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EU to continue aid to Palestinians after review shows funds don’t go to Hamas

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:21 GMT

The EU will continue to send aid to Palestinians after a review conducted by the European Commission confirmed no funds were being accessed by Hamas and programs will continue without any delays, Commission officials said Tuesday. “The review found no indications of EU money having directly or indirectly benefited the terrorist organization Hamas,” said Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis. Money directed to projects in Gaza that are not feasible due to the war will be “relegated to Gaza either as humanitarian or development aid,” Dombrovskis added.The EU is the largest international aid donor to the Palestinians and during the probe, 119 contracts worth €331 million were screened. The review was announced two days after Hamas’ attack in Israel on October 7. Olivér Várhelyi, the commissioner for neighbourhood and enlargement, triggered major controversy when he unilaterally announced the freezing of all EU aid to Palestine, which EU foreign affairs...

UPDATE: Hingham Police locate 14-year-old boy who had been reported missing

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:21 GMT

UPDATE: Authorities in Hingham say a 14-year-old who was believed to be missing and endangered has been safely locatedThe Hingham Police Department said Brody Harris was found in town after he was initially reported missing earlier in the morning.Police previously said the teenager had left his home the night before without a phone, prompting a search that went on through the morning and at one point involved a state police helicopter and K9 units.In an update just before 1:30 p.m., the department said the teen had been found, with no additional details released.https://twitter.com/HinghamPolice/status/1727031155256635617—Originally posted on Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 12:06 p.m.HINGHAM, MASS. (WHDH) – Hingham police are seeking the public’s assistance in locating a missing teenager who they say is endangered.Authorities said Brody Karis, 14, left his family’s Hingham home in the Black Rock neighborhood Monday night around 11 p.m., leaving with a blue...

Mystery illness in dogs spreads across US

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:21 GMT

By Nancy Clanton, The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionBefore you decide to board your dog as you head out for the holidays, be aware there is a mystery illness affecting canines across the United States.The potentially fatal respiratory illness begins as a cough that can last for weeks, Today first reported. If antibiotics don’t help, your pet can develop severe pneumonia and struggle to breathe. Some dogs have died from the disease.Idaho resident Wendy Brown told “Good Morning America” her golden retrievers — Bridge, Dooley and Lulu — started showing symptoms earlier this month.“Dooley started doing kind of this huffing and also seemed to feel quite lethargic,” Brown said, according to ABC News. “Not too long after, Bridge began to exhibit the symptoms. But his were louder, more boisterous. I thought it was his stomach because he made like a retching sound.”The vet started one dog on a 10-day cycle of the antibiotice doxycycline, but, Brown said, “Today was day 10 and he is not a lot b...

Mac Jones gets good news at first Patriots practice after bye week

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:21 GMT

FOXBORO — Patriots coach Bill Belichick wouldn’t name a starting quarterback Tuesday morning, but early signs point to Mac Jones.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Bill Belichick helping to fill void in Patriots assistant coach’s absence New England Patriots | Bill Belichick explains why Patriots QB Will Grier took first-team reps in practice New England Patriots | Bill Belichick suggests Patriots won’t name starting quarterback until Sunday New England Patriots | Callahan: Let Malik Cunningham compete for the Patriots’ starting QB job New England Patriots | Practice to determine Patriots’ Week 12 starting quarterback competition? Jones took the majority of reps during initial drills at practice Tuesday afternoon, when he and backup Bailey Zappe took turns throwing to wide receivers and tight ends. Undrafted rookie Malik Cunningham, presently on the practice squad, did n...

IRS delays reporting rules for users of Venmo, Cash App and other payment apps

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:21 GMT

By FATIMA HUSSEIN (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Users of Venmo, Cash App and other payment apps will get a tax reprieve this year. The IRS announced Tuesday it will delay implementing new reporting requirements that were to take effect for the upcoming tax filing season.Originally, app users who made $600 or more selling goods and services would have been required to report those transactions to the IRS, a new threshold required by the American Rescue Plan passed in March 2021. Instead, payment apps and online marketplaces will send out separate tax forms — called 1099-K documents — for taxpayers who receive over $20,000 and make over 200 transactions selling goods or services. For 2024, the basic reporting threshold will be increased from $600 to $5,000, the IRS said.IRS officials say one reason for the delay is taxpayer confusion over what sorts of transaction are reportable.For instance, peer-to-peer transactions, like selling a couch or car, sending rent ...

