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Jeremy Hunt to unveil pre-election budget on March 6

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:01 GMT

LONDON — Britain’s chief finance minister Jeremy Hunt will unveil his next budget on March 6, the U.K. government said Wednesday.The U.K. Treasury said in a statement the Chancellor of the Exchequer had commissioned the budget watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, to prepare economic and fiscal forecasts for the budget on the March date.It will likely be the ruling Conservatives’ final chance to offer voter-friendly tax and spending giveaways before a general election is held. A vote must be called before January 28, 2025, but Rishi Sunak is expected to call an election by the fall of next year.

Blinken and Mayorkas to press Mexican counterparts to drive down border crossings as Biden faces increasing pressure

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:01 GMT

(CNN) — Senior US officials will head to Mexico Wednesday to seek more help from their counterparts to drive down border crossings as President Joe Biden faces increasing pressure over the handling of the US southern border.Immigration has been a political vulnerability for Biden amid fierce criticism from Republicans and some members of his own party over the situation at the US-Mexico border. This month, the issue fell at the center of the president’s foreign policy agenda, as the White House lobbied for aid to Ukraine and Israel amid their war efforts. Lack of consensus over border policy changes ultimately kept Biden from clinching billions of dollars in funds for Ukraine, Israel and the border before the end of the year.Ahead of Wednesday’s meeting, Homeland Security officials have discussed a range of ways Mexico can help drive down numbers at the US border that will be among their asks, including moving migrants south, controlling the railways that ar...

Wet Weather On The Way

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:01 GMT

Relatively mild air, for the time of year, is in place this morning as temps start the day off near 40 degrees. While the fog isn’t as widespread as yesterday morning, there is some patchy fog that’s locally dense. In addition, a bit of light rain will be felt across northern Mass and New Hampshire. With that said, a good chunk of this morning, into this afternoon will feature rather quiet weather with just a few spotty showers and temps drifting up toward 50 degrees. Late this afternoon, into this evening, spotty showers become more widespread, and overnight tonight, I expect a steady rain to settle in. That steady rain will linger through tomorrow morning, before tapering off to spotty showers midday/afternoon. Rain totals run 0.50-1.00″ for most, with a few locally higher totals possible across Southeast Mass, especially along the South Coast. Highs tomorrow run in the mid to upper 40s. Friday feature some spotty showers, and that’ll linger into Saturday...

2023 in review: Life in and around Chicago, as told through Tribune editorials

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:01 GMT

It was a year in which the city elected its 57th mayor, struggled to welcome thousands of migrants, opened its first (legal) gambling casino and hosted its first NASCAR race in a place few would have associated with auto racing — the heart of the downtown lakefront.Here’s a look back at 2023, as seen through excerpts from the Tribune Editorial Board’s Chicagoland-focused editorials.Jan. 23: Beloved local radio personality Lin Brehmer has died.Radio personalities are supposed to be abrasive and controversial. Not so Lin Brehmer of WXRT-FM, whose death at 68 years old over this past weekend was the occasion for much sadness among his regular listeners, many of whom felt like they had lost the most simpatico of friends.That sense of sudden loss, even though Brehmer had been public about his prostate cancer, was also true of many Chicagoans who did not regularly tune in. Brehmer’s intersecting spheres of interest and influence included the Chicago Cubs, City Hall...

Patriots-Broncos film review: How Bailey Zappe is changing the offense

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:01 GMT

At the end of the Mac Jones era, opponents could reliably bank on three things when preparing for the Patriots.Jones would respond poorly to pressure.His receivers wouldn’t break free often enough from man coverage to hurt them.And even if those receivers did spring free, their defense wouldn’t get beat deep. Because since Oct. 8, Jones had completed one deep ball, meaning in every midseason Patriots game, there might as well have been a brick wall 20 yards downfield that ran parallel to the line of scrimmage, boxing play in.Well, Bailey Zappe has knocked that wall down.In four starts, Zappe has unlocked a deep passing game that generated the explosive plays which powered all four Patriots scoring drives Sunday. The Pats’ once steady-eddy, speed-limit-abiding, on-schedule attack disappeared in Denver and has slowly been fading to black. Not that they’re world-beaters now, but this is a different offense.With Zappe, the Patriots have posted three of their five...

