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US discussing peacekeeping force for Gaza after Hamas falls, senators say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:50 GMT

Talks are underway to establish a multinational force in Gaza after Israel uproots Hamas, two senators confirmed Wednesday, the clearest sign yet that the U.S. and its partners are seriously weighing deploying foreign troops to the enclave.Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told POLITICO that there’s early, closed-door diplomacy over establishing a peacekeeping force in Gaza, though it was not likely to include American troops.“I do think it’d be important to have some kind of multinational force in Gaza as a transition to whatever comes next,” he continued.Hamas, the militant group that killed 1,4000 people in Israel on Oct. 7, has ruled Gaza for more than 15 years. Israel launched a retaliatory military operation after the attack to end Hamas’ rule, including a massive bombing campaign, ground invasion and siege that has killed more than 8,000 people.The National Security Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Bloomberg News first...

Wu Reports Progress Clearing Out Mass. And Cass

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:50 GMT

Since Monday, a city effort has reduced the number of makeshift encampments at Boston’s intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard from 50-plus to 14 as of Wednesday morning and Mayor Michelle Wu said nearly all of the unhoused people who had been living on the street there are now connected to shelter or housing.In both a live interview on “Java with Jimmy” and a morning press conference, Wu laid out the latest changes at Mass. and Cass, the epicenter of the region’s substance use disorder, mental health, and unsheltered homelessness crises. Wu and the city’s Coordinated Response Team Director Tania Del Rio spoke to reporters on Atkinson Street, where the city has been busy since Monday clearing out encampments and connecting people staying there to services and shelter.“As you can see, tents continue to come down when individuals are moving into their placements and packing up their belongings and then accessing that [city] t...

Soaring US childcare costs are weighing on spending and the labor market

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:50 GMT

Katia Dmitrieva | Bloomberg News (TNS)Skyrocketing U.S. childcare payments are already weighing on spending and the labor market, according to Bank of America Institute, and that’s even before the expiry of a national program that could make things worse.The average household spends more than $700 a month on childcare across the country, 32% higher than 2019, and the largest increase was for those making $100,000 to $250,000 a year, the data show. That’s already hit spending: Families with childcare payments have been spending at a slower pace than the rest of households since May and are dipping into savings at a faster rate.There are also fewer dual-income households this year, with an average 1.34 payrolls a month versus 1.39 in 2019, indicating that some workers likely dropped out of the labor market to care for their kids, according to the institute’s report published Friday. Women are more likely to leave their jobs to take on that role, and experts warn it could increasingly ...

Chicago Bears dismiss running backs coach David Walker — the 2nd assistant to exit since the season began

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:50 GMT

The Chicago Bears have dismissed running backs coach David Walker, a league source told the Tribune on Wednesday.It’s the latest sign of tumult for a 2-6 team that has yet to win consecutive games under the two-season watch of general manager Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus.It’s unclear what precipitated Walker’s removal.He’s the second assistant coach from Eberflus’ staff to exit since the season began. In September, defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned in what the Tribune learned from multiple sources was a conduct-related departure.The Bears remain in last place in the NFC North and are coming off a 30-13 blowout loss on “Sunday Night Football” to the Los Angeles Chargers. On Tuesday, just ahead of the NFL trade deadline, Poles sent the team’s 2024 second-round draft pick to the Washington Commanders in exchange for defensive end Montez Sweat.After leading the NFL in rushing a year ago — propelled largely by an expl...

Patriots missing 2 starters at Wednesday practice before Commanders game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:50 GMT

FOXBORO — Patriots left tackle Trent Brown and wide receiver DeVante Parker were absent at the start of Wednesday’s practice, the team’s first ahead of its weekend home game versus Washington.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots coach Bill Belichick reacts to Josh McDaniels’ firing in Las Vegas New England Patriots | Bill Belichick dodges on Patriots’ inactivity at NFL trade deadline New England Patriots | Bill O’Brien offers blunt assessment of disappointing Patriots offense New England Patriots | Patriots sit tight at NFL trade deadline, what’s next? New England Patriots | Patriots-Dolphins film review: The simple reason Bill Belichick and Mac Jones lost again at Miami Brown played through ankle and knee injuries in last Sunday’s loss at Miami, where Parker took a blow to the head and did not return. Brown also missed the start of practice last...

