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EU fails to agree on call for ‘humanitarian pause’ to allow aid into Gaza

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:33 GMT

LUXEMBOURG — The European Union’s foreign ministers failed to reach an agreement at a meeting on Monday on recommending a “humanitarian pause” to allow aid to reach Palestinians in Gaza as Israel continues its airstrikes on the besieged territory.U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire” last week but EU ministers have discussed what foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell called a less ambitious “humanitarian pause.” Borrell stressed that while the EU cannot “decree” a pause, it can send the message that it is in favor of one. While there is a “basic consensus,” several diplomats, who were granted anonymity to speak candidly about the meeting like others quoted in this story, stressed there is not the required unanimity. The ministers have not yet voted, Borrell said. EU ambassadors discussed a draft text on the humanitarian pause on Monday afternoon that could be added to the final text that leaders will...

Hundreds gather for Halloween walk to raise money for Boston Shriners Hospital

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:33 GMT

Ninja turtles, cats, cowboys and cows all joined together in Wellesley Sunday for the fourth annual Boston Haunted Walk to raise money for Shriners Children’s Boston. The event took place at the Garden at Elm Bank and featured a costume contest, face painting, raffles, games and snacks. The money raised will ultimately support pediatric burn care, reconstructive plastic surgery and cleft lip and palate care. Former Shriners patient Sheila Hegarty spoke with 7NEWS during festivities, sharing her gratitude for the Shriners organization. “If it wasn’t for Shriners, we wouldn’t be the family we are,” she said. “The care that we were given goes far beyond the orthopedics that I needed both, financial and emotional.”Members of the Griggs family also shared their gratitude. Their now five-year-old daughter, Scarlett, stepped into the hot ash of a fire pit when she was two. Scarlett ultimately spent three weeks in the hospital. Now, she is able to dance and play soccer like a...

Late Week Warming

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:33 GMT

Today wasn’t bad, but it’s about to get a lot better! That’s if you like warm air. Between where we are now and where we’ll be Wednesday through Friday is about 36 hours of more typical October air. And that means patchy frost possible tonight in our typically cooler spots as many of us wake up to temperatures in the 30s tomorrow morning.Patchy frost is typical for late October. In fact, it’s expected. That said, we haven’t seen that yet. Nobody in southern New England has seen a freeze yet this season and that’s unusual. On average Worcester County and the Monadnock Region sees its first freeze of the season in the first week of October. Metro West, Merrimack Valley, and the rest of southern New Hampshire is the second week of October — obviously we’re past that now. The third week of October those in Southeast Massachusetts are in line for the first freeze. Finally, the last week of October is the rest of the coastline includin...

Crews battle fire at building in Reading

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:33 GMT

Emergency crews responded in Reading Monday after a fire broke out in a building on Mineral Street, officials said. The Reading Fire Department said the fire started on the third floor of the building near Mineral Street’s intersection with Hancock Street. Reading police in a subsequent post on Facebook shared photos showing smoke rising from the building as emergency crews responded. Part of Mineral Street was shut down as of around 9 a.m., according to police.Reading fire officials said seven apartments had to evacuate as a result of this fire. Two dogs were also rescued.The fire department said one apartment was damaged. There were no injuries.

Healey calls out ‘poor judgement’ leading to sweeping GLX track issues

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:33 GMT

Governor Maura Healey spoke Monday on the sweeping track issues in the Green Line Extension project, again calling out “poor judgement” of officials overseeing the project and insisting the agency is now staffed with officials who take their “responsibility seriously.”“What’s important is that it was not disclosed, and it was not addressed,” Healey said, when asked for updates how the issues were not disclosed. … “Under the prior administration senior management at the T, for whatever poor judgment, made the decision not to disclose identified failures and then made the poor decision not to address those failures prior to the opening of the Green Line extension.”MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng announced last week that large sections of the GLX tracks were built too narrow — and officials within the MBTA knew about the problems throughout the process.Narrow tracks throughout half of the Union Square branch and 80% of ...

