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Why Rishi Sunak loves Italy’s Giorgia Meloni

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:51 GMT

ROME — When Rishi Sunak invited national leaders to attend his Bletchley Park AI summit last month, just one showed up: Giorgia Meloni.Sunak is this weekend returning the favor, attending a political festival organized by the far-right Italian premier — who is increasingly becoming the British Conservative prime minister’s political soulmate.Sunak’s spokesperson told journalists this week that the pair — regularly pictured laughing and joking together at meetings — “obviously get on.” He put their close relationship down to the fact they were elected at “at similar time.”But ties between the two prime ministers run much deeper, with common intellectual inspiration, shared policy goals, and concrete political and diplomatic reasons for them to stick close.Both leaders need each other, albeit for different reasons.“Sunak needs a key political ally amongst the larger member states in Europe,” one EU diplomat — like others in this pie...

UK mulls social media curbs for kids — but who’s even asking?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:51 GMT

LONDON — British ministers are considering fresh restrictions on social media for children, including requiring parents to provide permission for under-16s to use the platforms.But the people you might expect to back such a measure — those advocating most fiercely for child online safety — don’t sound keen, and there are questions over just how workable such a policy would be in practice.“To automatically kick kids off [social media] is not necessarily the right answer,” said crossbench peer and founder of the 5Rights Foundation, Beeban Kidron. Kidron was one of the most active child safety campaigners on the U.K.’s Online Safety Act, which put fresh duties on platforms to police content.“I think that the government should not keep on introducing new things and [should instead] implement the old,” she added.The Molly Rose Foundation, another key group calling for child online safety protections, said that while further measures “are necessary to protect children from online ri...

EU negotiators reach deal on media law to curb spying on reporters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:51 GMT

BRUSSELS — European Union negotiators reached an agreement Friday on the European Media Freedom Act, the bloc’s new set of rules aimed at safeguarding the independence of newsrooms and fostering media pluralism.The new law will introduce requirements for media to provide transparency over ownership and funding and it will force national governments to set up an oversight system that guarantees editorial freedom, including for public media. It also requires checks on mergers and sets up a new European watchdog to oversee it all. Negotiators of the European Parliament, the EU Council representing national governments, and the European Commission on Friday cleared the last hurdle: an agreement on provisions in the law limiting how governments conduct operations on journalists using spyware and other methods to identify and access their sources. The European Commission originally introduced an exemption for the investigation of certain crimes like terrorism and human trafficking, ...

LIVE COVERAGE: Funeral celebrates life of police officer killed in crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:51 GMT

The funeral for fallen Waltham police officer Paul Tracey was held at Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted church Friday as the community continues to mourn Tracey after his death last week.Thousands gathered for the funeral, which included a moving eulogy by the officer’s brothers and remarks by Tracey’s daughter and godson. 7NEWS has live team coverage throughout the day. —RELATED: Thousands gather in Waltham for funeral for fallen officer Paul Tracey 

Patriots down another starter at Friday practice before Chiefs game

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:51 GMT

FOXBORO — Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore was missing at the start of Friday’s in-stadium practice, his first absence this week.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots’ Demario Douglas cleared concussion protocol, trending to play Week 15 New England Patriots | Bill Belichick, Jerod Mayo, Patriots’ defense have something to prove vs. Chiefs New England Patriots | Callahan: What tricks does Bill Belichick have left for Patrick Mahomes? New England Patriots | Poll: Where do you want Patriots Coach Bill Belichick to be next year? New England Patriots | Patriots impending free agent open to re-signing this offseason Barmore was one of three absent starters, along with running back Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) and left tackle Trent Brown (ankle/hand/illness). Stevenson is not expected to play Sunday, and Brown’s availability is suddenly in doubt after a second ...

