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Fraud inquiry launched into EU transport chief’s free Qatar flights

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:47 GMT

The EU’s anti-fraud office has opened an investigation into Henrik Hololei, the EU’s departing transport chief, following POLITICO’s revelations that he accepted free flights on Qatar Airways.The fresh probe comes shortly after Hololei resigned from his position as director general of the European Commission’s transport department on Wednesday amid mounting scrutiny over the free trips, which came while his team negotiated a major aviation deal with the Gulf state. Hololei approved the flights himself — a procedure that was allowed at the time. The rules were later changed following the revelations.“We can confirm that OLAF has opened an investigation into the matter,” said the agency, formally known as OLAF, in a statement to POLITICO. The probe, the agency’s press office stressed “does not mean that the persons/entities involved have committed an irregularity/fraud.”OLAF is tasked with investigating EU budget fraud and misconduct...

Federal judge says insurers no longer have to provide some preventive care services, including cancer and heart screenings, at no cost

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:47 GMT

(CNN) — A federal judge in Texas said Thursday that some Affordable Care Act mandates cannot be enforced nationwide, including those that require insurers to cover a wide array of preventive care services at no cost to the patient, including some cancer, heart and STD screenings, and tobacco programs.In the new ruling, US District Judge Reed O’Connor struck down the recommendations that have been issued by the US Preventive Services Task Force, which is tasked with determining some of the preventive care treatments that Obamacare requires to be covered.O’Connor’s ruling comes after the judge had already said that the task force’s recommendations violated the Constitution’s Appointments Clause. The judge also deemed unlawful the ACA requirement that insurers and employers offer plans that cover HIV-prevention measures such as PrEP for free.Other preventive care mandates under the ACA remain in effect. The decision applies to Task For...

The new Lamborghini is totally different than any car it’s ever made

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:47 GMT

(CNN) — Soon, you’ll be able to plug in your Lamborghini.Closing out a half century of purely gasoline-powered V12 cars going back to the brand’s earliest models, Luxury Italian sports car designer Lamborghini has unveiled its first supercar with a charging port.The Lamborghini Revuelto is a plug-in hybrid and, while it still has a V12 gasoline engine, it also has three electric motors. Together — the car’s Spanish name translates as “scrambled” — the two systems can produce a total 1,001 horsepower, according to the automaker.The car, whose price is as yet undisclosed, will offer driving sensations ranging from loud and viciously punchy to smooth and silent. There’s a menu of 13 different drive modes altogether. Front-wheel-drive low-speed cruising will be fully electric, while high-powered aggressive track driving will employ all available power from the V12 engine and the electric motors.The automaker, founded in Sant’Ag...

DeSantis’ board says Disney stripped its power

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:47 GMT

By Skyler SwisherLAKE BUENA VISTA — Gov. Ron DeSantis’ handpicked board overseeing Disney World’s government services is gearing up for a potential legal battle over a 30-year development agreement they say effectively renders them powerless to manage the entertainment giant’s future growth in Central Florida.Ahead of an expected state takeover, the Walt Disney Co. quietly pushed through the pact and restrictive covenants that would tie the hands of future board members for decades, according to a legal presentation by the district’s lawyers on Wednesday.The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District’s new Board of Supervisors voted to bring in outside legal firepower to examine the agreement, including a conservative Washington, D.C., law firm that has defended several of DeSantis’ culture war priorities.“We’re going to have to deal with it and correct it,” board member Brian Aungst Jr. said. “It’s a subversion of the will of the voters and the Legislature and the governor. It comp...

John Grisham’s sequel to ‘The Firm’ coming out this fall

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:47 GMT

The king of the legal thriller is coming back — and he’s bringing a fan favorite with him.John Grisham has written a sequel to his smash-hit novel “The Firm,” which will also see character Mitch McDeere return as the protagonist.“The Exchange: After The Firm” is scheduled to be released by Doubleday on Oct. 17.Published in 1991, “The Firm” was Grisham’s second novel and quickly became a bestseller. It kicked off a series of legal thrillers, mostly set in the American South, including “A Time to Kill,” “Runaway Jury” and others, many of which were later turned into movies.The first novel was adapted by Sydney Pollack in 1993 and starred Tom Cruise as Mitch, among other A-listers including Gene Hackman and Ed Harris. A TV series sequel aired in 2012.“When last seen in ‘The Firm,’ Mitch McDeere and his wife Abby were fleeing Memphis with the bad guys in hot pursuit,” Grisham said in a statement. “Now they’re back, 15 years later, and living in New York, where Mitch is an international ...

