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Von der Leyen’s Brazil trip postponed over scheduling clash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:51 GMT

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to Brazil and other Latin American countries slated to start on April 11 is on hold due to a scheduling issue, according to two diplomats. New dates are being worked out, added the two diplomats, who asked to remain anonymous because they aren’t authorized to speak publicly.Meanwhile, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has just rescheduled a planned trip to China and will now visit from April 11 to 15, according to Brazilian news portal G1. Lula had planned to visit Beijing late last month but that trip was delayed by a bout of pneumonia. Brazil and China recently signed some 20 private sector deals, and China is Brazil’s largest trading partner, ahead of the EU.Von der Leyen was supposed to travel to Latin America as the EU and the Mercosur bloc enter the last stretch of talks to seal a trade deal that has been over two decades in the making.The agreement between Brussels and Brazil, A...

Former EU transport chief sees pay cut

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:51 GMT

The EU’s ex-transport chief Henrik Hololei will see a salary reduction in his new role as a top adviser at the department in charge of international partnerships.The Estonian civil servant was forced out as the EU’s top transport official following POLITICO’s revelations that he accepted free flights on Qatar Airways while his team negotiated a major aviation deal with the Gulf state.Hololei will keep the top Commission pay grade he earned at the EU transport department, known in the Brussels-speak as DG MOVE, but will have to give up the so-called management allowance. This extra only applies to EU jobs with management responsibility, a Commission spokesperson said.The spokesperson confirmed that management status does not apply to Hololei’s new position at DG INTPA, where he will carry out an advisory role.The gross monthly salary of the EU’s highest-ranking civil servants ranges from €19,958.49 to €21,671.09, according to the Commission’s pay scales. The addi...

UK data regulator fines TikTok £13M for letting children under 13 on platform

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:51 GMT

LONDON — The U.K.’s data regulator has fined TikTok £12.7m for several breaches, including misusing children’s data.TikTok users are meant to be over the age of 13, but the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) estimated that 1.4 million children in the U.K. were on TikTok in 2020, breaching its terms of service.That meant that the social network was using children’s personal data without parental consent and it “did not do enough” to check who was on the platform, the ICO said.Information Commissioner John Edwards said: “Their data may have been used to track them and profile them, potentially delivering harmful, inappropriate content at their very next scroll.”A TikTok spokesperson said the company is reviewing the decision and considering its next steps.Under data protection law, any organization must have parent or carer consent to use data of children under 13. “TikTok failed to do that, even though it ought to have been aware that under 13s were using its platform...

Romania’s kitchen nightmares! Controversial ex-party chief launches cooking show

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:51 GMT

Here’s Romania’s answer to Celebrity MasterChef! Liviu Dragnea, the former Romanian Social Democratic leader who was locked up in 2019 in a case involving fake jobs for party workers, has launched his own healthy-eating cooking channel on YouTube.Now two years post-prison, the ex-con politician debuted this week the pilot episode of “The Kitchen at Home,” appearing in a blue-collared shirt and an apron, chopping vegetables while smooth soul music plays in the background. “For the very few among you who don’t know me, my name is Liviu Dragnea,” the host says. “For each recipe we discover, I will also tell you its health benefits, as I believe it’s time for all of us to start eating healthy.”“First, we’re going to chop the onions,” Romania’s next top chef begins. Talking through a grin, Dragnea sips from a mug while explaining he is drinking some water “so as not to cry in front of you.”In the video, Dragnea walks viewers through cooking a dish made of yellow runner b...

Leonardo DiCaprio testifies for prosecution at trial of Fugees rapper Pras Michel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:51 GMT

(CNN) — Academy Award winner Leonardo DiCaprio took the stand Monday as the first blockbuster witness in the star-studded trial of former Fugees member Pras Michel.Michel is accused of participating in a global campaign-finance conspiracy funded by Jho Low, a Malaysian businessman who allegedly stole billions of dollars from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, 1MDB. Michel has pleaded not guilty.DiCaprio, who reportedly testified to the grand jury that handed up Michel’s indictment, is not accused of any wrongdoing.Though both Michel and Low are both facing charges in the US, Low remains at large so Michel is on trial alone.DiCaprio testified for about an hour on his relationship with Low in a bid by prosecutors to show that Low used stolen money to curry favor with actors, models and politicians in the United States. It’s likely that prosecutors are using DiCaprio as a charismatic figure to both explain the extent of the alleged Malaysian money scheme, and als...

