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UK minister insists Tories will meet pledge to build a million homes despite ‘shortfall’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:54 GMT

LONDON — The Conservatives can still live up to their 2019 manifesto promise to build a million new homes in the U.K. by the end of the parliament, Britain’s housing minister has insisted, even with the clock ticking as an election looms.Speaking at a POLITICO Live event on the U.K.’s housing crisis, Conservative Lee Rowley — who has been in post only three weeks after years of churn in the policy brief — acknowledged it was “absolutely the case that we have a shortfall in terms of number of houses compared to how populations have grown” in the U.K.But he struck a bullish tone on the Tories’ headline target, saying:“We’re going to get to a million homes at the end of this parliament.” The governing Conservatives have faced pressure over a 2019 manifesto pledge to build 300,000 homes annually by the mid-2020s. Housing is likely to be a key battleground in the upcoming general election as squeezed supply continues to make it hard for Brits to put do...

France sees no deal on EU spending rules without more room for green, security investment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:54 GMT

PARIS — France’s Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire warned that Paris will oppose a reform of EU spending rules if it doesn’t give capitals more space to invest in the green transition and in defense.“We’re not going to be told ‘look, you’ve got to get your public finances back on track for three or four years — we’ll do it — and then during those three or four years you won’t have the right to any investment in climate change, any investment in security, any investment in green industry, because your absolute priority is to get your public finances back on track,'” Le Maire told an event at the French economy ministry in Paris today. “That’s a no.” The overhaul of the rules will be discussed by EU finance ministers during a dinner in Brussels on Thursday and a scheduled meeting on Friday. Despite weeks of negotiations, EU countries, and in particular France and Germany, still disagree on how fast governments woul...

Ukrainian leaders head to the US as Kyiv prepares for winter fighting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:54 GMT

Ukraine’s top national security leaders are in Washington this week for a series of critical meetings with their U.S. and NATO counterparts as Kyiv seeks to become a weapons-building powerhouse once again.The meetings, which begin Wednesday, have major implications for not only the war, but also for Ukraine’s ability to manufacture arms in the coming years. With the war at a standstill and concern building over long-term Western support for Kyiv, the gathering is likely a barometer for what that support will look like in the months and years ahead.The Ukrainian delegation is being led by presidential adviser Andriy Yermak, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Alexander Kamyshin, minister of strategic industries. After meeting with lawmakers on Tuesday, they’ll spend Wednesday and Thursday huddling with their counterparts from the White House, Pentagon, Commerce and State departments as well as key NATO members and executives from the largest defense firms.Initially envisioned as a way...

European Commission to pitch 3-year delay to Brexit electric vehicle tariffs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:54 GMT

LONDON — The European Commission is to propose a three-year delay to new Brexit tariffs on electric vehicles, two people familiar with the plans told POLITICO.The proposal — which will be welcomed in London — is expected to be announced at a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday by Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič.The measure is expected to be approved by EU member state ambassadors in a meeting next week.A package of financial support for the European battery industry is also expected to be announced to head off concerns from some member states that the rule change could increase dependence on Chinese batteries.Without the change, 10 percent tariffs are due to hit EVs traded across the English Channel from January 1 2024 when existing grace periods in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement expire.Though the TCA provides for tariff-free trade between the U.K. and EU, it only applies to goods produced in either of those countries.The rules of origin for electric vehicles mea...

Biden arrives in Boston on fundraising sprint ahead of expensive campaign year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:54 GMT

Boston (CNN) — President Joe Biden sets off on a fundraising sprint Tuesday as he looks to tap into wealthy donor networks ahead of an expensive campaign year ahead.He’s headlining three fundraisers in the Boston area, the first of seven events between now and Monday, with more scheduled for later this month. Democratic officials are looking ahead to what some believe could be a billion-dollar campaign, as Biden works to sell his reelection to a public that, at least for now, appears skeptical.Singer-songwriter James Taylor will headline an event in Boston’s theater district. Tickets for “You’ve Got a Friend in Joe” ran between $50 and $7,500. Two other events in the area will bring in millions more for Biden’s campaign war chest.The president is making a final push for cash before the end of the month reporting deadline. He’ll be in Los Angeles this weekend for a pair of Hollywood fundraisers, including one with a dose of star power from Stephen Spielberg, Shond...

Hackers access profiles of nearly 7 million 23andMe customers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:54 GMT

(CNN) — A hacker or hackers have accessed nearly seven million profiles of 23andMe customers, a spokesperson for the genetic testing firm told CNN on Tuesday, including in some cases users’ ancestry reports, zip codes and birth years.A Friday filing from 23andMe to the Securities and Exchange Commission said that about 0.1% of the company’s user accounts, or roughly 14,000, had their accounts breached by the hackers.23andMe is standing by that number but is also now telling reporters that the hackers were able to access some 5.5 million profiles that use a company feature called DNA Relatives that allows users to find genetic relatives. In addition, the hackers accessed a subset of family tree information on 1.4 million DNA Relatives profiles, the 23andMe spokesperson said in an emailed statement.Engadget, a tech news outlet, first reported on the wider impact of the hack.It’s the latest hack to affect a major US corporation that has impacted far more people...

Boston Mayor announces new contract with police union

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:54 GMT

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced a new five-year union contract with the Boston Police Patrolman’s Association on Monday. Officers have been working without a contract since the previous iteration ended in 2020. The new deal covers cost of living adjustments, paid details, and significant reforms in discipline, including a designated list of offenses that are not eligible for arbitration, meaning officers will face discipline without arbitration if charged with serious crimes like rape, murder, or drug trafficking.“I really just want the residents of Boston to hear and to know how groundbreaking it is that our Boston Police officers overwhelmingly voted to hold themselves accountable to the standards they believe our residents deserve,” Wu said.“We are bringing policing into the future,” said BPPA Representative Larry Calderone. “We are having better educated officers, and they’re being fairly compensated.”Boston City Council will ha...

Mansfield Police investigating smoke shop break in

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:54 GMT

Mansfield Police are investigating a break in at an area smoke shop that occurred around 1 a.m. Monday morning.Authorities said as many as nine individuals broke into Brothers Smoke Shop on Pratt Street, smashing a front window to gain entrance.Security cameras captured images of three of the individuals.Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Mansfield Police at 508-261-7300.

Firefighters battle 2-alarm fire in Medford Tuesday morning

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:54 GMT

Firefighters were called to Greenleaf Avenue in Medford around 8 a.m. Tuesday morning for a two-alarm fire at a home.Everyone was able to get out of the structure safely.Some area roads were closed down as firefighters battled the flames.

Boston Police union contract includes ‘significant’ disciplinary reforms, OT crackdown

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:54 GMT

Eighteen months of “intense” negotiations led to a new five-year deal between the city and its largest police union, a “groundbreaking” agreement that includes a 9%  raise in salary and significant reforms around officer discipline and overtime.The deal was reached last Friday and ratified by the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association membership Monday evening. Mayor Michelle Wu plans to file a docket for the agreement ahead of the Wednesday City Council meeting, saying that her aim is for the left-leaning body to take a vote by the end of the year.“At the end of the day, this is a contract that is fair and equitable to the men and women in uniform that are answering those calls for service,” Larry Calderone, president of the 1,500-member police union, said at a Tuesday morning press conference at City Hall. “At the same time, we help policing evolve.“I know the famous word out there is reform, but I like to look at it as police evolving. We are bringing policing into the future.”Cal...