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Ethics watchdog presses Brussels to disclose secret Mercosur protocol

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:58 GMT

The European Ombudsman has called on the European Commission to publish a secret protocol sent to South America’s Mercosur bloc as part of negotiations on a landmark trade deal, according to letters obtained by POLITICO. Brussels sent the addendum in March to the Mercosur countries — Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay — seeking assurances over deforestation in the Amazon amid French worries that its farmers could suffer from a glut of Latin American produce.Friends of the Earth filed a complaint to the Commission in July in which it sought public access to the document. The Commission refused the request and the NGO missed the deadline to seek a review of that decision.Despite that rejection, ethics watchdog Emily O’Reilly — clearly sympathetic towards the original complaint — took the unusual step of writing to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling for greater transparency.“It is difficult to reconcile the refusal to disclose this docume...

FAA investigating after flight crews report green laser flashes at Logan Airport

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:58 GMT

Federal authorities are investigating after the crews of two flights at Logan Airport said they were flashed by what appeared to be a green laser.The Federal Aviation Administration said the crews for JetBlue Airways Flights 494 and 972 reported being “illuminated by a green laser” around 5:40 a.m. on Thursday.According to the FAA, no injuries were reported in either cases.In addition to local authorities being alerted, the agency announced it had started its own investigation into the matter.No additional details were released.

Manhunt underway for suspected killer after jail in Indianapolis releases him because of clerical mistake

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:58 GMT

(CNN) — A manhunt is underway for a suspect in a 2021 killing who was accidentally released from a detention center in Indianapolis last week, a sheriff’s office said Tuesday, asking for the public’s help finding him.Kevin Mason, 28, was “mistakenly released” from an adult detention center in Marion County on September 13, two days after his arrest, “due to a faulty records review” by staff, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.It’s unclear whether he’s still in the county, sheriff’s Col. James Martin said in a news conference Tuesday.Mason was arrested in Indiana on September 11, having been sought on three Minnesota warrants, including one asking he be held on suspicion of murder in connection with a 2021 shooting in Minneapolis, the sheriff’s office said. The other warrants relate to an alleged parole violation and firearms possession, Martin said.He was released after a Marion County sheriff’s clerk thought she was correcting duplicate bookings for the ...

Alex Murdaugh pleads guilty to financial crimes — the first time he’s admitted blame to a judge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:58 GMT

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh did something Thursday he hasn’t done in the two years since his life of privilege and power started to unravel — plead guilty to a crime.Murdaugh admitted in federal court to 22 counts of financial fraud and money laundering.Murdaugh, 55, is serving life without parole in a South Carolina prison for shooting his wife and son. He has denied any role in the killings since their deaths in June 2021 and insisted he was innocent in two days of testimony earlier this year before he was convicted of two counts of murder.The federal guilty plea likely locks in years if not decades in prison for the disbarred lawyer, even if his murder conviction and sentence in state court are overturned on appeal.Murdaugh told the judge he wanted to be held accountable for stealing from his clients and do right by his surviving son.“I want to take responsibility. I want my son to see me take responsibility. It’s my...

Chicago Blackhawks exec Jeff Greenberg leaves hockey and returns to baseball as the new Detroit Tigers GM

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:58 GMT

Chicago Blackhawks associate general manager Jeff Greenberg, the team’s analytics chief, is leaving to be the new Detroit Tigers general manager.It represents a return to baseball for Greenberg, who spent 11 years with the Cubs and rose to assistant general manager before the Hawks tapped him in April 2022.The Hawks wanted to shake up their analytics department and bring in some innovations from the baseball world, who in their view was miles ahead of hockey in the data game.But Greenberg leaves the Hawks Thursday after about a year and a half.“I know the club is on the right path to success with the leadership they have in place and the vision they are building for the future,” Greenberg said in a statement.Greenberg will report to Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris, according to the Tigers website.“I’m thrilled to add an executive of Jeff’s quality to our baseball operations leadership team,” Harris said through the team ...

