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MPs pass key part of Rishi Sunak’s Northern Ireland Brexit deal amid Tory rebellion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:36 GMT

LONDON — A key part of Rishi Sunak’s Northern Ireland Brexit deal has sailed through the House of Commons despite a small Conservative rebellion.The House of Commons voted 515 to 29 in favor of the plan, after the opposition Labour, Scottish National Party and Liberal Democrats also voted to support the so-called Stormont Brake — a part of the U.K.-EU Windsor Framework that aims to fix issues with the post-Brexit Northern Ireland protocol.Twenty-two Conservative MPs — including former prime ministers Liz Truss and Boris Johnson — voted against the proposal. However, Commons records show 48 other Tories either abstained or were excused from the vote.The Stormont Brake is intended to allow the currently-deadlocked Northern Ireland Assembly to object to new EU regulations set to apply in the region — a key concern for Northern Irish unionists who do not want to be separated further from the rest of the U.K.The eight MPs from Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) also...

Two people taken to hospital after fire in senior housing complex in Maynard

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:36 GMT

At least two people were taken to the hospital Wednesday after a fire broke out in a senior public housing complex in Maynard.Officials said approximately eight residents were also displaced.The fire started at the complex on Powder Mill Road around 6:30 a.m., according to a statement from Maynard Fire Chief Angela Lawless.Lawless said crews soon arrived at the scene to find heavy smoke and fire coming from the second floor of the complex. The fire eventually grew to three alarms, prompting mutual aid from multiple area emergency departments.Firefighters were able to confine the fire to one side of the building, Lawless said, before bringing it under control around 7:40 a.m.Police initially asked drivers to avoid nearby Powder Mill Road. Police later announced the road had reopened just after 9 a.m.Lawless said one resident was taken to an area hospital with what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries. A Maynard firefighter was also taken to the hospital, according to Lawless,...

Ukraine: Russia hits apartments and dorm, killing civilians

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:36 GMT

By HANNA ARHIROVA (Associated Press)KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia stepped up its missile and drone attacks against Ukraine on Wednesday, killing students and other civilians, in a violent follow-up to dueling high-level diplomatic missions aimed at bringing peace after 13 months of war.“Russia is shelling the city with bestial savagery,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote in a Telegram post accompanying video showing what he said was a Russian missile striking a nine-story apartment building on a busy road in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia. “Residential areas where ordinary people and children live are being fired at.”At least one person was killed in the attack shown in the Zaporizhzhia video, apparently recorded by closed circuit TV cameras. Elsewhere, Moscow’s forces launched exploding drones before dawn, killing seven people in or near a student dormitory near Kyiv.Ukrainian media showed charred apartments and flames billowing on several...

Mets option top prospect Francisco Alvarez to Triple-A Syracuse to start season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:36 GMT

PORT ST. LUCIE — Francisco Alvarez will start the season in Syracuse.The Mets optioned their top overall prospect to Triple-A on Wednesday morning as well as sent catcher Nick Meyer to minor league camp. Brett Baty, the club’s second-ranked prospect, remains in Major League camp to compete for a spot on the Mets’ Opening Day roster.The 21-year-old catcher showed flashes of the power tool he has long been known for but he didn’t exactly put up monster numbers in Grapefruit League play, going 3-for-28 (.107) with two walks, one RBI and 10 strikeouts. He hit no home runs.After undergoing surgery on his right ankle in October, Alvarez was worked into Grapefruit League games somewhat slowly, but playing time behind the plate opened up for him when Omar Narvaez left for the World Baseball Classic. Now that Narvaez is back in camp, the Mets want him to catch their regulars for the rest of the week.There was some offseason speculation that Alvarez would be used as a ...

Source: Patriots re-signing DB Jalen Mills after surprise release

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:36 GMT

The Patriots are re-signing defensive back Jalen Mills, a source confirmed to the Herald.According to ESPN, Mills’ new deal is a 1-year pact worth up to $6.1 million. Mills was cut last week in a surprise move that reduced the Pats’ already questionable cornerback depth. However next season, he plans to play safety, per The Score.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Guregian: Patriots’ dynastic defense ends without McCourty, Hightower New England Patriots | Former Patriots LB Dont’a Hightower announces retirement New England Patriots | Patriots honor retired S Devin McCourty with family-style send-off New England Patriots | Guregian: Forget it — Lamar Jackson to the Patriots is a pipe dream New England Patriots | Patriots releasing veteran CB in surprising move, per reports Mills enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career playing safety with the Eagles in 2020, his last year ...

