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Bulgaria votes to scrap sanctions opt-out that raked in €1B for Putin

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:20:27 GMT

Bulgarian lawmakers on Monday voted in favor of scrapping an exemption to EU sanctions six months early amid outcry that the measure is raising millions for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war effort in Ukraine.The legal change came after POLITICO revealed last month that Bulgaria was letting millions of barrels of Moscow’s oil reach a Russian-owned refinery on its territory, which then exported various refined fuels abroad including to EU countries. Last year, Brussels imposed a bloc-wide ban on Russian seaborne crude imports, but granted Sofia an exemption aimed at protecting local consumers from high fuel prices.Instead, the loophole raised an estimated €983 million for the Kremlin via production and export levies since February. It also generated almost €500 million in profits for refinery owner Lukoil, Russia’s largest private oil firm, according to a classified analysis prepared for Bulgaria’s parliament and seen by POLITICO.In a raucous parliamentary session Mo...

X vs. EU: Elon Musk hit with probe over spread of toxic content

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:20:27 GMT

Elon Musk just got an early, unwelcome Christmas present from Europe: the bloc’s first-ever investigation via its new social media law into X.The European Commission on Monday opened infringement proceedings under the Digital Services Act (DSA) into X, formerly known as Twitter, after the billionaire and his company were subjected to repeated claims they were not doing enough to stop disinformation and hate speech from spreading online.The four investigations focus on X’s failure to comply with rules to counter illegal content and disinformation as well as rules on transparency on advertising and data access for researchers. They will also scrutinize whether X misled its users by changing its so-called blue checks, which were initially launched as a verification tool but now serve as an indicator that a user is paying a subscription fee.“The Commission will carefully investigate X’s compliance with the DSA, to ensure European citizens are safeguarded online — as the regu...

More than 140,000 without power in MA, all Logan flights grounded due to wind

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:20:27 GMT

Residents woke up to a stormy start of their weeks Monday, with heavy rains and strong winds blasting southern New England. Gusts of as fast as 60 to 70 miles per hour were forecast for Monday morning, with peak intensity expected from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights departing Logan Airport in Boston until 11 a.m., with a probability of extension of 30 to 60 percent. There is the potential for both inland flooding from the rain and minor coastal flooding from the wind, as well as possible power outages from downed trees and tree limbs.“Once the storm arrives if you are traveling please stay as far away from our crews as possible if you see them out so they have the space they need to safely do their work and make repairs,” said William Hinkle of Eversource Energy. “If you come across any downed lines, always stay as far away from those as possible as well and report them immediately to 911 and give us a call...

Blue Origin set to return to flight more than a year after rocket failure during uncrewed launch

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:20:27 GMT

(CNN) — Blue Origin’s tourism rocket — which is designed to vault paying customers on brief trips to the edge of space — will return to flight on Monday after the Jeff Bezos-founded company spent more than a year recuperating from a failed uncrewed test flight.The rocket, New Shepard, is expected to launch on an uncrewed science mission no earlier than 9:30 a.m. CT (10:30 a.m. ET) from Blue Origin’s facilities on a private ranch in West Texas. The company will stream the event on its website.Though no one will be on board the flight, a success could tee up Blue Origin to restart its trips to space for thrill seekers.A New Shepard rocket and spacecraft was set to launch a batch of science instruments on September 12, 2022. But one minute into flight, the rocket endured Max Q — an aerospace term that refers to a moment of maximum stress on a vehicle at a relatively low altitude where the atmosphere is still fairly thick, and the rocket is moving at nearly the speed of s...

Downed trees cause extensive damage, traffic across state as wind gusts reach 50-70 mph in some spots

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:20:27 GMT

Already dealing with heavy rain and high winds, homeowners, drivers and emergency crews across southern New England have been dealing with downed trees and wires as sustained winds of 40 mph and even stronger gusts blow through the region.Up and down the street, downed trees as well as utility poles closed lanes and took hours to clear during the morning commute.Among the most extensive closures was Route 110 in Haverhill, where the MassDOT announced at 8:45 a.m. that traffic was blocked in both directions due to multiple trees coming down.Other spots included Foxborough, where two lanes were closed on I-95 southbound for a time, while a pole with wires came down and briefly closed Route 146 north in Millbury.The strongest winds of the day were expected to come through the area between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., with sustained wind speeds of 40 mph hitting the state and gusts reaching 60-70 mph along the Cape and Plymouth County, and 50-60 mph in the Boston area.In addition to knocking out...