COVID cases rising ahead of the holidays. Who should test — and how to get free tests

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:21 GMT

By Irene Wright, The Charlotte ObserverAs the holiday season brings families together, health experts are expecting cases of COVID-19 to rise.In the week following Thanksgiving 2022, hospitalizations from the virus increased significantly despite a lull in the early fall, just as health experts have seen this year, CNN reported.Emergency room visits for COVID-19 have increased 7% from late September until Nov. 11, suggesting a case spike is on the horizon, according to data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.In preparation, the Department of Health and Human Services announced it would again offer free COVID-19 testing kits delivered to your door beginning on Nov. 20.Here’s what you need to know.Is it COVID-19? The flu? RSV?COVID-19 is just one pillar of the “tripledemic” making its way across the United States. The increase in cases aligns with both the annual flu season and the rise of RSV infections.Many of the symptoms of all three respiratory illnesses ...

6 things you may not realize are discounted on Black Friday

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:21 GMT

Black Friday has matured to more than deals on TVs, air fryers and electronics.All sorts of retailers are attaching the name “Black Friday” to sales, says Jane Boyd Thomas, a professor of marketing at Winthrop University in South Carolina.As the Black Friday sales go on longer and expand into more categories each year, you’ll find deals you might not have thought about. Here are six offbeat Black Friday buys.1. TiresCan you see the top of Lincoln’s head? Car nuts will know the penny trick for gauging tire wear. And if you’re due for a new set, tire retailers and manufacturers are ready to sell you some new rubber at a discount. Nationwide retailer Discount Tire’s website says it will drop Black Friday tire and wheel deals Nov. 23-29 this year.Look for deals on batteries and filters too. Your local car wash may even run a Black Friday promotion. Car stuff on Black Friday. Who knew?2. Big-ticket baby gearAfter the baby shower, stuff gets expensive to replace without the help of family...

Turkey rules the table. But an AP-NORC poll finds disagreement over other Thanksgiving classics

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:21 GMT

By MARK KENNEDY and LINLEY SANDERS (Associated Press)Thanksgiving may be a time for Americans to come together, but opinion is divided over what’s on the crowded dinner table. We mostly agree on the deliciousness of pumpkin pie, say, but are split over the eternal turkey question of dark meat versus white meat. And don’t even ask if marshmallows belong on sweet potatoes — it could cause a ruckus.About 3 in 10 U.S. adults (32%) who will celebrate Thanksgiving this year say turkey is their favorite dish in the holiday feast, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Stuffing or dressing (19%) and mashed potatoes (6%) come in second and third.“Thanksgiving — it’s about turkey,” said Ralph Caya, 71, from Pensacola, Florida, who participated in the survey. On the other hand, Vaidehi Upadhyaya, a 27-year-old pharmacist in Glen Rock, New Jersey, is a lifelong vegetarian. It’s all about the side...

In tears, ex-Trump exec testifies he gave up company job because he was tired of legal woes

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:21 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Tearing up as he testified, Donald Trump’s former corporate controller said he “gave up” on his longtime job because he was worn out by the company’s legal woes. Jeffrey McConney was on the witness stand for a fourth day in six weeks at the ex-president’s civil fraud trial when defense lawyer Jesus M. Suarez asked why McConney no longer works at the Trump Organization. McConney paused, took off his glasses, raised his hands in the air, wiped his eyes with tissues that a court officer brought to him and started reflecting aloud about his more than 35 years at the company, ending in February. “I’m very proud of the work that I did,” he said, then launched into a litany of investigations and legal proceedings in which he’s been subpoenaed or called to testify. “I just wanted to relax and stop being accused of misrepresenting assets for the company that I loved working for. I’m sorry,” he testified Tuesday, his voice trembling. McConney is among defenda...

Officials identify man fatally shot on a freeway by California Highway Patrol officer

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:21 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man who was fatally shot by a California Highway Patrol officer in a struggle in a middle of a freeway that was captured on video was a 34-year-old man from Los Angeles, officials said Tuesday.The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office said Jesse Dominguez’s cause of death on Sunday afternoon has not been officially determined. Dominguez had been walking in westbound lanes of Interstate 105 in south LA County, according to the CHP. An officer tried to convince the man to get off the freeway but he refused and that led to a fight, authorities said. Dominguez was carrying a taser that he used against the officer, CHP said.“Following the pedestrian’s use of the weapon against the officer, and in fear for his safety, the officer fired his service weapon,” the statement said.Dominguez was pronounced dead at a hospital. The CHP has not provided the officer’s name or additional details about the altercation, including how many shots were f...