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EU ministers pass 2035 car engine ban law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:52 GMT

EU ministers on Tuesday formally — and finally — signed off on legislation phasing out sales of new polluting cars and vans by 2035, ending last-minute resistance from Germany and a small group of allies.The price for Tuesday’s agreement was a backroom deal last week between the European Commission and Berlin that will see extra technical legislation published later setting out a workaround for e-fuels — a synthetic greener alternative to gasoline that does emit CO2 from the tailpipe.However, such a loophole will still have to be approved by the EU institutions. A Commission pledge to revise its CO2 emission standards if the technical fix is rejected will also be dependent on approval by the European Parliament and member countries.The 2035 rules are a critical part of the EU’s Fit for 55 package of green legislation, aimed at addressing rising road transport emissions.In addition to setting the 2035 clean car target, the legislation raises the interim 2030 emi...

Mass. lawmakers consider changing gendered language in state’s constitution

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:52 GMT

Massachusetts lawmakers are considering changing some of the gendered language in the state’s constitution.Right now, the Massachusetts Constitution refers to the governor and lieutenant governor with male pronouns. Proposed changes would replace them with “he/she” and “his/her.” The Joint Committee on the Judiciary is taking public testimony on the changes Tuesday afternoon.

TSA agents at Logan Airport confiscate musket from passenger’s luggage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:52 GMT

TSA agents at Logan Airport confiscated a musket from a passenger’s luggage over the weekend. Officials say the musket was not packed properly and the 71-year-old passenger didn’t declare it. Agents took the musket and the man was allowed to continue on.

One Boston Day events taking shape for 10th anniversary of Marathon bombing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:52 GMT

One Boston Day events are taking shape for the 10th anniversary of the Marathon bombing. On April 15, there will be a private wreath laying at the memorial for families who lost loved ones. Later that afternoon, Gov. Maura Healey and Mayor Michelle Wu will dedicate a new finish line and unveil a One Boston Day marker.There are also volunteer events throughout the city to encourage acts of service in honor of those killed. “One Boston Day honors those forever impacted on April 15, 2013 and recognizes the greatest strength of this City—our people,” Mayor Wu said in a statement. “We will never forget the people whose lives were lost, the many injured and forever changed, and the spirit of humanity displayed that day and beyond for those most in need. One Boston Day is a living demonstration of our strength when we come together as one.”For more information on this year’s One Boston Day events, click here.

Healey, Driscoll to testify on $742M tax relief package

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:52 GMT

Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll are set to testify Tuesday before the Joint Committee on Revenue on their $742 million tax relief package.They say the package will take the state more affordable, competitive, and equitable.The proposal includes a $600 credit per dependent with no cap on dependents. It also increases the rental reduction up to $4,000 and doubles the senior Circuit Breaker tax credit for low-income seniors from $1,200 to $2,400.

Column: Nico Hoerner’s 3-year, $35 million extension was a small step forward in the Chicago Cubs’ future

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:52 GMT

The Chicago Cubs signed second baseman Nico Hoener to a three-year, $35 million extension, according to multiple reports — a small but important step toward the team’s future.The deal with Hoerner, who had a .281 average and 10 home runs in 2022, buys out two years of arbitration and the first year of free agency.Cubs President Jed Hoyer had yet to sign a prospect to a multiyear deal before free agency, a strategy many other large-market teams have adopted to gain cost certainty while rewarding players they consider part of their future.While it pales in comparison to deals like the eight-year, $100 million extension Ronald Acuña Jr. signed with the Atlanta Braves four years before he was eligible for free agency, it was the Cubs’ first multiyear signing of a prospect since David Bote’s five-year, $15 million extension in 2019. Hoerner was deemed talented enough to take a short-term risk on, but has not proven himself long-term enough to get a megadeal.H...

The Yankees and Cardinals brought up their star prospects. Why didn’t the Orioles with Grayson Rodriguez? | ANALYSIS

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:52 GMT

For the first time since the Orioles’ grueling rebuild began, the vibes entering a season were high.That balloon — one that grew ever-larger with talk about the end of the rebuild and postseason aspirations — was significantly deflated Monday afternoon when the team announced that prized pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez would not make the opening day roster.The six weeks of spring training leading up to the controversial decision were drama-free, but the choice to start Rodriguez, a consensus top-10 prospect, in Triple-A ended that streak. It also reinvigorated the belief from a portion of the fan base that, despite the offseason declarations about the rebuild and playoffs, the Orioles are still more focused on the long-term future than they are on winning this year.Making matters worse, two other major league teams — the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals — had similar situations with their top prospects, and they both chose a path different f...

ASK IRA: Did Heat err in expecting too much from too many on this roster?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:52 GMT

Q: Did you find Bam Adebayo’s explanation on why the defense breaks down at all surprising? Is fatigue an issue for professional athletes in a pivotal game after a couple of days off? I think this roster has only one guy who can bring it when it counts and that is Jimmy Butler. The others get fatigued. – Caer, Sanford.A: Part of it is expectations and taking the next step. Bam Adebayo not only already has surpassed his career high for minutes in a season, but now is taking a far more active role in the offense. Tyler Herro is only one minute away from his career high for a season, but now is having to do his work against starting-caliber players, as opposed to working largely against reserves as sixth man last season. Max Strus already has played 500 more minutes than any previous season, Gabe Vincent also is at a career high for minutes in a season. Both of those two have been less efficient this season. Part of taking the next step in the NBA is being able to endure th...

39 dead in fire at Mexico migrant center near US border

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:52 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A fire in a dormitory at a Mexican immigration detention center near the U.S. border left more than three dozen migrants dead, a government agency said Tuesday, in one of the deadliest incidents ever at an immigration lockup in the country.Hours after the fire broke out late Monday, rows of bodies were laid out under shimmery silver sheets outside the facility in Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas. Ambulances, firefighters and vans from the morgue swarmed the scene.Thirty-nine people died and 29 were injured and are in “delicate-serious” condition, according to the National Immigration Institute. There were 68 men from Central and South America held in the facility at the time of the fire, the agency said.It was the deadliest incident inside a Mexican immigration facility in recent memory. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire and the governmental National Human Rights Commission had been called in to help the migrants.The agency said that it ...

IAEA head: Increased combat around Ukrainian nuclear plant

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:52 GMT

DNIPRO, Ukraine (AP) — Fighting has intensified near a nuclear power plant in Ukraine that is Europe’s largest, further increasing the possibility of a war-related nuclear accident, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Tuesday. “There is an increased level of combat, active combat” in the area of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano, Grossi told The Associated Press in an interview. “My teams there report daily about the attacks, the sound of heavy weaponry. This is practically constant.”Speaking a day before he was to cross the front lines for a second time to visit the plant, Grossi said he felt it was his duty to ramp up talks aimed at safeguarding the facility. He met Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and said he would probably head to Russia in the coming days. Grossi has long called for a protection zone to be set up around the plant, which is very near the front line of the war. But so far, an agreemen...