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One year after Qatargate, Ombudsman highlights remaining concerns about Parliament’s new ethics framework

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:24 GMT

Following a series of exchanges with the European Parliament on its post-Qatargate ethics reforms, European Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly (pictured) acknowledges significant progress in strengthening the rules but concerns remain about their implementation and enforcement. A credible ethics framework requires adequate resources, rigorous implementation and strong enforcement but it is not yet clear that these elements are in place. The Ombudsman urges Parliament to put them in place as quickly as possible to reassure the European public ahead of next June's elections. As the self-regulation model remains largely intact, citizens need to be confident that it can work. The reform package includes some welcome improvements such as a more detailed definition of conflict of interest and the obligation on Members to publish all meetings organised with registered lobbyists and with diplomatic representatives from non-EU countries. Three issues remain of particular concern: Firstly, it is not cl...

South L.A. street food vendors robbed by knife-wielding man

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:24 GMT

A knife-wielding suspect remains at large after robbing street vendors in South Los Angeles.Surveillance video captured the hooded suspect walking up behind a street vendor worker and demanding all their cash.The incident happened on Dec. 8 as the workers at Tacos El Caguamo were set up on East 78th Street.The victim, Jose Segura Romero, becomes emotional when speaking about the ordeal, saying he was wondering whether he would be coming home to his family that night.“He came from behind me and forcefully applied pressure to my neck,” Jose told KTLA in Spanish.A knife-wielding suspect remains at large after robbing street vendors in South Los Angeles on Dec. 8, 2023. (Tacos El Caguamo)The Tacos El Caguamo stand in South Los Angeles. (KTLA)The suspect's getaway car leaves the scene after robbing street vendors in South Los Angeles on Dec. 8, 2023. (Tacos El Caguamo)The victim, Jose Segura Romero, owner of the Tacos El Caguamo food stand. (KTLA)The Tacos El Caguamo stand in South Los A...

Uber offers festive, holiday-themed party buses in L.A.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:24 GMT

As the holiday season approaches, Uber is giving its customers a chance to ride in style to this season’s parties, festivities, and gatherings. Beginning Monday through Sunday, Dec. 17, customers can book a Festive Fleet with Uber, a holiday-themed party charter bus filled with karaoke, festive lights, Christmas decor, and photo props to help stir up the holiday spirit. Perfect for holiday group gatherings on the go, the holiday-themed charter trips will be available in L.A., New York, Washington D.C., Miami, and Chicago. Riders who book a charter up until Sunday will receive 10% off with promo code “FESTIVE 10.” In addition to the holiday party buses, Uber is also offering several other special holiday offerings including the Gift Hub in the Uber Eats app to easily find and send gifts, Robot Reindeers that will be delivering food for the month of December, and free package returns using Uber Connect. 

Clippers hold off short-handed Trail Blazers 132-127 for 4th straight win

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:24 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 34 points and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers 132-127 on Monday night for their fourth straight win.James Harden added 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Paul George had 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and Ivica Zubac had 18 as the Clippers improved to 9-3 in their last 12 games since ending a season-worst six-game skid.Leonard has scored 75 points in his last two games. “The biggest thing is health and finally getting his rhythm with PG and James starting,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. Portland was without Deandre Ayton, who missed his third straight game, and Malcolm Brogdon, who sat out his second in a row. Both have right knee soreness.Anfernee Simons scored a career-high 38 points and Shaedon Sharpe added 27 for the Blazers, who fell to 0-8 against the West on the road. “I knew it was going to be a tough game for us,” Lue said. “Defensively, we couldn’t get stops. They s...

Kings set franchise record for 3s with 25 and beat Nets 131-118

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:24 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — DeAaron Fox had 28 points and nine assists, and the Sacramento Kings set a franchise record for 3-pointers with 25 in a 131-118 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.Domantas Sabonis added 15 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists for the Kings, who have won three straight against the Nets including a season sweep last year. Keegan Murray scored 24 and Malik Monk had 21 points and nine assists.It was the second time this season the Kings had three players with seven assists or more. They set a team season high with 38 assists overall.“We’re a team that can shoot the basketball, and it was evident tonight,” coach Mike Brown said. “To see us get corner 3s and be able to knock them down was very gratifying because these guys can flat-out shoot and they’re going to share the basketball.”Sacramento shot 25 of 45 from 3-point range (55.6%), breaking the previous Kings record of 23. Fox and Trey Lyles led the sharp shooting from beyond the arc with five 3s ...

