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Biden calls mutiny a ‘struggle within the Russian system’ and says US and NATO played no part

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:44 GMT

By SEUNG MIN KIM, AAMER MADHANI and ELLEN KNICKMEYER (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden declared Monday that the United States and NATO played no part in the Wagner mercenary group’s short-lived insurrection in Russia, calling the uprising and the longer-term challenges it poses for President Vladimir Putin’s power “a struggle within the Russian system.”Biden and U.S. allies supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion emphasized their intent to be seen as staying out of the mercenaries’ stunning insurgency, the biggest threat to Putin in his two decades leading Russia. They are concerned that Putin could use accusations of Western involvement to rally Russians to his defense. Biden and administration officials declined an immediate assessment of what the 22-hour uprising by the Wagner Group might mean for Russia’s war in Ukraine, for mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin or for Russia itself.“WeR...

17 must-read summer romance novels

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:44 GMT

Who’s searching for a little summer romance?Because it looks like there’s plenty of romance available: Sales in the genre increased by more than 50 percent between 2021 and 2022, according to Publisher’s Weekly.So, feeling flirty? Swipe right to your local bookstore for an abundance of great titles, authors and diverse genres.Since romance is not my area of expertise (that dating app joke above probably alerted you to this already), I reached out to a squad of romance experts that included Southern California booksellers Leah Koch and Ashley Dang from The Ripped Bodice; bookseller Iz Lawler from Once Upon a Time bookstore; Nathan Allen, co-owner of Underdog Bookstore; and Subverting Expectations shop owner Bobbi Lee Smart. They each provided personal recommendations you can read below.I also talked again Billie Bloebaum, the bookseller who created Bookstore Romance Day, which brings together independent bookstores to focus on romance books. This year, BRD lands on Saturday, August 1...

Bay State to net $147M for internet access

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:44 GMT

The federal government is sending $147 million Massachusetts’ way to expand high-speed internet in the state.President Biden announced $42 billion in federal funds for broadband expansion across the country on Monday, $147 million of which will be directed to the Bay State.Biden declared high speed internet an “absolute necessity” and vowed all Americans would be connected by 2030.“These investments will help all Americans,” he said. “We’re not going to leave anyone behind.”In Massachusetts, the funding will be deployed through a five-year plan that the Massachusetts Broadband Institute is developing with the Massachusetts Broadband and Digital Equity Working Group.As part of that work, the institute is seeking input from residents about their barriers to internet access, affordability and adoption through a statewide Digital Equity survey. The institute’s plan to use the funds is due back to the federal government later this year.“This new funding from...

Everything you need to know about the Knicks ahead of 2023 free agency

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:44 GMT

The Knicks strolled through the draft like a 2 a.m. covert refrigerator raid. Quiet. A couple minor commitments. No picks. Kept the fridge stocked. Maybe some regrets. Definitely more questions for tomorrow.Next up on Leon Rose’s calendar is free agency, which officially kicks off Friday at 6 p.m. We’ll break down four important questions about where they stand below:HOW MUCH CAP SPACE DO THE KNICKS HAVE?None. But they will have access to the mid level exception, which maxes out at about $12.4 million. Some of their flexibility is tied to the decision of Josh Hart, who has until Thursday to decide whether to opt into his deal next year at a $12.9 million salary.WHY WOULD JOSH HART OPT IN?Hart would definitely make more money and if he declines the option and hits free agency. League sources peg his value at about four years, $70-75 million. But there are reasons Hart may choose the other route. If he does accept next year’s $12.9 million option, Hart, 28, is eligib...

‘Wonderful people:’ Victims of Newton triple homicide identified by family

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:44 GMT

The couple and mother who were tragically murdered in their home over the weekend were beloved by family members and their faith community, the victims’ relatives said in a letter to parishioners at Our Lady Help of Christians in Newton sent Monday afternoon.“It is with a heavy heart that we share that the terrible tragedy that happened yesterday in Newton hit very close to home… impacting our faith community and our own family,” the letter read. “Jill and Bruno D’Amore and Jill’s mother Lucia Arpino lost their lives in a senseless act of violence.”The three were found dead in their Newton home Sunday morning by a friend who noticed them missing in church Sunday morning. The D’Amores were set to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary at the Sunday mass.Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said there was signs of forced entry at the home and warned community members to keep their doors and windows locked as the search for the kille...

