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MEPs back tighter screening of migrants

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:14:14 GMT

BRUSSELS — European lawmakers on Tuesday voted for tighter screening of migrants as they gave the green light to a central plank of the EU’s flagship migration package. The new rules seek to speed up the return of migrants who entered Europe without permission and to prevent these migrants from traveling to other countries within Europe. The approved text, seen by POLITICO, includes fast-track processing of asylum-seekers who are unlikely to be successful — yet leaves the Dublin Treaty untouched.Calls to reform the treaty, which puts the countries of first entry on the hook for handling migrants, have in the past floundered. But the new Migration and Asylum Pact attempts to keep the most recalcitrant member states on board while attempting to stem high migrant flows.The three most powerful groups in Parliament — the center-right European People’s Party (EPP), the center-left Socialists & Democrats (S&D) and centrist Renew — all backed the proposal.With Tuesday’s vote i...

Germany wins Pyrrhic victory in the war to save the car engine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:14:14 GMT

No, Germany’s government hasn’t just saved the internal combustion engine.Weeks of threats and bluster that saw Berlin go head-to-head with Brussels ended Tuesday with EU energy ministers approving an agreement that sets a zero emissions limit on the sale of new cars and vans from 2035.That’s exactly the same deal that Germany and a small group of allies — Italy, Poland, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic — refused to accept unless the European Commission changed the rules to make room for cars running on so-called e-fuels — a synthetic alternative to fossil fuels made from hydrogen and CO2 that is cleaner than conventional gasoline but still emits some greenhouse gases.It’s being touted as a huge victory by Berlin, but the final effect is likely going to be a lot less than Germany’s auto suppliers, high-end carmakers and the liberal wing of the political establishment — particularly the Free Democratic Party, which controls Berlin’s transport minist...

Students campaigning for official state ice cream get first-hand lawmaking experience

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:14:14 GMT

A local high school government class has been getting a taste of the legislative process after helping create a bill that proposes Massachusetts have an official state ice cream flavor.It all started when several students at Norwood High School learning about the state’s official symbols found Massachusetts does not have an official state ice cream.“When we had been doing our state lessons, the kids had each taken a turn looking at different aspects of Massachusetts government and they had spent a lot of time looking at state symbols, and realized that here was no state ice cream flavor,” said Norwood High teacher Jennifer Orlinski.The US Government class soon got to work, making phone calls and writing letters to lawmakers and ice cream distributors.After more than a month of research, they scooped a proposed flavor: cookies and cream.“The whole idea in concept of mixing a flavor into an ice cream such as cookies and cream or chocolate chip even, came from B...

Apple launches buy now, pay later service

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:14:14 GMT

(CNN) — Apple on Tuesday launched an option in its digital wallet allowing customers to pay for online purchases in installments, making it the latest company to embrace the buy now, pay later trend.The new feature, called Apple Pay Later, lets customers split payments for purchases into four installments over six weeks, with the first installment due at the time of purchase. Apple users can also apply for a loan within the Wallet app, ranging from $50 to $1000, with no interest or fees, to make online or in-app purchases.The payment option is rolling out to select users in the United States now, with plans to offer it to all eligible customers over the next several months, according to a company release. Apple first teased the feature last year.Apple’s move comes as a growing number of consumers have turned to buy now, pay later services to stretch their budgets at a time of high inflation and broader economic uncertainty. Other popular services that offe...

Court rules in favor of victim’s family in ‘Serial’ case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:14:14 GMT

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A Maryland court did not give the family of the murder victim in the case chronicled in the hit podcast “Serial” enough time to attend a court hearing in person that led to Adnan Syed’s release, a Maryland appellate court ruled Tuesday, and it ordered a new hearing to be held.Though Syed’s conviction has been reinstated, he will not be taken back into custody.In a 2-1 decision, the Appellate Court of Maryland ruled the state’s law provides victims with the right to prior notice of the hearing on a motion to vacate convictions, and that right was violated in the case of the family of Hae Min Lee, Syed’s ex-girlfriend and high school classmate who died more than two decades ago.The court ruled that giving her brother, Young Lee, only one business day before the hearing was “insufficient time to reasonably allow Mr. Lee, who lived in California, to attend the hearing in person,” and required him to attend the hearing remotely.“Allowin...

