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The EU at 30: Looking forward and back

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:25 GMT

Dermot Hodson is author of “Circle of Stars: A History of the EU and the People Who Made It,” published by Yale University Press.The European Union turns 30 today.The Maastricht Treaty, which entered into force on November 1, 1993, envisioned nothing less than “a new stage in the process of European integration,” which would help end “the division of the European continent.” For all its faults, the EU has honored these aspirations, admitting 16 new members over the last three decades and fostering a spirit of cooperation that no other international organization has matched.But for all its achievements, the EU still struggles to defend the ideals of unity, solidarity and harmony symbolized by the circle of stars on its flag.Today, the mood in Brussels is somber, just as it was in 1993, when the EU was established on the edifice of the older European Community. Then, as now, the bloc faced sluggish economic growth, a political agenda partly shaped by right-wing populists, and bloody ...

Egypt’s envoy to Brussels accuses West of pro-Israel bias

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:25 GMT

BRUSSELS — Egypt’s envoy to Brussels slammed the West’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war, accusing it of having a pro-Israel bias that he says is damaging its reputation in the Middle East.In an interview in his Brussels residence, Cairo’s top diplomat in the EU capital, Badr Abdelatty, also stressed his country will not accept Palestinian refugees fleeing from Gaza.“We will not allow the liquidation of the Palestinian cause and to have another Nakba [or “catastrophe” in Arabic, referring to the mass uprooting of Palestinians in the war over Israel’s creation in 1948] at the expense of the neighboring countries, whether it’s Jordan or Egypt,” Abdelatty told POLITICO.After Hamas killed more than 1,400 people on October 7, Israel launched airstrikes and, recently, ground operations across Gaza, killing more than 8,500 people, including thousands of children, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health. Israel has rejected calls for a cease-fire and U.S. Preside...

From WWE wrestling to global AI summit: The unlikely rise of Michelle Donelan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:25 GMT

LONDON — Britain’s tech chief is no stranger to dealing with big egos. She used to promote superstar wrestlers.U.K. Science and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan’s past career as a marketeer for WWE wrestling may stand her in good stead at Bletchley Park on Wednesday, as she hosts representatives from more than 100 tech companies, countries and academic institutions on the first day of a U.K.-hosted summit which aims to grapple with one of the biggest challenges of our time — the rise of artificial intelligence. Working at the fast-paced WWE was “very much like” being at her busy Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Donelan tells POLITICO — somewhat improbably — in an eve-of-summit interview at her sparsely-decorated office on Whitehall.The oddball world of commercial wrestling was also good training for politics. “It was an eye-opener to different personalities, and how to deal with those different personalities,” she says — ideal for “deal...

Ravens stand pat at NFL trade deadline: ‘We have an excellent roster’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:25 GMT

The Ravens are standing pat.The NFL trade deadline came and went Tuesday without Baltimore making a move. Coach John Harbaugh said the day before that he thinks the team has everything it needs in terms of players to be successful, and the lack of adding to the roster seems to indicate general manager Eric DeCosta feels the same.DeCosta, who typically does not speak to the media during the season, was unavailable for comment.“Do we have a specific overarching have-to-have guy? No,” Harbaugh said Monday. “We have an excellent roster.”Though the NFL trade deadline doesn’t produce the same flurry of activity that is seen in other sports such as the NBA and MLB, there were deals to be made.The San Francisco 49ers strengthened their already elite defense by reportedly trading a 2024 third-round pick for Commanders star defensive end Chase Young. Washington also unloaded their other defensive end, Montez Sweat, to the Chicago Bears for a second-round draft pi...

Depeche Mode goes big at TD Garden

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:25 GMT

Depeche Mode stood in front of a 40-foot, ultra-high def video screen with a 35-foot, twitching neon “M” at its center. Lights strobed, lasers beamed, images flashed on the screen with impossible brightness. None of it distracted from David Gahan.DM frontman Gahan captured everyone’s attention at the packed TD Garden on Tuesday. The singer, in perfect impassioned and overwrought voice, moved around the stage like a flamenco dancer, a ballerina, a stripper, a devilish imp, and a kindly guide across the void and into a throbbing discotheque.The band’s first Boston concert in more than half a decade had the makings of a goth prom  — Depeche Mode on Halloween, c’mon, sublime! But Depeche Mode’s art is both too monolithic and personal, too absolutely connected to the broken parts of the world, the broken parts in us, to have even a whiff of kitsch.Gahan and Martin Gore started the show by chanting to the crowd, to the world, into that void: “No rain, no clouds, no pain, no shrouds, no fi...

