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Italy accuses EU Commission of fueling domestic political row

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:19 GMT

The Italian government accused the European Commission late Friday of intervening in a domestic political issue that has “no basis in reality,” signaling a major escalation of a row over how Rome is handling EU funding.The spat centers on Italy’s decision to strip the country’s court of auditors of oversight of its Covid recovery plan, which has been beset by delays, false-starts and disagreements with Brussels. The Commission said earlier in the day that it was monitoring the situation “very carefully.” In an eight-point statement, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office said the Commission was “fueling an exploitative politicized controversy with no basis in reality.”It comes as a document seen by POLITICO said the soaring cost of raw materials and administrative delays have put Meloni’s government at risk of missing a string of targets needed to get its hands on EU money meant to fire up economies after the Covi...

Orioles top Giants, 3-2, as Gunnar Henderson’s homer makes winner of Dean Kremer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:19 GMT

Friday night’s game meant a lot to Brandon Hyde, and he believed the same was true for Dean Kremer, except the Orioles’ right-hander wasn’t as willing to express it.Both men are natives of Northern California, and Friday’s series opener at the San Francisco Giants’ Oracle Park represented a homecoming. In Hyde’s five seasons as a major league manager, it marked his first game in San Francisco; he and his dad, Barry, used to traverse south from Santa Rosa to watch Giants and 49ers games at Candlestick Park.For Kremer, Friday’s start marked his first in his home state as a major leaguer, with the Stockton native yet to pitch in any of California’s five big league venues. When Hyde broached the topic pregame, the 27-year-old “downplayed it,” Hyde said.“I think he was in game mode, had his game face on,” Hyde added.The approach proved worthwhile in Baltimore’s 3-2 victory, with Kremer supplying a quality start...

Solomon: Rival to Airbnb, hotels has to go very big, or go home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:19 GMT

If you haven’t heard of Sonder, you’re not alone. The company has done a remarkably good job of flying under the radar until their recent turbulence.Sonder operates by leasing and renovating apartments and hotels, which are then rented out to guests. Instead of owning the properties, Sonder leases them and earns revenue through guest rentals. Sonder specializes in offering short-term serviced apartments that provide a welcoming and consistent home-like experience.To secure properties, Sonder enters into multi-year fixed leases, mixed leases, or revenue-sharing agreements, often acting as the primary or exclusive tenant in properties and development projects. Sonder utilizes machine learning to analyze data from nearby hotels and Airbnb listings, enabling them to forecast and select the most suitable properties.In addition to their current offerings, Sonder plans to expand into other property types, such as resorts, villas, and residences. They also aim to develop a franchising model...

Boys lacrosse: St. John’s Prep eyes three-peat

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:19 GMT

When John Pynchon first took over as head coach at St. John’s Prep in 2017, his first goal was to establish a new culture, one where the Eagles could have sustained success.Today, Pynchon’s team has emerged as one of the top squads in New England, the winner of two straight state titles.St. John’s Prep (17-1) is the favorite to three-peat. Led by electrifying scorers such as Johns Hopkins commit Jimmy Ayers and a rising star in midfielder Jake Vana, the school enters the Div. 1 statewide tournament as the top seed.However, the field has plenty of parity. Thanks to standouts like Patrick Maroney and Will Emsing, second-seeded BC High is definitely a contender to meet Pynchon’s group in the state final for a third straight year. And four public schools remain very real threats with No. 3 Acton-Boxboro, No. 4 Franklin, No. 5 Hingham and No. 6 Lincoln-Sudbury all slated to vie for the crown.“We’re going to have to play well,” said Pynchon. “Those teams are all great. I honestly be...

Make summer vacation memories without breaking the bank

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:19 GMT

Being on holiday is as much about adventure, exploration or even relaxation as it is about flight schedules, hotel rooms or miles traveled.So if a far-flung destination is not in the cards just now, consider putting your creative juices to work to manifest a never-to-be-forgotten memory for you and your family. And, don’t forget to take pictures. Clear the calendar and consider these five ways to savor some family time without depleting your savings.Go for it.Plan to participate in a half marathon, hike the canyon or camp in the backcountry. This is the year to research, plan and execute that idea you’ve been talking about but never took time to organize. Declare it a family affair and make the preparations part of the fun.Trade houses.Find a friend or family member in a nearby neighborhood who is willing to join in the fun. Think about it: new toys in the closet, bikes in the garage, play sets in the back yard and cereal in the cupboard. (Agree up front on what is included in the d...

