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Britain secures agreement to join Indo-Pacific trade bloc

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:23 GMT

LONDON — Britain will be welcomed into an Indo-Pacific trade bloc late Thursday as ministers from the soon-to-be 12-nation trade pact meet in a virtual ceremony across multiple time zones.Chief negotiators and senior officials from member countries agreed Wednesday that Britain has met the high bar to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), four people familiar with the talks told POLITICO.Negotiations are “done” and Britain’s accession is “all agreed [and] confirmed,” said a diplomat from one member nation. They were granted anonymity as they were unauthorized to discuss deliberations.The U.K. will be the first new nation to join the pact since it was set up in 2018. Its existing members are Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam and Canada.Britain’s accession means it has met the high standards of the deal’s market access requirements and that it will align with the bloc’s sanit...

Heartbroken Nashville community grapples with school shooting as police uncover more details about the shooter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:23 GMT

Editor’s note: This story contains graphic descriptions of violence.(CNN) — As a heartbroken Nashville community grapples with the mass shooting that claimed the lives of three 9-year-old children and three adults at a private Christian school, police are uncovering more details about the 28-year-old shooter.The attack unfolded over 14 minutes Monday morning at The Covenant School, with the heavily armed shooter firing into the elementary school to gain access and killing six people before being fatally shot by responding police officers.The parents of the shooter, identified as Audrey Hale, told police they knew Hale had bought and sold one weapon and believed that was the extent of it, Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said Tuesday.But Hale, who was under care for an emotional disorder, had legally bought seven firearms that were hidden at home, Drake said. Three of those weapons, including an AR-style rifle, were used in the attack Monday.Police have s...

Driver in fatal Hingham Apple store crash indicted by grand jury

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:23 GMT

The driver whose SUV crashed into an Apple store in Hingham in November, killing one person and injuring 22 others, was indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday.Bradley Rein, 53, of Hingham is facing second degree murder charges along with two dozen other charges. He is expected to be arraigned in Brockton Superior Court. Rein was arrested after his 2019 Toyota 4Runner crashed into the store’s front window in Hingham. The victim who died was identified as Kevin Bradley, 65, of New Jersey.Rein’s attorney described the crash as a horrific accident. Rein told investigators that his foot became stuck on the accelerator and he lost control.

Nice Today, Cold Wind Tomorrow

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:23 GMT

A frosty start greets us this Wednesday morning, but the overall day turns out nice as temps bounce up quickly and more sunshine than cloud cover wins out. Winds are light too, which will allow for local sea breezes to keep it cooler at the coast. Highs range from the mid to upper 40s at the coast to low to mid 50s inland. Tonight, a cold front blasts through with scattered snow showers and squalls between midnight and 4am. Squalls that are heavier across the interior may throw down a few slick spots, especially in the higher terrain, as temps will crash back below the freezing mark. Any rain/snow shower near the coast predawn tomorrow morning is off the coast by 5am as a cold wind takes over. Temps tomorrow morning run in the mid to upper 20s, but with a wind gusting 25-30mph, it’ll feel like the teens to lower 20s. Not exactly what we like to envision for baseball weather, but we’ll play the hand we’re dealt. At least it’ll be dry with some sunshine as t...

Whitman Police searching for suspect who allegedly stabbed a man in the face, head

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:23 GMT

Whitman Police are searching for suspect who allegedly stabbed a man in the face and head Tuesday night.Officers responded to a 911 call reporting a stabbing at a Myrtle Avenue apartment complex around 8:15 p.m., police say. Upon arrival, they found a 27-year-old victim suffering from multiple stab wounds to the head and face. The victim was taken to South Shore Hospital in Weymouth. His current condition is unknown.Police say the suspect fled the scene following the incident and was last seen heading east on West Street. The suspect is described as a male in his 20s who was wearing a light green fleece jacket with black shoulders and a black hood. He also had a white backpack and was wearing white and black sneakers. No additional information has been released. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Whitman Police at (781) 447-1212.

