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Mission: Impossible — Transparency? EU closes a chapter on Qatargate

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:37:28 GMT

EU politicians are acting as if they’re ready to move on from Qatargate.MEPs wrapped up a slate of transparency enhancements on Wednesday after Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the European Union speech earlier in the day made no reference to repeated breaches in trust that have plagued Brussels institutions. With a vote of 505 to 93, MEPs in Strasbourg approved changes to their own rules that would require them to declare their assets and log more of their meetings with interested representatives, including diplomats. They also agreed to implement a clearer definition of conflict of interest and publish considerably more detail about income from side jobs that pay more than €5,000. The broad majority was anything but assured: MEPs from the center-right European People’s Party and other more conservative groups rejected a version of the measure in a committee vote last week.“Proud that in record time, we took unprecedented decisions to strengthen integrity,...

Shelter-in-place alert lifted in Lynn as police continue to search for shooting suspect

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:37:28 GMT

Police in Lynn say they are still searching for a suspect wanted in connection with what they believe was a targeted shooting on Wednesday.The Lynn Police Department announced it finished an extensive search for the suspect in the area of Commercial Street after shots were fired around 11:30 a.m., leading to officials issuing a shelter-in-place alert for the surrounding neighborhood and schools.“The Lynn Police have completed an extensive search of the area with the Mass State Police. The suspect has not been located,” the department stated on Facebook. “We encourage residents to be vigilant and to keep your doors locked. We ask everyone that has security video to check their cameras during and after this incident that occurred at 11:31 AM this morning on Commercial Street.”The shelter-in-place alert was later cancelled at 2 p.m., with the department saying officers and Massachusetts State Police troopers would remain in the area.Authorities initially told lo...

Leominster schools to reopen with 2-hour delay Thursday as flood cleanup continues

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:37:28 GMT

Leominster schools will reopen with a two-hour delay Thursday after two days of canceled classes following severe flooding earlier this week, city officials announced. Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella first announced the plan for schools at a press conference around 12 p.m. Wednesday. The Leominster Public Schools in a later statement said building principals would be sending out a message to families “with any pertinent details.” The school district said transportation may be slow as buses navigate the city. “Please be patient,” the district said.Cleanup efforts have continued in Leominster after storms dropped more than nine inches of rain Monday night. Floodwaters rose fast, ultimately washing out roads and damaging homes, businesses and city facilities. First responders from numerous state and local agencies rescued residents from flooded homes. As the sun then rose on Tuesday morning, several roads remained closed in Leominster due to sinkholes and othe...

Picasso masterpiece depicting his young mistress could sell for over $120 million at auction

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:37:28 GMT

(CNN) — A Picasso masterpiece entitled “Femme à la montre” is expected to fetch more than $120 million when it goes up for auction this fall.The 1932 oil painting will take center-stage at a two-day event at Sotheby’s in New York in November, when the collection of Emily Fisher Landau goes on sale.The piece, which measures 51¼ x 38 inches (130 x 96.5 centimeters), depicts Picasso’s lover and “golden muse” Marie-Thérèse Walter, who featured in many of his portraits.According to the auction house, the portrait is from one of the most prolific years of the Spanish artist’s career, which was the subject of an entire exhibition organized by the Musée Picasso in Paris and London’s Tate Modern in 2018.In a statement announcing the sale, Julian Dawes, Sotheby’s head of Impressionist & Modern Art for the Americas, said: “Picasso’s ‘Femme à la Montre’ is a masterpiece by every measure. Painted in 1932—Picasso’s ‘annus mirabilis’—it is full of joyful, passionate ab...

Morgues overwhelmed in Libya as floods death toll tops 6,000

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:37:28 GMT

(CNN) — Libya is racing to bury its dead as bodies pile up in the streets of Derna, the northern coastal city devastated by flooding after a torrential downpour smashed through two dams, washing homes into the sea.The death toll rose to over 6,000 people as of Wednesday morning local time, according to Saadeddin Abdul Wakil, health ministry undersecretary of the Unity Government in Tripoli, one of two rival governments operating in the country.Morgues are full in hospitals that remain out of service despite the desperate need to treat survivors of the disaster, according to staff. In Egypt, the government buried 87 Egyptian victims who died in Libya, according to the country’s emigration ministry.Around 10,000 more are missing, potentially either swept out to sea or buried beneath rubble that’s strewn throughout the city once home to over 100,000 people, authorities say.More than 30,000 people have been displaced by the flooding in Derna, the United Nations’ International ...

