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Putin can’t count on his friends in Italy anymore

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:51:22 GMT

When Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni walks into the Oval Office on Thursday, her transformation will be complete. Gone is the ghoulish caricature of an extremist monster, sympathetic to Moscow, whose party was descended from fascists, and in her place stands a pragmatic conservative willing to do business with a grateful international mainstream. For U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukraine’s backers in the West, securing Meloni’s long-term commitment to the war effort is vital: Italy will assume the leadership of the G7 next year, at what’s likely to be a critical time in the conflict. Initially, the signs weren’t good. Before she was elected last September, Meloni alarmed officials in Western capitals with her blunt brand of far-right populism. She banged the drum for nationalist causes, vowing to slam the brakes on immigration, stand up to the European Union’s leadership in Brussels and even opposed sanctioning Russia over Ukraine. Yet 10 months since Meloni...

Siemens: The bellwether of globalization

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:51:22 GMT

Elisabeth Braw is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and adviser at Gallos Technologies and a regular columnist for POLITICO.Siemens is the quintessential representative of the globalized economy.As soon as world leaders agreed on the Iran Nuclear Deal, it signed a €1.5-billion contract to modernize the country’s railways, only leaving after America’s withdrawal made it impossible for Western companies to stay. It remained in Russia after the annexation of Crimea. And it’s also stayed in China, even announcing a new large investment just this June. Weeks later, however, the engineering giant then announced a far larger investment at home in Germany.The fact that one of the world’s most enthusiastic embracers of reforming markets seems to be getting apprehensive about China is a sign of where globalization is headed — and other companies should take note.Siemens is a company known for its willingness to enter riskier markets. In the 1850s, founder Werner von Siemens...

It’s wishful to think Putin’s system is falling apart

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:51:22 GMT

Jamie Dettmer is opinion editor at POLITICO Europe.There was understandable glee in Kyiv when news broke that the Kremlin was turning on the self-styled Club of Angry Patriots — the ultranationalists who, for months, have been decrying Russia’s war effort as too soft and castigating the country’s top generals for ineptness.But given the bigger picture, the excitement may prove premature.Among the ultranationalists, the sinister Igor Girkin was the first to be targeted. A former Federal Security Service (FSB) intelligence officer who goes by the nom de guerre Igor Strelkov, Girkin was arrested last week for “public incitement of extremist activity.” He appears to have crossed the line by telling his 800,000 Telegram subscribers that Russia “won’t survive another six years with this talentless coward in power.” And more importantly, he appeared to be developing political ambitions.Girkin played a key role in Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 — as well as the war in Donbas —organiz...

Drive to Survive: Inside Belgium’s fight to save its grand prix

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:51:22 GMT

STAVELOT, Belgium — As American greenbacks and Gulf petrodollars pour into Formula 1, little Belgium is fighting to save its iconic motor race.This Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix at the historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the dense Walloon forest — scene of numerous legendary F1 moments — could be one of the last as new owners, moneymen and TV executives steer the traditionally European sport in a new direction.Luckily for underdog Belgium, it’s got an ace lobbyist: Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. De Croo has personally made Belgium’s case with the head of Formula 1 twice since 2022, bidding to keep the country’s grand prix on the annual calendar in part to drive the flagging Walloon economy. Next year, as the sport grows globally, F1 will go from 22 to 24 races, but the number of events in Europe will stagnate — pitting the Continent’s historic rallies against countries with deeper pockets.On May 31 this year, De Croo sent F1 chief Stefano Domenicali a hand-signed...

Why Britain still can’t stop talking about Nigel Farage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:51:22 GMT

LONDON — He promised us he’d retired from the political scene.But two-and-a-half years after quitting as Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage still wields an outsized influence over British politics — dominating headlines, winning ratings wars and pushing the ruling Conservative Party in his favored directions on illegal immigration, “woke capitalism” and much else.This week Farage claimed a genuine scalp with the toppling of one of Britain’s most powerful bank chiefs, after a dispute over the closure of his account spilled out onto the front pages via a snowballing political row.Few other “retired” politicians have the power to turn a run-in over their personal banking status into an unstoppable news juggernaut, eventually forcing the bank’s chief executive to resign — and the head of the BBC to personally apologize for its erroneous reporting of the affair.“What it shows is that Farage is the best political communicator of our age, even be...