Mid-Week Roller Coaster

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:51 GMT

We awake to a milder start this morning with temps running in the upper 30s to mid 40s, some 10-20 degrees warmer than our start yesterday morning. The trade off is that we have more clouds and spotty sprinkles and showers. Most of the showers are near and north of Route 2 this morning with a few sprinkles extending down to the Mass Pike. We won’t see a lot of rain today, in fact, late morning, through this afternoon, most of the day is dry. Breaks of sun from time to time will send temps into the 60s inland as an onshore breeze kicks in at the coast, sending temps back to the 50s there. As an east wind freshens up, it’ll cool off early this evening quickly. Heading to Fenway? Plan on temps running in the upper 40s for first pitch with a sprinkle or two possible tonight. As east winds prevail overnight, temps fade into the mid 40s by daybreak tomorrow. Winds bend more northeast through the day and chilly air continues to slide in. Temps backtrack into the upper 30s and l...

A new approach to a Covid-19 nasal vaccine shows early promise

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:51 GMT

(CNN) — Scientists in Germany say they’ve been able to make a nasal vaccine that can shut down a Covid-19 infection in the nose and throat, where the virus gets its first foothold in the body.In experiments in hamsters, two doses of the vaccine — which is made with a live but weakened form of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 — blocked the virus from copying itself in the animals’ upper airways, achieving “sterilizing immunity” and preventing illness, a long-sought goal of the pandemic.Although this vaccine has several more hurdles to clear before it gets to a doctor’s office or drug store, other nasal vaccines are in use or are nearing the finish line in clinical trials.China and India both rolled out vaccines given through the nasal tissues last fall, though it’s not clear how well they may be working. Studies on the effectiveness of these vaccines have yet to be published, leaving much of the world to wonder wheth...

Monday’s high school scores and highlights

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:51 GMT

School roundup/schscores: Brendan Connelly, Tom Mulherin, David PollardMONDAY’S HIGHLIGHTSBASEBALLJack Lasalle fired four clean innings, allowing just one hit to go with nine strikeouts as Seekonk rolled to an 8-0 blanking of South Coast Conference opponent Wareham.Nate Pennini (five-inning shutout, nine strikeouts) dominated from the mound and Brendan Sencaj (three hits, two RBI) dominated from the plate as King Philip routed Stoughton 12-0 in five innings of a Hockomock League bout.In a nonleague contest, Ryan Baker fired a complete-game allowing one run while fanning seven, to lead Whitman-Hanson (1-0) to a 9-1 win over New Bedford. … Zach Bogusz tossed 10 strikeouts over five innings to boost Winthrop to a 9-1 win over Northeast. … With an offensive explosion that saw three batters accrue multi-hit performances, Lincoln-Sudbury rolled to an 11-6 win over BC High for coach Matt Wenthworth’s 100th career win.Emilio Berndt delivered the game-winning hit in the 10th inning, pushing ...

Battenfeld: The Big Apple circus opens today

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:51 GMT

Donald Trump’s indictment and arraignment is swirled in secrecy – escalating fears of a politically motivated kangaroo court more fit for a totalitarian regime than a democracy.The sealed indictment of the former president, along with a possible gag order on Trump and a camera ban in the courtroom, is exactly the opposite of a transparent process that should be taking place.While the indictment is supposed to be released today when Trump is officially booked, District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s decision to keep it secret until now has only fueled speculation about what charges Trump will face. It reportedly includes about two dozen counts related to hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels.Trump’s lawyers are asking the Manhattan court to ban cameras during Trump’s arraignment, a move that the media is fighting.Trump’s lawyers also reportedly fear the judge in his case will try to implement a gag order on the former president, effectively muzzling him for months in the middle of his ...

ASK IRA: Should there be a preference among potential opponents for Heat in play-in round?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:51 GMT

Q: Hello, Ira. Should Heat fans be praying that Atlanta and not the Bulls nor the Raptors capture the No. 7 seed? – Carlos, West Park.A: There always is a be-careful-what you-wish-for reality with such opponent shopping. And beyond that, the only control the Heat have in the process is where they finish, already done with their season series against the Hawks, Raptors and Bulls. All of that said, I can appreciate your concern, with the Heat having gone 1-3 against the Raptors and 0-3 against the Bulls. Yet, while the Heat went 3-1 against the Hawks, there always is the possibility of Trae Young single handedly sparking a win. The bottom line is that unless the Heat secure a No. 7 or No. 8 play-in seed, they will have to face at least two of those teams to advance.Q: Well, well, Ira, if the Heat are in the play-in, they would wind up against the Celtics or Bucks. That could be humiliating. – Andy.A: And that certainly is a possibility, something resembling the Heat’...