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Belfast must revive power-sharing to thwart ‘enemies of peace,’ Biden tells divided leaders

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:33:25 GMT

BELFAST – Northern Ireland must seize the opportunities of the Good Friday Agreement so that “the enemies of peace will not prevail,” U.S. President Joe Biden told local leaders in a speech overshadowed by the region’s failure to sustain a unity government as the 1998 peace deal proposed.Seated side by side in front of Biden were the leaders of Northern Ireland’s five main parties, who had just chatted – briefly and separately – with the president on his first visit since 1991 to this still-divided corner of the United Kingdom.Four of Northern Ireland’s leaders, spanning the spectrum from the Irish republican Sinn Féin to moderate British unionists, want to form a new cross-community government at Stormont overlooking Belfast as the U.S.-brokered peace deal intended.But the pivotal fifth leader, Jeffrey Donaldson of the hard-line Democratic Unionist Party, is refusing to permit this because his party still opposes how the U.K.’s Brexit deal with the European Union treats Northern Ir...

Scottish government to take Westminster to court over stalled gender reforms

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:33:25 GMT

LONDON — The Scottish and U.K. governments are heading back to court under Scotland’s new leader Humza Yousaf.Yousaf’s Scottish National Party-led administration announced Wednesday that it will take legal action against the Westminster government’s decision to block SNP reforms aimed at making it easier for people to legally change gender.After the Scottish parliament passed the contentious legislation — championed by former first minister Nicola Sturgeon — the U.K. government used an instrument granted by the devolution settlement for Scotland to effectively thwart the reforms.Using a so-called Section 35 order, the U.K. government’s Scotland Secretary Alister Jack argued that the law could have “an adverse impact on the operation of Great Britain-wide equalities legislation.” The reforms were also strongly opposed by parts of the SNP and some senior lawmakers, who were concerned about the potential impact on single-sex spaces. But Yousaf’...

French actor Gérard Depardieu accused of sexual assault: Report

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:33:25 GMT

French actor Gérard Depardieu was accused of sexual violence by 13 women in an article published Tuesday by French investigative news outlet Mediapart. The 74-year-old actor has been under investigation since 2020 over rape and sexual assault charges. A dozen women, some of them on the record, are now accusing him of engaging in unwanted sexual touching and of making inappropriate comments on several occasions during film shoots as well as off set. According to Mediapart, three of them testified to the police but none pressed charges, out of fear that “their word would weigh little against a monument of French cinema.”In a statement from his lawyers shared with the French outlet, Depardieu said he “formally denies all accusations susceptible of coming under criminal law.”A one-time Oscar nominee, Depardieu is one of France’s most prolific actors, having played in over 200 movies.But the actor has been mired in a series of controversies in recent years ...

3 Sherpa climbers missing after falling on Mount Everest

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:33:25 GMT

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Three Sherpa climbers were missing Wednesday after they fell into a deep crevasse on a treacherous section of Mount Everest just above the base camp, a Nepalese mountaineering official said.They fell into the crevasse, thought to be about 50 meters (160 feet) deep, on Wednesday morning as they were moving toward the first camp on the world’s highest mountain, said Yubraj Khatiwada of Nepal’s Department of Mountaineering.A rescue helicopter was trying to locate them while rescuers searched on foot, he said.The area is the Khumbu Icefall, a constantly shifting glacier with deep crevasses and huge overhanging ice that can be as big as 10-story buildings. It is considered one of the most difficult and tricky sections of the climb to the peak.In 2014, a chunk of the glacier sheared away from the mountain, setting off an avalanche of ice that killed 16 Sherpa guides as they carried clients’ equipment up the mountain. It was one of the deadliest disasters in E...

MBTA completes $255M purchase of Widett Circle, plans to turn area into a rail yard

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:33:25 GMT

The MBTA has completed the $255 million purchase of Widett Circle, a 24-acre industrial area located one mile from South Station and adjacent to existing MBTA Commuter Rail facilities, the agency announced WednesdayAccording to transit officials, the area will be used to improve train operations through new facilities that allow for train storage and maintenance activities for nine of the T’s 14 Commuter Rail lines. These improvements will help make service more frequent on the Fairmount and Framingham/Worcester Lines, as well as additional, future rail service that would include the West-East Rail between Pittsfield and Boston and the South Coast Rail between Boston and Fall River/New Bedford, the MBTA says. “The purchase of Widett Circle is an important step in our efforts to improve rail operations and make service more efficient and reliable,” said Gov. Maura Healey. “Our administration is grateful for the hard work that went into making this purchase possible and we look forwar...

