local time on the Zimovia Highway near Wrangell, and a preliminary survey by emergency responders determined it had walloped three single-family residences in its path, the department said in a release Tuesday. State troopers have assumed command of the search and rescue effort, although ground search efforts are temporarily paused until the slide can be assessed for safety issues by a geologist, they said.The girl who died was found during initial search and rescue efforts Monday night, public safety department spokesperson Austin McDaniel told CNN. He did not provide the girl’s age.Three adults and two juveniles remain missing, McDaniel said. One woman was rescued and is receiving medical ...

Patriots Foundation teams up with Goodwill to distribute food baskets in Roxbury

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:09 GMT

Patriots players served up support for families in need Tuesday, handing out Thanksgiving food baskets to people in Roxbury. The Patriots Foundation teamed up with Goodwill for the event with the goal of helping more families put dinner on the table. Speaking with 7NEWS, event attendees shared their gratitude. “I think it’s very wonderful,” said Gigi Fedna. “Especially out here, sometimes, families are struggling.” “It’s definitely a helping hand,” she said. Two hundred families ultimately lined up at the Morgan memorial Goodwill headquarters in Roxbury to score a thanksgiving basket hand-delivered by a Patriots player.“It means a lot for us to be able to be out here and make a difference,” said Patriots running back Ezekiel Elliott. “It shows they care,” said event attendee Famara Jane. This marked the 30th year the New England Patriots Foundation is teaming up with Goodwill to give back for Thanksgiving.It was the first time since 2019, though, that P...

King Philip blanks Franklin as head coach Brian Lee earns his 150th win

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:09 GMT

In the 71st all-time meeting and 63rd around Thanksgiving, King Philip used a fiery first half to emerge with a 35-0 victory over Franklin at Fenway Park.The game wasn’t just about town pride, celebrating the holiday or taking in the legendary venue. King Philip secured the Hockomock League title with the victory, something a loss against Franklin last season kept them from a year ago.“It’s awesome,” said King Philip coach Brian Lee, who earned his 150th career win in the process. “And to do it here, 150, it’s pretty crazy. It doesn’t seem like I have been doing it that long.”It was also the final test before the Warriors’ Div. 2 state championship matchup against Marshfield, and the explosive performance has the team looking poised for a push.The Warriors started with the ball, but the Panthers defense put up a tough defensive stand. This momentum would not last for long, however, as King Philip would force a fumble on Franklin’s first offensive play.Immediately after taking ...