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Just Stop Oil approach ‘contemptible’ says Starmer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:43 GMT

LONDON — Protesters demanding an immediate halt to British fossil fuel production are “contemptible,” Labour leader Keir Starmer has said, in his latest move to distance the party from U.K. climate activist group Just Stop Oil.In an article for the Sunday Times, the opposition leader emphasized Labour’s position that the country will need to exploit existing North Sea oil and gas sites “for decades to come.”Just Stop Oil has been heavily criticized for its use of disruptive public protests to campaign against fossil fuels.Starmer — who has faced accusations from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that Labour is too close to the protest group — said simply turning “off the taps in the North Sea” would create “chaos for working people” in the oil and gas industry.Labour has instead called for a ban on new exploration licences in the North Sea — a policy fiercely opposed by Sunak’s Conservatives, who last week trumpeted their own plans to “max out” dwindling North Sea oil and gas sup...

Father accused of killing Harmony Montgomery set to be sentenced on weapons charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:43 GMT

A New Hampshire man accused of killing his missing daughter is set to be sentenced Monday on charges unrelated to Harmony Montgomery’s death.Adam Montgomery, 33, will be sentenced following his conviction in June on charges of being an armed career criminal, receiving stolen property, and theft.He is facing a second-degree murder charge in connection with the death of Harmony, who hasn’t been seen since 2019.Police believe Montgomery struck Harmony in the head multiple times, resulting in her death. He is set to go on trial in that case in November.

Hyde Park woman accused of intentionally striking pedestrian in the Seaport

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:43 GMT

A Hyde Park woman was arraigned last week in South Boston Municipal Court on criminal charges stemming from allegations she drove onto a Seaport District sidewalk last weekend, struck a pedestrian, and then left her car and attacked the pedestrian, the district attorney announced in a statement.Emily Verrochi, 28, was arraigned on charges of reckless operation of a motor vehicle, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (car), malicious destruction of property over $1,200, and resisting arrest. She was ordered held on $1,000 cash bail and ordered to stay away from the victim and the Seaport neighborhood.State police responding to a report of a single-vehicle crash and altercation at the intersection of Northern Avenue and Harborview Lane around 2:15 a.m. on Sunday, July 30, found a Nissan Altima with heavy front end damage, according to Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s Office.Witnesses told police they observed Verrochi driving erratically in the middle of the stree...

Driver slams into building on Albany Street in Boston

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:43 GMT

A police investigation is underway after a driver slammed into a building on Albany Street in Boston overnight.Officers responding to the crash found the vehicle against the building and damaged Blue Bikes scattered throughout the area.No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Patriots extra points: N’Keal Harry gets a new team, Devin McCourty co-hosting preseason broadcast

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:43 GMT

Former Patriots defensive backs Devin and Jason McCourty will host alternate broadcasts of all three of the team’s preseason games, the Patriots announced Sunday.Fans can watch “The McCourty TwinCast” on Patriots.com and WBZ.com starting Thursday night at 7, when the Pats will kick off against Houston in their preseason opener. The McCourtys will discuss the exhibitions from their unique vantage points as recently retired players and burgeoning media stars.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots training camp Day 12: Matt Judon returns with 3 sacks, Bill Belichick’s defense strikes back New England Patriots | What Patriots teammate told Jack Jones before training camp departure New England Patriots | Kendrick Bourne, Patriots wide receivers embracing criticism from media New England Patriots | Matthew Judon acknowledges Patriots didn’t need to amend contract New England Patriots | ...

Lucas: Healey deserves peace in move to Arlington; her new neighbors do, too

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:43 GMT

Nobody should live alone.So, it is a good thing that Gov. Maura Healey, 52, the state’s first gay governor, has moved into the Arlington home of her partner Joanna Lydgate, 42 the mother of two.It is important for a person to have a stable home life.Apparently, Healey moved in after Lydgate’s husband moved out. Lydgate owns the $1 million four-bedroom single family home.But it is hard to gather specifics since Healey has gone to great lengths to keep her private life private.Which is understandable, but which is hard to accomplish if you are a public official, especially the governor.While the relationship is not new—the pair have been in a relationship for two years—Healey’s move from her apartment in Cambridge’s Porter Square to Arlington is news, even though the five-line story was buried in last Friday’s Boston Globe.Healey reportedly restarted her relationship with Lydgate following her breakup with her former partner, a Massachusetts appeals court judge. The pair shared a cond...

Business confidence returns to optimistic levels as economy gains yet more jobs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:43 GMT

Quick on the heels of better than expected jobs numbers from the Department of Labor, the state’s employers are reporting they feel more optimistic about the future than they have in months.According to the monthly Business Confidence Index published by the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, confidence among the state’s business owners grew 2.8 points in July to 52.5%, moving from pessimistic territory to positive and reversing months of decline.“The confidence boost came as the United States and Massachusetts economies defied expectations of a recession in the face of 11 interest-rate increases by the Federal Reserve. The nation’s economy grew at a 2.4 percent annual rate in the second quarter, up from 2 percent in the first quarter, while inflation fell to a two-year low of 2.97 percent during June,” the Index reads, in part.Confidence reported by the state’s employers fell to pessimistic levels for the first time in years this May and stayed below 50% through June, with busi...

Deadline approaching for veterans exposed to toxins to file VA claims

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:43 GMT

Veterans who were potentially exposed to burn pits or toxic chemicals like Agent Orange have until Wednesday to register with the Department of Veterans Affairs if they want to take advantage of a limited opportunity provided under a new law.The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, or PACT Act, set a date of August 9 for veterans potentially exposed to hazardous chemicals to apply for benefits and have their claim backdated to August 2022, when the law was signed by President Biden.“When Congress passed the PACT Act last summer, it marked the biggest expansion of veterans benefits in history. But now we need every one of the five million eligible veterans who haven’t done so yet to take the steps to apply for these benefits. I’m encouraging every vet to sign up, to get a toxic exposure screening. This will ultimately mean better care and a lot of lives saved,” U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton told the Herald.In describing the PACT Act, ...

Multiple passengers dead after charter bus crashes in Pennsylvania, police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:43 GMT

LOWER PAXTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) — Multiple passengers died after a charter bus carrying up to 50 people collided with a vehicle on an interstate in Pennsylvania, state police said.The crash happened at about 11:50 p.m. Sunday on southbound Interstate 81 in Dauphin County’s Lower Paxton Township, near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania State Police said. The bus flipped on its side.Police said in a statement that “multiple passengers” died.Multiple people also were taken to a hospital with injuries, but police didn’t immediately release further information.The Associated Press

Niger’s junta shuts airspace and accuses regional countries of planning to invade as deadline passes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:43 GMT

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Niger’s mutinous soldiers closed the country’s airspace and accused foreign powers of preparing an attack, as the junta defied a deadline to reinstate the ousted president.State television announced the move Sunday night, hours before the deadline set by West African regional bloc ECOWAS, which has warned of using military force if the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum isn’t returned to power.A spokesman for the coup leaders, Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, noted “the threat of intervention being prepared in a neighbouring country,” and said Niger’s airspace will be closed until further notice. The junta also claimed that two central African countries are preparing for an invasion, but did not say which ones, and called on the country’s population to defend it.The junta said any attempt to fly over the country will be met with “an energetic and immediate response.”International airlines have begun to divert flights around the airspace...