Indiana recycling plant fire forces evacuation orders for thousands as it emits toxic smoke, officials say

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:33:25 GMT

(CNN) — A fire that started Tuesday afternoon at a recycling plant in the eastern Indiana city of Richmond was emitting toxic smoke and has forced evacuation orders for about 2,000 people as it is expected to burn for days, officials said.Early air monitoring results are expected early Wednesday, Wayne County officials said. Plastics were among the items burning at the plant, and the smoke — a thick, black column rose from the site Tuesday — is “definitely toxic,” Indiana State Fire Marshal Steve Jones said in a news briefing.“There is a host of different chemicals that plastics give off when they’re on fire, and it’s concerning,” Jones said Tuesday evening, adding he expects the fire to burn for days.An evacuation order was put in place for residents within a half-mile of the fire, and authorities could change the order if the direction of the wind shifts, Jones said. Residents downwind of the evacuation zone — to the...

Heat given 7 p.m. Friday tip, if advance would play 5:30 p.m. Sunday in Milwaukee

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:33:25 GMT

After a loss that only muddled the Miami Heat’s postseason outlook, the NBA has added clarity for what comes next for Erik Spoelstra’s team in the play-in tournament and what might come next in the playoffs.In the wake of the Los Angeles Lakers’ late overtime victory on Tuesday night over the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Heat’s winner-take-all game on Friday to close out the Eastern Conference play-in round has been scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Kaseya Center, to be solely televised on TNT, without local South Florida coverage on Bally Sports Sun.The game was moved to an earlier time than Tuesday’s 7:30 p.m. play-in start because of Minnesota hosting the second game of Friday night’s nationally televised play-in doubleheader in the Central time zone.The Heat were forced into a Friday game with Tuesday night’s 116-105 home loss to the Atlanta Hawks, who thereby secured the No. 7 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference and will play the No. 2 Bost...

MBTA completes $255M purchase of Widett Circle for future rail yard

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:33:25 GMT

The MBTA has completed its purchase of a 24-acre parcel in Boston, bringing under the transit agency’s umbrella a strategically located plot that officials say is critical to improving commuter rail operations and a pair of major expansion projects.T officials announced Wednesday they finalized a $255 million deal to buy the land at Widett Circle, capping a years-long effort that began under the Baker administration.The MBTA plans to install new commuter rail facilities at the parcel, which is adjacent to Interstate 93 and just about one mile south of South Station, to store trains while they are offline and perform maintenance for nine of the T’s 14 commuter rail lines.That will bring several benefits, including less train congestion on the Fairmount Line, more platform space at South Station and reduced diesel emissions in Boston-area environmental justice communities, the T said.The current commuter rail yard closest to downtown Boston is in the city’s Readville...

Abortion pill rulings in conflict: What happens next?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:33:25 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Texas case that could cut off access to the most commonly used abortion medication has started on a path through the legal system that could quickly lead to the Supreme Court.The drug, mifepristone, was approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration more than two decades ago. It’s used in combination with a second drug, misoprostol. Since its approval, mifepristone has been used by more than 5 million women to safely end their pregnancies and today more than half of women who end a pregnancy rely on the drug, the Justice Department said.But in a far-reaching ruling Friday, a federal judge in Texas blocked the FDA’s approval of the drug following a lawsuit by the pill’s opponents. The ruling, which the judge put on hold for a week to allow for an appeal, could affect access to the drug in every state. On Monday, the Biden administration asked an appeals court to allow access to the drug while the case continues to play out.There is also a...

Biden says economic growth in N Ireland is ‘just beginning’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:33:25 GMT

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — President Joe Biden said a bright future for Northern Ireland is “just beginning,” pledging enduring American support as he marked the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.The U.S.-brokered deal brought peace to this part of the United Kingdom, but a new political crisis has recently tested its strength. “It’s up to us to keep this going,” Biden said in a speech at Ulster University. On his first presidential visit to Northern Ireland, Biden stressed that American investment can help fuel economic growth — especially if the fractious politicians in Belfast resolve a stalemate that has put their government on pause.“Your history is our history,” he said. “And even more important, your future is America’s future.”Biden’s speech navigated Northern Ireland’s complex political currents, referring to his British as well as Irish ancestry, and noting the contribution to the U.S. of largely Protestant Ulster Scots as well as ...