Chuck Palahniuk hates cozy British mysteries. So he decided to write his own.

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:37:28 GMT

For Chuck Palahniuk, inspiration for his new novel, “Not Forever, But For Now,” came from his unvarnished distaste for that most genteel of genres: the cozy mystery.“I had bought a whole stack of cozy mysteries,” says Palahniuk on a call from his home in Portland. “Barnes & Noble just always has a giant wall of cozies – these mysteries typically set in England or Ireland where cats and vicars and old ladies solve these grisly mysteries and murders.“And I just hated every single one of them,” he says, perhaps unsurprisingly for the author of “Fight Club” and other tales of horror beyond the milieu of the Miss Marples or Jessica Fletchers of the world.But in them, Palahniuk says he saw something with which he could work.“There was a common quality to them that I really loved,” he says. “Where these mild-mannered people would come across this brutally murdered person and instead of having any kind of shocked reaction it was almost turned into a good thing.“It’s like, ‘Oh, great, no...

Residents can relax after fugitive Danelo Cavalcante is captured and arraigned in rural Pennsylvania

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:37:28 GMT

By MARYCLAIRE DALE, MARC LEVY and MICHAEL RUBINKAM (Associated Press)POTTSTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A murderer who brazenly escaped from a Pennsylvania jail was captured Wednesday in the woods by a team of tactical officers, bringing an end to an intensive search that terrified residents as the fugitive broke into homes for food, changed his appearance, and stole a van and rifle during two weeks on the run.Law enforcement’s big break came overnight as a plane fitted with a thermal imaging camera picked up Danelo Souza Cavalcante’s heat signal, allowing teams on the ground to secure the area, surround him and move in with search dogs.“They were able to move in very quietly. They had the element of surprise,” Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said at a news conference. “Cavalcante did not realize he was surrounded until that had occurred.”Cavalcante — still armed with the rifle he stole from a homeowner’s garage — tried...

Can Mac Jones take next step for Patriots in Week 2 vs. Dolphins?

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:37:28 GMT

FOXBORO — Patriots quarterback Mac Jones said during training camp that he made it a goal to have more fun playing football this season.Winning and fun usually go hand in hand for a football team, so the Patriots aren’t off to a great start in that department after losing to the Eagles. But Jones, who held himself accountable for Week 1’s result, said Wednesday that he’s going to enjoy refining an aspect of his game that has been lacking through the first two-plus years of his career: success at the end of games.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots offensive line gets bad news at Wednesday practice before Dolphins game New England Patriots | Bill Belichick cagey with injury updates on three offensive starters New England Patriots | Source: Patriots signing ex-Eagles, Saints QB to practice squad New England Patriots | Patriots rookie Marte Mapu doesn’t know what position he’ll pl...

Travel agents share top strategies to avoid a bad experience

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:37:28 GMT

By Holly Johnson | TravelPulse (TNS)Travel disasters can come in nearly any form, turning your vacation into a giant headache in a hurry. For example, losing your luggage before or during a trip can cause delays and waste time. So can failing to plan your trip (or to plan it well), as can taking shortcuts to save money that actually cost you in the long run.Other travel problems may involve the timing of your trip. Arriving too late for a cruise, missing your flight or a connection or forgetting to check your passport ahead of time can create some huge problems for your vacation that can cost time and money to resolve.With that in mind, we asked travel agents from the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) for some of their best strategies to have an enjoyable trip and avoid the myriad issues and inconveniences that can occur. If you want to have the best possible vacation with limited hassle and stress, read on to hear what these travel professionals had to say.Travel early bef...

Spice up Sunday football with tasty, easy snacks

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:37:28 GMT

Finally! It’s football time, and I’m stoked for this season. New team members, new quarterback, but the same loyal fans cheering “Go, Pack, Go!”I’ve been a diehard Green Bay Packers (cheesehead) fan for 30 years now. Green and gold all the way!I was fortunate to have been taught most of my knowledge about football by my great-aunt and great-uncle. I will always be a California girl, but they’re from Wisconsin so that state will always have a piece of my heart, and that’s how I became a loyal Green Bay Packers’ fan.No matter if it’s at a tailgate party, a bar screaming and cheering at the TV during football season, or having a football party at home, the food and drinks might be the best part of the season. Yes, one can go to a bar for a pint and wings, but in my opinion, making a smorgasbord for yourself and/or for friends at home with what’s in the refrigerator and cupboards — that’s what makes amazing memories.So, this week, I just wanted to share a few ideas for some easy, yummy ...