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Facebook’s top EU lobbyist wins Finnish parliament seat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:52 GMT

Meta’s top lobbyist in Brussels is off to Helsinki, after winning a seat Sunday in the Finnish election. Aura Salla, who leads Facebook parent company Meta’s public policy team in Brussels, won a seat in the Finnish parliament for the center-right National Coalition Party, she tweeted late Sunday. The fiscally conservative National Coalition Party won the most votes in Sunday’s election, defeating outgoing center-left Prime Minister Sanna Marin.In a phone interview Monday morning, Salla said she wants to push Finland to take a “more proactive” role in European politics — and promised to fight domestically for a “stable economy,” a subject on which her party attacked Marin’s Social Democrats. “We cannot have our welfare society in Finland, if we don’t have a stable economy,” she told POLITICO from Finland. “That was one of the primary reasons for me to run because I was super worried how this social-democratic le...

Bulgaria faces coalition talks after close election

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:52 GMT

The center-right GERB party was the winner in Bulgaria’s election on Sunday night.In the final count, GERB won 26.5 percent of the vote, with a pro-Western coalition led by Continuing the Change (PP) and Democratic Bulgaria scoring 24.9 percent.Those results signal renewed coalition talks, much to the dismay of voters who have been to the polls five times in the last two years.The last round of voting was seen by many as a make-or-break test for GERB, whose leader Boyko Borissov served as prime minister from 2009 to 2021, until nationwide protests erupted over his government’s role in the country’s rampant corruption.Continuing the Change, led by Harvard graduates Kiril Petkov and Asen Vasilev, and Democratic Bulgaria, led by Hristo Ivanov, campaigned on a promise to make Bulgaria a “European country,” by raising the standard of health care and education, and making the judiciary independent. Meanwhile, the nationalist Revival party, which is pro-Russia, anti-NAT...

Truck crashes into tree in Belmont

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:52 GMT

A truck took out a big tree in Belmont early Monday morning. The incident happened on Concord Avenue and caused significant damage to the truck. Police say no one was hurt.

Family displaced by fire in Hyde Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:52 GMT

A family was displaced by a fire at a Hyde Park home early Monday morning. Fire officials say two adults, a baby, and a dog were forced out of their home on Davidson Street. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Snoop Dogg steps in at last second during WrestleMania

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:52 GMT

By JOE REEDY (AP Sports Writer)INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Leave it to Snoop Dogg to emerge as the Most Valuable Performer of WrestleMania 39.During a weekend that saw World Wrestling Entertainment set a two-night attendance record for their signature event, rumors of a possible sale and Roman Reigns remaining the undisputed champion, the iconic rapper stepped up in an emergency.Snoop Dogg was co-hosting a segment between matches on Sunday at SoFi Stadium with wrestler Mike “The Miz” Mizanin when he goaded Mizanin into an impromptu match with Shane McMahon, who made his appearance at a WWE event for the first time in 14 months. McMahon and Mizanin traded punches before McMahon tore his quad when he did a leapfrog maneuver while trying to avoid Mizanin.Doctors checked on McMahon before he was helped out of the ring. Snoop Dogg then came back into the ring to continue the match, as he punched “The Miz” twice, then stole a page from “The Rock” and landed a people’s elbow to secure the win...

ASK IRA: Does Jimmy Butler need to become more of a Heat leader?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:52 GMT

Q: It’s time for a new culture carrier. – Ira.A: Which is what this season-ending tribute to Udonis Haslem is all about, recognizing the end of an era and then beginning the search for another carrier of the culture torch. Often that is the senior member of the team in terms of age. But Kyle Lowry, at 37, is more about still finding his place with the team. Often it is a team’s best player. But Jimmy Butler tends to be off on his own once the game clock is off. Ultimately, it has to be a player who is viewed as a face of the franchise going forward. That seemingly would have Bam Adebayo as the next in line. And it is a role Bam says he covets. Now all he has to do is live up to a 20-season legacy. In a best-case scenario, Jimmy would assume that mantle, but he appears to have little desire for such.Q: No Omer Yurtseven. No Victor Oladipo. I missed the Final Four for this? – Xavier.A: Based on the way the final week of the season looks like it’s setting ...

Lucas: Chris Christie’s moment has passed, whether he knows it or not

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:52 GMT

Chris Christi is the last guy who should be talking about taking on Donald Trump.The former New Jersey governor failed to do so in 2016 when he as a presidential candidate had the opportunity in the GOP presidential primary.Now contemplating another run for president, Christie wants a do over, telling Republicans he wants to do to Trump what he did to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio back then.In Christie’s telling, his mockery of Rubio back then forced Rubio to drop out of the crowded field of GOP presidential candidates.”You better have somebody on that stage who can do to [Trump] what I did to Marco because that’s the only thing that’s going to defeat Donald Trump,” Christie said.Christie, one of the party’s bright stars back then, was highly critical of Rubio, who he saw a potential threat saying, among other things, that Rubio had no substance.Christie, who is contemplating running for president again, made his remarks at a St. Anselm College Institute of Politics town meeting last wee...

They met and became friends as neighboring season ticket holders for the White Sox. Years later, he donated a kidney to her.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:52 GMT

One rainy day in the spring of 2021, longtime friends Lisa Polk and Kevin Fuller got to talking while shielding themselves from the elements on the 300-level concourse of the Chicago White Sox’s Guaranteed Rate Field.They had met over 20 years ago and became friends as neighboring season ticket holders. Their casual conversation soon turned serious as they started discussing Polk’s health condition — she had a kidney disorder and was about to start dialysis. But she was also looking for a compatible, live donor she could receive a kidney transplant from. Fuller mentioned he, like Polk, was O positive.“I don’t suppose you’d care to give me your spare?” Polk asked her fellow baseball fan. It was a life-changing question softened by her playful tone. After giving it some thought and undergoing various compatibility tests, Fuller decided to go through with the organ transplantation, which took place last September. “I knew her well enough ...

Report: State lawmakers must step up to solve MBTA workforce crisis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:52 GMT

State lawmakers must do more to address the MBTA’s severe workforce shortage, a problem that will likely extend service cuts through the remainder of the year, as the agency needs far more manpower to safely operate its current system, a new report found.The report, released Monday by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, raises doubts over the MBTA’s ability to increase its headcount by roughly 2,000 workers, as stated in its fiscal year 2024 budget plans, pointing to a challenging labor market and a slew of anticipated retirements at the T.“Even with a larger pipeline, sufficient resources, and faster hiring processes, solving labor force challenges are likely beyond the MBTA’s or any other single institution’s abilities,” the report states. “Ensuring that the MBTA can safely and effectively operate its current system must be the top priority of lawmakers.”The state’s approach to workforce challenges, however, has been “underwhelming, lacking coordination and scale,” the report ...

Nominations open today for Toronto mayoral candidates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:47:52 GMT

Candidates who have already announced their intention to run for Toronto’s top job can officially launch their mayoral campaigns on Monday.It’s expected to be a busy day at city hall, with a number of high-profile candidates who have stated their plans to run, now also stating their intention to file their paperwork to make if official.Nominations for the mayoral byelection open at 8:30 a.m. and appointments have been made to space the candidates out.Former councillor Ana Bailão says she will register as a candidate at the first 8:30 a.m. appointment.“This wouldn’t have been possible without your support, and without the strong support of community leaders and unions,” reads a statement from Bailão.Bailão will be followed by several others, including former Toronto police chief Mark Saunders.“I’m really excited at the opportunity of running for mayor,” Saunders told CityNews over the weekend. “I feel our city’s at the tipping poi...