Evacuations end after fiery Minnesota ethanol derailment

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:47 GMT

By JOSH FUNK and TRISHA AHMED (Associated Press)PRINSBURG, Minn. (AP) — Hundreds of people had to evacuate their Minnesota hometown after a train hauling ethanol and corn syrup derailed and caught fire early Thursday, but authorities are hopeful that the quick response and cold weather will help limit the impact of this latest crash.Still, those pushing to improve rail safety said Thursday’s derailment only adds urgency to the debate over reforms Congress and regulators are considering even as officials seemed to apply some of the lessons learned after last month’s fiery derailment near East Palestine, Ohio.Minnesota officials said the BNSF train derailed around 1 a.m. Thursday in the town of Raymond, roughly 100 miles (161 kilometers) west of Minneapolis. That prompted the evacuation of essentially all of the town’s 250 homes because they were within 1/2 mile (0.8 kilometers) of the derailment. The evacuation order was lifted around noon.The nation has been ...

Easton Police identify Clark Grant, indicted on federal fraud charges with wife Monica Cannon-Grant, as person who died in motorcycle crash

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:47 GMT

Clark Grant, who along with his wife Monica Cannon-Grant was federally indicted on a string of fraud charges, has died in a motorcycle accident in Easton. He was 39.Easton Police responded to a crash on Route 138, the nearest address being 479 Turnpike Street, at around 5:50 p.m. Wednesday and found a motorcyclist “suffering from traumatic injuries” lying in the roadway, according to a statement the department issued this afternoon.That motorcyclist was identified as Clark Grant, 39, of Taunton. He was treated by local firefighters and transported to Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton where he was pronounced dead from his injuries.A spokesman for the Bristol County District Attorney’s office confirmed that Grant is the same Clark Grant facing federal charges.“We are horrified and deeply saddened by the loss of this great man. He will forever be missed,” said Chris Malcolm, Monica Cannon-Grant’s attorney, in a statement for the family. “Monica heard fro...

Severe thunderstorm warning issued for San Diego

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:47 GMT

SAN DIEGO - A severe thunderstorm warning was issued Thursday morning for several cities in San Diego County.The National Weather Service in San Diego issued the warning for San Diego, National City and Coronado. The warning expires at 11 a.m.NWS said wind up to 60 mph and penny-sized hail was possible. Tornado warning briefly issued in North County: NWS Earlier Thursday, a tornado warning was briefly issued for parts of North County. That warning expired at 10:30 a.m.

Padres announce Opening Day roster

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:47 GMT

SAN DIEGO — Happy Opening Day!The San Diego Padres have finalized their roster for the first game of the 2023 season, the team announced Thursday.Ahead of the roster announcement, Padres General Manager A.J. Preller announced several roster moves. The club selected the contracts of outfielder David Dahl, infielder Rougned Odor and pitcher Domingo Tapia. Going to Padres opening day? Here’s what to know Catcher Brett Sullivan was optioned to Triple-A El Paso and pitcher Michel Baez was designated for assignment, according to team officials.Here is the 26-man roster for the Padres on Opening Day at Petco Park:Right handed pitchers: Nabil Crismatt, Yu Darvish, Luis García, Brent Honeywell, Seth Lugo, Nick Martinez, Domingo Tapia, Michael Wacha, Steven WilsonLeft-handed pitchers: Josh Hader, Tim Hill, Blake Snell, Ryan WeathersCatchers: Luis Campusano, Austin NolaInfielders: Xander Bogaerts, Matt Carpenter, Jake Cronenworth, Nelson Cruz, Ha-Seong Kim, Manny Machado, Rougned ...

College ends partnership with school over the David issue

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:47 GMT

HILLSDALE, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan college has ended its partnership with a Florida charter school whose principal was forced to resign after a parent complained sixth graders were exposed to pornography during a lesson on Renaissance art that included Michelangelo’s David sculpture.A Hillsdale College spokesperson said Tallahassee Classical School no longer is affiliated with the small, Christian classical liberal arts college in southern Michigan, MLive.com reported Thursday.“This drama around teaching Michelangelo’s ‘David’ sculpture, one of the most important works of art in existence, has become a distraction from, and a parody of, the actual aims of classical education,” spokesperson Emily Stack Davis wrote in a statement. “Of course, Hillsdale’s K-12 art curriculum includes Michelangelo’s ‘David’ and other works of art that depict the human form.”Tallahassee Classical School was licensed to use Hillsdale’s classical education curriculum, but its license was “revok...