ASK IRA: Are Heat facing a 43-39 reality as their final record?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:23 GMT

Q: I have resigned myself that my Miami Heat are a very poor team. It is going to be a small miracle if they can win 42 games and finish above .500. And even if they do get into the playoffs, somehow, I fear the worst. They are just not playing good. – Roland, Borrego Springs, Calif.A: I could see an ultimate basement of 43-39, figuring they find a way to at least beat Detroit, Washington and Orlando (even though they already have lost to each). Otherwise, figure they will be underdogs in New York and Philadelphia, and who knows how it plays out Saturday against Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and the Mavericks? Kyrie already has beaten them once this season, as has Luka.Q: Gabe Vincent has back spasms and plays. Jimmy Butler has neck spasms and doesn’t. Ira, what’s wrong with this picture? – Ian.A: First, Jimmy Butler had what the Heat listed as “neck soreness.” But beyond that, you can’t compare injuries. And be fair, Jimmy has gone months witho...

Howie Carr: Elizabeth Warren’s reelection bid no surprise

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:23 GMT

How can we miss her when she won’t go away?No surprise that the fake Indian is planning to run for yet another six-year term in the US Senate next year, when she’ll be 75 years old, and does anything seriously believe that will be her swan song?You know, I get that Liewatha doesn’t want to retire. As the late Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden used to say, “Ain’t but one major event left after you retire.”That one major event would be a trip to the Happy Hunting Grounds, as Fauxchahontas’ ancestors, er, non-ancestors, used to say, at least in the Republic Pictures B-movie westerns.But when did careers in Congress become peerages – lifetime appointments, with titles?When Harry S Truman left the presidency in 1953, he drove his own car back to Independence MO. Few politicians stayed in Washington after retirement or defeat. Maybe it was the lack of air conditioning.Then the Congressmen realized that post-retirement, they could make a lot more dough as lobbyists or influence ped...

Maura Healey finds resistance to tax cut proposal among lawmakers, advocates

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:23 GMT

If the state’s Democratic governor thought her proposal to cut taxes would be met with welcome arms during a hearing before the equally liberal Massachusetts Legislature, lawmakers and advocates surely disabused her of that notion this week.“So if we’ve got a renting family of four, with a teenager and a four year old, if they’re in the bottom 80% of earners, which let’s be real is most of us, per year that family would see maybe 700 bucks,” state Sen. Becca Rausch said. “But if the same family falls into the top 1%, they’re looking at much closer to $8,000 per year, plus the transfer of a $182,000 credit when an estate passes through generational wealth.”Gov. Maura Healey on Monday appeared before the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Revenue to explain her proposal to follow through on a longstanding campaign promise and cut taxes.Healey’s plan, about $742 million in cuts that includes $100 million in additional revenue neutral adjustments, would combine the Household Dependent Tax...

OBF: Pennant fever? Red Sox begin season amid astounding sense of apathy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:23 GMT

The Red Sox open the 2023 season Thursday afternoon at Fenway Park.First pitch against Baltimore is at 2:10 p.m.Pregame festivities begin at 12:30 with the ceremonial raising of the White Flag to honorBoston’s 2022 last-place finish.Plenty of good seats are still available.For Opening Day.At list price.Or below.And it isn’t even going to snow.That’s not a throwaway line. It’s a sobering truth. As of this writing, dozens of seats betweenfirst and third base were still available for list price (plus fees) through the Red Sox official ticketwebsite. For Opening Day. The crash in the secondary ticket market rivals that of FTX.And not all these available seats are strategically positioned behind poles. One example:Section 24, Row 9, Seats 1-4. Each seat offers a clear and unobstructed view of the entireplaying field – save for a spot in the deep left-field corner. Nothing but Fenway Park’s pristine,hallowed field, an 80-foot-long MassMutual sign above the big screen, and the alluringBetM...

Alabama police officer killed, another wounded in shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:23 GMT

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama police officer has died and another was critically wounded after being shot by a man who was captured after barricading himself inside an apartment, authorities said.A woman called 911 on Tuesday afternoon and reported that she had been shot, Huntsville Deputy Police Chief Michael Johnson told news outlets. Officers arriving at the scene found the shooting victim, whose injuries were not life-threatening. The suspect fired at the two officers, hitting them both, and barricaded himself inside an apartment. The officers were transported to a hospital, where one died from his injuries and the other underwent emergency surgery and was in critical condition, city officials said in a news release.The suspect was apprehended a little more than an hour later and transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the city said.“This is a devastating loss for our department, the Huntsville community and the state of Alabama,” Huntsville Police C...