Packers had everything going for them until they ran into Tommy DeVito

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:24 GMT

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The Green Bay Packers had seemingly righted their early-season problems with a three-game winning streak that put them squarely in playoff position.They had an easy schedule over the final five games, and winning out seemed a possibility.Tommy DeVito and the New York Giants spoiled all that Monday night by rallying for a 24-22 victory that left the Packers one of six NFC teams with a 6-7 record. The playoffs are up for grabs again.Next up is a date Sunday with the NFC South-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers, another team sitting at 6-7 and fighting for a playoff spot.Defensive lineman Kenny Clark refused to say this was a trap game for the Packers, who were coming off a win over the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.“I’m not going to disrespect them like that,” Clark said of the Giants (5-8), who won their third straight behind DeVito, an undrafted rookie quarterback. “They showed up and they made plays. We’re in the NFL. You don’t play your be...

MacKinnon scores winner as Avalanche rally from 2-goal deficit in 3rd for 6-5 win over Flames

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:24 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon had open ice, plenty of speed and a steely determination not to let this one get away. Not after this rally.MacKinnon scored with 4:30 remaining on a breakaway to complete Colorado’s comeback from two goals down in the third period as the Avalanche beat the Calgary Flames 6-5 on Monday night.Trailing 5-3 entering the final period, Ross Colton scored with 8:40 remaining and Mikko Rantanen tied it up with 6:29 left.MacKinnon scored the winner after Rantanen delivered a long pass to Valeri Nichushkin who dished it over to MacKinnon in stride. MacKinnon simply took it from there.“We can take the positivity out of that game,” MacKinnon said. “No one was deflated. Even after 5-3 we kept pushing and kept a good attitude.”The goal by MacKinnon spoiled a big game by Nazem Kadri, who had a goal, assist and a roughing penalty against his former team. Ivan Prosvetov took over in net for Alexandar Georgiev in the third period and stopped all 11 shots he...

Editorial: Fire Harvard President Gay today

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:24 GMT

Harvard President Claudine Gay should have been fired on Dec. 6, a day after her insulting testimony before a Congressional committee.The fact that she’s still on the Cambridge campus is all you need to know about Harvard University these days. There’s a huge difference between free speech and hate speech. What’s playing out there since the horrific Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel is the latter.The Harvard Corporation and the Board of Overseers, reportedly still mulling what to do, have waited too long to act. Like it or not, the region’s reputation rides on our institutions, and Harvard is embarrassing all of us. MIT is a close second.Lawrence Summers, president emeritus at Harvard, posted on his social media feed that trustees with “the ultimate fiduciary responsibility” have been “AWOL.” He added alumni angry at Harvard’s abhorrent response to antisemitism on campus have been “let down” over a “substa...

Poland’s newly elected prime minister is to present his government and face a confidence vote

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:24 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s newly elected prime minister, Donald Tusk, is scheduled to deliver his inaugural speech to parliament on Tuesday morning and present a Cabinet that will then face a confidence vote later in the day.Tusk, a centrist leader who was previously prime minister from 2007-2014, returns as the head of a broad alliance that spans the ideological spectrum from left-wing via his own centrist Civic Platform party to more conservative parties.He was elected by parliament on Monday and faces many challenges, from restoring democratic standards in his own country, working for the release of European Union funding frozen due to democratic backsliding by his predecessors and facing the implications of a war just across Poland’s eastern border in Ukraine. One of his easier challengers will be restoring ties with the EU, which were badly strained during the past eight years of rule by a national conservative government.Tusk, who served as European Council pre...

Live updates | Israel plans to keep fighting as other countries call for a cease-fire in Gaza

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:24 GMT

Israel pressed ahead Tuesday with an offensive against Gaza’s Hamas rulers that it says could go on for weeks or months. Ahead of a non-binding vote at the United Nations later Tuesday, Israel and the United States faced global calls for a cease-fire in Gaza.More than 17,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory. About 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced within the besieged territory, where United Nations agencies say there is no safe place to flee. With only a trickle of humanitarian aid reaching a small portion of Gaza, residents face severe shortages of food, water and other basic goods. Israel says 97 of its soldiers have died in its ground offensive after Hamas raided southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 240 hostages. Qatar, which has played a key mediating role, says efforts to stop the war and h...