Pope Francis authorizes blessings for same-sex couples

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:20:27 GMT

(CNN) — Pope Francis formally permitted Roman Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples on Monday, in a significant shift in Vatican doctrine.The blessings may be carried out providing they are not part of regular Church rituals or liturgies, nor at the same time as a civil union, according to a Vatican document approved by the pope.The latest ruling fleshes out the opening the pope made to blessing same-sex couples last October and marks a shift away from a 2021 ruling from the Vatican doctrine office which barred any blessings saying God “cannot bless sin.”But since July 2023, the doctrine department has been led by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, an Argentinian prelate and ally of Francis, who has stuck a different tone to his predecessors.“When people ask for a blessing, an exhaustive moral analysis should not be placed as a precondition for conferring it,” the declaration, authored by Cardinal Fernandez and another official, states. “The grace of God works in ...

Police say driver accidentally struck parked SUV in Biden’s motorcade near campaign headquarters

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:20:27 GMT

By COLLEEN LONG (Associated Press)WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Wilmington police say a 46-year-old driver believed to be drunk accidentally plowed into a parked SUV that was guarding President Joe Biden’s motorcade Sunday night while the president was leaving a visit to his campaign headquarters. The president and first lady Jill Biden were unharmed.While Biden was walking from the campaign office to his waiting armored SUV, the sedan struck a U.S. Secret Service vehicle that was being used to seal off the area surrounding the headquarters for the president’s visit. The driver then tried to continue forward into the closed-off intersection, before Secret Service agents surrounded the vehicle with weapons drawn and instructed the driver to put his hands up. Wilmington police said Monday their investigation determined the driver, a 46-year-old Wilmington man, accidentally struck the SUV and he was charged with drunken driving and inattentive driving. A loud bang and sound...

EU hits Russia’s diamond industry with new round of sanctions over Ukraine war

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:20:27 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union said Monday that it has imposed fresh sanctions on Russia over its war against of Ukraine, targeting the lucrative diamonds industry, more than 140 officials and organizations, and closing loopholes that Moscow has used to bypass previous punitive measures.It’s the 12th round of sanctions that the EU has slapped on Russia since President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine almost two years ago.EU headquarters said the latest measures would “deliver a further blow to Putin’s ability to wage war by targeting high-value sectors of the Russian economy and making it more difficult to circumvent EU sanctions.”The import, purchase or transfer of Russian non-industrial natural and synthetic diamonds and diamond jewelry will be banned starting Jan. 1. The ban applies to diamonds originating in Russia, exported from Russia and transiting through Russia, as well as Russian diamonds processed elsewhere.The new round of sanctions also obliges EU comp...

Around 1,000 customers without power after truck strikes power line in Mississauga crash

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:20:27 GMT

Two people are injured and a number of residents are without power after a crash in Mississauga on Monday morning.Emergency crews responded to a two-vehicle crash near Dixie Road and Meyerside Drive around 9:30 a.m.Police say one of the vehicles hit a power line and knocked out power in the area. Images from the scene show a large truck on its side near a damaged utility pole.Two males were taken to hospital, one with serious injuries and the other with minor injuries.Alectra says the outage is impacting around 1,000 homes and businesses in the area bounded by Dixie, Britannia Road, Atlantic Drive and Tomken Road. Crews have been dispatched and they estimate power will be restored around noon.Southbound Dixie is closed from Courtneypark Drive to Shawson Drive for the investigation. Police say the road will be closed for “an extended period.”

Behind the ‘Maestro’ biopic are a raft of theater stars supporting the story of Leonard Bernstein

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:20:27 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Leonard Bernstein was a towering figure on Broadway. So it seems only fitting that the new biopic of him leans on the Great White Way to get the story right.Bradley Cooper’s movie “Maestro” is studded with theater stars — 29 of the 38 principal cast members have a background in the theater, including Gideon Glick, Michael Urie, Greg Hildreth, Nick Blaemire, Ryan Steele, Zachary Booth and Gaby Diaz.Look closely and you’ll find actor-turned-director Scott Ellis playing Bernstein’s manager, Harry Kraut, and rising stage star Jordan Dobson — whose credits include “Bad Cinderella,” “Hadestown” and, significantly, “West Side Story” — playing a young conductor.Casting director Shayna Markowitz said she didn’t necessarily set out to land theater pros but it came naturally when she was trying to populate Bernstein’s world authentically.“There’s kind of this amazing synergy between casting theater actors to portray people of the theater world and of Lenny’s world,” Markowitz s...