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Germany’s Pyrrhic victory in the war to save the car engine

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:02 GMT

No, Germany’s government hasn’t just saved the internal combustion engine.Weeks of threats and bluster that saw Berlin go head-to-head with Brussels ended Tuesday with EU energy ministers approving an agreement that sets a zero emissions limit on the sale of new cars and vans from 2035.That’s exactly the same deal that Germany and a small group of allies — Italy, Poland, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic — refused to accept unless the European Commission changed the rules to make room for cars running on so-called e-fuels — a synthetic alternative to fossil fuels made from hydrogen and CO2 that is cleaner than conventional gasoline but still emits some greenhouse gases.It’s being touted as a huge victory by Berlin, but the final effect is likely going to be a lot less than Germany’s auto suppliers, high-end carmakers and the liberal wing of the political establishment — particularly the Free Democratic Party, which controls Berlin’s transport minist...

Covenant school shooter was under care for emotional disorder and hid guns at home, police say

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:02 GMT

 (CNN) — [Breaking news update, published at 1:45 p.m. ET]The 28-year-old who killed three children and three adults at a private Christian school in Nashville was under care for an emotional disorder and had been hiding guns at home, Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said Tuesday.The parents of the shooter, Audrey Hale, spoke to police and said they knew Hale had bought and sold one weapon and believed that was the extent of it.“The parents felt (Hale) should not own weapons,” Drake said. “They were under the impression that when (Hale) sold the one weapon that (Hale) did not own any more. As it turned out, (Hale) had been hiding several weapons within the house.”Police also said they did not know a motive in the shooting. The shooter targeted the school and church in the attack but did not specifically target any of the six people killed, police spokesman Don Aaron said.[Original story, published at 1:00 p.m. ET]The Metro Nashville Pol...

Boy Scouts’ $2.4 billion bankruptcy plan upheld by judge

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:02 GMT

DOVER, Del. (AP) — A federal district court judge has upheld the approval of a $2.4 billion bankruptcy reorganization plan aimed at resolving tens of thousands of child sexual abuse claims against the Boy Scouts of America.The ruling docketed Tuesday rejects arguments by non-settling insurance companies and attorneys representing dissenting abuse survivors that the reorganization plan was not proposed in good faith and improperly strips the insurers and survivors of their rights.The ruling follows a September decision in which U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein approved the plan. The plan would allow the Irving, Texas-based Boy Scouts of America to continue operating while compensating tens of thousands of men who say they were sexually abused as children while involved in Scouting.More than 80,000 men have filed claims saying they were abused as children by troop leaders around the country. Plan opponents say the staggering number of claims, when combined with other fa...

What the Mets prospects can work on in Triple-A

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:02 GMT

PORT ST. LUCIE — Mets general manager Billy Eppler gave some insight into the club’s decision-making process Monday when he said owner Steve Cohen told him to make the best baseball decision when it came to keeping scuffling DH Darin Ruf.Fans had a hard time reconciling this with the baseball decision made over the weekend to option third baseman Brett Baty and third baseman/first baseman Mark Vientos to Triple-A Syracuse. Based on numbers alone, the duo had outperformed some veterans in Grapefruit League play. But it’s spring training, so the numbers don’t tell the whole story.Baty, Vientos, catcher Francisco Alvarez and shortstop Ronny Mauricio all made great strides this spring and will continue to make them in Triple-A, where they do still have things to prove. They can become leaders on the field and off, build confidence and they can help Syracuse win.They can also develop some consistency in their at-bats, their routines and especially defensively. Con...

Heat’s Lowry taking cautious approach; Heat’s Zeller throwing caution to the wind

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:02 GMT

Kyle Lowry confirmed Tuesday that he remains on a minutes restriction in his third week back from a month off due to knee pain, which is expected to have the veteran Miami Heat point guard out for Wednesday night’s conference-seeding showdown against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.Speaking ahead of Tuesday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena, Lowry said the decision was not his.“No, doctor’s recommendation,” he said.Having turned 37 Saturday, Lowry said it is a case of having to put aside his strong-willed approach.“Strong willing has kind of gotten me into the situation I’ve been in right now,” he said, having logged heavy early-season minutes before succumbing to the pain in his left knee. “So I’ve got to be smart about this one and with the organization. I think we’ve been on a great page and we’ve been on the same page with everything I’ve been doing, coming off t...

