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Oil giant BP halts Red Sea transit amid attacks by Yemen’s Houthis

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:11:36 GMT

The oil and gas heavyweight British Petroleum (BP) has paused shipping through the Red Sea, the company said Monday, as attacks from Yemen’s Houthi rebels on commercial vessels in the area have intensified in the last few weeks.“In light of the deteriorating security situation for shipping in the Red Sea, BP has decided to temporarily pause all transits through the Red Sea,” the company said in a statement.“We will keep this precautionary pause under ongoing review, subject to circumstances as they evolve in the region,” it added.Houthis — a pro-Palestinian rebel Yemeni group which is backed by Iran — have increasingly targeted international ships going through the Red Sea since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, raising fears that the conflict could escalate into a regional war.Some of the world’s largest shipping companies, including the Italian-Swiss MSC and the Danish giant Maersk, have similarly decided to pause shipments through the sea rout...

Depardieu scandal puts Macron on the back foot

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:11:36 GMT

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron has distanced himself from his government’s decision to consider stripping actor Gérard Depardieu of his Légion d’honneur in the wake of allegations of sexual assault.Last week, France’s Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malek said that Depardieu, who has starred in more than 200 films, most famously “Green Card” and “Cyrano de Bergerac”, had “shamed France” after fresh footage emerged of him making obscene and sexist comments. The French actor was charged with rape in 2020 and faces a dozen accusations of sexual harassment or assault, which he denies.According to the culture minister, a disciplinary proceeding has been launched which may lead to the removal and suspension of Depardieu’s Légion d’honneur, or Legion of honor, which is the highest French order of merit. But Macron is unhappy with what appears to be a knee-jerk reaction to a recently released documentary about the Frenc...

Polish truckers to resume Ukraine border blockade

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:11:36 GMT

WARSAW — Polish truckers are set to resume blocking the most important border crossing with Ukraine on Monday afternoon after a court overruled a decision by local authorities last week ordering the protesters to disband — creating an early test for Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s new government.The resumed protest is set for the Dorohusk-Jagodzin crossing; blockades at three other crossings have been ongoing since early November. “There’s a new blockade starting at Dorohusk and farmers are joining us,” tweeted Rafał Mekler, one of the protest leaders and a far-right politician.Polish haulers demand that last year’s EU-Ukraine agreement liberalizing rules on moving goods by trucks — aimed at helping Ukraine’s economy and Kyiv’s war effort against Russia — be scrapped and the old permit system restored. Ukrainian border crossings with Hungary and Slovakia are also being blocked by local hauliers for the same reasons. Polish farmers are joining in to en...

X vs. EU: Musk hit with investigation over spread of toxic content

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:11:36 GMT

Elon Musk just got an early, unwelcome Christmas present from Europe: the bloc’s first-ever investigation via its new social media law into X.The European Commission on Monday opened infringement proceedings under the Digital Services Act (DSA) into X, formerly known as Twitter, after the billionaire and his company were subjected to repeated claims they were not doing enough to stop disinformation and hate speech from spreading online.The four investigations focus on X’s failure to comply with rules to counter illegal content and disinformation as well as rules on transparency on advertising and data access for researchers. They will also scrutinize whether X misled its users by changing its so-called blue checks, which were initially launched as a verification tool but now serve as an indicator that a user is paying a subscription fee.“The Commission will carefully investigate X’s compliance with the DSA, to ensure European citizens are safeguarded online — as the regu...

Nearly 100,000 without power in MA as storm brings heavy wind, rain

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:11:36 GMT

Residents woke up to a stormy start of their weeks Monday, with heavy rains and strong winds blasting southern New England. Gusts of as fast as 60 to 70 miles per hour were forecast for Monday morning, with peak intensity expected from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. There is the potential for both inland flooding from the rain and minor coastal flooding from the wind, as well as possible power outages from downed trees and tree limbs.“Once the storm arrives if you are traveling please stay as far away from our crews as possible if you see them out so they have the space they need to safely do their work and make repairs,” said William Hinkle of Eversource Energy. “If you come across any downed lines, always stay as far away from those as possible as well and report them immediately to 911 and give us a call.”As of 9 a.m., there were nearly 100,000 power outages reported statewide according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. Public transporta...