Police investigating after man shot and robbed in Worcester

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:51:22 GMT

A 41-year-old man was taken to a hospital Wednesday after a robbery and shooting on Park Avenue in Worcester, police said. Worcester police in a statement said officers responded to the scene near the Auto Zone Auto Parts on Park Avenue shortly before 5 p.m. after receiving a report of an armed robbery and shooting. Police said officers found the shooting victim on scene. Citing a preliminary investigation, police said investigators determined another person robbed and shot the victim before fleeing the area on foot. Police said an investigation was ongoing as of Wednesday evening and asked anyone with information to contact investigators. Police were previously seen in the area Wednesday afternoon taking photos and laying down evidence markers. The window of at least one car was also shot out.Those who work around the site of the shooting told 7NEWS it is an area largely populated by businesses, adding that they were surprised a crime like this could happen...

Local Boys and Girls Clubs take part in 24th annual YouthConnect Unity Games

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:51:22 GMT

A special court connection was on display in Charlestown on Wednesday as Boys and Girls Clubs from across Boston battled it out on the court at the Ansin Youth Center for this year’s YouthConnect Unity Games basketball tournament. 7NEWS is a proud partner of the program, which helps children pave the way toward a successful future. The cause was close to the heart of Ed Ansin, the late owner of WHDH and WLVI.Now in its 24th year, dozens of children showed up for this year’s event. “Everybody is trying the best they can,” said YouthConnect Executive Director Kevan Barton. “And this is about helping young people really make sure that they are accessing the resources they need, making positive choices and honestly, so young people can thrive.”The Boston Police Department has teamed up with YouthConnect to help at-risk children make positive choices. Boston Police Department Superintendent James Chin spoke on Wednesday.“This is like what’s important...

Sesame is being newly added to some foods. The FDA says it doesn’t violate an allergy law

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:51:22 GMT

Food manufacturers who deliberately add sesame to products and include the ingredient on labels are not violating a new federal food allergy law, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a food safety advocacy group, had petitioned the FDA to halt an unintended consequence of the January law — more companies adding sesame to foods that didn’t have it before. But the agency denied the advocacy group’s request.More than 1.6 million people in the U.S. are allergic to sesame, food allergy experts say. Food allergies can lead to serious, even deadly reactions.Sesame can be found in obvious places, like sesame seeds on hamburger buns, but it is also a major ingredient in everything from protein bars to ice cream and is added to sauces and spice mixes. Restaurant chains like Olive Garden, Chick-Fil-A and Wendy’s — as well as bread makers whose products are in grocery stores and schools — are adding sesame to their products. P...

Japanese pop star Shijiro Atae says he’s gay in an announcement that’s been warmly received by fans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:51:22 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese pop star Shijiro Atae said he is gay in an emotional announcement at a fan event that was warmly welcomed in a country where the government does not recognize LGBTQ equality.“What I’m going to tell you now may not be something you expect or hope to hear. Perhaps some of you may need time to understand,” Atae told fans at the event in Tokyo on Wednesday.“For years, I struggled to accept a part of myself .. But now after all I have been through, I finally have the courage to open up to you about something,” he said. “I am a gay man.”As he choked up, fans cheered, saying “hang in there!” and applauding.Atae performed for 15 years in the hugely popular group AAA before it went on a hiatus in 2020. He’s been based in Los Angeles lately and is pursuing a solo career in the United States.Atae’s revelation comes at a time of increased awareness and support for the rights of LGBTQ+ people in Japan.The political party that has governed Japan for most of its postwar...

3 Butler University soccer players file federal lawsuit alleging abuse by former trainer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:51:22 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Three Butler University women’s soccer players filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday alleging the team’s former athletic trainer sexually assaulted and groomed multiple players on the team.Michael Howell allegedly committed the assaults and other sexual misconduct over several years, the lawsuit said.The alleged acts occurred in Butler’s training room, offices, buses and in Howell’s private hotel rooms during away games, the complaint said. They occurred while Howell was under the supervision of Ralph Reiff, Butler’s senior associate athletic director for student-athlete health, performance and well-being.Instead of athletic massages that should have lasted only 10 minutes and directed at a specific area, Howell would give full-body massages in a private room that could last hours, the complaint said.Further, Howell told the women he had “files against all the players and would use them if they ever said anything bad about him,” the lawsuits allege. “If I go down, yo...