Bruins notebook: Pavel Zacha looks like a good fit at center

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:02 GMT

For the Bruins, there are benefits to securing a playoff spot and home ice so early. One has been the ability to rest some of their older players the last couple of weekends on the second half of back-to-backs. The other has been he ability to take a peek into the future beyond this magical season.Two Sunday’s ago, the B’s sat David Krejci in Buffalo and last Sunday in Carolina, it was Patrice Bergeron’s turn to rest the aching body.Both times, Pavel Zacha, expected to be moved to the middle whenever Krejci and Bergeron retire, has jumped into the center spot and played well in the two victories.Coach Jim Montgomery has liked what he’s seen.“I think it’s been very encouraging. The Carolina game is probably the best 200-foot game he’s had,” said Montgomery after Tuesday’s morning skate. “He’s had a lot of games where he’s helped us at center. It’s pretty amazing how seamlessly he’s gone from left wing to right wing to ...

Covenant school shooting: Nashville shooter didn't target specific people, police say

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:02 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN/NEXSTAR) — Police in Nashville are still searching for answers after six people were killed in a shooting at the Covenant School on Monday.On Tuesday afternoon, the Metro Nashville Police Department addressed "rumors" that have circulated in the wake of the tragedy. One such rumor, according to Mayor John Cooper includes misinformation that the shooter — identified as 28-year-old Audrey Hale, of Nashville — targeted specific individuals."We have no evidence that specific individuals were targeted by the shooter," Cooper said. "The school was targeted, but we have no indication that individuals were targeted." Bodycam video shows moments police killed active shooter at Nashville school Hale, who was also killed during the shooting, was reportedly armed with two assault-style rifles and one handgun. On Tuesday, MNPD Chief John Drake explained that Hale had obtained the three weapons used in the shooting legally and that they were among seven total she'd purcha...

Is Highway 401 really North America’s busiest highway?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:02 GMT

It has often been said that Highway 401 is North America’s busiest highway, but is that actually true and if so, what does it mean?CityNews had a look through the data to try and find out how the 401 stacks up against other highways in the United States and Mexico.How are traffic volumes determined?To determine how ‘busy’ a specific highway is, many transportation agencies use a measure known as Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT), which is the number of vehicles that travel a highway each day averaged over 365 days.Traffic volumes are typically collected through the use of electronic traffic counters and many agencies publish the data online every few years with some publishing their data annually.CityNews chose only to include data from prior to the COVID-19 pandemic as lockdowns had a significant impact on traffic patterns and some agencies have not released any data since the pandemic began.Highways in CanadaThe Toronto section of Highway 401 is, without question, the busiest st...

Israel’s Netanyahu may have tough time saving judicial plan

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:02 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put his contentious judicial overhaul plan on hold this week, he vowed to pass the package through parliament “one way or another.” But he may have a hard time keeping that promise.This week’s about-face has left him weakened and coming up against a wall of opposition he has never before faced in a three-decade political career. For nearly three months, hundreds of thousands of people have repeatedly taken to the streets week after week to demonstrate against the plan, crippling major highways and city streets as they accused him of pushing the country toward dictatorship. Influential business leaders and security men came out against him. The country’s main trade union declared a general strike. Perhaps most worrying for Israel, key military reservists, first and foremost Israeli fighter pilots, threatened to stop reporting for duty. Key international allies voiced concerns and objections.While Netanyahu has the support in parli...

Harris, in Africa, confronts painful past, envisions future

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:11:02 GMT

CAPE COAST, Ghana (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday stepped through the black doors of a colonial-era seaside fort and down into the dungeons, touring a site where millions of enslaved Africans were held captive before they were loaded onto ships bound for the Americas. With her visit to Cape Coast Castle, Harris was insisting on remembering the painful past even as she stood earlier Tuesday before a monument commemorating Ghana’s independence, envisioning a grand future between the U.S. and Africa propelled by innovation on the continent. “The horror of what happened here must always be remembered,” she said from the fort as the sun set over the water. “It cannot be denied. It must be taught. History must be learned.” The nation’s first Black and South Asian vice president is the most high-profile member of President Joe Biden’s administration to visit Africa as the U.S. escalates its outreach to the continent. The events on her second day in Gh...