Man killed in rollover crash on 1-15

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:36 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A man was killed Wednesday morning in a rollover crash on Interstate 15, said the California Highway Patrol.The incident occurred around 5:10 a.m. when a 48-year-old man from Riverside was driving a GMC Sierra pickup truck in the southbound lanes of I-15, just north of Gopher Canyon Road, authorities said. Roads closed around San Diego County as crews prepare for more flooding For reasons unknown, CHP says the pickup truck veered from the southbound lanes of traffic, went off the roadway and overturned. A 24-year-old passenger, a man from Moreno Valley, was pronounced dead at the scene by responding paramedics. Authorities say the driver of the pickup truck did not report any injuries. The identity of the deceased individual has not been released at this time.CHP says drugs or alcohol do not appear to be contributing factors to the fatal collision.An investigation into the crash is ongoing. CHP is asking anyone who has information or may have witnessed this incident t...

San Diego rainfall totals: These San Diego areas received the most rain

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:36 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A storm system with moisture from an atmospheric river swept over the region this week, dumping rain across the county.A flood watch was in effect for the coast, inland and mountain areas until 9 p.m. Wednesday, along with a winter weather advisory for the mountains that will remain in effect until 5 a.m. Thursday. Wind gusts reached speeds over 80 mph in this San Diego area The National Weather Service predicted widely scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms into Wednesday morning with some areas receiving heavy downpours.Three-day precipitation totals are in and NWS data shows rainfalls levels almost reaching 5 inches in the Henshaw Dam area, located at the southeast base of Palomar Mountain. This marks the highest recorded level for the week.Here’s a breakdown of the highest accumulating precipitation levels in San Diego’s coastal areas, valleys, mountains and desert lands. The data reflects three-day totals as of 5:04 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to calc...

Changing climate making snowmobiling riskier, OPP say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:36 GMT

Police in Ontario are warning that climate change is shortening the snowmobiling season and making a growing number of trails dangerous for riders across the province.Ontario Provincial Police say 13 snowmobilers have died so far this season – which runs from November to April – with many falling through ice. A total of 13 people died last snowmobiling season but police note that this season isn’t over yet.Paul Beaton, OPP’s motorized snow vehicle co-ordinator, said milder winters have shortened the snowmobiling season and that’s concerning.“Maybe that does represent an increase because we’re having the same number of deaths over a shorter period of time,” Beaton said in a phone interview.“We do have a very narrow season and we’re seeing it reduce year after year.”The number of trails in Ontario not safe for snowmobiling has increased as the season shortens, he said“This may tie into global warming,” Beato...

Officer shot during German police raids tied to extremists

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:36 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — German investigators carried out raids on Wednesday related to an alleged coup plot involving supporters of a far-right movement, authorities said. A police officer was shot in the arm during one of the searches.Justice Minister Marco Buschmann tweeted that federal prosecutors ordered searches of 20 properties and that the move was related to the Reich Citizens movement, a loose grouping whose supporters deny the legitimacy of the present-day German Constitution and government. They claim instead that the German empire, or Reich, of 1871 still exists.The incident in which a police offer was shot at “shows how dangerous the deployments are,” Buschmann said. He added that weapons authorities “are obliged to disarm ‘Reich Citizens.’”In December, German authorities said they had uncovered an alleged coup plot that resulted in the detention of more than 20 people linked to the Reich Citizens movement.Federal prosecutors said that police special forces officers went on...

Powerful Pacific tempest clobbers storm-battered California

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:36 GMT

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) — A strong late-season Pacific storm that brought damaging winds and more rain and snow to saturated California has been blamed for two deaths and forecasters said additional flooding was possible Wednesday in parts of the state.Tuesday’s storm blasted the San Francisco Bay Area with powerful gusts and downpours, pounded Sacramento — the state capital — with intense hail and set rainfall records in Southern California.The storm was gradually tapering off in California from north to south as the expansive system pushed inland across the Southwest, the Four Corners region and the central and southern Rockies, the National Weather Service said. On Tuesday, some residents of north-central Arizona were told to prepare to evacuate because of rising water levels in rivers and basins.The wind and rain mayhem from San Francisco Bay south to Monterey Bay on Tuesday was caused by an extraordinary drop in barometric pressure over the eastern Pacific that meteorolog...