Southwest hit by record $140 million fine for holiday service meltdown in 2022

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:11:36 GMT

Washington (CNN) — The federal government is fining Southwest Airlines $140 million for last year’s historic, 10-day-long holiday meltdown that stranded more than 2 million travelers.The Department of Transportation’s announcement of its largest-ever civil penalty comes about one year after cascading issues at Southwest led to the cancelation of nearly 17,000 flights. Those flights made up nearly half of Southwest’s flight schedule during the busy holiday travel period.The agency says it levied the fine “for numerous violations of consumer protection laws during and after the operational failures,” including not communicating with passengers, failing to provide adequate customer service and not refunding passengers quickly enough.Southwest said it was “pleased” to reach the settlement with the DOT and that it is committed to delivering the highest quality of customer service. It said the agreement includes “a new, industry-leading policy to compensate customers during sign...

Steph Curry’s five-year three-point streak ends in Golden State Warriors win over Portland Trail Blazers

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:11:36 GMT

(CNN) — Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry failed to make a three-pointer in an NBA regular season game for the first time in five years, blanking from deep in a win against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.Curry was 0-for-8 from three-point range on a poor shooting night for the two-time MVP, where he was 2-for-12 from the field and only had seven points.It was the first time that Curry had failed to make a three since November 8 2018, when he was 0-for-4 against the Milwaukee Bucks, per the NBA, bringing his NBA record 268-game stretch to an end. He is also the owner of the second-longest streak at 157 games.Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard now hold the longest active streak with at least one make from behind the arc at 101 games, per StatMuse.Curry holds the record for most made threes in NBA history after passing Ray Allen’s total of 3,358 in November 2021. In a victory against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, he knocked dow...

More than 50,000 without power as wind-whipped storm rolls through

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:11:36 GMT

Heavy rain and high winds swept through the Northeast on Monday for the second time in a week, spurring flood warnings, electricity outages, flight cancellations and school closings.The National Weather Service predicted up to 5 inches  of rain in some parts of the region. More than 245,000 power outages were reported from Pennsylvania to New York to New England, with numerous reports of trees falling on power lines. Wind gusts of up to 60 mph were forecast for the southeast New England coast, the Weather Service said.In Massachusetts, more than  54,000 homes were without power according to the state’s emergency services outage map. Communities including Newbury, Millis, Carver and Pelham are among those affected.In New York City, high winds prompted the temporary closure of the Verrazzano Bridge. It reopened later Monday morning, but with a ban on tractor-trailers and other large vehicles.Guilford, Connecticut, police said a tree fell on a police cruiser, but the officer was not in...

Bill Belichick responds to whether Robert Kraft has his back amid job status reports

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:11:36 GMT

If Bill Belichick is truly coaching for his job, as some reports suggest, then Sunday’s 27-17 loss to the Chiefs puts the Patriots head coach one step closer to parting ways with the organization.Belichick was asked Monday on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” if a decision has been made about his future as Patriots head coach. NBC Sports’ Tom Curran reported last week that ownership had decided to part ways with Belichick after they lost to the Colts in Germany back in Week 11. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported this weekend that owner Robert Kraft had not reached a firm conclusion about Belichick’s future and that a strong finish to the season could help him keep his job.“Nothing’s changed,” Belichick said on WEEI. “I’m going to keep — we’ve got Denver this week. Do all we can to get the team ready to play well against Denver.”The Patriots now finish the season against the Broncos, Bills and Jets. They’re 3-11 on the season and are currently slated to pick second in the 2024 NFL Dra...

Snow, flurries on the way today as temperatures drop in GTA

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:11:36 GMT

It’s a mild and rainy start to the work week but things will look and feel a lot more like winter by Monday evening.A temperature drop throughout the day Monday will set things up for a potentially icy and snowy evening commute, and there is a possibility we could be waking up to snow on the ground on Tuesday morning.“Rain, switching over to snow as we head into this evening,” says CityNews chief meteorologist Natasha Ramsahai. “It is going to be slick driving tonight and into tomorrow.”Monday’s guaranteed high of 6 C has already been reached as of 8 a.m. as cold air starts to move in leading to an overnight low of -4 C. Showers are expected to turn into wet flurries and then snow by the late evening.Areas in the north part of the GTA could see as much as five centimetres of snow, with up to three centimetres possible in areas south of Highway 401.Tuesday will see sun and cloud and a chance of flurries with a guaranteed high of -1 C. Things will r...