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Get your wallets out! Liz Truss joins the speaking circuit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:39 GMT

LONDON — How much would you pay for a motivational speech from Liz Truss?The U.K.’s shortest-serving prime minister has signed up with a leading U.K. speaking agency – and is ready to offer insights on the “status quo” that brought her down.Truss, who spent 49 days in the job but stepped down after market turmoil sparked by a round of controversial tax cuts, is now on the books for Chartwell Speakers, pitching insights on “leadership,” the “economy” and more.A bio uploaded to the site acknowledges the “momentous and tempestuous” time Truss faced in office, which included not only the market rout but the death of Queen Elizabeth II.And it give a somewhat unique take on the fate of the Truss “Plan for Growth,” and its “raft of tax cuts to kick-start economic growth.”Truss, the bio says, “faced huge resistance from those who wanted to maintain the status quo and reached the conclusion that she could not...

Striking French workers threaten to ruin King Charles’ red-carpet welcome

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:39 GMT

Workers striking in France are threatening to pull the rug out from under British King Charles when he comes to visit — or rather, the red carpet.The king is set to make his first trip abroad as the new reigning U.K. monarch for a three-day visit to France starting Sunday amid fierce protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial pension reforms.Unions from various sectors have been demonstrating for weeks against the plans, with a general strike Thursday including those working for the Mobilier National — a department of the culture ministry tasked with furnishing official buildings, such as the Elysée Palace, the French president’s residence.“We are fully aware that the King of England will be welcomed in France at the end of the week, and that our services will be required,” the unions representing the workers said in a statement Tuesday.“This has nothing to do with protocol, but it will be without us,” the statement read, adding th...

‘He doesn’t listen.’ France fumes against Macron for ramming through pensions reform

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:39 GMT

PARIS — Mass protests struck France on Thursday, urging the government to withdraw a controversial pensions overhaul and attacking French President Emmanuel Macron for forcing through the reform in parliament. Strikes are impacting sectors including public transport, schools, energy plants and refineries. In Paris, protesters started gathering in place de la Bastille — the site where the French revolution started — surrounded by the smoke of grilled sausages and firecrackers, and loud French rap songs.Later in the afternoon, things began to turn violent in Paris as some protesters clashed with the police. The demonstrators are protesting not only against the reform — which would raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, and extend contributions to get a full pension — but also against the government’s decision to bypass a parliamentary vote on the text last week amid fears that it would not have enough votes in parliament. “That set everything on fire,” said Xavier P...

UK parliament bans TikTok from its network

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:39 GMT

LONDON — U.K. lawmakers will be blocked from using TikTok on any parliamentary networks and devices.It follows the social media app being banned on all U.K. government devices last week and came just as TikTok’s boss, Shou Zi Chew, began a crunch Congressional hearing in the U.S.An email sent to MPs at 2 p.m. today said: “Cyber security is a top priority for us all and we believe that this is a necessary step to ensure our parliamentary digital devices remain as secure as possible.”TikTok said the decision is “misguided and based on fundamental misconceptions” about the company.The ban means no one will be able to access the app on a parliamentary iPad or iPhone or while using parliamentary Wi-Fi. A TikTok user in Parliament would still be able to access the app on their personal device using their own network’s coverage, but the email advised them to use the web browser version, rather than downloading the app.The ban applies to both the House of Commons and Lords.The S...

Officials: No hazardous materials aboard cargo train cars that derailed in Ayer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:39 GMT

Several train cars carrying what officials are calling “trash/recycling” materials through Ayer went off the tracks on Thursday, leaving multiple, large containers on their side.Emergency crews could be seen surveying the damage around noontime after multiple freight train cars completely derailed, while several others were left leaning off the tracks.https://twitter.com/MassEMA/status/1638951790615101440A SKY7 camera spotted at least five cargo cars had gone off the rails, with some of the large, blue containers they were carrying landing close to a nearby road.According to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, no hazardous materials were involved in the crash, which appeared to derail a total of ten cars. MEMA noted on social media that the containers were “reportedly carrying trash/recycling” at the time.Authorities have not yet said whether there were any injuries.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the late...