A Greek police officer shot with a flare during an attack by sports fans has died in a hospital

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:01 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A Greek riot police officer who was shot with a flare during fan violence in Athens three weeks ago has died in a hospital of his injuries, health authorities said Wednesday.On Dec. 7, a group of fans left a volleyball match to attack riot police stationed outside the arena with flares and gasoline bombs. Organized soccer fan groups are believed to have been involved. Police officer Giorgos Lyggeridis, 31, was shot in the thigh, suffering severe arterial damage. The clash prompted a government crackdown on sports violence. An 18-year-old man has been arrested and charged with firing the flare.Greece’s minister for the police, Giannis Economou, expressed his condolences to the police officer’s family and called for a “steadfast social alliance against violence.” He pledged that police efforts would continue “until we identify those who organized, coordinated and armed” participants in the Dec. 7 attack.The center-right government has ordered al...

Edmunds: The best plug-in hybrids for driving without filling up on gas

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:01 GMT

Buying a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is a great way to try living with an electric vehicle without giving up the convenience of using gasoline for longer trips. They’re perfect for driving shorter commutes, shuttling kids to school, and running local errands on electricity. But when your plans call for a longer trip, a plug-in hybrid’s gasoline engine takes over and makes it possible to drive across the city or the entire country without recharging the battery.The latest plug-in vehicles offer more electric driving range than in the past. Edmunds researched current range estimates and chose five models in different vehicle classes that can travel an impressive distance using nothing but electricity. They are listed below by lowest to highest base price.SMALL CAR: 2024 TOYOTA PRIUS PRIMEMost people know what a Toyota Prius is. The Prius Prime is the plug-in hybrid version of the iconic hybrid car. It’s able to travel up to an EPA-estimated 45 miles on nothing but electricity. Aft...

The Eiffel Tower is closed while workers strike on the 100th anniversary of its founder’s death

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:01 GMT

PARIS (AP) — The Eiffel Tower was shut down to visitors Wednesday because of a strike over contract negotiations, the day the Paris monument marks 100 years since the death of its creator, Gustave Eiffel.Tourists can still access the glass-enclosed esplanade beneath the tower, but access to the 300-meter (984-foot) landmark itself is closed until further notice, according to an Eiffel Tower spokesperson.The strike was declared ahead of contract negotiations with the city of Paris, which owns the 134-year-old monument, the spokesperson said. Union representatives did not immediately respond for comment, and it was unclear how long the strike would last.One of the world’s most-visited sites, the Eiffel Tower is typically open 365 days a year — though it sees occasional strikes — and is expected to play a central role in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The attraction normally sees about 20,000 visitors per day this time of year, said the spokesperson, who was not authorized to be publicly nam...

Morant has quickly gotten the Memphis Grizzlies rolling, and oozing optimism

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:01 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ja Morant’s return to NBA play has the Memphis Grizzlies facing a new set of questions.Namely, could they have reasonably expected their All-Star guard to be so productive, so soon?Or, did they suspect that having Morant back in the lineup would make winning — and contending — look so achievable for a club that managed just six victories in its first 25 games?“You have a player like that, he makes everybody better, from our top guys to our role-playing guys,” Grizzlies shooting guard Desmond Bane said. “So you can’t overestimate how good he is and how much impact he has.”Morant has averaged 28.8 points through his first four games since returning from an NBA suspension that stemmed from his antics with guns on social media. Memphis has won all four of those games to improve to 10-19, leaving them just 4 1/2 games out of a Western Conference play-in spot with 53 games to play.“I don’t really look at where we’re at in the standings right now with all the...

Turkey hits 70 sites linked to Kurdish groups in Syria and Iraq in retaliation for soldiers’ deaths

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:01 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey has hit more than 70 sites allegedly linked to Kurdish groups in Syria and northern Iraq during airstrikes launched this week in retaliation for the deaths of 12 Turkish soldiers in Iraq, the defense minister said Wednesday.At least 59 Kurdish militants were killed in the strikes as well as in land clashes, Yasar Guler said in a video message to top military officials which was posted on X, formerly Twitter.“Our pain is great, but our determination is complete,” Guler said. “We avenged (the deaths) of our precious children and we will continue to do so.”There was no immediately statement from Kurdish groups and the 59 deaths could not be independently verified.On Friday, militants affiliated with the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, attempted to infiltrate a Turkish base in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, Turkish officials said. Six Turkish soldiers were killed in the ensuing firefight. The following day, six more Turkish so...