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Macron’s rift with diplomats deepens after missteps on Israel-Hamas war

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:17:41 GMT

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron notoriously hates diplomats. Now, he needs them more than ever.Macron is hoping to re-energize his Middle East policy after several rash initiatives failed to gain traction. The French president needs all the help he can get, particularly from his own diplomatic service, to salvage France’s influence in the region but his relationship with French diplomats has been tumultuous and officials regularly complain of being kept out of the loop. Press leaks have featured diplomats hostile to Macron’s approach to the Middle East.Earlier this month, in an interview with the BBC, Macron called on Israel to halt its retaliatory bombing campaign against Hamas because they were killing “ladies” and “babies.” After an Israeli government backlash, the president was obliged to contact the country’s leaders to clarify his statements. One French diplomat summarized the French position as “one day pro-Israeli̶...

Conservative backlash kills off EU’s Green Deal push to slash pesticide use

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:17:41 GMT

STRASBOURG — Lawmakers killed off a central pillar of the European Commission’s Green Deal on Wednesday, rejecting a bill to slash the use of pesticides in farming in a vote that stunned environmentalists and delighted conservatives and farming groups.The legislation, the Sustainable Use Regulation (SUR), was already in trouble after competing versions emerged from the committee stage of scrutiny. But most lawmakers had expected it to scrape through a plenary vote and then move to the next legislative stage — agreeing on a final text with EU member countries.In the end, MEPs rejected the bill outright, with 299 votes against, 207 in favor, and 121 abstentions.“This is a very dark day for the society as a whole and for the environment — and also for farmers,” said Austrian Green MEP Sarah Wiener, Parliament’s lead on the file from the environment committee.The bill, proposed by the EU executive in July 2022, aimed to halve the use and risk of chemical pesticides in the EU,...

Mac Jones’ plan is to be Patriots’ starting quarterback vs. Giants

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:17:41 GMT

FOXBORO — Patriots quarterback Mac Jones didn’t provide a clear answer when asked point blank Wednesday if he’s going to start Week 12 against the Giants.“Hope so,” Jones said. “That’s the plan, I think.”“I always work really hard for that,” he added. “Really put a lot of attention to detail into the week like I talked about. A lot of that decision making is things I can’t control, but I can control my attitude and my effort like I talked about. I’m really thankful overall just to be in the NFL and to be playing quarterback on Thanksgiving, right? It’s a great week to be grateful for a lot of things. To play this game, the game we love, together, I think that means a lot to me regardless of the situation.Jones was then asked a follow-up whether that’s his plan or what he understands is the team’s plan.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Callahan: The Patriots can beat the Gi...

Catholic Charities Boston opens short-term shelter for migrants, homeless families

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:17:41 GMT

Catholic Charities Boston opened a short-term, overnight shelter Tuesday evening for families and pregnant people who have applied for emergency assistance but were placed on a waitlist because of capacity limitations imposed by the Healey administration.The nonprofit received funding from United Way of Massachusetts Bay, which is administering a $5 million grant program Gov. Maura Healey announced last week. The Catholic Charities Boston site, located in Greater Boston, can house 27 families or 81 people and includes bedding, meals, staff to assist guests, and security.“It is heartbreaking to see families living with uncertainty of where they will sleep at night – with the arrival of colder weather we are grateful for the governor and her administration’s leadership and our partners at United Way in activating funds quickly to stand up this emergency shelter plan,” Catholic Charities Boston President Kelley Tuthill said in a statement.Applications for United Way of Massachuse...

Ticker: MEMA Getting $37M From FEMA; Mortgage rates slide sharply 

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:17:41 GMT

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced it will be sending almost $37 million to Massachusetts to reimburse it for some of the administrative costs associated with managing FEMA grants for COVID vaccinations and testing, non-congregate sheltering, and providing meals to vulnerable populations.Former Rep. Lori Ehrlich announced the funding that the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency will receive through FEMA’s Public Assistance grant program.“FEMA is pleased to be able to assist Massachusetts with these costs,” Erhlich, FEMA’s Region 1 Regional Administrator, said. “Reimbursing state, county, and municipal governments – as well as eligible non-profits and tribal entities – for the costs incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic is an important part of our nation’s ongoing recovery.”FEMA said it has provided more than $2.5 billion in public assistance grants to Massachusetts to reimburse the state for pandemic-related expenses.Mortgage rates ...