Patriots’ Demario Douglas cleared concussion protocol, trending to play Week 15

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:51 GMT

FOXBORO — Patriots rookie wide receiver Demario Douglas has cleared concussion protocol and “should be available” to play against the Chiefs on Sunday, head coach Bill Belichick announced Friday morning.Douglas missed two games with a concussion suffered in the Patriots’ Week 12 loss to the Giants. It was the 2023 sixth-round pick’s second concussion of the season.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Bill Belichick, Jerod Mayo, Patriots’ defense have something to prove vs. Chiefs New England Patriots | Callahan: What tricks does Bill Belichick have left for Patrick Mahomes? New England Patriots | Poll: Where do you want Patriots Coach Bill Belichick to be next year? New England Patriots | Patriots impending free agent open to re-signing this offseason New England Patriots | Will Travis Kelce be latest player Bill Belichick tries to ‘neutralize’ in Patriots-Chi...

Chicago Bears Week 15 storylines: Justin Fields’ well-timed test, DJ Moore’s ‘Slim Shady’ magic and some ‘In the hunt’ perspective

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:51 GMT

Positive vibes are pulsating through Halas Hall this week with the Chicago Bears having won three of their last four games and, more importantly, playing a much more competitive brand of football.Last week’s 28-13 romp over the Detroit Lions added momentum and confidence to the tank as the Bears prepare to go back on the road for Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns.They have justifiable reason to believe they can keep their late-season surge going. But they also understand the challenge that awaits, particularly from a stingy — albeit beat-up — Browns defense that has the potency to provide a reality check.As Sunday’s game approaches, here’s the inside slant on three notable storylines.Right place — right time?It was less than an hour after his biggest victory as an NFL starter, less than an hour after the locker-room dance party began to celebrate the Bears’ 28-13 trouncing of the first-place Lions, and still Justin Fields was ...

US businesswoman Michelle Kang acquires London City Lionesses

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:51 GMT

LONDON (AP) — American businesswomen Michelle Kang has acquired the London City Lionesses in English soccer’s second division. The deal announced on Friday follows an agreement in May, when Kang entered into a partnership with the owner of French club Lyon to form an international multi-team women’s soccer organization.It was not said how much Kang paid for the Lionesses.“I see tremendous possibility in this team and look forward to helping the club and the players reach their highest potential,” she said. “I want to inspire young female athletes to keep playing and see a future for themselves in the sport they love.”Kang is also the majority owner of the Washington Spirit from the National Women’s Soccer League. She is aiming to build the “preeminent female sports organization in the world,” a statement read.“This deal is a continuation of Kang’s mission to create a level playing field between men and women in football.”The Lionesses were established in 2019 by founder ...

Michigan State trustees approve release of Larry Nassar documents to state official

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:51 GMT

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Trustees at Michigan State University agreed Friday to release documents to the state attorney general related to the school’s investigations into now-imprisoned former sports doctor Larry Nassar.The East Lansing school’s trustees unanimously voted to finally turn over the documents, which first will be reviewed by the school’s general counsel before they’re released.There will be redactions of sensitive and personal privacy information. The school had argued that the documents are protected by attorney-client privilege.In its resolution, the board said Michigan State will develop and implement a plan to support those who might experience trauma when the documents are released.Women who were sexually assaulted by Nassar filed a lawsuit in July against Michigan State and the trustee board, saying school officials made “secret decisions” about releasing documents in the case.They said the school refused to give the attorney general’s ...

Departing North Carolina Auditor Beth Wood pleads guilty to misusing state vehicle, gets probation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:44:51 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — On her last day on the job, North Carolina State Auditor Beth Wood pleaded guilty Friday to two misdemeanors for misusing a state-issued vehicle for personal activities.Wake County Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway sentenced Wood to 12 months of unsupervised probation on the counts, news outlets reported. Wake District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said that Wood had paid $1,064 in restitution as part of a plea agreement.The sentencing and her resignation appear to complete a year in which Wood’s driving ultimately led to her departure as auditor, an office she first won in 2008. Wood announced her resignation last month, two days after a grand jury indicted her on the charges.The counts said that in 2021 and 2022, Wood used an assigned state-owned vehicle for “hair appointments and dental appointments out of town, traveling to shopping centers and spa locations where she was not engaged in business in her official capacity.”Wood, a Democrat, said last month that she...