Lawrence police: 15-year-old male charged with attempted murder, assault after student stabbing at RISE Academy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:39 GMT

Police in Lawrence say a student at the RISE Academy is expected to be OK after being stabbed during an altercation.Lawrence Police Detective Thomas M. Cuddy said that it was earlier in the day on Thursday when police responded to the school at 530 Broadway for an altercation between students.According to Cuddy, a juvenile male suffered a non-life threatening stab wound during the altercation. The student was then treated on scene before eventually being taken to Lawrence General Hospital.A suspect described as a “15-year-old juvenile male from Lawrence” was taken into custody without incident and now faces charges that include:A&B Dangerous WeaponAttempted MurderCarrying a Dangerous Weapon on School GroundsCuddy said the 15 year old was slated to be arraigned in Essex County Juvenile Court.

Mass. Casinos Shrinking Their Gaming Arrays

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:39 GMT

Between Massachusetts’ three gambling centers combined, there are now fewer traditional casino-style games available than there were before the pandemic, though the legalization of sports betting has added a new type of gambling to the mix. Compared to when the Gaming Commission required Plainridge Park Casino, MGM Springfield and Encore Boston Harbor to close in March 2020, there are fewer slot machines (5,879 then, 4,907 now), tables games (263 then, 251 now), poker tables (96 then, 38 now) and stadium gaming seats (78 then, 55 now) available to bettors in Massachusetts as of this month. And because of last year’s legalization of sports betting, there are now a combined 156 betting kiosks at the state’s gambling centers. Plainridge, the state’s lone slots parlor, had 1,320 slot machines on the floor in March 2020 and now has 937. MGM Springfield has reduced its slots from 1,844 machines in March 2020 to 1,506 this month, and the number of slots at Encore ha...

Slow Zones To Persist On MBTA, And Require Shutdowns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:39 GMT

MBTA trains are likely to continue operating slower than usual for the foreseeable future as officials turn their attention from a lack of inspection documentation to fixing numerous track defects, which will require temporary shutdowns. As of Thursday, 27 percent of the entire subway system is subject to speed restrictions, an increase of 2 percentage points over the share of track with slow zones on Monday, according to data Interim General Manager Jeff Gonneville presented Thursday. Gonneville told the MBTA Board that a pair of teams continue to examine infrastructure across the MBTA following the failure to confirm past inspection and repair work. In some cases, crews can lift speed restrictions quickly, and in other cases, the T will need to perform “long-term or more permanent repairs” to safely resume higher speeds, he said. While all four subway lines are affected, Gonneville said the Blue Line and the Red Line’s Braintree and Ashmont branches in particular...

Bruins notebook: Jim Montgomery mulling goaltender usage in playoffs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:39 GMT

In a conversation with reporters about his goaltending rotation, coach Jim Montgomery pretty much named Linus Ullmark his starting goalie for Game 1 of the playoffs.Surprise, surprise. Ullmark is the odds-on favorite for Vezina Trophy as the league’s best netminder.But as far as continuing the goalie rotation into the playoffs? Montgomery wasn’t exactly leaning that way, but he wasn’t ruling it out, either.“We would have no issues with it. I don’t know if we’re going to do that,” said Montgomery on Thursday. “Most likely Linus is going to start the first game. Then we’ll see how it goes from game to game. I’m not going to commit to anything beyond Game 1.”It would make little sense for Montgomery to say much else. Declaring that Ullmark is going to get all the starts wouldn’t be sending a great message to Jeremy Swayman, who went into Thursday’s game against the Canadiens riding a 144:52 shutout streak and had his save percentage...

Gisele Bündchen breaks silence about Tom Brady split, addresses ‘absurd’ dating and ultimatum rumors

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:39 GMT

Gisele Bündchen is finally opening up about her divorce from Tom Brady and the rumors that have plagued her ever since.The former supermodel, who was married to the now-retired NFL great for 13 years, referred to the highly publicized split as “the death of my dream” and put the kibosh on claims that she gave Brady an ultimatum about choosing between their marriage and his football career.“Wow, people really made it about that. What’s been said is one piece of a much bigger puzzle,” Bündchen said in a Vanity Fair interview published Wednesday. “It’s not so black and white.”The 42-year-old mother of two called the scuttlebutt “very hurtful” and “the craziest thing” she ever heard.“It’s like a death and a rebirth.” Gisele Bündchen is ready for her next act—and she’s got some big ideas. In a VF exclusive, the supermodel discusses the end of her marriage, being “blindsided” by FTX, and pursuing la pura vida on her own terms.: https://t.co/RK4JVlVoyM pic.twitter.com/VTvCY6bVg5— VAN...