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China’s Xi to meet Putin in Moscow, speak to Zelenskyy: reports

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:25 GMT

Chinese President Xi Jinping is planning to visit Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin as early as next week, according to reports by Reuters and the Wall Street Journal.The U.S. newspaper added that Xi would also call Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which will be the first time the two men will have had direct communication, at least publicly, since the Russian invasion started more than a year ago.The Kremlin last week refused to comment on reports saying that Xi would be in the Russian capital on March 21.Xi, who broke with tradition and embarked on his third five-year term as president last week, has long considered Putin his “old friend,” while the two governments reached a “no-limit partnership” shortly before Putin waged war on Ukraine.There was no immediate response from Beijing or Moscow.Sergii Nikoforov, Zelenskyy’s spokesman, would not deny or confirm the upcoming talks. “I don’t have any additional information … ...

Online marketplace Wish makes a comeback in France

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:25 GMT

PARIS — U.S. online marketplace Wish is available in France again at the state’s request, a year and a half after it ordered the platform’s delisting over unsafe products. In November 2021, the government announced with much fanfare that the California-based platform would be removed from search engines and app stores for flouting consumer-protection rules and failing to reply to the requests coming from the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF).At the time, French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire had also threatened Google and Apple with legal action if they didn’t comply.The e-commerce platform is now back on Google Search, app store Google Play and French search engine Qwant. “We received a notification from the DGCCRF informing us that the November 23, 2021 injunction ordering us to remove Wish from Search and Play is lifted,” a spokesperson for Google told POLITICO. The reasons for the order are unclear,...

Halls of Boston’s City Hall adorned with art of local school children for all of March

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:25 GMT

The corridors of City Hall are looking a bit different this month, thanks to hundreds of pieces of art made by Boston students.Their artwork now lines a number of the building’s hallways – and the display “drew” quite the crowd over the weekend.“I’m so proud of all of them and really excited to be here with them,” said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who was on hand to meet with the young artists who are drawn to art.The mayor told 7NEWS it is important to give children different ways to express themselves, with the arts playing a key role in education.“This is a part of not just school for learning math and science and English, but learning about who you could be as a human being and so it’s really exciting to see those pieces coming together,” Wu said.It was a message echoed by Tyler Banfield, a fourth grader at Mendell Elementary who got to meet the mayor on Saturday.“I really like art just because you can express all of...

Investigation underway after thieves allegedly steal vehicles from NH dealership, lead police on chase

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:25 GMT

An investigation is ongoing this week after police said thieves stole four vehicles from a New Hampshire car dealership in an incident that police said may be linked to another theft in Waltham last week.Police said thieves broke into the dealership, stealing some of the vehicles out of the facility’s showroom. A matter of days after vehicles were stolen at a Eastside Motoring in Waltham, police said they believe the same people may be behind the two incidents. Speaking on Monday, Hempstead Police Deputy Chief Robert Kelley said the department is working with Waltham police in their investigation. “It looks like the incidents could be related,” Kelley said.The front doors of DC Motors in Hampstead were found busted open Sunday morning. General Manager Chris Tymowicz said $250,000 worth of inventory was taken, including a 2020 Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, a 2018 Range Rover, a 2021 Polaris Slingshot and a 2014 Dodge Charger. “I don’t know whether they’re gonna resell them...

Damon Stoudamire hired as Georgia Tech’s head coach

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:25 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Longtime NBA guard Damon Stoudamire was hired Monday as Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball coach.The 49-year-old Stoudamire comes to the Atlantic Coast Conference school from the Boston Celtics, where he had served as an assistant coach since 2021.He previously coached collegiately at Pacific, where he compiled a 71-77 record over five seasons. He was the West Coast Conference coach of the year in 2020.Georgia Tech moved quickly to fill the void left after the firing of Josh Pastner.He was dismissed on Friday, two days after the Yellow Jackets capped a 15-18 season with a second-round loss to Pittsburgh in the ACC Tournament.Stoudamire takes over a struggling program that has made only one NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 13 years.