PHOTOS: Families celebrate Dia De Los Muertos 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:50 GMT

Families around the world honor their deceased loved ones with colorful Dia de los Muertos, or ‘Day of the Dead,’ celebrations. The traditional Mexican holiday focuses on honoring ancestry and commemorating death as a part of life.People gather in the section of children’s tombs inside the San Gregorio Atlapulco cemetery during Day of the Dead festivities on the outskirts of Mexico City, early Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. In a tradition that coincides with All Saints Day on Nov. 1 and All Souls Day on Nov. 2, families decorate graves with flowers and candles and spend the night in the cemetery, eating and drinking as they keep company with their dearly departed. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)People hold candles over a tomb decorated with flowers at a cemetery in Atzompa, Mexico, late Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023. In a tradition that coincides with All Saints Day on Nov. 1 and All Souls Day on Nov. 2, families decorate graves with flowers and candles and spend the night in the cemet...

From the Archives: Herald reaches back to 1848

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:50 GMT

How far back does the Herald go?I’d say it is one of the top questions readers ask. Today I’ll help answer that one as best I can:BOSTON_HERALD_November_1_1848_p1BOSTON_HERALD_November_1_1848_p2BOSTON_HERALD_November_1_1848_p3BOSTON_HERALD_November_1_1848_p4I dug up the four-page edition of the Nov. 1, 1848, evening edition of the Boston Herald. That year is as far back as our archive goes. We don’t have every month from back then, but we sure do have Nov. 1.It’s a fascinating read from this day back then. Here are some photos from this date in history.Dr. Albert Einstein, left, and Carl Laemmle, film executive, speak as the famed German scientist visits Hollywood motion picture studios, in Los Angeles, Nov. 1, 1931. It was later announced that Einstein had refused a large salary offer from a motion picture company. (AP Photo)Clustered about a bomb dedicated to the Ashland Grade School, Ashland County, Ill., are men of the 14th Air Force in China on Nov. 1, 1...

Canada, U.S. to meet with Indigenous leaders next week on transboundary pollution

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:50 GMT

WASHINGTON — Canadian and U.S. officials are expected to meet next week with Indigenous leaders as they work on cleaning up toxic mining run-off that’s polluting waters on both sides of the border. Ktunaxa Nation officials say the meeting will take place Nov. 9 on Indigenous territory in Cranbrook, B.C. Indigenous groups in both countries have been clamouring for years for a bilateral investigation of selenium contamination from B.C. coal mines owned by Teck Resources. An end-of-summer deadline for an agreement in principle, announced in March by President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has since come and gone. Tribal and Indigenous leaders want Canada to agree to a joint investigation under the terms of the International Joint Commission, which oversees transboundary waters. But consensus has not been forthcoming, even though the B.C. government ended its opposition to such an investigation earlier this year. “While we are glad to share this news, and anxi...

Former B.C. premier John Horgan will be Canada’s next ambassador to Germany

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:50 GMT

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that former British Columbia premier John Horgan has been appointed as Canada’s next ambassador to Germany. A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office says Horgan has a proven track record of dedicated public service and will provide strategic advice to Trudeau in his new role. Horgan, 64, was first elected to the legislative assembly in 2005 and was re-elected four consecutive times, twice as premier. The statement says Canada and Germany face complex challenges, including food and energy insecurity, and will work to advance shared priorities.Trudeau says Horgan is a passionate public servant and an experienced leader, and he’s confident that he’ll continue to serve Canada well to advance the two countries’ common interests.The Canadian Embassy in Germany is located in Berlin, and there are also consulates in Munich and Duesseldorf. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2023...

Ministers’ responses on Afghan monument contract ‘pathetic’: design team

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:50 GMT

OTTAWA — An architectural group that lost out on building a monument to Canada’s mission in Afghanistan is accusing the government of giving a “pathetic” explanation for how the contract was awarded.The design by Renée Daoust and her team was selected by a jury, but the government overruled that decision to award the contract to another group.The government says it passed over the jury’s choice to reflect the preference of veterans who filled out an anonymous three-question survey online.Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge and Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor testified about the controversy Monday before the House veterans affairs committee. In her opening statement, St-Onge said only that she would defer to her colleague, while Petitpas Taylor said listening to veterans was the least the government could do to honour their sacrifice.But Daoust says veterans were well-represented on the seven-person jury, which was told to take the survey resul...