Brother charged with manslaughter in fatal shooting of 12-year-old boy in Mattapan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:58 GMT

The 22-year-old brother of a 12-year-old boy shot and killed in Mattapan in July will face manslaughter charges in Suffolk Superior Court.Boston Police arrested Walter Hendrick, 22, of Roxbury, in the 1100-block of Blue Hill Avenue a little after 1 p.m. Wednesday. He was wanted on a Suffolk Superior Court warrant for manslaughter, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of a large-capacity feeding device and witness intimidation.Hendrick is expected to be arraigned on the charges at the same court today.Police had responded after 2 p.m. on July 13 to 35 Fessenden St. in Mattapan for a report of a person shot. There, they found 12-year-old Savion Ellis suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead there.BPD continues to investigate the incident and urges anyone with any information to contact homicide detectives at 617-343-4470. People can give information anonymously through the CrimeStoppers Tip Line by calling 1-800-494-TI...

Discrimination in car sales: Here are tools to help buyers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:58 GMT

By Funto Omojola | NerdWalletBuying a car in the current auto market remains more difficult and expensive than it was pre-pandemic. Although some aspects of the industry are beginning to recover, sky-high car prices and soaring interest rates persist.Within this still turbulent market, buying a car can be even more challenging for minority consumers due to discriminatory practices that have plagued the car industry historically and continue to affect buyers.For example, the 2021 Racial Discrimination in the Auto Loan Market report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) showed that Black and Latino consumers are more likely to be charged higher interest rates and have lower loan approval rates even when they have similar or better credit than their white counterparts. And similar forms of discrimination can occur during other parts of the car-buying process.“Buying, paying for and owning a car is riddled with structural racism,” says Erin E. Witte, director of consumer ...

Zelenskyy makes his case at the US Capitol and Pentagon for more war aid as some GOP support softens

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:58 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a whirlwind return visit to Washington on Thursday to shore up U.S. support for Ukraine, this time facing some Republicans who are now questioning the flow of American dollars that for 19 months has helped keep his troops in the fight against Russian forces. Zelenskyy, in long-sleeve olive drab, came to the Capitol to talk privately with Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate at a time that the world is watching Western support for Kyiv. He will also meet with President Joe Biden at the White House and will speak with U.S. military leaders at the Pentagon.House Republican leaders promised tough questions for Zelenskyy on how he plans to win Ukraine’s counteroffensive against invading Russian forces. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other Republicans notably chose not to join in greeting the Ukrainian president before the cameras, leaving House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries to escort Zelenskyy into the ...

Dan + Shay hit a breaking point. Then they wrote ‘Bigger Houses,’ the album that ‘saved their lives’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:58 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Before Grammy Award-winning duo Dan + Shay wrote their fifth studio album, “Bigger Houses,” they nearly broke up.It was an evening in March 2022, and Dan + Shay met up after having not spoken in months. “I just knew in my heart, I was like, ‘This could be the end of Dan + Shay,” says Shay Mooney about the drive to Dan Smyers’ house.The year prior was a landmark one. They headlined an arena tour for the first time, they collected their Grammy for best country duo/group performance for the third year in a row, and they continued to release platinum hits, like “I Should Probably Go to Bed,” “Glad You Exist,” and the multi-platinum crossover hit “10,000 Hours,” featuring Justin Bieber. And yet, they were miserable.“We didn’t have a fight,” Mooney recalls. “It was just, over the years, not communicating, not getting our feelings out, not talking to each other… Dan said he fell out of love with music. I was kind of there as well.”There were other factors that led ...

WWE’s ‘Smackdown’ moving from Fox to USA Network in new rights deal with NBCUniversal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:58 GMT

WWE’s popular television show, “Friday Night Smackdown,” will be moving from Fox to USA Network next year under a new five-year domestic media rights partnership with NBCUniversal.“Smackdown,” a weekly two-hour live program that features wrestlers such as Roman Reigns, Charlotte Flair, Rey Mysterio and Bianca Belair, regularly performs strongly in the key 18-49 demographic. It’s also experienced strong ratings of late with regular appearances by John Cena and an unadvertised appearance by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. “Smackdown” will begin airing on USA Network in October 2024. Fox had a five-year deal for “Smackdown” that started in October 2019. Prior to that, “Smackdown” had aired on USA Network from 2016 to 2019.Financial terms of the deal between WWE and NBCUniversal were not disclosed.As part of the agreement, WWE will also produce four prime-time specials per year that will air on NBC, starting in the 2024/2025 season. This will be the first time that WW...