Chicago lawyer stands out for ability to overturn wrongful convictions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:25 GMT

CHICAGO — For the last 15 years, one Chicago lawyer has stood out for his ability to overturn wrongful convictions. Josh Tepfer is an attorney at the Chicago law firm Loevy & Loevy, where a team of lawyers, investigators, paralegals and case managers operate what’s known as the Exoneration Project. Over many years, Tepfer has established himself as the most accomplished exoneration lawyer around, responsible for almost 300 exonerations.Tepfer ultimately helped right wrongs that cost two men dearly.  From Melrose Park to Memphis: Native suburban boy’s Halloween costume pays homage to Cubs’ Harry Caray Terrill Swift, who was given a 30-year sentence for the rape and murder of a woman on Chicago’s South Side when he was 17 and Francisco Benitez, who was given a life sentence for murder on the West Side. Both were wrongly convicted and Tepfer helped set them free."Josh seems to overturn convictions," Jon Loevy, from Loevy & Loevy, said. "He does mass exonerations, where h...

Robert De Niro lashes out at former assistant who sued him: 'Shame on you!'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:25 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Actor Robert De Niro shouted “Shame on you!” as he testified Tuesday in a New York courtroom, directing the comments toward his former executive assistant and vice president who seeks millions of dollars after accusing her onetime boss of being abusive.Graham Chase Robinson watched with her lawyers while De Niro's anger built as attorney Andrew Macurdy pelted him with some tabloid-style accusations his client made about De Niro's behavior toward Robinson as she served his needs, large and small, from 2008 until several months into 2019.Robinson, 41, seeks $12 million in damages for emotional distress and reputational harm that she claims has left her jobless and unable to recover from the trauma of working for De Niro. She was making $300,000 annually when she quit, frustrated by her interactions with De Niro's girlfriend and the effect she believed the girlfriend was having on the actor. ‘General Hospital' star Tyler Christopher dead at 50 The jury is also conside...

State girls soccer roundup: Edina stays unbeaten, will face Wayzata in Class 3A final

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:25 GMT

Edina 3, Andover 0: Izzy Engle scored twice in the first half to pace Edina as the Hornets (21-0) remained unbeaten and advanced to the Class 3A final.Disha Roy added a goal early in the second half for good measure.Wayzata 5, Maple Grove 1: The Trojans (20-1) secured an all-Lake Conference finale, as Tenley Senden scored twice for Wayzata. Grace Estby, Sarah Hyde and Davy Mokelke also added goals.All five of Wayzata’s scores came in the game’s first 50 minutes, with the first two coming in the opening seven minutes of action. Anya Gerlach scored for Maple Grove.Wayzata’s only loss of the season came in a 7-2 defeat at the hands of Edina in early October. It will get a chance to avenge that defeat Friday morning.CLASS 2AHoly Angels 4, Totino-Grace 1: Four different players scored for Holy Angels. The Stars led 2-1 at the half before Audrey Garton and Adeline Judson scored within a six-minute span in the second stanza to put the contest on ice.Elana Engum recorded T...

Inmates escapes county jail in southwestern Minnesota, sheriff says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:25 GMT

An inmate escaped from the Watonwan County Jail in southwestern Minnesota on Monday evening.Leonardo Lopez Jr., 36, escaped just before 7 p.m., according to a news release.Deputies searched areas in St. James with help from the St. James and Madelia police departments and a K-9 unit from New Ulm.Anyone who sees Lopez or knows of his whereabouts should call 911. Police say the public should not try to approach or apprehend him.Watonwan County Sheriff Jared Bergeman is requesting members of the public with installed security cameras to report any suspicious activity on footage recently filmed.The jail roster shows Lopez was booked in August on charges of failure to register as a predatory offender and fleeing a police officer.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | Welcome to the second snowiest Halloween on record in the Twin Cities Crime & Public Safety | Mayo Clinic’s latest therapy animal? Why, a miniature horse, of course Crime & ...

Shaker boys soccer reigns supreme in Class AAA after outlasting Saratoga in overtime

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:25 GMT

QUEENSBURY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- For the second year in a row, Shaker and Saratoga boys soccer matched up in a section title game - this season in Class AAA. And for the second season in a row, the Blue Bison beat the Blue Streaks in overtime. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Early on, Saratoga scored off a goal from Ryan Farr, giving them a 1-0 lead. However, Shaker found some life in the second half. Owen Brant scored on a sliding goal, splitting two Blue Streak defenders, and tying the game at two. Neither team scored through the remainder of regulation, so fans in attendance were treated to overtime soccer. Just 30 seconds into overtime, Brant came through in the clutch, scoring the game-winner and securing the Class AAA title 2-1, over Saratoga.