Tyson Bagent is in line to start again for the Chicago Bears as QB Justin Fields is doubtful for Sunday’s game

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:33 GMT

Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus met with reporters Monday to recap his team’s 30-12 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders at Soldier Field.Here are three things we learned from that session.1. Rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent is likely to start against the Los Angeles Chargers.Eberflus said after Sunday’s game that quarterback Justin Fields would return to the starting job when his right thumb heals. But that isn’t likely to happen this week.Eberflus said Fields is doubtful to play in the “Sunday Night Football” game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., because he is “just not there yet” in his recovery. Eberflus didn’t offer many other details besides saying Fields is “progressing” while working with trainers. He reiterated that Fields is not on a path to needing surgery.The Bears previously said Fields needs to improve his grip strength before he can return.Bagent, an undrafted rookie from Division II Shepherd, is in line ...

It’s Day 20 with no House speaker, and lower-level names seek Trump’s support and race for the gavel

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:33 GMT

By LISA MASCARO (AP Congressional Correspondent)WASHINGTON (AP) — On Day 20 without a House speaker, Republicans found themselves starting over on Monday — bumbling ahead with few ideas about who will lead, what they are fighting over and when they will get Congress working again.Nine lower-level Republican lawmakers are now running to be speaker, leader of the House and second in line to the presidency — none with any clear shot for the gavel. Many of them are appealing to Donald Trump for support, but he is having little positive to say.“There’s only one person who can do it all the way: Jesus Christ,” he declared.Senior-most among the hopefuls is Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, the former campaign chief who is now the GOP whip. The gruff former hockey coach is disliked by Trump, but the two had a polite call over the weekend.Trump speaking in Concord, N.H., on Monday, downplayed, even derided, Emmer, the third-ranking House Republican, presenting ...

Toronto health asking for $5.1 million to fight upcoming virus season

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:33 GMT

Toronto’s Board of Health is asking the city for an additional $5.1 million to add to their budget in order to prepare for the fall and winter virus season as COVID-19, RSV and flu cases are already popping up.Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Eileen de Villa, said the extra annual funding would be used for Infection Prevention and Control hubs that help prevent and mitigate the impacts of outbreaks, particularly in long-term care and retirement homes, shelters and group homes.“[The hubs] are absolutely crucial to the response particularly within congregate settings congregate living settings like long-term care homes, where people live together and where you have people who are at higher risk and how those hubs work,” said Dr. de Villa. She said they are expecting the extraordinary COVID-19 funding provided by the province for the last few years to wrap up despite the city still facing challenges.“This is the kind of thing that we anticipate is going to be need...

Ontario proposes to change consumer protections, double fines for businesses

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:33 GMT

Ontario plans to give people a new way to exit timeshare agreements, make it easier to get out of a gym membership, and prohibit businesses from making false claims about prize offers, under new legislation.Public and Business Service Delivery Minister Todd McCarthy introduced a new consumer protection bill Monday, saying the laws haven’t been comprehensively updated since 2005, and in that time practices have changed a lot, including the use of apps and increasing online shopping.McCarthy says most people know someone who has dealt with an unscrupulous business in the home renovations, appliance installation, and timeshare industries, and the rules need to be simpler, clearer and “reflective of a dynamic and increasingly digital-first marketplace.”The legislation would allow owners to exit a timeshare contract after 25 years, if they want — no mandatory exit right currently exists — and would also set new rules for long-term leases for heating, ventila...

Movie Review: ‘Persian Version’ finds laughter, tears in Iranian American tale of resilient women

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:03:33 GMT

Let nobody say writer-director Maryam Keshavarz doesn’t know how to start a movie.The first time we see Leila, her alter ego in the autobiographical, warm-hearted, personal, funny but also somewhat chaotic “The Persian Version,” she’s walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. Headed to a Halloween party, she’s carrying a surfboard and wearing what she calls a “burkini” — a sexy bikini, but paired with a niqab, the face-covering garment worn by some Muslim women.It’s surely not an accident that Leila is crossing a bridge, because her film (and Halloween costume) is about bridging two identities — her Iranian heritage, and her American life. Leila (an engaging Layla Mohammadi) is a New York born-and-raised aspiring screenwriter (she wants to be an Iranian Martin Scorsese) who, we learn, has never been fully comfortable in either world. American kids would call her names at school; Iranians saw her as too Americanized.There are other bridges to be crossed here, too. The most important ...