Chicago Bears Q&A: What’s Justin Fields’ future now? What to make of Martellus Bennett’s comments? What would it take to get new ownership?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:17:41 GMT

As the Chicago Bears pick up the pieces from a late collapse against the Detroit Lions, fans at least can take away some positives from the game — particularly quarterback Justin Fields’ strong all-around performance.So what impact — if any — does Fields’ improved showing have on the team’s plans at QB? Brad Biggs answers that and much, much more in his weekly Bears mailbag.Did this performance by Justin Fields change how the Bears will approach the QB position in the 2024 draft? — @daniel11605Fields played well in Sunday’s 31-26 loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field, completing 16 of 23 passes for 169 yards, including a 39-yard dime to DJ Moore for a touchdown after Fields did a nice job of navigating the pocket. He accounted for 273 yards of offense as he also ran 18 times for 104 yards, season highs in both rushing categories. He took only two sacks, one on the final offensive play when Aidan Hutchinson stripped him on a play that...

‘Death sentence to this hobby’: Toy plane operators face new government regulations

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:17:41 GMT

For the past 30 years, in a wide-open field within the Heber Downs Conservation area east of Toronto, nearly 100 members of the Whitby Aero Modellers R.C. Club would gather to fly toy planes.Pakea Leung is among them.“I’ve been flying radio-controlled toy planes for 50 years,” he said.He even designed his own toy plane with a red maple leaf, which he flew with pride.“I created this,” he told CityNews. “Because I am an immigrant, I like Canada so much – this is the way I designed this one to respect our country.”But due to new Canadian regulations he can’t legally fly it right now at the field his club leases in Whitby, Ont.“I think the government has overstepped.”According to the new regulations, put forth by Transport Canada, those who fly a radio-controlled aircraft that weighs above 25 kilograms must obtain a basic remote piloted aircraft system certification. It requires users to take an online exam and pay a small fee. But the issue for Leung and his fellow cl...

Fighting inflation half-heartedly would be ‘huge mistake,’ BoC’s Macklem warns

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:17:41 GMT

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem warns fighting inflation half-heartedly and living with its consequences would be a huge mistake.The governor is delivering a speech to the Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce today, one day after the release of new inflation numbers that show Canada’s inflation rate fell to 3.1 per cent in October.According to his prepared remarks, Macklem contrasts today’s inflation fight with inflation in the 1970s, highlighting similarities and differences between those two periods of time.Macklem says inflation in the 1970s was also set off by global events, but became volatile and long-lasting part because the government and central bank weren’t willing to restrain spending and rise rates enough to quash inflation.The governor says Canada has two advantages today compared to the 1970s: people expect inflation to come back down in the long run and the Bank of Canada responded forcefully this time with aggressive rate hikes.Macklem’...

Developer asks for Ontario Greenbelt bill amendment

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:17:41 GMT

The owner of one of the 15 properties removed from the Greenbelt is asking the Ontario government to exclude its plot from a bill to return all that land to the protected area, with lawyers raising the prospect of a constitutional challenge if the legislation passes as is.Minotar Holdings Inc. has long held that its 37-acre property in Markham, Ont., was incorrectly included in the Greenbelt in the first place when the protected swath of land was established in 2005. The company sued the province over it in 2017 for $120 million.So when the government set about removing land from the Greenbelt last year for the purpose of housing development, civil servants identified the Minotar property as one candidate. A political staffer serving at the time as chief of staff to the housing minister identified the other 14, reports from the auditor general and integrity commissioner have found.Minotar and the government agreed that removing that property’s Greenbelt designation would settl...

No evidence to support conspiracy between ‘Freedom Convoy’ organizers: defence

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:17:41 GMT

OTTAWA — Tamara Lich’s defence team says there’s no evidence to support that she and a fellow “Freedom Convoy” organizer should be viewed as co-conspirators in court, because their actions were not illegal. The Crown finished its case against Lich and Chris Barber on Monday.The two are co-accused of mischief and intimidation, among other charges connected to the massive protest against COVID-19 restrictions that gridlocked downtown Ottawa for weeks in 2022.The Crown hopes to prove that the two worked so closely together that evidence against one of them should apply to the other.In a court filing, Lich’s lawyers say the Crown’s application should be dismissed because the Crown has not proven that Lich and Barber agreed to protest COVID-19 mandates by illegal means. The trial is expected to resume next week.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2023.Laura Osman, The Canadian Press