Lowry: As Biden stumbles, Dems making a crazy bet

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:19 GMT

President Joe Biden’s fall at the end of the Air Force Academy graduation ceremony was a brief event. He tripped, got helped up, and walked off under his own power.Sometimes, though, a small thing is fraught with meaning — and with peril.Biden’s stumbles are not minor incidents, or a laughing matter. We aren’t talking about a manufactured narrative about President Jerry Ford’s alleged clumsiness played up on “Saturday Night Live.” Biden is 80 years old, is in decline, and has a stiff, shuffling gait that makes you hold your breath when he’s negotiating stairs or any place with potential obstacles. At his age, once the falls start, they usually don’t stop.Democrats should be thinking long and hard whether this is the vessel they want to ride into 2024 — and to portray as up for performing the job of president of the United States in a second term extending all the way until January 2029.A couple of weeks ago at the G-7 summi...

Editorial: Debt deal makes a handful of modest improvements

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:19 GMT

Something is usually better than nothing — and that’s certainly the case with the debt ceiling compromise.More than a handful of House Republicans are grumbling about the deal revealed last weekend between Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden. The complaints touch on a number of issues on which the GOP gave a little, including stricter regulatory reform, larger spending adjustments, a rollback of White House efforts to forgive student loans and more significant budget cuts for the IRS.These are legitimate grievances. But Republicans don’t run the Senate and are on the outside looking in when it comes to the White House. Politics is nothing if not an exercise in pragmatism. There is a modicum of progress in the agreement, and that agreement was made possible only because House Republicans stood united, putting pressure on the president and forcing him to abandon his insistence that the debt ceiling be addressed through a “clean” bill. Had Republicans fractured, they would h...

Krishnamoorthi: How we can win economic race with China

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:19 GMT

The last century is often referred to as “the American Century,” largely because of our country’s economic strength that provided unprecedented prosperity for millions of American families. Today, one of the critical questions we’re facing is who will be the economic and innovation leader of the 21st century: America or China?In 1978, when China began to open its economy, America produced four times more steel than China. Now, China produces 12 times more steel than America.In 1978, America produced more cars than China. Now, China is the world’s largest carmaker. In 1978, America was the world’s leading economy. Now, we remain the world’s biggest economy, but the China has the world’s second largest economy and aims to be No. 1.If the trajectory of China’s growth is not a wake-up call for America, here is one more troubling statistic: China now leads in 37 of 44 technologies that are considered important for the future of our world, according to the think tank Australian Strategic ...

India train crash death toll rises above 230 with 900 injured as rescuers comb through debris

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:19 GMT

By ASHOK SHARMA and KRUTIKA PATHI (Associated Press)NEW DELHI (AP) — Rescuers waded through piles of debris and wreckage to pull out bodies and free people after two passenger trains derailed Friday night in India, killing more than 230 people and leaving hundreds of others trapped inside more than a dozen mangled rail cars, in one of the country’s deadliest train crashes in decades.The accident, which happened about 220 kilometers (137 miles) southwest of Kolkata, led to a chaotic scene as rescuers climbed atop the wrecked trains to break open doors and windows using cutting torches to free survivors.About 900 people were injured in the accident in Balasore district in the eastern state of Odisha, said P.K. Jena, the state’s top administrative official. The cause was under investigation.Ten to 12 coaches of one train derailed, and debris from some of the mangled coaches fell onto a nearby track, said Amitabh Sharma, a railroad ministry spokesperson.The debris was ...

Dear Abby: Zoned-out BF happy with the status quo

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:19 GMT

Dear Abby: I have been dating a man for more than two years, and I thought we had a future together. I’m 57, divorced, no kids. He’s 58, divorced and has two grown children. At first, he said he was living with his parents so he could take care of his dad, who had been very ill. But it has been more than three years now!I put bids on four different houses in his parents’ neighborhood, but lost all of them. It seems the universe is not in favor of my owning a home and being closer to his family. Maybe all of this is for the best. He smokes marijuana daily, and I’m sure this is part (if not all) of the problem. His motivation for doing anything is very low.I’m often frustrated with his unreliability, lateness and lack of communication. I do enjoy being with him, and we get along great when we are together. But nothing is CHANGING. I want a future (and a home) with someone at this point in my life. Should I keep waiting and hoping, or move on and end it wi...