Power crews prep for possible outages from nor’easter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:25 GMT

Power crews were getting ready Monday as a new round of winter weather is expected to bring the threat of power outages across the state. The daylong, multifaceted storm beginning Monday night could drop up to 18 inches of snow in parts of Western Massachusetts and northern Worcester County. While snow totals will likely be lower in parts of Eastern Massachusetts, the wind could howl, slamming some locations with gusts up to 60 miles per hour. Eversource has called this a “potentially significant” weather event. The company has called in crews from as far away as Canada, Texas and Michigan as a result. “We really have a pretty good contingent,” Eversource President of Regional Electric Operations Craig Hallstrom said on Monday. Hallstrom said roughly 800 external line crews are on hand. With possible tree damage, Hallstrom said 500 tree crews are also ready to respond. Eversource officials said they’ve been planning for this storm for several days, adding th...

Government races to reassure US that banking system is safe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:25 GMT

By KEN SWEET, CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, CHRIS MEGERIAN and CATHY BUSSEWITZ (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — Depositors withdrew savings and investors broadly sold off bank shares Monday as the federal government raced to reassure Americans that the banking system was secure after two bank failures fed fears that more financial institutions could fall.President Joe Biden insisted that the system was safe after the second- and third-largest bank failures in the nation’s history happened in the span of 48 hours. In response to the crisis, regulators guaranteed all deposits at the two banks and created a program that effectively thew a lifeline to other banks to shield them from a run on deposits.“Your deposits will be there when you need them,” Biden told the public, seeking to project calm. He also said the banking executives responsible for the failures would be held accountable.In other developments, the Federal Reserve announced that it would review its supervis...

Chicago Bears free-agency news: Rebuild continues with additions of linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and offensive lineman Nate Davis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:25 GMT

In his second offseason with the Chicago Bears, general manager Ryan Poles has plenty of salary-cap space to rework a roster that finished 3-14 in 2022.As the NFL’s new league year approaches, allowing free agents to begin signing with new teams, the Tribune will track all of the Bears’ arrivals and departures and provide insight into what they mean.The free-agency negotiation window will open across the league at 11 a.m. Monday. Unrestricted free agents can finalize deals when the new league year begins at 3 p.m. Wednesday.The free-agent negotiating window is open. Where will GM Ryan Poles and the Bears turn their attention first?What headline-grabbing move is next? 5 Bears questions before free agency.Column: Ryan Poles checked a big box on the Bears’ offseason list with his bold trade. Now comes the hard part.Bears trade the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft to the Panthers. Here’s what they got in return.MondayInside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is joining ...

Biden OKs Alaska oil project, angering greens

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:25 GMT

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration said it’s approving a huge oil-drilling project on Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope, a major environmental decision that drew quick condemnation from environmentalists.The announcement came a day after the administration, in a move toward conservation, said it would bar or limit drilling in some other areas of Alaska and the Arctic Ocean.The approval of Conoco-Phillips’ big Willow drilling project by the Bureau of Land Management will allow three drill sites including up to 199 wells. Two other drill sites proposed for the project will be denied. ConocoPhillips Chairman and CEO Ryan Lance called the order “the right decision for Alaska and our nation.”The Houston-based company will relinquish rights to about 68,000 acres of existing leases in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.The order, one of the most significant of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s tenure, was not signed by her but rather by her deputy, Tomm...

Former Ravens tight end Josh Oliver agrees to 3-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:25 GMT

Tight end Josh Oliver, one of the Ravens’ most improved players in 2022, agreed Monday to a three-year, $21 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings, a source with direct knowledge of the deal confirmed to The Baltimore Sun.The Ravens traded for Oliver before the 2021 season, hoping he might unlock the potential that had made him a third-round pick for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019. He played 14 games his first year in Baltimore but took on a greater role in 2022, building on a strong training camp to become one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL.The deal will not become official until Wednesday afternoon. The loss of Oliver sets the Ravens up to receive a compensatory sixth-round draft pick in 2024 based on a formula that accounts for average salary per year, playing time and awards. Compensatory picks won’t become official until next March.Former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman said he had never seen a player improve more as a blocker from one sea...