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In rare rebuke, Germany’s Scholz voices ‘great concern’ over Israel’s judicial reforms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:57 GMT

BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz issued rare criticism of the Israeli government Thursday, expressing “great concern” over planned judicial reforms that have sparked protests. Scholz made the remarks during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was visiting the German capital, urging the Israeli leader to reconsider a compromise proposal on the reforms.“As democratic value partners and close friends of Israel, we are following this debate [over the planned judicial reforms] very closely and — I will not hide this — with great concern,” Scholz said. “The independence of the judiciary is a high democratic good.”Since the end of World War II and Berlin’s reckoning with the atrocities the country committed during the Holocaust, German leaders have traditionally been cautious about making critical remarks about the Israeli government. But the judicial reforms have raised concerns both at home and abroad.Netanyahu’s ruling coalition, which i...

Barking mad? Commission chews over bring-your-pet-to-work policy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:57 GMT

BRUSSELS — Is the European Commission going to the dogs?It soon might be as top management are considering letting staffers bring their four-legged friends — and other pets — to work.“Regarding the presence of dogs in its premises, the Commission is exploring pet-related presence and will organise pilot actions where staff could come with their pets,” Budget and Administration Commissioner Johannes Hahn wrote to MEPs in a note published on Wednesday. A cross-group pack of MEPs embarked in late November 2022 on a dogged quest to improve the mental health of Eurocrats, formally asking the Commission if it would consider allowing pets in its buildings. “Despite their undeniable contribution to improving people’s well-being, pets are not allowed into any of the EU institutions’ buildings,” yelped Alexis Georgoulis (The Left), Francisco Guerreiro (Greens), Karen Melchior (Renew), Monica Semedo (Renew) and Loucas Fourlas (EPP).The EU institutions “are considered to be at th...

Juvenile arrested in connection with assault on USPS letter carrier in Lowell

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:57 GMT

Police in Lowell say a juvenile male has been arrested in connection with an assault on a USPS letter carrier that involved a machete.Deputy Superintendent Mark LeBlanc said the incident happened around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the area of Porter Street, where police found a postal worker who had suffered injuries to his “right hand and wrist area.”Speaking with officers, the adult male victim said he was assaulted after he found the alleged suspect in his mail truck while returning from a delivery.Before being assaulted, the carrier alleged the suspect pointed an airsoft rifle at the him, and that when he attempted to defend himself, the suspect allegedly took a machete from his waistband and slashed at the carrier before fleeing.LeBlanc said the victim was taken to a hospital for treatment as officers canvassed the area.According to the deputy superintendent, police located the juvenile a short distance away and took him into custody after a foot pursuit.The suspect is ...

How just 39 minutes of sleep can make or break your child’s health, happiness and school day

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:57 GMT

(CNN) — One of the keys to keeping your child happy and healthy is making sure they get enough sleep consistently, a new study has found.That’s no surprise to parents, right? But it turns out even 39 minutes can make a difference, the results showed.In the study published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open, researchers monitored 100 children ages 8 to 12 living in New Zealand. The children alternated between a week of going to bed one hour earlier and one hour later — with one week at normal time in between the two.Then, using a questionnaire, the children and their parents rated their sleep disturbances and impairment during the day. Researchers also administered a survey to the children about their health-related quality of life.The kids who participated in the study regularly slept between eight and 11 hours a night and were considered generally healthy, the study said.After one week of receiving 39 minutes less of sleep per night, the children reported lower overall...

Fatal pedestrian crash under investigation after vehicle strikes elderly woman in Westwood

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:57 GMT

Police are investigating a fatal pedestrian crash in Westwood after authorities say an elderly woman was struck while trying to cross a roadway Thursday morning.The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said police were called to University Avenue around 9:50 a.m. for multiple reports of a collision. Authorities arrived to find two nurses rendering first aid to an elderly female at the scene, who was soon taken to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead.According to officials, preliminary reports indicated the pedestrian was hit while crossing the street from a shopping area toward a nearby train station.The DA’s office said the driver of the vehicle involved in the collision remained on scene and spoke with authorities as an investigation got underway. Officials said the incident remains under investigation, with no charges filed as of Thursday afternoon.