Column: The ‘Flash’ that didn’t: How many franchise ‘sure things’ will it take for the movie industry to rethink its future?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:44 GMT

Michael Phillips | Chicago Tribune (TNS)“Flash,” meet pan.Last weekend at movie theaters, DC’s stand-alone superhero film “The Flash” starring Ezra Miller, twice, and featuring three Batmen (Michael Keaton most prominently), fell short of box office projections. A fiscal disappointment in the works, most certainly. Same for Pixar’s “Elemental,” another film that needs north of $500 million worldwide, and likely more, to break even on its production and marketing.This is coming off Disney’s live-action $250 million remake of “The Little Mermaid,” which has done … eh. Not a hit. Good, actually, certainly livelier than most of the animation-to-live-action adaptations. But it’s a might-see. Not a must.How much longer can this recycling continue?So much red ink this year, though some franchisees did well: “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” for one. Director-writer James Gunn, now co-CEO of DC Studios, may well be what’s needed to get people interested in Superman, Batman and the rest of t...

Fox News shuffles prime-time lineup

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:44 GMT

Rocked by the loss of its top-rated opinion host Tucker Carlson, Fox News has overhauled its prime-time lineup in an effort to reverse its recent ratings declines.The Rupert Murdoch-owned conservative news channel announced that Jesse Watters — who has hosted a 7 p.m. Eastern program since Jan. 2021  — will move to the 8 p.m. slot previously held by Tucker Carlson. Watters will remain a co-host on “The Five.”Fox News is also moving Greg Gutfeld’s talk show “Gutfeld!” an hour earlier, to 10 p.m. Eastern. The program is often the most watched show on the network among the 25-to-54 age group coveted by advertisers.Laura Ingraham, the conservative host who has held the 10 p.m. Eastern slot, moves to 7 p.m. Sean Hannity’s nightly program remains at 9 p.m. Eastern.The new lineup takes effect July 17.Scheduling moves are rare on the top-rated cable news channel and were prompted by the sudden dismissal of Carlson, which came just days after Fox News reac...

N.W.T. power corporation fined $200K following death of worker in 2021

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:44 GMT

YELLOWKNIFE — The Northwest Territories Power Corporation has been fined $200,000 for contravening the territory’s Safety Act after a worker died from injuries he sustained at a Yellowknife power plant in 2021.Michael Chinna, who was in the fourth year of his apprenticeship as a power systems electrician, was hit by falling ice outside an entrance at the Jackfish Lake diesel plant on March 5 that year. Another employee found him outside on the ground unconscious and bleeding from his ears, says an agreed statement of facts in the case.Chinna, 39, was taken to hospital in Yellowknife then sent to Edmonton where he died in hospital on March 14. An investigation by the Workers Safety and Compensation Commission of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut determined melted snow had fallen down a hole in an eavestrough at the diesel plant, causing ice to build up on the west side of the building. A column of ice broke off and struck Chinna, who was wearing required protective equipmen...

First UN investigator at US detention center at Guantanamo says detainees face cruel treatment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:44 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The first U.N. independent investigator to visit the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay said Monday the 30 men held there are subject “to ongoing cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment under international law.” The investigator, Irish law professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, said at a news conference launching her 23-page report to the U.N. Human Rights Council that the 2001 attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania that killed nearly 3,000 people were “crimes against humanity.” But she said the U.S. use of torture and rendition against alleged perpetrators and their associates in the years right after the attacks violated international human rights law.Ní Aoláin said her visit marked the first time a U.S, administration has allowed a U.N. investigator to visit the facility, which opened in 2002.She praised the Biden administration for leading by example by opening up Guantanamo and “being prepared to address the hardest human rights issues,” and urged ot...

Diego Luna talks filming ‘Andor’ final season and the prospects for Latino actors in the Emmys race

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:44 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Diego Luna has mixed emotions about the looming end of his Star Wars series “Andor.”“I am very excited filming, all the time I feel that we are approaching the end and, therefore, the process is lived with a certain melancholy,” the Mexican actor said in a recent interview by video call during a break in shoots in Great Britain for the acclaimed series’ second season.Luna knew the series, about a Rebel spy introduced to fans in 2016’s “Rogue One,” was meant to last only two seasons. But he’s not looking forward to the end.“There is also an inevitable part of saying how sad it is to leave this team, to leave this dynamic, to leave this time living here,” he said.The show has taken a thriller approach to telling the backstory of Cassian Andor, a thief-turned-spy for the rebels resisting the brutal Galactic Empire of the original “Star Wars” trilogy.Luna’s portrayal of Andor’s survive-at-all-costs ethos has made placed him on many shortlists for a drama series actor ...