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Poland’s government under fire after reports of cash-for-visas scheme

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:25 GMT

WARSAW — Polish opposition parties are hammering the government over reports that the country’s consulates may have issued hundreds of thousands of temporary work visas in return for bribes.That’s a big potential problem for the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party ahead of the October 15 general election. The party has always pushed an anti-immigrant message — especially for people from Muslim countries — and has touted the construction of a fence along the border with Belarus to prevent illegal migration as one of its signature achievements.That record is now under attack.“Do you know who in Europe brings in the most Muslim immigrants? The government that frightens with them. The PiS government,” Donald Tusk, the leader of the opposition Civic Coalition party, posted on social media. Despite the reports, PiS is still ahead in POLITICO’s Poll of Polls, with 38 percent support compared to 31 percent for the Civic Coalition.The government is s...

Remainer UK civil servants were in tears over Brexit, top official says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:25 GMT

Staff in the U.K. Foreign Office were crying and in a state of “mourning” following the Brexit vote, the office’s former chief Simon McDonald has revealed.During an interview for the BBC’s documentary series “State of Chaos,” McDonald said he saw people “in tears” and in “shock” the morning after the 2016 referendum, and decided to tell his ministers he had voted to remain in the European Union.“On this solitary occasion I decided to tell my colleagues and therefore let ministers know that I voted to remain in the European Union,” McDonald said.Under the civil service code, officials are expected to maintain impartiality and not share their own political preferences with ministers. But McDonald, who served as top civil servant of the office from 2015 to 2020, said he felt ministers likely knew his vote anyway, so decided “to embrace it.”He also wanted to “convey a message to a group of people, most of whom I felt had voted to remain in the EU, that their personal feelings were...

China’s not a foe, says UK minister amid parliament spy scandal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:25 GMT

LONDON — China is not a “foe,” a British Cabinet minister insisted Monday, as Westminster reels from reports that a parliamentary researcher allegedly spied on behalf of Beijing.Kemi Badenoch, secretary of state for business and trade, told Sky News it was “important to be diplomatic” and that China is best described as a “challenge.” But her comments come as Conservative MPs urge the U.K. government to take a tougher line against Beijing in the wake of the latest influence claims. Some are repeating their long-standing demand for the U.K. to designate China as a “threat” to Britain.Badenoch told Sky News: “We certainly should not be describing China as a foe, but we can describe them as a challenge.” And she added: “I don’t think we should be careless in terms of how we speak about other countries.”It comes after the Sunday Times reported this weekend that a parliamentary researcher with links to several senior Tory MPs, i...

School canceled in Andover, N. Andover as crews work to restore power after storms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:25 GMT

School officials in Andover and North Andover canceled classes on Monday as the community works to get the lights back on after powerful storms rolled through the region on Friday, uprooting trees and downing wires across the area.Andover was one of the hardest hit communities by the severe storms, with hundreds of trees down and more than 1,500 customers still without power as of Monday morning. Police say the majority of homes and businesses have had their power restored but there’s still work to be done.The superintendent of schools said most school buildings were still without power Sunday afternoon and that getting students to school would be difficult as National Grid crews continue to block area roads while they work to restore power.Cooling centers and charging stations have been set up for residents who are still in the dark.

Londonderry, NH HS suspends cheer program amid allegations of toxic culture, bullying

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:25 GMT

The Londonderry, New Hampshire High School cheerleading program has been suspended after allegations surfaced of a toxic and pervasive culture of bullying, harassment, and discrimination, according to a letter sent to families.School administrators discussed the allegations with the school board in a non-public session on Saturday, the letter says, and voted unanimously to suspend the program immediately. The suspension will remain in effect until at least Sept. 25, when the board with re-evaluate the program’s standing.The letter says the allegations “encompass the entire cheerleading program, including the coaching staff, student athletes, and parents.”“Participation in extracurricular activities is a privilege, and we hold student-athletes in Londonderry to high standards. The District attempts to offer as many extra curriculars as it can to satisfy the various needs and interests of a diverse student population. However, fundamentally, extra-curricular ac...