Nets rule Ben Simmons out for season with goal of rehabbing back

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:14:14 GMT

The Nets have ruled embattled star forward Ben Simmons out for the remainder of the year, head coach Jacque Vaughn said after Nets practice on Tuesday, ending a months-long charade revolving around the status of the oft-injured former All-Star.Simmons had missed all 17 games coming out of the Feb. 15-24 NBA All-Star break due to a combination of left knee and lower back soreness. The Nets announced Simmons would be out due to a nerve impingement on March 24, followed by Vaughn’s definitive ruling of out for the remainder of the season and the playoffs on Tuesday.“After consulting with our doctors, multiple specialists, he’s just gonna begin a rehab program,” he said as players cleared the courts at the HSS Training Facility in Industry City after Nets practice. “Our doctors and the specialists feel and think that he’ll have a full recovery, so that starts now.”Vaughn said surgery has not been discussed as an option for Simmons, who has under...

Apple rolls out buy now, pay later service, with guardrails

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:14:14 GMT

By CORA LEWIS (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — Apple is getting into the buy now, pay later space with a few tweaks to the existing model — including no option to pay with a credit card. The company will roll out the product to some consumers this spring, and will begin reporting the loans to credit bureaus in the fall.Here’s what you need to know.Since the start of the pandemic, the option to “buy now, pay later” has skyrocketed in popularity, especially among young and low-income consumers who may not have ready access to traditional credit.If you shop online for clothes or furniture, sneakers or concert tickets, you’ve seen the option at checkout to break the cost into smaller installments over time. Companies like Afterpay, Affirm, Klarna, and Paypal already offer the service, typically with late fees for missed payments and the option to use a credit card or bank account to make installment payments.Apple’s version, which is integrated...

League-worst crunch-time offense to blame for Nets’ struggles

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:14:14 GMT

The Nets own the worst crunch-time offense in the league.If you’re looking for a reason why the Nets have lost six of their last seven games, look no further than their inability to generate offense under pressure.Four of Brooklyn’s last six losses have been decided in the game’s final minutes, with the most notable meltdown occurring in the second of back-to-back games against the Cleveland Cavaliers, where the Nets held an eight-point lead with under three minutes left and lost thanks to a series of blunders on a game-winning shot by Isaac Okoro.Crunch time is defined as the final five minutes of any game with a margin of five or fewer points. The Nets have played in eight crunch-time games since the trade deadline when they sent both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving out West for Spencer Dinwiddie, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith, each of whom were immediately inserted into the starting lineup.The Nets are 2-6 in those games and are only averaging...

AP sources: Harris/Rales group submits bid for Commanders

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:14:14 GMT

By ROB MAADDI and STEPHEN WHYNO (AP Sports Writers)PHOENIX (AP) — A group led by Josh Harris and Mitchell Rales has submitted a fully financed bid for the NFL’s Washington Commanders, according to two people with knowledge of the situation.The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because details of the bid have not been publicly announced.The Harris/Rales group, which includes basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, is one of multiple suitors interested in purchasing the Commanders. Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta and Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos also have been in the running.ESPN reported the Harris/Rales group submitted the bid at Snyder’s $6 billion asking price. Snyder had yet to accept an offer when the league’s finance committee met Monday so his future wasn’t openly discussed.“The information is very little to none in terms of the 31 of us (owners), and probably even the league office rig...

Vietnam vets reflect on war as 50th anniversary is marked

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:14:14 GMT

Every morning at 8 a.m., retired Navy Capt. Eric Jensen raises a large American flag on a tall pole secured with an anchor in front of his Laguna Beach home in California. When Old Glory unfurls, so does the Navy flag.“I raise the flags in memory of my best friend, Robin Pearce, and all the other veterans that didn’t come home,” Jensen said. “Some gave some, some gave it all, but everybody did their part.”The daily ritual is cathartic for Jensen, who said he spent 23 years internalizing his emotions after coming home from Vietnam, where he was a combat pilot with Attack Squadron 82 aboard the USS Coral Sea aircraft carrier.It took him decades, he said, to learn “there is a life.” He now proudly puts his Navy service out there, and with therapy, he’s realized his time in the Vietnam War is “nothing to be ashamed of.”The 80-year-old flew 113 combat missions over Laos, South Vietnam and North Vietnam in 1969 and 1970 after joining the Navy Reserves and then going into active duty for 1...