Projecting the Chicago Cubs opening-day roster: Who will claim the remaining spots?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:57 GMT

In two weeks the Chicago Cubs will line up along the third-base line for opening-day introductions at Wrigley Field.Although a majority of their opening-day roster spots are locked in, barring any injuries before the team departs Arizona on March 28, the Cubs will soon begin deliberating on how best to build their team to open the year.And with that in mind, here’s a projection of the opening-day roster:Starting pitchers (5)RHP Marcus StromanRHP Jameson TaillonLHP Justin SteeleLHP Drew SmylyRHP Hayden WesneskiAlso in consideration: RHP Adrian Sampson, RHP Javier Assad.Wesneski’s results are starting to speak for themselves. Yes, it’s spring training and his shutdown performance through three Cactus League starts — no earned runs in 8⅔ innings — comes in an environment where numbers can be tough to gauge. But his stuff has been nasty and at this point he should be considered the front-runner to be the No. 5 starter.If Sampson is the odd man out, th...

Mets closer Edwin Diaz suffers torn patellar tendon, needs surgery and is expected to miss the season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:57 GMT

Up until Wednesday, the Mets had avoided the worst. The pitching depth had taken a few hits over the last two weeks but the Mets were still in a position to be able to withstand the losses. But losing the best closer in baseball is a different story.Edwin Diaz tore his patellar tendon while celebrating Puerto Rico’s win over the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic in Miami and is expected to be out for the season. The 28-year-old right-hander will undergo surgery Thursday afternoon by Dr. David Altchek and will be sidelined for roughly eight months.The 28-year-old right-hander will undergo surgery Thursday afternoon in Florida and will be sidelined for roughly eight months. It’s a huge blow to the bullpen and to the Mets, who signed him to a record five-year, $102 million contract in November, and to fans who loved the trumpets on his walkout song, “Narcos.”Mets general manager Billy Eppler noted that other athletes who have undergone the same su...

MBTA lifts full speed restriction on Mattapan Line, keeps speeds slow on Green Line

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:57 GMT

The MBTA has lifted a speed restriction that covered the entire Mattapan Line, but kept speeds capped at 25 mph on the Green Line.The Green Line is now the only subway line still under a so-called global restriction, following a Department of Utilities track inspection that prompted the MBTA to implement a systemwide speed restriction of 10-25 mph last Thursday.Blanket restrictions were lifted on the Red, Blue and Orange Lines last Friday, but slow zones still cover roughly 32% of the heavy rail system.“The global speed restriction on the Mattapan Line has been lifted and replaced with block restrictions where necessary,” the MBTA tweeted on Thursday. “The Green Line remains under a global speed restriction. Subway riders should continue to plan for additional travel time and longer headways.”Interim General Manager Jeffrey Gonneville said on Monday that riders should expect subway trips to take 20 minutes longer while restrictions are in place.Gonneville directed operations to impl...

‘Ted Lasso’ review: Ted has lost the spring in his step — as has Season 3 of this Apple TV+ comedy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:57 GMT

Nina Metz | (TNS) Chicago Tribune“Ted Lasso” began as a fish-out-of-water comedy, of the eternally upbeat Ted running headlong into the British skepticism of anyone invested in the Premier League soccer team — sorry, football club — known as AFC Richmond. With his can-do spirit winning over the doubters, Season 2 took a different tack, revealing a more complicated man behind the mustache and a deep well of sadness beneath his sunny facade. With Season 3, it’s too early to tell what the overall theme might be just yet; only four of the 12 episodes were provided to critics. But Ted has noticeably lost a spring in his step.So has the series.Some of that is due to the expanded episode length. The first season stuck pretty close to 30-minute episodes. That inched upward the following season. This time, episodes are in the 44-50 minute range — roughly the equivalent of two half-hour network comedies — and it makes you wonder why they didn’t just slice things up differently and make it a s...

DA: Bedford cold case murder suspect tried to scam his way out of charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:57 GMT

Prosecutors say that not only did they get their man for the 1971 cold case murder of a Bedford resident, but that they got him again for trying to scam his way out of the rap.“We allege that Arthur Massei took premeditated, purposeful steps to try to obstruct justice by seeking to procure false testimony in his upcoming murder trial,” Middlesex DA Marian Ryan said in a statement. “We take allegations of intimidation and threats very seriously and these additional charges reflect that.”In March of last year, the Middlesex DA’s office announced that a grand jury had indicted Arthur Louis Massei, 77, of Salem, for binding, stabbing and bludgeoning 54-year-old Natalie Scheublin to death in the basement of her Bedford home in 1971.On Wednesday, Massei was arraigned on additional charges of solicitation to suborn perjury in a capital case, attempted extortion, solicitation to commit usury, and threatening to cause physical injury or death.At Massei’s arraignment for the Scheublin murder ...