Flood Watch Up… Watching Lee

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:25 GMT

It’s a pattern that does not want to give up. The humid and unstable air mass that was in place over the weekend, producing showers and storms, with localized flooding rains, is still with us today. Scattered showers this morning become heavier storms this afternoon. Those midday/afternoon storms will be capable of producing a quick 1-3″ of rain, allowing for localized street/poor drainage flooding again. A Flood Watch is up because of that potential. Scattered showers are still with us tomorrow, although not as numerous as what we’ll see today. Another round of storms are likely Wednesday midday/afternoon, out ahead of a cold front, with localized downpours and strong winds the main concern. It’ll be behind that front that we finally get lower humidity and drier air in here. Thursday and Friday look nice, however, our attention will then be on Hurricane Lee. Lee this morning is well south of Bermuda with max sustained winds of 120mph. It’s moving north...

Orioles reset: Félix Bautista playing catch was ‘strange,’ a doctor says. Here’s what it might mean.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:25 GMT

Twice last week, injured Orioles closer Félix Bautista played catch. But an expert on elbow injuries said that does little to clarify the state of the ulnar collateral ligament in the All-Star’s right arm.In the more than two weeks since placing Bautista on the 15-day injured list a day after he exited a strike from closing out a victory, the Orioles haven’t gotten more specific than general manager Mike Elias’ initial announcement that Bautista has “some degree” of injury to his UCL. Bautista throwing on the field before Friday’s game at Fenway Park was the first tinge of an update on his status, with manager Brandon Hyde urging that nothing be read into Bautista’s capability of throwing.“I wouldn’t put any emphasis, positive or negative,” said Hyde, who acknowledged that Bautista also played catch days earlier in Anaheim.Dr. Mohit N. Gilotra, a University of Maryland Medical Center orthopedic surgeon who treats shoul...

Lucas: A tale of two gun charge cases

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:25 GMT

If anyone deserves the Jack Jones treatment it is Dean Tran.Remember him? He is the former Fitchburg Republican state senator who was indicted by then-Attorney General Maura Healey, now governor, on a questionable gun charge. Tran has pleaded not guilty.Jones, of course, is the 25-year-old, $4.4 million New England Patriot cornerback who walked last week after Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden dropped all serious gun charges against him,In Tran’s case, Healey, running for governor in 2022, drudged up a three-and-a-half-year-old disputed gun theft case against him.Tran at the time was running against Democrat U.S. Rep Lori Trahan of Westford, a Healey supporter, in the Lowell centered 3rd Congressional District.The indictment, the only such indictment Healey sought in the eight years she was attorney general, came after Trahan endorsed Healey in the Democrat gubernatorial primary for governor.Trahan not only twice contributed $1,000 to Healey but raised an additional $30,...

9/11 nightmare never ends for cancer victims, families

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:25 GMT

The 9/11 attacks keep destroying lives even today.Cancer linked to the toxic emissions at Ground Zero, the Pentagon and Shanksville “sicken 1,000 people a month,” said attorney Dan Hansen, who has clients from New England to New Jersey.Retired FBI agent Tom O’Connor said he just buried a former colleague who died too young after getting ill from sifting through evidence from the terror attacks 22 years ago.Loved ones of the nearly 3,000 9/11 victims are battling Saudi Arabia in court over the Kingdom’s alleged involvement in bankrolling some of the 19 hijackers who pulled off the nightmare that never ends.And, the military tribunal of five terrorists linked to planning the attacks drag on in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, where pleas deals are being pitched.“It’s literally like (Osama) bin Laden is reaching up from the grave and pulling people down,” said O’Connor, a former Northampton police officer who is now head of charities for the FBI Age...

Business confidence steady through August as recession fears dwindle

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:25 GMT

With the U.S. and State economies growing despite nearly a dozen Federal Reserve driven interest rate hikes, employers are reporting they feel somewhat optimistic about the future, according to a survey conducted by the Associated Industries of Massachusetts.Labor markets are still presenting challenges to employers, but economic signs that central bank Chairman Jerome Powell may have successfully steered the U.S. away from a recession and toward a so-called soft landing were large enough to overshadow any hiring woes, the Association’s most recent Business Confidence Index showed.The Index fell 0.1-point from July to August to 52.4% confidence, but remained in an optimistic range. Employer economic enthusiasm has spent most of the year hovering around the 50% mark between pessimistic and optimistic, but confidence is buoyed by months of relatively strong job numbers, according to the Association.“US employers added 3.1 million jobs over the past 12 months, including 187,000 in Augu...